#6 movies ill always watch

[13eyond13]

Time to start reading The Queen of the Damned I GUESS

[lesseraive]

it is impossible for me to get a perfect grade in a class bc i'm always like hey if i don't do this one assignment i'll still get a passing grade that's all that matters

[phagodyke]

I mostly just scroll thru blog subs when im on mobile bc I follow too many ppl on here so I add mutuals etc there n then turn off notifs so it's like the creme de la creme of the dash anyway if u see me in ur notes more its bc I forgor to add some of u on there until recently sorry 😭😭

[gaystardykeco]

having lots of summer fun this year (thinking so hard about television adaptations of slasher franchises that i go insane)

[jeonscatalyst]

So something I have been thinking since the beginning of AYS. I think JM and JK give themselves away. How someone can look at their behavior and not realize these two have more than a friendship/brotherly vibe. Before I go on a tangent, what I am I trying to say again 🤔. Ohh right. In the previews, we see JK and JM have a pillow in-between them as they sit on the couch while watching TV. Why the damn pillow in-between like it's so obvious! That hug when JM wanted JK to feel how cold he was, I mean. Just go ahead and proper. They crack me up. It's too late. We already know you are together. If they just acted normal 😅. To be honest, I don't blame them it's hard faking not being in a relationship.

Ah I have found my person!

Anon, I have been in this fandom for over 7 years and spent about 5 out of those 7 years being a Jikooker and all through my years in this fandom, I have seen many jikookers give different reasons why they believe Jikook are a together but not many people started seeing them as more for the same reason I did.

I have mentioned before that for me, it was never about the GCFs, the soft looks, the touches or any moments that could be described as soft or romantic or beautiful. For me it was always those moments that many Jikookers don’t like to look at or even talk about. The first thing that made me do a double take on Jikook was fetus Jikook. You see, I wasn’t always a shipper and I was one of those people who actually thought it was silly as hell that people could even believe that any of the members could be in a romantic relationship especially because of things like skinship which is the most common thing among korean men but one day I watched a long compilation on Youtube of fetus Jikook and my mind began to change. You see, when I watched that video and read comments many people were either mad at Jk for being an asshole to Jimin while others felt sorry for Jimin and some were mad that Jimin had to put up with all of that from Jungkook but one look at it and I knew that wasn’t normal at all especially because when I joined the fandom at the beginning of 2017, I spent alot of time reading their interviews and catching up on old content (somehow I didn’t really notice the fetus Jikook bickering or push and pull alot) but one opinion I remember having was that Jk kinda liked being around Jimin and hovering. So when I watched that compilation showing Jk basically being an ass to Jimin, that was the first time I thought “maybe shippers are unto something” because what I was seeing Jk do in the compilation was very conflicting with everything I had learned about Jikook and the opinion I had about them as a duo. I didn’t necessarily think they were the closest but I didn’t think Jk had any ill feelings towards Jimin.

You see anon, one thing I understood while being in this fandom is that, how people interpret or perceive other’s actions and words depends more on them than the people whose actions they are interpreting. Without certain experiences, it is almost impossible for one to understand certain things. Your culture, environment, people around, personal experiences and basically what you are used to, shapes the way you see the world and that is why one person could see a 9 while another person sees a 6. Some people have grown up believing that couples are always soft with each other or with couples it is always smiles and rainbows and roses, you know watching a lot of romance movies or fantasy will do that to you or even only experiencing those first stages of normal romantic relationships will trick you into believing such things. Some people don’t understand context and nuances at all and so they could never understand Jikook even if they wanted to.

It never made any sense to me that we saw Jungkook pushing Jimin away or shoving him in walls or ranking him last in looks yet this same person would choose to put blankets outside to sleep with Jimin at night, or this same person’s would go to cuddle Jimin in his sleep or this same person would be seen hovering around Jimin alottt and wanting to touch him or feel him up (fetus Jk was not subtle). Jungkook already knew that he got his comfort mostly from Jimin. He already understood that the reason he teased Jimin alot was because he really liked him and I think Jungkook’s occasional “bitchy” behaviour towards Jimin was him panicking and not knowing how to deal with Jimin who was obnoxiously loud about how he felt for Jungkook. Jungkook never hated being around Jimin or being touched by Jimin like many people would like to believe because if he did, he would never choose to go spend his nights with Jimin. If he did, he would never go to hug Jimin in his sleep or pile clothes on his bed to go sleep in Jimin’s bed. He clearly loved being around Jimin so how else could anyone explain his behaviour infront of the cameras?

Watching Bangtan, anyone would quickly understand that these boys don’t understand the concept of personal space when it comes to each other. I saw this video on X the other day and it made me laugh…

This is not even the most accurate example I can use but you see how glued they are to each other? Like no care in world. They shower together, sleep together, eat after each other, that is normal for them so explain to me why on earth Jimin and Jungkook would have to put a pillow inbetween them when they sit even though we know for a fact that being glued is literally like second nature to the members?

This is how Jimin and Jungkook give themselves away everytime because you can literally see that sometimes they get overly cautious in a bid to not give too much away but they don’t realize that by doing this, they are actually giving too much away because we know that the members usually don’t have any issues sitting even untop of each other. It’s just like I had once said that when you have nothing to hide, you feel as free as a bird but when you do, you start doing even unnecessary things not to come off suspicious. Why would they need a pillow inbetween them to just sit on a damn couch? If these two are just friends or bros why on earth do they need a pillow? If it was normal to see the members respecting each other’s personal space then we could just see this too as normal but we know that these same people seated right here are the same ones who have had their mouths on various erogenous parts of each other’s bodies so why?

Like you said, if jikook acted normal then I wouldn’t have ever suspected or thought that they are more than friends but the truth is that they don’t act normal at all and this is something everyone can agree on, regardless of whether they see things in a negative or positive way, everyone can agree that Jikook don’t act normal at all and it’s been like this since they were younger.

I have mentioned before that I could never see what taekookers see in Taekook because there is just way too much comfort in their interaction for them to be closeted idols in a romantic relationship. You never see any panic, you never see them acting as if they have something to hide. I have seen some taekookers say that they know that Jikook are not together because their skinship is usually very short or abrupt while taekook’s take longer and I was like ofcourse theirs would take longer because those two have nothing to hide the same way Jk’s skinship with any other member who isn’t Jimin takes longer and they seem more comfortable doing it because they are not worried about how they would come off because those actions are completely innocent. With Jikook, there is a panic and when they start going on at, it doesn’t take long for them to snap out of it and then you see them immediately stopping which sometime makes their interactions come off as awkward.

Imagine yourself in a secret romantic relationship where you are almost always infront of dozens of cameras and staff, who would feel 100% at ease in situations like this? That is why Jikook’s interactions sometimes come off clunky or awkward because of this while you never really sense this with any of the other members interactions. I can sit through any other duo’s interactions without feeling second hand embarrassment, shy or slightly awkward but with Jikook, I go through about 20 different emotions while watching them and that is how I know they are….different. So because not everyone understands the contexts or nuances, they would immediately see this as something bad while someone who understands the context and nuances in this situation expects to see this kinds of interactions. Many people unfortunately are not very smart because if they were, they would really ask themselves why Jk seems to hate Jimin’s touches so much (according to them) or hates being around Jimin so much (according to them) yet this same Jk is the one who voluntarily goes to knock on Jimin’s door everynight at 1am. Why did this same Jk choose to sleep on the floors outside their rooms with Jimin instead of sleeping with Tae or some other member? Why did this same Jk choose to spend majority of his nights and downtime with this person? Why did this same Jk pile clothes on his bed to go sleep in Jimin’s bed? Why did Jk keep going to sleep in Jihope’s room everynight? What was he doing with Jimin at 4am on his birthday after they had already moved out of the dorm and were living in personal apartments? Which one of you knows anyone who would do this if they really didn’t like someone and literally loved being around them? Also, notice how each and everytime we “caught” Jikook in positions where they never expected cameras or weren’t aware of cameras they were always glued to each other and Jungkook especially had no issues being in Jimin’s personal space?

This is one of those cases where someone either gets it or they don’t because it is kinda hard to explain and the truth is, to really understand these kinds of things, you probably need to have experienced something like this or atleast know someone very close who has.

Jikook as a romantic pair was never meant to make sense to alot of people because not very many people have critical thinking skills, not very people know how to piece tiny details together to really understand a situation. So often, people form opinions after watching one single piece of content without caring to look at the history of things. I saw a taekooker say that Jk hated Jimin’s music style because Jk said their show will fail if Jimin sang the OST he joked about singing and you could clearly tell this person is one of those who literally don’t care about context or history because everyone and their mama knows how much Jk enjoys and has always enjoyed Jimin as an artist and a performer and he has made it clear on several occasions just how much he loves the music Jimin makes.

Like I said, Jikook is not meant to be understood by everyone. If everyone understood them then that would mean they weren’t doing something right.

[ribread03]

tummy problems

Content Warnings: mentions of throwing up, Talk of being/going to the hospital and or emergency room. Probably fluff to.

AN: This holds a place in my life due to the fact that I have a chronic illness that deals with my stomach #chronicilless so yeah. I think this is really cute and I hope this all make sense to other people.

lowkey got lazy at the end [the whole thing bc I'm in a block rn] but yeah, I just wanted to get something out, I have some good ideas in my head but request are always appreciated.

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

"Baby" I say whining slightly. I am currently curled up into a ball on mine and Matt's bed. Trying to fight off this god awful pain in my abdomen.

"What's up with my love?" Matt ask, concerned that you haven't taken any pain meds yet. You have refused to take any knowing that they wouldn't do anything for your pain. "What can I get for you?"

"Can you get me the heating pad and just come and cuddle?" You ask looking at him.

"Of course baby" Matt answers you, giving you a quick peck on the lips before leaving to go and grab what you asked for.

