#And TK in fact *still* exists

[remember-digimon]

Prodigious!

Izzy is the reason all these kids are still alive btw just wanted to make sure we all know that

So Izzy is smart. He brings a laptop and cellphone to summer camp and uses big words. But thankfully he does not fall into the trap of 'smart kids' of western media; overly nerdy, completely socially inept, you get the idea. No, Izzy is more than that. His intelligence has a basis in something besides a trope; namely, computer science and engineering.

(Don't even get me started on Matt being the one to go into engineering when IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IZZY)

From the moment the kids land in the Digital World, Izzy is curious about it. His crest is knowledge but I really think it should've been curiosity. He gets Tentomon to evolve by hacking his code. He comes up with some aliens conspiracy to explain why they're there and why there's things like phone booths on the beach.

Izzy is the problem solver of the group. In fact, without him, the other kids are just... Kinda lost. Izzy has the answers, and if he doesn't he'll at least know how to find them.

Even though he's younger than the others, being 10 when they're 11, they treat him as an equal. This is opposed to the other kid that's 10, Mimi, who is kind of coddled, and the two youngest, TK and Kari, who are literally the hope and light of the group.

Izzy is basically Tai's second-in-command, deferring to Tai's leadership while Tai takes his input very seriously. However, Izzy isn't much of a leader on his own.

He gets distracted by details. When Mimi finds him in the temple, he's so busy on his laptop that she gets upset and runs off into a maze. I would attribute this to him being younger, and as he gets older he does get better at applying his intelligence to a leadership role.

Most of the kids have an interesting family dynamic and Izzy is no different. It's revealed that he's adopted, that his birth parents died shortly after he was born and his adoptive parents were friends that took him in.

What I like about this reveal is that, of course, Izzy found this out on his own due to his curiosity. He overheard his parents discussing whether or not they should tell him, deciding not to because he's too young.

During the Odaiba raid, when the kids have a moment, Izzy gets to finally have the conversation. They admit that he's adopted and tell him what happened, and he says he already knows. He didn't want to bring it up himself because he thought he could just pretend like things were normal, like before he knew. But obviously it couldn't. This shows the price he pays for his curiosity, that sometimes knowing things isn't all fun times and computer jargon. It isn't helpful for Izzy to pretend to not know, to ignore what he knows. Instead it's better for him to apply what he knows to react appropriately, instead of hiding behind the easier mode of willful ignorance.

This also comes into play, though in a different way, during Izzy's confrontation with Vademon. Izzy gives away his curiosity (under extreme duress but still) and is basically empty of all character after that. He does a weird alphabet yoga meditation and willingly gives up his crest and tag, when earlier in the episode his curiosity was at a boiling point over it.

This causes Tentomon to de-digivolve to the baby stage; the only other partner Digimon to go back to this stage is Patamon. With the loss of his curiosity, Izzy has lost the core of his being and is no longer able to maintain Tentomon's existence.

Of course, he gets it back and everything is fine afterwords. This episode is very interesting when looking at how things work for the kids and their Digimon, why the crests are important, etc. But that's a post for another time.

Izzy is incredibly important to the team. Without him, I highly doubt they would've made it very far at all. He's able to look up Digimon on his laptop, kind of like a Digimon version of a Pokedex, when none of the currently present Digimon can give an explanation about who they're up against. But aside from his usefulness as the Smart Kid, it's noteworthy that he uses his intelligence to be helpful instead of lording it over everyone. And he is still a kid, albeit with an impressive vocabulary, so sometimes his curiosity gets him into trouble.

[what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me]

He’s a work in progress still but I wanted to share the first pass of his completed look so badly X)

I’ve had Sir Meteor in progress since August 2023, if you want to see the progress it will be under the read more!

Sir Meteor’s story starts with my fist kirby OC I made, Terra Knight! I won’t talk about him too much except that I knew from early on he had a older brother. TK originally has a skull mask in his very early concepts, but then I learned Axe Knight existed, and they looked too similar. I shelved the concept for a while until I had more ideas.