"Thank you" You speak softly. You know that you're not really "sick". You've been dealing with the same pain since the 4th grade and now you're almost 20 years old. You know that it will go away after a week or so, so you just push through the pain trying to make the best of it.

Matt comes back into the room and kneels down next to you to plug the heating pad in. "Here you go" He says with a soft smile. He walks over to his side of the bed and lays down next to you.

"I love you so much" You tell him. You've been friends with the triplets since your freshmen year of high school. They are the only people that have really stuck by your side through all of your medical experiences. Being truly grateful for them.

"I love you to y/n" He kisses you cheek. "Wanna watch a movie? It might help you distract your mind"

"Yeah" You grab the remote next to you and turn the TV on. Moving closer to Matt to snuggle into his warm body. Slowly you are finally falling asleep when all of the sudden you have this horrid pain wash over you causing you to move uncomfortably which Matt notices.

"y/n? babe, come on talk to me..." He pauses for a moment. "What can I do to help you?" He asks concern laced in his voice. "Pain med, food, water, a bath?"

Coming to your defeat you finally decide to take some pain meds "get me the ones my doctor gave me please, they will help the most." You speak so softly afraid if you talk too loudly you'll experience more pain.

"Of course my love." Matt says as he gets off of the bed and heads out into the hall to grab your meds.

Matt comes back into the room with the pain meds, but you are up and out of bed rushing towards the bathroom. As soon as you step foot into the bathroom everything that you ate in the last 12 hours comes out of you. You feel Matt behind you gently rubbing your back.

"sweetheart this is normal, do you want to go to the emergency room?" Matt ask. He knows that you hate it there knowing there isn't much they can do for you, but will go if you need more then what you have at home.

Whipping your mouth and standing up you nod your head yes. Walking back into the room you grab your phone, water, and a phone charger as well as a hoodie. "I didn't think it would be this bad." You say defeated.

"I know sweetie. It's okay tho I'm here." Matt says grabbing the sweatshirt from you and heading to the car.

Once in the car and on the way to the emergency room you start to relax a bit, knowing what's going to happen once there.

~~

(I'm skipping the whole time they are in the emergency room bc I think it would be boring)

~~

"Ready to go" Matt says yawning. We've been in the emergency room for 6 hours now.

"Mmh" I say as I cling onto him. "I'm ready to sleep to."

"Same here." We are walking back out to the car now hand in hand.

On the ride home we stop and grab a snack at the gas station. Once we are home I head straight for the bed room flopping onto the bed and opening my arms for Matt to come and lay with me. Matt climbs into bed and wraps his arms around me peppering my face with kisses.

"Thank you babe." You tell him, really great full he took you to the emergency room and got you some better pain medicine.

"Anytime, you know that all I want for you is to feel better." He speaks, still holding you and lightly kissing you.

"Still, thank you for everything and for sticking it out with me." You say, now kissing his face. Ending up falling asleep in that same position.

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

an: hoped you guys liked this even if I feel like its a little poopy and short but oh well. BYE LOVE YOU!

[luvfy0dor]

RRRRAAAAAH i’m so insane abt dad fyodor i’m!!!!! imagine him helping the kid with schoolwork and attending parent meetings i’m so? feel free to decline! <3

“Multiplication Sucks ♡” - Dad!Fyodor Dostoevsky x GN!Reader ੈ✩‧₊˚

Warnings; None!

Description; Fyodor helping his daughter with her homework assignment, I'm so sorry it's so short : [ I tried writing a scenario for a parent teacher meeting but I kept scrapping my ideas, ill do a part two at some point i promise!

A/n; I LOVE THAT WE ALL LOVE DAD FYODOR SM DJSJEJS THANK YOU DAD!FYODOR ANON FOR BLESSING US WITH THIS WE LOVE YOU 💜 ALSO IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT ANON AHHH ���

Headcannons !! ༊*·˚

• Fyodor is the type of dad to let his kid waste no time when it comes to homework. He wants them to get it done the very night it's assigned so they can relax afterwards and not gain the habit of procrastinating.

• You will catch him walking your kid step by step through their homework. He's not the type of parent to yell out of frustration, especially not over his kids homework.

• He can help the child with most subjects, but he's especially good at math and therefore some sciences. He's good with history, too.

• At one-on-one parent teacher meetings, he already knows what to expect. He knows his kid is well behaved, he raised them well mannered and respectful. He also knows that his kid is smart and does well on their assignments, they get it from their papa.

ೃ⁀➷

(As always, d/n is daughters name, p/t is parental title)

You sat on the couch with Fyodor, leaning on his shoulder while you watched a movie. He seemed relatively intrigued while he chewed on his fingernails. His hair was messily pulled back, his bangs falling through the grip of the ponytail holder and back into his face. His free arm was around your waist, holding you close. Your daughter was being relatively quiet, you couldn't really hear her footsteps going back and forth around her bedroom like you usually could. All of a sudden though, you could hear some frustrated groans. Fyodor definitely heard it too, turning his head to look at you. After a second he got up from the couch and walked towards d/n's room.

He knocked on your daughter's door lightly, opening it upon hearing a soft "come in". He walked into her bedroom, his eyes immediately falling onto the young girl slouched over at her desk with a pencil in hand. He tilts his head and notices the sheet of paper in front of her, half finished with lots of scribbled out things.

"What's wrong, Malyshka?" He asks, reaching out and rubbing her back in consolation. The young girl sits up with a pout, her lip quivering a bit. "Multiplying is stupid!" She says sadly, placing her pencil down gently and crossing her arms. Fyodor picks up and examines the paper, humming as he reads over the simple and basic multiplication problems. "Well, I can help you. There's no need to cry over it." He says, petting her head gently and putting the paper back down. "Is it this one that's troubling you?" He asks, pointing to one of the problems with the pencil. She nods, sniffling.

"16 x 2..." He hums for a moment, thinking of a way to explain this to her. "If you can do 6 x 2 and 10 x 2, all you have to do is add them together." He says, handing the pencil to her. "You're a smart girl, I know you can do it." He says, remaining at her side while she uses the strategy he provided her. Her tongue slightly pokes from the corner of her lips as she comes to her conclusion of 32 after a couple of seconds.

"Is that right, papa?" D/n asks, looking up at Fyodor for approval. "Yes, you did a good job." He praises her with a proud smile, patting her head. She nods and moves onto the next question, and before she knows it, she's done! Fyodor was happy that she didn't give up and powered through, finally starting to grasp the concept. All she needed was a little more help, the help that her father was right there to give her.

A/n; AHHHH I love dad Fyodor sm like imagine him going to father-daughter dances omg I die

[sailorholly]

Between Us Pt. 6

Summary: You and Spencer had a casual relationship. A misunderstanding ruins it all.

Pairing: Spencer Reid × F. BAU Reader

Warnings: Friends with benefits. Angst. Pregnancy.

A/N: For all of you who wanted an Ashley confrontation, it’s coming next week! 👀🤭

See my Masterlist Here

Part Five

Ashley did not take the news well. Her jealousy reared its ugly head causing her to lash out. Spencer explained that if she wanted to continue their relationship, she needed to understand that you were always going to be a huge part of his life. He wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect towards you.

She seemed to calm down after that, until Spencer told her he would be living with you for two months, possibly three, after the baby was born. Ashley was extremely jealous of you and it showed. But Spencer wouldn’t let her push him away from you. He was still unsure about whatever this was with Ashley.

She liked him that was for sure. But he didn’t feel like that about her. He was sure his feelings would kick in at some point, like they had with you. It had been a long time coming with you. What started off as friendship quickly turned into a sexual relationship. Then he fell for you. He hadn’t realized until the end of it. Then it was too late. He fell so hard that he had to end it before you hurt him. So he was waiting for things to be like that with Ashley.

The day of your first ultrasound came, you were so excited to finally see the tiny bean growing inside you. Hotch gave you and Spencer the day off for your appointment. Spencer took you to your favorite restaurant for lunch. You were going to look for cribs after the ultrasound.

When they finally called your name, you and Spencer jumped up excitedly. You changed into the gown they laid out, waiting for the ultrasound tech to come in. She introduced herself as Nora. She explained what to expect today. She got her equipment out, telling you that for the first ultrasound, they actually put the instrument inside you, instead of on your stomach.

It wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. When you saw the black and grey picture come into focus, the little blob on the screen she indicated was your baby, you burst into tears. Spencer’s eyes were watery too. She let you hear the heartbeat for the first time, and you both were instantly in love.

Nora said everything looked great and she printed off copies of the ultrasound. You clutched them to your chest as you and Spencer made your next appointment. When you got to the car, you looked at them over and over again.

You spent the whole car ride to the store talking about who you thought the baby would look like, if it was a boy or a girl. Spencer ran through the probability of it having his traits or yours. You picked out a crib for your apartment. He had looked at every one carefully reading the safety stats. Spencer couldn’t wait to get it home and assemble it.

You were going to spend next weekend cleaning out your spare room. After shopping, you and Spencer watched a movie and ordered take out. When you fell asleep, head in his lap, your hair splayed out in all directions, he knew it would never work with Ashley.

Tags

@cindylynn @wheredafandomat @wheredafandomat @multifandom-worlds @loz-3 @megharat-barnes-reid @kats72 @mochie85 @cakesandtom @spenciesprincess @kimm4710 @tmilover1993 @nomajdetective @cynbx @comboboo @134340ona @wannabewolf @weirdothatwritess @silver-tongue-taken-to-bed @freegardenbanananeck @lover-of-books-and-tea @maybe-not-this @drewsandsebastianswife @lamentis-10 @lizzyk137 @hypotheticallyspeakingwitch @rosylnsworld @amortencjja @ah-blossom @dreamsarebig @khxna @diasnohibng @nommingonfood @sp3ncelle @pleasantwitchgarden @isakslilsmile @lavvylove @creaming4daddy @justdianaz @aubs444 @im-this-girl @xblueriddlex @spencerreidsgf420 @witchsbitchestime @lovelyygirl8 @chonkybonky @prentissesredtanktop @ill-be-okay-soon-enough @ilikw

[blazehedgehog]

what is the sonic franchise's problem? why does every concept have to be stretched to death and then discarded entirely?

"What is the Sonic franchise's problem" is such a broad question these days because there's so many layers to so many different parts of the franchise but ultimately it boils down to two things:

Time and money.

The way capitalism works in creative fields is that if you prove you can do it faster and cheaper, then you have to keep doing it faster and cheaper. The more you save the company time and money, the better it is for them.

And at least in the case of Sonic games, they've had long stints where they get made dangerously quickly. Even as far back as Sonic 2, that game spent a long time in the concept phase that eventually got thrown out as they rushed the final game to completion. Sonic 3 legendarily came together in as little as 6-9 months after the original pitch (a pseudo-3D isometric game) fell apart.

Sonic Adventure 2 was made by half the people in half the time as Sonic Adventure 1. Rush and crunch on Sonic Heroes was so bad one of their level designers was hospitalized for months due to exhaustion related illness. Takashi Iizuka stepped up and basically doubled his workload to cover for that guy and has publicly said he lost over 30 pounds because of the stress.

He then worked so hard on Shadow the Hedgehog, the next game after Sonic Heroes, that he straight up burned out and left the Sonic franchise for like six years. If you check the credits for Shadow, Takashi Iizuka is attached as the director, game designer, level designer, story writer, and CG movie supervisor. The dude carried half that entire game in an era where directors did not get their hands dirty like that.

Sonic Unleashed in 2008 was a change in form in that it was a very expensive game. So expensive that people working on the game complained that they were wasting too much money on details nobody would be able to appreciate because you were always moving too fast.

So Sega changed gears. Sonic Generations looked like another big money sink, so they brought in Morio Kishimoto, a guy who came up through games like Sonic & The Secret Rings and Sonic & The Black Knight. Secret Rings in particular was a huge success story for Sega: it was immensely cheap and produced incredibly quickly, and when compared to the bomb known as Sonic 06, Secret Rings looked and played like gold.

Kishimoto was given the dying embers of a failed Wii port of Sonic Generations, which he quickly and cheaply turned around into Sonic Colors, and again, it was a runaway success compared to the very expensive and divisive Sonic Unleashed.

And so once again, Sonic games erred towards faster and cheaper and faster and cheaper and faster and cheaper. That was Kishimoto's style.

I was watching someone stream Sonic Lost World for their first time a few days ago, and in theory, the concept of the game makes sense. Kishimoto is open about saying that Sonic Colors was them trying to inject a little Mario flavor into a Sonic game, so Sonic Lost World is trying to be Sonic Colors 2, and it's a lot more overt with its Mario inspiration. And it's a lot worse, too.

That's because Mario games incubate for years and years and years, building and iterating ideas until they are perfectly cut, highly polished finished products. Sonic games are rammed through production as fast as possible, square pegs forced through round holes, exhausted developers making the best of table scraps, and they are covered in rough edges and misshapen gameplay.

Every time you play a bad Sonic game and see the twinkle of a good idea, that's a seed of greatness that was not properly cultivated and given room to grow, because cheaper and faster makes them more money.

This is why you hear people say they hope the success of Sonic Frontiers will get Sega to increase the budget for future Sonic games again, because it's REALLY clear they were making a game out of basically nothing.

(I am not holding my breath.)

[unhonestlymirror]

I am horrified by how often I see people writing, "Well, we shouldn't take Holocaust into account when talking about Israel-Palestine war." Of course we SHOULD, and that's why:

"October 7 is getting rewritten and certain social media users are an active of the campaign to erase the atrocities.

I was barely awake on October 7th when news of the atrocities that were committed by Hamas began to trinkle in, horror by horror. With sleep still in my eyes, I had hoped it was a nightmare I could erase by burying my face in pillows and returning to slumber, but alas, reality was insistent. Hamas had butchered over 1,200 people, amongst them infants, pregnant women, the handicapped, and the elderly. Even dogs were not spared.

But Hamas didn’t just murder them in cold blood, they had tortured, raped, desecrated their bodies, and took hostages. Their depravity was limitless. And they were so proud of their crimes that they used GoPro cameras to record them, later releasing the sickening spectacles to the public as a form of psychological terror. Add to that the live streams, cell phone recordings, and CCTV camera footage, and you’ll probably have the most documented massacre in history—with a reported 60,000 video clips collected.

I’ve seen some of these videos, including those not circulating quite so widely in public. They will haunt me for the rest of my life—and that falls far short than the 47 minute “film” shown to select journalists and diplomats worldwide, a number of whom broke down and/or fell ill during the screening.

But as shocking as all of this deranged butchery was — which was entirely the intention — what stunned me in the aftermath is the world’s reaction.

Putting aside disputes of land and politics, it was jarring to hear such a blatant reframing of narrative. It started with calling Hamas the “resistance” and justifying the unjustifiable. A number of BLM chapters had put out “heroic” images of Hamas terrorists descending on parachutes. I half-expected them to release action figures of Hamas fighters too. Maybe they did?

And then came the "BUTs." Sure, some folks condemned Hamas, but it was always followed by a "BUT," justifying the unjustifiable. I've been asked, ad nauseam, "What would you do in their situation?" Well, my response remains steadfast: not commit random acts of murder, torture, and kidnapping. Call me old-fashioned. (For the record I’ve called many colorful words for my stance, but oddly that was never one of them).

It was a wake-up call for many, especially those of us in the global Jewish community. Overnight, the illusion of safety shattered, much like the dreams of anyone who's binge-watched a horror series alone at night. But now we were all collectively trapped in that nightmare, and couldn’t wake up no matter how hard with pitched.

The history of the Holocaust is taught in many schools around the world. “Never forget” and “never again” are sentiments that are echoed within that curriculum. Yet, while some might scoff at the persistent advocacy for Holocaust education, insisting that it’s hitting them over the head, a nationwide survey in 2020 reveals that the under-40 crowd seems to have missed the memo. Shockingly, one in ten respondents haven’t even heard of the word “Holocaust,” let alone being aware that as many as 6 million Jews perished in it.

Further, nearly a quarter of those questioned said they believed the Holocaust was a myth, had been exaggerated or that they weren’t sure. Meanwhile in Canada, one in five young people (under 34) either hasn't heard of the Holocaust or isn't sure what it is. And in Britain, one in twenty adults flat-out deny that it ever took place. Ah, the privilege of blissful ignorance.

Most who underestimate the number of Jews killed in Holocaust have neutral or warm feelings toward Jews.

But it's not just ignorance; there's an entire industry that has been propped up and dedicated to Holocaust denial, complete with books, “movies,” and groups. To make matters worse, alarmingly, fewer Holocaust survivors are around to share their firsthand accounts and counteract the flames of denialism.

Nearly half of the 1000 people surveyed had stated that they’ve seen Holocaust denial or distortion posts on social media or elsewhere online.

I’ve always thought that denials of genocide—such as the Holocaust —were something that happened over time, with history slipping away and being re-written.

However, I never expected to be observing this in real time.

While initially the so-called “resistance” was celebrated by a subset of society, this soon turned into full-fledged denials of Hamas’ actions on Oct 7. Despite overwhelming evidence in the form of videos captured and shared by Hamas themselves and shared on Telegram channels and elsewhere, I would read and hear people claiming that they had only targeted Israeli military. Absurd claims emerged using supposedly ‘leaked’ footage where an Israeli helicopter shoots at Nova music festival goers. That video was viewed over 30 million times on X alone. The video, which was actually originally shared by the IDF on Oct 9, was showing their attacks on specific Gazan targets—certainly NOT indiscriminate bombings of music festival attendees in Israel. (Here’s a great thread that details how this piece of disinformation spread and geolocation information that further confirms that the claim is fake).

I’ve heard countless denials of the rapes of women (and men), despite overwhelming evidence in the form of physical evidence, forensics, and a number of witness testimonies. Women’s rights groups, meanwhile, remained silent—thus offering a vacuum for denialists to fill. Proponents of “me too” also stayed silent. Worse, the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre’s director signed an open letter calling Hamas perpetrating “sexual violence” an “unverified accusation.” It took UN Women nearly two months to issue a lukewarm condemnation of the brutal attacks. “We are alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities and sexual violence during those attacks,” they wrote, following a letter writing campaign urging them to speak up. Better late than never though, right?

The roughly 40 dead babies claim was debunked as a lie. At least that’s what people on social media now declare as fact, citing a Haaretz investigation.

“Haaretz investigation EXPOSES all the ISRAELI LIES from October 7th just like I predicated (sic),” reads the post of one particularly large disinformation account.

These claims persisted despite Haaretz directly addressing that post and calling it “blatant lies” and insisting that it “absolutely no basis in Haaretz’s reporting.”

The denials continued regardless of the fact that a group of 200 forensic pathologists from all over the world had confirmed that babies were indeed murdered and that some babies were found decapitated, though it was unclear whether this was done before or after death. First responders also corroborated that they witnessed beheaded infants. Regardless of decapitation, these were babies, murdered.

The forensic pathologists also confirmed that humans were executed, bound and burned alive. Israeli police have over 1,000 statements related to the attack.

When some of the hostages were released, Hamas supporters claimed that the hostages enjoyed being held by them, that they hardly wanted to leave. That this was like a pleasant vacation for them, that’s all. Like sipping piña coladas by the beach. In fact, they would state that they were more concerned about their safety in Israeli hands. They even concocted stories of love affairs between a hostage who was shot in the leg and a Hamas captor. A sick and twisted take on reality where up is down, cats are dogs, and denial is truth. They dismissed the reality that many of these hostages watched their loved ones get murdered in front of them, and still had relatives being held in captivity. The hostages were also administered Clonazepam by Hamas, a mood-enhancing tranquilizing drug, before handing them over to the Red Cross, so that they would appear “happy.”