In August 2023, I started to sketch out allosaurus skulls because I had wanted to revisit the concept and thought maybe I would redesign Terra Knight to have a dinosaur skull mask. It did not happen, but that planted the seed.

In November, I had been struck with inspiration and started doodling. The name is very important to the lore of my OCs and is very deliberate, so once I figured out the name for Sir Meteor, a lot of elements fell into place instantly!!

This is the first time I gave Meteor colors, and I also put him next to his siblings so they would look cohesive. Me mentioning how he doesn’t even have shoes yet is foreshadowing.

In the following day, I sketched him more to get a feeling for his design!!

The most notable thing about this is probably 1.) here I cemented the twin-tail cape because it looks like the tail of a comet and 2.) since it looked like a comet, I wanted the pauldron to include a star somehow

Also fun fact!!! The shape of his horns is directly inspired by Triceratops horns!!

Which led to the designing of his pauldrons later in November!

I ended up combining elements of the first and third design because together they would look like shooting stars!

This is also when I decided on giving him the four pointed star blushing! Around this time I posted a sketch of Meta Knight with star blushes and I wanted to include more fun blush shapes. Also the four pointed star is a subtle Galacta Knight reference! Sir Meteor is genuinely old, prehistoric even, and he comes from that time period, and I wanted the star shapes to reflect that

After this I was stuck. I was extremely stuck and could not figure out how to design his shoes. Since everything else was so themed, it had to mean the shoes had to match as well. I wanted to keep the prehistoric/star themes, going strong. I tried a few times to give him plain armor but it did not look correct at all!

I took a few months to think about it. Another important thing is that whatever shoe I drew had to look good and cohesive with AND without his skull mask. It was hard to balance but yesterday (21 February) I began to cook.

On the sketch page, you can see how the thought process evolved from the top of the page downwards. You can see the “haha drawing smiles with sharp teeth- oh wait a minute hold on” happen in real time.

On the page on the right, is when I finally designed his shoes!!! THE EVIL IS DEFEATED!!!!

This character is so heavily themed and I thought about it so much. So. Much. If anyone actually read this breakdown you deserve a gold star thank you for listening to my insane, several month long thought process. I’m so proud of him for a reason. Now I need to finalize the colors and stuff but for now enjoy!

EDIT: while making Meteor’s reference, i also went through a LOT of altered color pallets.

[calicomarie11]

Evan and Tommy are sitting at the table in Evan’s loft, a couple of beers in front of them and relaxing now that the clean up from dinner is done.

“So, how’s Bobby handling retirement?” Tommy asks.

“Still fighting to come back, but he does start a temporary gig tomorrow.” Evan answers. “He’s going to be a technical advisor on Hotshots.”

Tommy looks impressed. “That’s a big deal. That show is huge.”

Evan shrugged, “I’ve never seen it.” 

“What do you mean, you’ve never watched Hotshots? How could you miss it. It’s been the hottest show on TV for the past 2 years.” Tommy’s voice is filled with incredulity as he stares at Evan. “We have viewing parties at Harbor, even the off shift crew comes in if they don’t need to sleep.”

Evan lifts a hand to rub the back of his neck and shrugs sheepishly. “I know it exists, I’ve seen the billboards, it’s just….” he trails off and looks towards the ceiling, his go to move when he’s being evasive. 

“What, did you sleep with the star during your Buck 1.0 days?” Tommy teases him.

“Not the star.” Buck takes a breath and fiddles with his beer bottle, tearing strips off the outside as he talks. “So, you are not the first TK that I’ve dated. I used to be off and on with Taylor Kelly.”

Tommy interrupts “The Taylor Kelly who wrote a tell all about the 118? That was your ex-girlfriend? What a bitch.”

“Yeah, well, we weren’t a good fit. Anyways, after she published the book it got picked up for development and Hotshots was the end result. I think she’s even working on the show as a consultant. I didn’t read her book and I’m not about to watch her show.” 