Meanwhile, the Yale Daily News published a correction of an opinion column stating that the “allegations had not been substantiated.”

The denials go on and on, and I can’t help but feel like I’m watching a version of Holocaust denial, except this time it’s happening in real time—not years after the fact. And this time, it has a Wi-Fi connection and a social media account.

The conditions for this were ripe. Moral relativism is why just several weeks ago, Gen Z embraced Bin Laden's 'Letter to America.' It has been building up for years across college campuses, a breeding ground for ideologies that support violent means to achieve political gains.

The perceived power dynamics play a role here too. In the eyes of many, the Israelis are seen as a superpower whereas the Palestinians, and by extension Hamas, are seen as underdogs. In their view, the underdog is always right because it is the victim, and the “power” is the oppressor. So how can the oppressor be a victim?

Israelis, despite the majority of the population being Mizrahi Jews, as well as 20% Arabs (who were also victims on Oct 7), have been framed as “white colonizers,” vs the Palestinians who are seen as “POC” in the context of this conflict. Never mind that Jews, including Ashkenazi Jews, can be traced back to the land through DNA, archaeological evidence, and historical documents.

An overall distrust for media is another factor, which has resulted in individuals taking the word of random influencer accounts as gospel over traditional media outlets. According to Gallup polls, Americans’ trust in media is near a record low. Only 34% of US adults have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence as of 2022. This is a major hindrance to our sensemaking abilities.

And then, of course, there’s cognitive dissonance. When a group identifies so closely with the perpetrator and they commit heinous acts, confronting that fact happens to be uncomfortable. So, in an attempt to reduce that discomfort, they rationalize or deny the evidence. This means that they accept only evidence that supports their existing beliefs, while placing unreasonable demands on the other side.

But none of these factors would have gained as much traction if it weren’t for something that didn’t exist during the Holocaust: social media. This is the engine that helps drives this real-time historical revisionism and denialism. According to 2021 data from Pew Research, over 70% of Americans get their news via social platforms. A Reuters Institute report from 2023 found that 30% of respondents use social media as the main way to get their news.

We have a society that consumes sound-bites of information, both truth and lies (as well as lies based on grains of truth).

Social media algorithms—combined with human nature—tend to amplify outrageous untruths, which spread widely. Corrections, never make it as far as the original lie. They are just a faint hum.

Throughout the Israeli-Gaza war, we’ve seen AI generated images and bots used to paint a specific narrative—for evocative, emotional effect. But technologically sophisticatication isn’t a prerequisite for painting false narratives. Many “influencers” have taken to using existing images or videos and attaching misleading headlines to them—including sharing content that captures events in Syria while presenting it as taking place in Gaza. These networks of influencers have large reach, and can turn even the most blatant lie into a revisionist truth.

Researchers for Freedom House, a non-profit human right advocacy group, found that generally at least 47 governments have used commentators to manipulate online discussions in their favor, either via humans or bots. They’ve also recruited influencers to help spread false and misleading content, and have created fake websites that mimic actual media publications. Then there’s always Russia’s propaganda arm RT, and various other publications like Al Jazeera and Quds who have direct ties to Hamas and/or other Islamic regimes.

All of this has contributed to narrative confusion, and the erasure of unspeakable acts of brutality, and the denial of the facts of October 7, right before our very eyes.

If we cannot even share a common reality, how can have any hope of resolving anything?

“Never again” is happening now."

[peachie-kittie]

I love 'The Post-Traumatic Manifesto'

It's a small project made by the creator Weevildoing, and I've been obsessing. And considering I'm. Experiencing. I'm gonna force my love for this series onto everyone else.

Various headcanons be upon ye all:

There are two girls who could be considered "early risers" - Caliber and Irreverent. Caliber because she works a 9-5 on top of going to the gym, and Irreverent because the religious sermons co attended has influenced her sleep schedule. Co, however, prefers them nowadays to watch the sunrise :)

Also Caliber wakes up that early to either make coffee at home or splurge on fancy coffee - fancy coffee is saved for holidays, rough days, or as a littol treat. She will never admit to that third one though.

Girls with the most FUCKED sleep schedule include Splitter (to no one's surprise), Disposable, Fainant (<- hear me out-), and Caliber.

Splitter is splitter (/affect i adore her). Disposable likes to stay up late playing bideos games, watching anime, scrolling tumblr (ILL GET BACK TO THIS LATER), or researching conspiracy theories. Fainant WOULD have a normal sleep schedule in their ideal life but due to their ME/CFS and many other disabilities and chronic issues they kinda just have accepted her sleep schedule will always be a bit fucky. And Caliber, despite being an early riser is prone to working late. Go to bed at 2 and wake up at 6 kinda lady. This is why she needs coffee.

Chocobo would LOVEEE to work as a barista. Not at fuckbucks but like. If he could get paid properly and be considered a Cool Barista:tm: it'd be THRIVING.

Adding onto that; if it were a barista she'd work at the same coffee shop Caliber visits and Caliber describes him as "the sweetheart who writes nice notes on her cups and can make a killer hazelnut latte."

Splitter and Disposable are friends - semi-long distance, like an hour - and they bond over anime, games, and all the out-there shit they both like/believe (conspiracies and such). They keep each other up watching anime or gaming over discord its amazing. They also both confide in each other about violent or s/h related urges, just kinda listening and going along. They're both SEVERELY mentally ill so they dont really try to give advice; theyll just mutually acknowledge it and be like "yeah that shit sucks. ill hate it/them with you tho."

^^^everytime they meet up they spend at least 3 days together.

Chocobo and Fainant are also friends. Specifically, Chocobo loves to bake sweets for Fainant and Fainant will invite Bo over for frequent movie nights, tea parties, and general hangout sessions lot. Chocobo is one of few people Fainant will willingly go out with because he is willing to leave as soon as they say theyre getting tired.

Chocobo and Irreverent are the UNLIKELY DUO!!! Chocobo is excitable and sociable and anxious and Irreverent is aloof and a lil socially detached but a good logical counterpart who isn't as worried about what others think.

To that end, Chocobo is an age regressor (between ages 10-14 usually) - it won't do it in front of many people, but he trusts Irreverent to caregive. Co makes sure to be extra careful with Bo's boundaries during these times.

Taxidermy and Chocobo don't know eachother BUT Fainant knows Taxidermy and has been intending to introduce the two.

Taxidermy and Fainant never go out. Unlike Chocobo, Taxidermy is the friend Fainant will scroll on their phone with and occassionally send memes for hours then go out for McDonald's at 2 am.

OH ALSO. Splitter and Fainant are work buds. They work at the McDonalds mentioned above. They talk over discord and also send each other memes.

Im not sure how many of you follow Weevil on instagram but. there was a post where Bo very clearly has a crush on Disposable and honestly. Yeah.

For context, there's a skate park near the cafe - and Disposable skateboards there and practices moves on railings and shit. One time Chocobo saw Disposable successfully pull off a kickflip coming off a rail and it's heart went doki-doki.

Splitter has met Chocobo in person a total of two times - the cafe is a rare safe place for Splitter and Disposable to hang out in a dark corner - and both times she could SEE Chocobo staring.

She has tried to get Disposable to talk to him. It is VERY hesitant. Next time Splitter visits she plans to drag Disposable over to Chocobo.

Okay so anyway hard pivot back to Caliber and CHEMICAL!!

Chemical canonically loves rhythm games and fitness - what I'm saying is that she attends the same gym as Caliber and they share a Zumba class.

Whenever Caliber is there Chemical is lovingly on her ass - making sure she drinks water and always inquiring about her home life. Caliber spares details, not wanting to worry a LITERAL TEENAGER, but takes her advice to stretch and drink water.

Caliber admires Chemical's high energy and boldness - and constantly tells her to use those strengths to her advantage. Chemical doesn't seem to fully believe her but appreciates it anyway.

Chemical sees Caliber as an older sister figure for sure.

Chemical is another friend of Fainant! They don't hang out as much as Taxidermy or Chocobo but Chemical helps Fainant stay as active as they can with all their disabilities.

Same for Splitter. She got Splitter into rhythm games. They also geek out about figmas, gundams, and garage kits together.

A decent chunk of the girls deal with feelings of nonhumanity btw - not even just in a trauma way. Fully convinced Disposable is a dog therian and is trying to unlearn its inner cop.

I have more but this feels excessive. Weevil if you see this I hope they vibe. also hi i love this series sm

[canonsinthehead]

so hows the night life in the villages? which is the best and worse? 😸😸

Glad you asked... there are few topics ni the answer ill go deeper in another post but i hope yall get the picture...

Naruto Headcanons - Ranking Nightlife in Different Villages (from best to worse)

1- Kumogakure (THE Party City)

Obviously Kumo takes the first place for its unmatched nightlife culture. It is alive at night and very welcoming of foreigners, some people make a whole trip to Kumo just to party.

There are sooooo many nightclubs of different types. Hip hop, Pop or Western etc. Kumo is known for being the only nation to have stripclubs. other countries, always claim to be more conservative in that area. it ties into the more liberal/accepting expression of sexuality (especially from women).

everything is intertwined when you look up the country's music history. Many famous artists strated in nightclubs.

The city lives at night, many sports clubs are operating during dark hours and inviting the night owls to join in. Along this, you can take all types of classes/courses taking place at night if clubbing is not your cup of tea.

Kumo is so diverse, there is a district/area or stores/businesses for all types of preferences, interests or way of life. Are you LGBT, plus size, disabled, a salary man, vegan, emo, a sneaker head or whatever it is, you will find a place for taste.

it has become a challenge some residents (and tourists), to make a 6PM to 6AM Challlenge. where it consist of staying awake and indulging in the nightlife until sunrise. it was popularized by an episode of Killer Bee's Showtime where they came up with the concept and has became a legit tourist attraction since theres so much to do

2- Konohagakure (6 to 9 Heaven)

In Konoha, a lot of people have a 9-5 schedule so big part of the village nightlife is centered around "after work" activities. When you go out on weekdays, you will mostly encounter employees trying to unwind after a long workday

regardless there are so many activities to do after the sunset. the most popular are karaoke, hot springs and street food stands.

Konoha's foundation being a mountain, there are many hidden spots hidden in its complex foundation. when look over it, you can observe spots of hundred of spotlights all over the city because small goups loves to meetup in various places and just chill together

the largest cinemas are located in Konoha. it one of the few places where you can go watch movies from other nations to the exceptions of Kiri for their heavy censorships laws and Suna for being in a different language.

Cabaret clubs are huge in Konoha.

you can find many 24/7 ramen shops and Internet Cafes

The comedy scene in Konoha is big. off course it doesnt match Kumo's but Konoha produced many well known comedians. All the "Comedy Open mic nights" are to die for.

Konoha scored high also for being a welcoming nation and embraces tourist/foreigners with open minds.

3- Iwagakure (Rock 'n' Roll)

if you are looking for a good music concert to attend. especially for rock and indie music.

it scored lower because many of those locations (to party) and the culture surrounding them are sometimes hard to find

mixed with the nightlife, Iwa has a strong adult entertainment industry. There are countless soaplands and burlesque show, again only if you can find them

(Honorable Mention) 3.5 - Modern Kirigakure (Work in Progress)

On the way to become like Konoha (along with their own sauce) but is not there yet

outside of the capital, they still operate like the previous system like the rest of the country of water.

4- Sunagakure (Organized Events)

The nightlife of Suna is more made of organized events where mass of people attent. The largest venues happen on Fridays since there are a lage diversity of shecdules among the population but everthing stops from Friday night to Sunday morning.

A typical night activity is enjoying tea, there are hundreds of tea stands across the country, sometimes even in the middle of nowhere for travelers during their long journey in the desert. they along serve flavourful whiskeys and tasty snacks. It is the #1 socializing spot.

The food is to die for. The culinary scene of Suna is unmatched, with all the ingredients natives to the regions it gives unique meal you cant find anywhere else. there are many restaurants of all types open until the early hours of the morning.

Live performing is a very prevelant part of Suna's nightlife,

A lot of night activities are meant to be enjoyed in large numbers especially among families since many of them are large.

the problem is that Suna is really weary of tourists/foreigners, so accessing certain areas, restaurants or pubs may be denied because they require invitations. That would limit your acess to tea houses and restaurants in the main city/touristic areas where the inflation is crazzzzyyyyyyy for outsiders. Also the language barrier doesnt help...

the best deal would be to be invited among someone's familiy and celebrate with them, it's just as good as going out

5- Old Kirigakure (Dangerous Territories ahead...)

It is advised for regular citizen (especiall women and children) to stay inside as soon as the sun sets. They say the freaks come out at night, all criminals and gang members come out after nightfall. they occupate various pubs and bars. The city is dual face because it is literraly re-birthed at night for a whole different aura to plague the city at night.

most illegal activities take place at night.

there are a lot of brothels operating under criminal leadership. along with illegal/dubious boxing matches and fight clubs where gambling happens.

Gambling is no joke, it is a serious widespread practice where you can witness (and participate with) players with dices on street corners.

At all time, territories are clearly separated, either by criminal affiliations, ethnicities or caste levels. cross it and will likely pay it with your life.

as a foreigner, if you fit the physical attributes of the local men, you could go unnoticed for some time but it adviced not to even try since you may be cooked when people ask for your paperwork to enter certain spaces. also even if you make and get "accepted", the wrong gesture, word could lead to a misunderstanding and escalate into violence

Kirigakure is male centered society. 90% of the people outside at night are male. many levels of society caters to them hence why a lot of adult males without criminal affialition have no problem going out at night to drink their souls away.

you can witness public intercourse

going on the previous point, there is a deep (but hidden) male LGBT culture running in Kiri. many of them are affiliated with various gangs or crimelords like Gato. Some would suggest that homosexuality is lowkey normalized among gangs (do the homie) but it will never be confirmed. So if you know where to look, are determined (crazy) enough, and looking for a hookup with a tattoed muscular dude with a questionable (dead) body count, then go ahead.

Ironically, the gigolo scene industry is as large as female adult entertainment/prostitution in Kiri. they are not going to tell you that most of them are gang members who fell from grace/punished for making mistakes or literal human trafficking.

6- Amegakure (DO NOT TRESSPASS)

RAVES. The rave culture is unmatched. If you are looking for hardcore parties with moshpits and loud eletronic music you are looking at the right place.

The night culture is really the bulk of what there is to do in Ame, its residents uses thoses parties and alcohol to escape for the reality of their daily lives.

Like everything in the country, it is so hard to acces and it doesnt like outsiders not even a little bit. most of them are not allowed to even enter the city's walls.

There you can find the HARDEST drugs in the entire world. Addictions is a real issue in Ame but when i mean hard i mean amnesia (you forget your life before you consumed it) type of hard

if you go there, you 10000% getting robbed.

thanks yall for your request, that was fun to do. hope the formatting is not too much.

shoutout to @getyourmindrightson, @oceanjenna! thanks for the support.

[cptsimmons]

tagged by @crypticpuffin‼️‼️‼️ ^_^

Last song: all to myself — jonathan coulton according to spotify but i swear it was rocking the boat — ice nine kills ?!? lol

Favorite color: lime green, warm brown, orange!!

Last book: jaws by peter benchley

Last movie: .....jaws as well

Last show: freakazoid! (or game grumps if youll count a youtube show..super mario sunshine compilation)

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: spicy!!!!! 🌶️ im a sweets hater i cant lie but i love a sweet-savory...like my favorite food of all time is unagi ^_^ but generally....im a spice lover and will always order something spicy if its an option!!!

Relationship status: married to my lovely wife ^_^ 6 freaking years we known each other 4 freaking years together!!!!!

Last google search: webp to gif converter jdbcjdbchdc

Current obsession: jawwwwrs if it wasnt obvious (and the eternal rvb. was literally drawing a dumbass freakazoid! au last night for some reason)

Looking forward to: charcuterie for dinnar tonight and soon im watching marathon man with a buddy 💪‼️ starting a job soon too so ill have money to spend on the joys of life......!

Tagging: @cpttucker @joe-spookyy @cryo-genics @ashtreelane ^_^

[marvelwitchergilmore]

I'm In Love (With My Best Friend)

Summary: Peter Parker x Fe!Reader -> You and Peter have been best friends since middle school. But when feelings get involved, it can lead to a lot of pining and incredibly romantic kisses inside a Stark lab.

Disclaimer: FLUFF, a little angst, a LOT of pining. Kissing. Jealousy. Happy Ending. Not proof-read. No use of Y/N.

You first met him when you were in middle school. You had been the new transfer student and you had zero friends. The first week of your new school you spent getting lost in the hallways, avoiding the random questions that the people who you assumed were the popular crowd were asking you and trying to concentrate on the work you were being given. 

But, half-way through your second week, you met a boy. 

You had been sitting on your own in the back of the cafeteria, trying to solve your science homework. 

Usually, you were okay with science but every time you entered your numbers, you knew the answer was wrong. 

He’d introduced himself as Peter Parker. 

You recognised the name. 

He was supposed to be in your English, Math and Physical Ed classes though he hadn’t been in due to being ill. 

At first, he sat with you because there was nowhere else to sit. At least, that’s what you thought. Then he asked about your homework. 

“Yeah, Mrs Jackson always sets difficult questions. Do you want some help?”

You accepted his offer and he moved over two seats so he was directly in front of you and for the next 20 minutes, he sat with you and you both figured out the homework together. 

In return, you offered to help him with his English report. 

You couldn’t quite remember when it was after that that the pair of you became inseparable. But, after that, the both of you were never seen without one another. 

Even in High School, you remained the best of friends. Thursday night homework hours were completed together and Friday night movie nights were completed with the same laughter, frustration and smiles. 

And, despite attending different colleges, it was like no time or space had passed between you both. 

You were the first Peter came to when he was ready to tell people about his alter-ego Spider-Man. You were also the first person Peter came to when he had his first crush and date in High School. 

Maybe that was when you had your first heart-break. 

Though you were friends with Peter first, it was a couple years into High School that you realised your feelings towards Peter had grown to be more than friendship. 

But you knew he didn’t feel the same. And knew he probably never would. 

But, at the same time, it didn’t not sting when he dated other girls. 

Either way, you swallowed the pain and your feelings for him and remained determined to keep your friendship with Peter despite them. 

So, you dated other guys. 

And, they were kind. 

Some of them became long term - others, not so much. But despite how much you cared for them, something always seemed to be missing. Though you tried your best to ignore that fact. 

You both had graduated college a few years ago and ever since, Peter had been working for Stark Industries whilst, despite the job offer Tony had given you personally and said he would keep on ice, you had a job helping engineer different plates and surgical equipment that helped towards surgery for animals who’s back legs had stopped moving or had been born without one of the paws etc. 

Still, you met Peter every day in his lab at the compound at 7 since you got off work at 6. 

“Peter? You here?”

“In here. I’m almost ready, I’ve just got to-”

“No worries.”

Whilst Peter ran about the place, finding different parts for some old web-shooters he had in his hand, you sat at one of the tables and tinkered away. 

It was usually like this. 

You’d go and meet him, he’d still be working and you’d sit with him for 40 minutes to an hour before you both left to get food and watch a movie. 

“You know, it’s so cool you work for Tony Stark.”

Peter smiled as he continued to tinker away and you tried to avoid your gaze dropping to check him out despite his outfit consisting of black cargo trousers and a black t-shirt. 

So, he’d been in training today.