“I can’t believe I didn’t put that together.” Tommy sits back, a thoughtful look on his face. “So does that mean the characters on the show are based on the 118?” He cocks his head and studies Evan and then slaps his hand down on the table. “Holy shit, you’re Sandy.”

“Sandy?” Evan asks, his nose wrinkling adorably in confusion.

“Blaine “Sandy” Sanderson. He’s kind of the show’s punching bag. Last season an ambulance rolled over on top of him during an earthquake and crushed his arm.  This year the season opener had him trapped in a mudslide with his best friends kid.”

Evan takes a slow pull on his beer as he processes that. “Why do you think I’m Sandy?”

“Well, he gets hurt a lot, he’s a daredevil, he’s got a heart of gold, he’s a bit naive, and he always has a collection of fun facts that relate to the rescue at hand.”  

“And that’s what you think of me?” Evan asks with a frown.

“No, baby. But superficially it matches up.” Tommy reaches out to cover Evan’s hand with his own.

“Okay.” Even still looks put out, but a little intrigued. “So, what about the other characters?”

Tommy sits back and purses his lips. “Well, Bea is obviously a stand in for Hen, and Shaft must be Chimney.”

Evan interrupts “Shaft?”

“A nickname they never bother to explain.” 

Evan nods. “Yeah, we never did tell her how Chimney got his name. Who else?”

“Well, the captain’s name is Billy, but everyone calls him Cap and he’s married to a police detective named Artemis.” 

“And you’re just now putting this together?” Even quirks an eyebrow at Tommy.

Tommy holds up his hands in defense. “Hey, I wasn’t exactly expecting to see my old house on the hottest show on television. I started watching before I met you.” 

“So is that it? Me, Cap, ‘Thena, Hen and Chim?”

Tommy looks away and shifts in his seat. “There’s also Ricky.”

“Ricky?”

Tommy sighs. “Ricardo “Ricky” Noches. Air Force veteran, single dad to an autistic kid, and Sandy’s best friend.”

“She made Chris autistic?” The outrage is clear in Evan’s voice. “I know she didn’t spend much time with him, but that is supremely uncool.” Evan sinks back in his seat, a look of frustration on his face.

“There’s more.” Tommy says matter of factly.

Evan huffs. “Alright, lay it on me. How much worse can it get.”

Tommy hums and looks around the room, avoiding eye contact with Evan. “There’s a significant portion of the fan base for the show that “ships” Sandy and Ricky.”

“Ships?” Evan says, his face a mask of confusion.

“It means they think they should be in a romantic relationship. Their ship name is Randy.” Tommy says.

Evan sinks into his seat, his brow furrowed. “So, the people who watch this show, based on my life, think that I should be, what, dating Eddie?” 

Tommy holds his breath and nods. 

Evan stares at him for a long moment, a riot of expressions crossing his face, before he bursts out in laughter. It takes him a few minutes to get himself under control, the giggles rising each time he thinks he’s ready to speak. 

He finally wipes away the tears from his laughing jag. “That would be an epic disaster. Don’t get me wrong, I love him like a brother, but he has more trauma than me, and that’s saying something.” 

 Tommy lets out a breath of relief. “I’ll pass that on to Donato.”

“Lucy?” Evan shoots him a look of confusion.

“Oh, yeah, she’s a big Randy fan.  Spends way too much time on shift reading fan fiction.”

Evan lifts an eyebrow at him. “Do you think she knows?”

“That it’s based on people she knows?”

“Yeah.”

Tommy hmphs. “I’ll be sure to tell her.” 

Comments and Kudos AO3 are greatly appreciated

[paperstorm]

Caveat out of the way: I am aware that this is a TV show and one in it's last season to boot. I am in no way expecting it to show the reality of this type of situation (although I have faith it will be handled as well as it can be in a two episode ark, b/c I have trust in the writers this season)

Now for the thing that flabergasts me: HOW is the Jonah Conversation not something that has come up before!?!? Carlos is a man who regularly updates his WILL he has a unspecified number of nieces and nephews. He would be FULLY AWARE that someone would have to be Jonah's legal guadian on paper should something happen to Enzo. TK too!! He has a brother 30 years younger than him, with no other family (seemingly) besides Enzo a man old enough to be a grandfather! Enzo is apparently a billionaire, no lawyers brought up who would take Jonah in case of tragedy? It's not written down somewhere what happens to him?!? TK AND CARLOS BOTH HAVE DEAD PARENTS. I stg out of every single thing this show has thrown at me this is the most absurd one yet lmao. There is no way to me that this conflict would exist, b/c both these men are too smart not to realize it was a REAL possiblity. They would have talked about it before now!

Like the drama will be delicous but the way I have to suspend disbelief more than watching a marvel movie to wrap my head around how we got here.

Can't wait for tonight tho - it's gonna be SO GOOD.

No that is a super good point 😂😂 It's not necessarily something that TK or Carlos should've thought of I mean he's not their kid but Gwyn died when Jonah was like 8 months old and Enzo is in his 50s, how did he never give any thought to what would happen to Jonah if he died too lol. That's just crazy irresponsible for any parent to not have a legal guardian set up and established in writing but especially for a 57 year old single parent to a toddler. Sending him to boarding school doesn't negate the fact that he still needs a legal guardian which I don't think Enzo can be if he's in federal prison. We gotta suspend disbelief in order to have a good time and love the silly wee woo show but it is utterly bonkers to think there was no plan already in place for this child given he is the offspring of a lawyer and a fucking billionaire lmao

[peachjagiya]

PEACH!!!! I just need to scream this somewhere LOL!! TAEKOOK REAL!!! ARGRGRGRGGRRHHHH Anyway, screaming aside, may I just point out how the "Jungkook might have been in Hawaii too" theories came about after Type 1 photos preview were dropped? I feel so proud and validated as a TKKR when some TKKRS pointed out how the "look" of some of Taehyung's photos is so relaxed and intimate. We noticed the look Tae usually has around Jungkook and how Jungkook captures him so the chatter of JK being there with him started. THEN, the Hello Kitty Plushie discussion era arrived, with us debating if it's the same or they both got 1. We were too careful with our theories even! Most settling on, they probably got 1 of each. BUT, the point is we still could identify that JK is somehow connected to Type 1!!

AND BOOM! SUNDAY HAPPENED!! Taehyung confirmed our suspicions that JK was there with him!!! ARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHRHHGHG *combusting* LOL! I'm just so proud of us TKKRs too for knowing them enough to flag that "hey, this Tae look usually comes out when JK is around or taking photos of him" but the photobook description was spending alone time, BUT that's his Jungkook looooook!! Then we go about our days wondering if we are just hallucinating LOL! BUT NOOOOO, I am just so happy for TKKRs coz we can identify the nuances that their solos most likely are blind on specially those who diminish their bond. They miss out on being able to see through another layer of their fave because they don't want to accept the other's existence and importance on their faves' lives. Imagine living through one of our theories getting confirmed????!!! Like OMG, I am on a high right now... I feel so happy for them and proud at the same time that we can "see" them. Not to make TKKRs important but imagine having people who can acknowledge a huge part of you despite having to hide it not out of choice but out of norms and expectations, yet people can still acknowledge that your hearts have so much love to share and your bond is as beautiful as you believe it to be. You are SEEN. Our community is a mixed bag, we will always have bad apples, but for those who are just observing and getting inspired by them with no hate in their hearts, I want you to know that I may not know TaeKook and how they feel but I just know they are happy to have you around. I also want to take this opportunity to thank @taekooktimeline Kayla, I feel like what she is doing is so so significant and will be an important piece of TaeKook history. Going thru the timeline with your own judgment and seeing the bigger picture always blow me away. Specially when most moments get confirmed years later. It feels so surreal how we feel quite lost in moment of time, then clarity comes when you least expect it. Anyway, I blabbered too much, I'm still on that TaeKook High. People may say we are too delusional and romanticize stuff, but look we tried to be rational and logical, most recent example is the plushie then here comes Taehyung essentially telling us "You're not delusional enough. We didn't just spend time together. Jungkook actually flew to see me when I told him I missed him." Like no TKKR blog here would even come up with the Jungkook flying to Hawaii just coz Taehyung missed him part. We are too careful with our thoughts HAHAHA maybe in TK fanfic side of tumblr but dammmn.. it's real!! Have a great year Peach, the ride will be rougher the next couple of weeks but I know once MS is over there will be more of us screaming and feeling like everything is so surreal LOL!