“Yeah. You know, you could too if you wanted.” Peter looked up to you for a moment. “He has a job lined up and ready for you whenever you want it.”

You smiled and nodded. “I know. But I like my job.”

“Offer is always there.”

“Hey, did you hear back from Lucy?”

Peter faltered for a moment, though you barely noticed. “Oh, uh, yeah. We’re…we’re going out again, tomorrow, I think.”

You ignored the sad feeling in your chest, despite the fact you had been the one to set them up (technically). 

Lucy worked in the office at your job. Peter came in one day to pick you up and she mistook you both for a couple despite the fact she’d just been flirting with him thirty seconds ago. 

You just opened your mouth and shut the whole thing down. “Oh, no. Hahaha, no. We’re- we’re just friends. Good friends. But friends.”

Sitting up a little straighter, you smiled. “That’s good.”

“What about you? What happened to Frank?”

“Mark,” you corrected. “And it-it wasn’t right. Besides, we only talked, like, twice. It wouldn’t have worked out anyway. He said he hated Disney movies and would rather gouge out his eyes than watch another one.”

“Seriously?”

You raised your eyebrows with a puff from your chest, still annoyed at the comment. “Yeah.”

“Well, at least you never have to talk to him again.”

“True.”

At that moment, the door to Peter’s lab slid open and Sam walked in with a pile of plans, presumably for a new set of wings. 

“Steve told me to give you these.”

“Thanks, Sam. Just leave them there. I’ll look over them.”

“Hey, Sam.”

Sam called your name and ran over and hugged you. “How are you doing, kid?”

“Good. Just waiting for this one to finish up. How was Alaska?”

“Cold. Bucky got his arm frozen to a lamp-post. I’ll send you pictures.”

You smiled. “You want them framed?”

“Oh, please.” Sam smiled. 

“Did I ever show you the pictures when Peter froze his webs to the roof? He was still attached to them two hours later.”

Peter, looking between the pair of you, laughing at the photos, shook his head. “Sometimes I regret introducing you two.”

“Too late.” Sam smiled. “Anyway, you both should head out before traffic gets too bad.”

“It’s New York. Traffic is always bad.”

“Even better.”

“And our movie starts in an hour.” you added. 

“Alright, I’m done.”

Sam winked at you and you mouthed a “Thank you” to him before he said goodbye and left. 

Yourself and Peter managed to get to the cinema and find your seats just before the trailers finished and for the next two hours, you spent most of the time trying not to have a heart-attack as the actors jumped from building to building, hanged themselves over the edge of a cliff and nearly died about thirty times before finally succeeding. 

Despite the amount of times you watched movies like that, it didn’t stop your heart from racing and trying not to watch. Horror, sure. You could handle that. But suspense and action - nope. 

“How you feeling?”

You put your hand to your head and covered your eyes for a moment. “I’m still spinning, I think. Please, never do anything like that.”

Peter laughed as you sat down on the bench outside the movie house. “You have my word.”

Slowly, he knelt down in front of you before pushing your chin up. 

“Look at me for a moment.”

You did so and tried to slow your heart down that was beating faster for a separate reason. 

“Stopped spinning?”

It took you a moment to focus. “Y-Yeah. All stopped now.”

“Good.”

Peter stood up again and you mentally slapped yourself as you checked him out again. He’s just a friend. A FRIEND. 

Thankfully, he didn’t notice since he was too busy looking down the street before he gave you his hand. 

“Come on. Let’s head back.”

You took his hand as he helped you up before letting it go, too afraid of what your own feelings might feel if you held his hand any longer. 

Months later, not much had changed. 

You’d still kept your feelings from Peter and dated a couple of people. Peter dated Lucy for a month before breaking it off - though he never told you why. 

But one evening, as you were sitting home alone - your roommate out on another date - you got the craving for Pizza and since there was none in the freezer, you grabbed your bag and coat before heading out to the nearest pizza place. 

You needed to get out of the house. 

Despite there being no change between you and Peter, part of you called out for it. You either needed to tell him how you felt or you needed to move on. And since you weren't going to do the first…ever, that only left you with the second. 

And, oddly enough, that night you met Colton. 

He was standing in line waiting for his pizza and since the chef got an emergency call from his wife saying she was in labour, he mistakenly made half a pepperoni, half margarita. 

Despite the awkwardness, you both decided to share it. 

You sat outside together on a park bench, watching the ducks float down the water, simply talking. 

“So, what brings you to a pizza place at 9 at night on a Tuesday?”

“Hunger, mostly.”

Before you knew it, he was walking you home, you had exchanged numbers and met him for a date that Saturday. From there, you continued talking and soon enough, months had passed by. 

It was late in the afternoon when you were at SI and, whilst talking to some old friends in the hallway since you’d just come from a shared meeting between both companies, Colton turned up. 

“Hey, what-” you kissed him quickly. “What are you doing here?”

“You left your notebook at my house,” he passed you the hardback notebook that contained most of your random thoughts and problems that were either to do with work or could be to do with work, one day. 

“Oh, thank you.”

“And, since I’m here, I was hoping maybe we could get lunch together?”

You smiled and nodded. “I’d like that.”

Then someone called your name.

Looking behind you, the four people you’d been talking to seemed to split up and gave you a clear view of who had called your name - though you didn’t need to view to know who it was. 

“Peter,” you said, slightly shocked. 

This was the first time, despite him knowing about Colton, Peter was about to meet him. 

“Hey, I was just- who’s this?”

“Oh, I, uh, this-this is Colton.”

Colton stuck out his hand and Peter shook it after a quick moment. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

Whether it was real or not, it was like a massive tension cloud was above the whole situation. 

“Uhh…Colton, this is Peter. My-”

“Best friend since middle school.” Peter finished. 

“Cool. Well, we were just about to get lunch so I guess we’ll see you later?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Can you- Let me just grab my coat.”

“Course, babe.”

Then Colton kissed you for what felt like the longest time - and oddly, it didn’t feel like the others. It felt…forced. 

Either way, when he pulled away you stepped back a little before heading down the hall and towards the cloak room. And in the time it took you between getting your coat and walking back, that cloud of tension only seemed to feel darker and bigger. 

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah, let’s go babe.”

You nodded, saying goodbye to everyone else but something in the bottom of your stomach felt guilty - especially when you saw the split-second change in emotions on Peter’s face before he went back to how he usually looked at you. 

Once you left the building with Colton and had driven away, Natasha smacked the back of Peter’s head. 

“Ow, what was that for?”

“I don’t know. For whatever the hell that was, for being jealous, for not telling her sooner.”

“Jealous? I’m not jealous. Why would I be jealous?”

Natasha just laughed. “Oh, you look just like Steve when Grant from level three flirted with me. Oh, you’ve got it bad.”

“Nat-” Peter rolled his eyes and tried to walk away but she just pulled him back. 

“You can admit you like her. I mean, we’ve all seen this coming for years.”

“I don’t- you have?”

Natasha shrugged. “What? She’s pretty and you’re both close friends. I’m just surprised it took you this long. I thought you were smarter than those idiots.”

“Those idiots are still standing here.” 

“Peter, how long have you liked her?” Laura asked him. 

“I,” Peter shook his head. 

“Oh, boy.” Laura laughed. 

Peter stood there, slightly dumbfounded, as the others walked away. 

Despite how much he denied it, and how much he convinced himself he didn’t feel that way towards you, he did. Ever since Junior year of College. At least, that was when he’d been getting that simmering feeling in the pit of his stomach every time you looked at him, or even when you didn’t. And that simmer seemed to boil every time he saw you with somebody else. 

But he decided never to tell you. 

He figured, since you had never said anything about extra feelings; ones that surpassed a simple friendship bond, then you wouldn’t ever feel the same. 

And when you made the comment of Just Friends to Lucy, he knew you definitely would never feel the same. So, he guessed he had to get used to the feeling of…something towards you. 

Yet seeing you with Colton - his arm around you, his lips on yours - something seemed to start cracking inside of him. 

Either that, or completely being blown to smithereens. 

Nat was completely right. 

He was jealous. 

He has been jealous. Ever since he first saw you get ready for that date you had with Hank, or Hodge or whatever the guy’s name was - he felt that simmer in his stomach and that small voice in the back of his head for a split second let him think he was watching you get ready to go out on a date with him. 

It had confused him, at first. 

You were his best friend and he was suddenly having these thoughts about dating you and…opening the car door for you (despite already doing that, anyway). But it would have been different. 

He would be yours, in more ways than just friendship. 

“You really love her, don’t you?”

“Of course I do, she’s my best friend.”

Peter looked towards the door where Clint was leaning against the door frame like a dad getting ready to talk to his son. 

Although, despite the comfort Clint provided, Peter faltered for a moment. He had been alone since Colton came and swept you away to lunch - over three hours ago. He’d been tinkering away and letting his mind wander. 

“Relax, kid. It’s written all over your face.”

“Clint, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Tough.” Clint pulled out a seat across the lab desk where Peter was standing. “Laura has already told me what happened and most likely, Tasha’ will do the same later tonight. You might as well talk, Kid.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”

“Admitting you love her, to yourself, is a start.”

“But do I?”

Even as he questioned it outloud, he knew it wasn’t a question. It hadn’t been a question for the longest time. 

“Pete, according to Laura, you looked like you were about ready to punch his lights out when he kissed her.”

“Well he was just standing there, trying to force himself down her throat. Even I know she doesn’t like PDA like that. And, he was talking about taking her to some kind of salad bar across town when she usually goes and gets her grilled sub from the cafeteria - or I do. And then take it to her. It’s the only thing she ever likes to eat during the day.”

Clint watched as a light, reminiscent smile came across Peter’s face. 

“It’s been the same thing ever since high school. Even if it goes a little cold, it’s still crispy and just as tasty. Plus, the smell doesn’t remind her of the girls' bathroom stalls. There was a leak in the summer before we started. Busted the sewer line that ran under the girls bathroom. The whole corridor would smell but she said it was worse in the bathroom.”

Clint nodded and just let Peter ramble. Though he did get a little worried that the screwdriver he was holding would fly out of his hand at some point. 

Peter’s face grimaced. “I bet he listens to, like, just indie bands and says it’s the best thing in the world and that any other style of music is too…modern because it contains too many lyrics that make sense. She hates that, you know. She had a roommate in college that only ever listened to this…clapping music. Literally, just people clapping along to songs. After that, she moved into one of the sorority dorms. He was probably some douche frat guy, too. Couldn’t get a sorority “chick” then so thinks he can get one now. Not that she’s a “chick” by any means.”

“What is she, then?”

Peter took a short moment to think. “Amazing. Wonderful. Beautiful. Way out of his league. Way out of mine, too. But…”

“But you’re in love with her anyway?” Clint asked. 

“Of course I am but-”

Peter, once again, faltered. 

Had he really just admitted that out loud? 

It felt good. 

“I am. I am in love with her.”

“Then you should tell her. Pete, coming from me, I’d say don’t wait too long. And from Steve, he waited over seventy years - granted, he found Nat. But still. Don’t let her find someone else, especially when you’re already here.”

“But what if she doesn’t-”

Clint already started laughing. He almost doubled over. 

“What? Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, Pete. You really are an oblivious idiot. Kid, that woman has been head over heels for you ever since we first met her. And probably for a long time before that. Trust me, if you tell her, you’ll hear the same thing back.”

Peter stood baffled for a moment before looking at his watch. You should be home by now. You never really liked going out after 6 unless it was for a period run or food.

“I’ve got to go.”

“We’ll be waiting.”

The only thing was…as Peter got to your street, he was stopped in his tracks half-way there. 

You stood on the front steps with Colton. You were laughing and leaning into him and he whispered things to you and then you kissed him. 

You kissed him.

If he went over there…he could ruin the happiness you had with him. He might not like Colton, but you did. And that was what mattered to him. And, even if Clint was right and you did love him back, what was to say you’d say yes to being with him? And, even if you did, what if you couldn’t be friends? Then you’d lose one another. Forever.

He couldn’t risk that. 

So, for the next two months, he watched you flirt and fall for Colton all the while his heart started breaking. 

And then, for about three weeks, he didn’t see you. 

And it was the longest three weeks of his life. 

You had gone on a business trip - and Colton joined you. And, from overhearing Laura and Clint talk, you were going to visit Colton’s family since they lived in the area. 

Part of him wondered if you’d come back engaged. 

You’d only been with Colton under a year but he saw how you looked at him, and how he looked at you - despite not liking either fact. 

But, one late evening as he was working on a couple new designs, he’d gone to the Cafeteria to get some food - he could hear you in his head, cursing him for not having a proper meal in the day. 

When he came back, it was the first time he’d actually had a jump scare. 

You were in his lab. 

You hadn’t even called. 

Friday hadn’t even told him you were in the building. 

You were still you. Not that he expected much to change. 

Your hair half down though the top was thrown into a haphazard messy bun. Your contacts must have dried out in the day since you were wearing your glasses. 

You used to wear them all the time in middle school and high school but they got annoying after a while since they’d slip down your face and get dirty - despite having wiped them thirty seconds ago. Since you wanted to be an engineer and your hands were always full, you changed to contacts. 

It was much easier to focus on the task at hand than the task and the potential of your glasses slipping from your face and landing either in a tank of oil or being crushed under heavy machinery. 

You were wearing a pair of simple jeans that already had oil stains. 

So, you’d been at work today. 

And you were wearing his t-shirt. 

His t-shirt. 

Not Colton’s (unless he owned the same one, though he highly doubted it.). 

His. 

“You’re back!”

“I’m back!” you smiled. 

Silence. 

Peter was still stunned at the t-shirt. 

He’d seen you in his t-shirt, maybe once in college, when the washing machine had broken and you had to hand-wash your clothes in his sink since your sink was broken. 

“It’s nice to see you,” you tried to imitate his voice. “It’s nice to see you, too Peter. Yes, I did have a good time on my trip. I’m so glad you’ve come to see me.”

“Sorry,” Peter laughed a little. “It is good to see you.”

Peter came over and hugged you tightly before stepping back awkwardly and, if you didn’t know any better, you would have guessed he wanted distance between you both. 

“How was your trip?”

“Good. I, uh, I secured the deal with the manufacturer. Everything goes to mass production next month.”

“It does? That’s amazing.”

“I know.”

Short silence and then, Peter asked a question he needed to despite not wanting to. 

“Why are you not with Colton? Shouldn’t you be out celebrating?”

“Maybe.” you agreed. “But, uh, we- actually, I. I, uh, well…I broke up with him.”

Peter tried to calm himself. 

“You did?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“He was a great guy and all and I cared for him and his family were amazing but, uh, he…he just wasn’t…”

You - that was what you wanted to say. He wasn’t Peter.

“He just wasn’t the right fit. He…he wanted too much too soon and, I don’t know, I guess…I wasn’t ready.”

A pang of guilt played in your stomach. 

You were ready. You were ready for all what Colton offered you; love, a family, a promise of the future. But you weren't ready to have it with him. 

Despite all the shutting down of emotions, you still wanted it to be Peter.  

“Oh, well…that’s good, I guess.”

“Yeah. So, I guess…that was it.”

“Oh, okay.”

Neither of you really knew what to do. Peter’s mind was screaming at him to tell you the truth. And your’s was banging on the wide open door in your heart trying to get your attention. 

But neither of you moved. 

Until Peter did. 

“I-I, uh, I left something in the other- lab. I should probably finish-”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, of course. I should probably head back home anyway.”

Peter began to exit the room but half-way out of the door, he stopped though you were too busy trying to keep your focus on the side desk in front of you to spot it. 

“I’m done wasting time.”

Peter didn’t fully know what made him do what he did next, but no matter the outcome, he would never regret it in his life. Or, maybe he would, but in the long term, he might not. 

Turning back, he hurried towards you and for a moment, you looked back up and he caught your gaze. 

If you were going to kill him afterwards, he wanted his death to be worthwhile. 

He kissed you. 

Cupping your cheeks in his hand, he kissed you - deeply and passionately. Though he didn’t force it. 

It was just as he dreamed and better. 

Your head was spinning. 

All the feelings you had ever felt for Peter all rose to the surface and once your brain registered the kiss was real, you kissed him back just as much. 

Your hands that had been gripping the side of the desk to support yourself came to his wrists and then to his chest where you gripped him by the collar, pulling him closer. 

His own hands raked through your hair, holding the back of your head to be closer to you and eventually, when you both had to break apart due to the lack of air, his head remained against yours. 

Both of you were out of breath and holding one another as close as possible. 

“Sorry, I just-”

“Don’t apologise.”

You pushed yourself to stand a little straighter, keeping him close to you before you opened your eyes to look at him. 

“Don’t apologise. I was just a little…” you couldn’t find the words. 

“Shocked?”

You laughed a little. “Yeah, let’s go with that.”

“I don’t want to scare you,” Peter told you. “But I need to tell you something and if you never want to speak to me again then so be it but if I don’t tell you soon I think I might combust.”

“I’m in love with you.”

You beat him to it. 

“Sorry. I just…I am. That probably terrifies you. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. Don’t-” Peter let out a small laugh. “Don’t be sorry. Because I was going to say the same thing.”

“You were?”

Peter nodded and hummed. “I was. But you beat me to it.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

“I’m in love with you, too.” Peter told you. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I know I should have but I just thought-”

“I wouldn’t like you back?”

Peter nodded. 

“What a pair we make, eh?” you laughed. 

“I know you said you didn’t want to move too fast but-”

“Peter, I only said that because…because I wasn’t ready for him.”

“What?”

“I broke it off because he wasn’t you. Colton was great and all but, that thing that didn’t fit? It was because he wasn’t you.”

“Then will you go on a date with me?”

You smiled. “I’d love to.”

“Great. I can’t wait.”

“Neither can I.”

Without a moment to spare, Peter kissed you again and you kissed him back and it was as if your first kiss hadn’t ever stopped. You turned a little as Peter held you closer and you felt yourself leaning against the desk. Before you knew it, you were sitting on the desktop, pulling Peter as close to you as physics would allow it. 

The next day, you both went on your first date as a couple. A week later, you were official and Nat made it everyone’s business that yourself and Peter had finally become a couple.

The morning after your first night together had been special. Despite Peter having to get up earlier than either of you wanted him to, for work, you stood in the kitchen ready to wash the dishes from the night before he left through the front door. 

Less than ten seconds later, he came back in through the door. 

“Did you forget somethin-”

He cut you off with a kiss. 

“That,” he smiled. “I forgot that.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“See you at lunch?” Peter asked, still holding you. 

“See you at lunch.” you confirmed before he kissed you again, and again, and again.

“Okay, I’ll see you later. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Be careful.” 

Six months later, you both moved in together before finalising the house you both wished to buy. 

Two years later, you and Peter had made a home for yourselves, together and were planning a winter wedding.

[eddies-whoreee]

Innocent!shy!reader being not so innocent ever since Steve showed her a new side of sex.

-

At first you didn’t really have much knowledge of sex, you knew that’s how humans reproduced. You knew you had different anatomy than a male. Mostly biology related facts to sex. Not actually sex, you were virgin. Which is a surprise when your at the same status in school as Tina and Carol. You were more kept to yourself, you rarely came to parties, opting to stay in and study. Or read a book you got. You were a cheerleader, but that didn’t mean you had to do everything like them.

Then Steve, a total man whore, player. But he was a complete sweetheart under his ‘King Steve’ bullshit act. Just a sweet boy how wants to be showered with love and affection. Who also had a tendency to get rough during sex. Not just rough and fast pace thrusts that make you feel it for days to come. Or sucking hickeys on your body til you were sore. He likes to see the tears of pain and pleasure flow down his partners face, slap them around till their faces are red. Leaving bruises from how hard his strong hands grip you up. Tossing you around into new positions. Because you’re light as a feather to him.