ANON!

Scream away!

I think more than anything, even over very couple-y vibes, this feels special because it cements the bond we've known about and often been asked to defend.

This moment is not for the jkkrs. I don't even really care how they're dealing with it. Not my job to correct them or set them on a certain path.

BUT I must confess the fact that it's JK who travelled, that JK is shown being physically affectionate with his hand on Tae's neck so protectively when Tae isn't touching him at all... That did give me extra levels of joy because it torpedoes the (offensive) idea that JK is bothered by Tae's one sided affections. No, sorry and excuse me but Tae isn't a weirdo desperate for JK's attention, he isn't a clingy friend who JK wants to shake off and Tae isn't exaggerating their bond. Tae is none of the weird things people accuse him of and that's a good thing to have confirmed so decisively (even if we already knew.)

As for the photos, I guess this is the mystery that is left! It does feel kind of like Tae included JK because he was part of Type 1's production, doesn't it? And I do think the quality of some of the photos is very similar to JK's photos. And we have that picture of topless person with longish hair who may or may not be JK taking a picture:

(I go back and forth on this because sometimes it doesn't look curly enough to be JK's hair but then actually, I think his hair only looks so curly in that one picture because it's wet and when it's dried out, it can sit straighter. Etc etc.)

Anyway blah blah, maybe we'll find out for sure but we all absolutely had a hunch, didn't we?!

I hope they do find our support even a little bit encouraging. I reckon fandom can feel pretty intense but generally everyone on here seems to be rational and keen not to be inappropriate about them? At least I hope genuinely supportive voices sometimes get through.

What a nice ask. Thank you anon!

[doublel27]

Honestly a little surprised that you are "not mad" that Carlos didn't tell TK this huge secret in all the time they've been together. Especially after the way he acted about TK and his sponsor. Yeah the set-up for this storyline was non-existant and that's bad writing, but also, Carlos's complete lack of remorse and TK's complete lack of a reaction to the news makes me feel like I'm watching pod people. Is TK gunning for sainthood? Even if the set-up was there the way they handled the reveal just makes no sense.

Look, this is a man who spent four-six months of a break up lying to his parents about the break up and the fact that they weren’t living together anymore in a time period that included major holidays AND TK’s birthday.

He hates confrontation (I have a whole meta on it) and his anxiety is like for real bad (therapy Carlos my love please)

This is not new or news.

I’m going to detour (but bring it back around): this morning I was catching up on the Drama Queen’s podcast and they were discussing a storyline in which a half a married couple admits he’s lied by omission and his wife was physically injured due to this lie. And Sophia Bush (my angel, my love) brought up how as a person with severe anxiety (like me and Carlos and the queen herself) learns from a very young age to not bring their anxiety and worries to other people but to feel that they have to have a solution to the problem before they let others in.

The need to have an solution ready before he loops anyone else in is a VERY common behavior in Carlos. We see it from season one through season three. This is an area of growth for him.

Do I believe Carlos should have told TK long ago: yes.

Is this a flaw in Carlos’s character: absolutely

Does TK have every right to be pissed and hurt: most certainly.

But it’s Carlos turn to do the growing. We’ve gotten three seasons of TK’s character development arc start with a failed proposal in the series premiere and end with a successful proposal in the season three finale. TK’s ability not to immediately internalize this as Carlos thinking he was too fragile to handle this news and recognizing that Carlos has been drowning in his anxiety and guilt and shame over this and THAT is why he didn’t say anything, is outstanding and amazing and WHY Tarlos works. They take turns being the messy one.