So when you and Steve clash. It was an unexpected surprise. Everyone couldn’t believe it. Rumors spread like wildfire. “There’s no way he stays with her for more than 2 days” or “how long do you think he’ll stay before he realizes he’s not getting any pussy.”

Then you guys had sex for the first time ( on your birthday) and you’re first time ever. Which you told him, he was sweet, gentle, loving. He took his time made love to your body. He left wet kiss everywhere. Making out with everyone inch of you. His hands roaming all over your body. Pulling you closer, caressing your face. He didn’t hold back his whine and moans and neither did you. You couldn’t even if you wanted to, he was so good at what he did, pleasure racing through your veins. He came two times you came three times. You felt completely limp, your legs were shaky, mind all fuzzy. You heard Steve’s sweet voice cooing praises at you. While he cleaned you and the mess up. He got the shower ready and did everything for you. Washed your body, hair, dried you up, got you dressed and put in bed under the covers. As you two layed in bed with a movie playing in the background of you two. You both were in the brink of falling asleep. When Steve called your name. You looked up at him. “I love you” he speaks softly playing with your hair. You smile widely cheeks heating up. “I love you too” you peep before giving him a kiss goodnight. You two soon fall asleep, smiling like idiots.

-

4 months later

Steve had a high sex drive, he loved sex. It was something he’s always been good at so what’s not to love? Now that he had his two most favorite things sex and you. He was always fucking you. But your sex drive? Through the fucking roof. Every second you were on him, kissing and touching. Grinding and rubbing. He loved every second of it. He rarely ever turned you down unless, he thought you were too fucked out for your own good. Like you’d been going for 7 rounds, 7! You came at least 6 times, he came 5 or 6 maybe 10 who knows at the point. Steve would love nothing more than to keep pounding you into the mattress. But you were tired and crying. He knew you couldn’t take anymore dispute you pleas for more. “Baby, how about we cuddle and watch a movie. Then after the movie if you want more ill fuck you how ever much your little heart desires, m’kay?” He asks giving your nose a kiss. You huff nodding. He smiles, “okay just gonna rest a little then I’ll get up and clean this up” he says breathing heavily laying his head down on your bare stomach. Spoiler: you two ended up falling asleep like that.

Or you were always on your knees, wanting your mouth and throat stuffed. He was at his desk in his room. And he had his stupid glasses on. The ones that make your blood rush with arousal, the ones that make your panties instantly soaked. The one that make you get off the bed and snakier you way over to him you turned his chair, to the side to get better access. “Princess, what are yo- oh! Fuck, b-baby you gotta give a man a w-warning” he moans biting down on his knuckle. In a blink of an eye you were pulling down his sweats and boxers, dick in mouth.

You’d become a completely different person, you still as sweet as honey. Couldn’t hurt a fly, but when lust ran through your body. It’s all you thought about. When you lost your virginity it sparked something in you. The softest of Steve’s touch, made your skin burn with desire. The nights he’s at work not able to get to you. Are the worst, of course you have toys for this situation but there not the real thing, your fingers aren’t as big and long as Steve’s. But you and Steve wouldn’t want it any other way.

Steve was an open sex addict and he hooked you on his drug now…. Addicts Unite!

[astracora]

A Mandated Holiday Break - Chapter 8

Characters: Sylus x gn!mc (poly lads)

Warnings: Sylus myth mentioned, mild hurt/comfort

Word Count: 1424

Written: 22nd December 2024

Notes: Post-relationship Sylus/MC-centric but poly LADs, with my personal pov of the game and lil headcanons littered in.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Masterlist

Sylus enjoys a karaoke bar, especially if he's got access to you for a duet. You tease him but you'll always join him, hanging onto his arm and letting loose, and he sometimes falters over the words because he's too busy watching your face.

Still, this is good too. You've set up the game system that the doctor bought for his base, presenting it with a sigh. 'You won't know the right one.'

He'd been a little insulted, but he'd acquiesced, in the end the doctor knows gaming better than he does. It's never appealed to him, and he's never had real time to try. A sing-a-long game is loading up, yelling out 'let's sing' loudly from the speaker system.

You'd presented it to him with the doctor, beaming, "You'll like this one, I promise!"

The fish had groaned from the sofa, "Why do we all have to suffer the crow's crooning?"

As much as you've teased him for being out of tune, you've always encouraged him. He can't count how many times you've asked him to hum for you. Lay against his chest, and unable to sleep for nightmares.

The reason for the at-home karaoke session, are the cocktails that Luke has decided he wants to try making. Kieran is his primary test dummy, and if anything doesn't make him spit it straight back out. You're trying them.

It's ill advised… Sylus knows you're not a light weight, but he does know you and the twins can get competitive. It feels like it's only moments before you start doing shots together, and if that happens he's bound to get dragged in, and as quick healing as he is, he doesn't fancy driving anyone anywhere. Nor does he want to get into a taxi with someone he doesn't trust. Not with you and the twins.

He needs you safe.

He also blames you for Luke’s new hobby, you’d showed them some movies, made comments about how stylish a good bartender is, (He hadn’t filed that information away, to practice. At all.), and Luke had taken that as a challenge.

“It can’t be that hard.”

“Yeah! You can do it bro!”

You’d laughed and not thought anything of it. They’d gone out, and returned with… boxes.

Then raided his alcohol supply.

He’d dragged them both back by the scruff of the neck when they went for the very expensive top shelf. In no world were they mixing that with… was that moonshine? Where did they even get moonshine from?

He doesn’t see you drunk often, there are times you’re out in busy places because you feel you have to attend, and he’s seen you drink then to soften the anxiety and stress. You always call someone to be there then, drunk you is far more willing to rely on others. He also has seen you drink when you feel safe, has carried you on his arm more than once in those situations.

You apologise but there’s no need, especially when he gets to see the embarrassed but enamoured look on your face as he holds you in one arm. Your fingers drifting over the veins in his bicep, with a look he can only describe as hungry. He flexes a little more than he needs to on those occasions.

(There was one time you’d made a comment about beef clod, and he had truly not known how to respond.)

He can see you getting to that point now, you’re trying something green that you and Kieran are sipping from the same glass with separate straws. Luke is taking his turn at the microphone, singing something about what he wants for Christmas. Sylus is unsure if the radioactive green drink is good for either of you, but you don’t look sick, still. He’s wary, and flicks your forehead. As you put a hand to the targeted area, pulling away with an offended ‘Oi’, he grabs the glass and sips from your straw.

“Aww, Boss come on.”

It’s… not as bad as he expected, but he can’t imagine drinking it for fun.

Whether his taste buds are ‘broken’ like you’ve claimed before, and its somehow worse than he tastes, he still doesn’t feel good about putting it back in either your’s or Kieran’s hands. So he downs it.

Wrinkling his nose and pushing the glass away.

Before you can grab another concoction, now that Luke is back and shoving something else onto his brother, (He’s going to have to hide the key to the liquor cabinet he thinks, if this becomes a long standing hobby for them.), he pulls you over to the karaoke machine. “It’s our turn kitten, I’m owed a song for saving you from a terrible fate.”

Your tongue is out at him, but you stumble over grabbing his arm to steady yourself, and pick up the controller to find something you both know well enough to get through it with little effort.

His song repertoire has grown substantially since you’ve reentered his life, he feels confident that anything you sing to often he has memorised. Catalogued away to think about on nights you’re not here to sing for him.

When you’re satisfied, lining up a particular choice, you thrust the microphone into his hand, that’s not currently steadying you at the waist.

You look right at him when the song starts, familiar with some things enough to sing them blindfolded, and as tipsy as you are, with your voice wavering a little, he’s as starstruck as he always is.

“And I’d give up forever to touch you, ‘Cause I know that you feel me somehow, You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be, And I don’t want to go home right now.”

There’s moments in his life, where Sylus wonders if he blinks, will you disappear? A fragile illusion on a wishful soul. That someone, somewhere has truly seen into him and seen something worth adoring and loving. He thinks you are easy to love, there can be no doubt that you are worthy without the need to earn it.

“And all I can taste is this moment, And all I can breathe is your life.”

You have reminded him, again and again that you love him, that he does not need to pay for it, or gift for it. That everything that is offered is freely given, and wholehearted. That there is nothing to earn. It is not a transaction, no relationship should be. You do not keep score, and you would rather he did not either.

“And sooner or later it’s over, I just don’t want to miss you tonight.”

It still leaves him with the feeling that in seconds he could wake up, in a cold cave, surrounded by gems he no longer sees beauty in, in a world where he is nothing but broken horns and lost family.

“And I don’t want the world to see me, ‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand, When everything’s meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.”

He loves you, he loves his life with you, and he is so scared-

Your hands move to his cheeks, his voice halts, wavering and pausing. Blinking at you. The microphone is out of your hands and you stretch up as tall as you can pressing a kiss to his eyelids. He almost drops his own, hand tightening on your waist. You sing just for him, lips at his cheek now, and his breath escapes in a long exhale, shaking.

You are his, you are his, you are his.

When his heart wavers, yours is there, keeping it beating, in time to a song only you can hear.

He is yours, he is yours, he is yours.

“I just want you to know who I am.”

He lifts you into his arms, and he sings with you, game forgotten because it doesn’t matter. Nothing else matters. If you are happy, he is happy, and he is so very happy with you in his arms.

If he wakes up tomorrow and you are not here, he will find you anywhere. He has done it before, and he will do it for the rest of time, because you are the one who sees him.

And later, when you are laughing and stumbling through his bedroom door, trying to pull away from the uncontrolled kisses he plants on your skin, tickling you and nipping, he will swear into your skin that he will always see you too.

Whoever you choose to be.