So no, I’m not mad with Carlos. I don’t think not telling TK with the depth of guilt and shame and Carlos’s history of conflict avoidance is out of character. I do not blame others for being mad at Carlos and TK definitely has every right to surface his mad about this later after processing and when Carlos isn’t on an anxiety spiral.

I said it last season and I will say it again this season: we are watching two men with two different manifesting mental health issues navigate a relationship. They’re both doing their best but they will still hurt each other in the process of doing their best. Sometimes their best isn’t enough.

That’s marriage, kids, especially when you throw in depression, anxiety, substance abuse, internalized homophobia, and stressful jobs.

[welcometololaland]

Love Game (aka the tennis au) turns one!

Going to have to beg you to bear with me for a moment while I have a little breakdown about the fact that this fic has just turned 1 year old. As is customary for me, I am actually late to the celebration (it was 2 days ago), but I still I'm here and I'm still crying and I'm still just as much in love with tennis disaster TK Strand and cool, calm and collected Carlos Reyes as I ever was.

This is not my most popular fic by a long shot, nor is it my best writing, but it is the one I love the most. It's the fic I poured my whole heart and soul into and couldn't stop obsessing about. It's the fic I never wanted to stop writing, the one that still keeps me up at night, pretty much the only fic of mine I re-read for my own enjoyment. I loved every moment of creating the Tarlos tennis AU, and even though The Ring-In eclipses it in popularity, I hope that Love Game is my legacy.

If you haven't read the tennis AU it is here for you:

Love Game (original - 142k)

Match Point (sequel - 21k)

Love in Slow Motion (tennis AU prompt fill - 33k)

I'd also like to give the following thank you shout outs 1 year after the fact (these are all in a/n but to repeat) to @rmd-writes for being my beta reader and head cheerleader, @dustratcentral for continuing to support me in the most unhinged way, @queen-saltyfries for helping me with all the tweets and just being a general legend and to @paperstorm for pre-reading and supporting the vision.

ALSO - I have to give a shoutout to the following creations that have been inspired by the tennis au and give me SO MUCH LIFE on a regular basis. Seriously. Y'all are amazing. You have my heart. I owe you my non-existent firstborn child (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE message me if I haven't picked any creations up - it has been a fair bit of time since I saw some of them and I promise I haven't intentionally excluded anyone, my memory just sucks).

Please go and support these creators on their page!!!

This incredible anniversary post by @heartstringsduet

The Tarlos Sports AU creation by @watmalik

A LOVE GAME GIF!!! by @guardian-angle22

The sweetest, loveliest net kiss by @fitzherbertssmolder

TENNIS CARLOS WITH A BEARD by a twitter user but I don't think they have a tumblr :( if they do please let me know!

another amazing creation by the above user.

you guys are so incredible and i thank you so much for sharing your talent with me!

and finally, thank you to everyone who has supported love game over the years in the comments, reblogs, asks, likes etc. that whole fic is for you!

(@sheholdsthemoon i swear you sent me a LG inspired art but i couldn't find it anywhere - please let me know if you ended up posting it!)

[rmd-writes]

thanks @freneticfloetry @liminalmemories21 for the tags 💖

Rules: Post your favourite line or passage from as many of your published works as you’d like. Let yourself feel proud of your creations! Tag as many people as you post snippets, so your fellow fic friends can be proud, too.

This chaotic passage from (Un)professional Services, the Tarlos professional services AU I wrote with @welcometololaland (really this entire scene, but this passage demonstrates the vibe well - I don’t think of myself as a funny writer, so I’m proud of this scene!):

TK is surprised that Carlos hasn’t simply walked away from this chaos – and from him – at this point.

“I’m taking Carlos to my room,” he announces, taking Carlos’ hand. “C’mon, this way.”

“Do you still have an open door policy for TK?” he can hear his dad ask his mom behind them.

“No, Owen, TK is almost 30 so I don’t make him leave his door open if he has someone in there. Sweetie, there’s a whole box of those condoms from the office in—”

TK stops. “Oh my god! I’m not having sex with Carlos!”

Everyone looks at him in shock.

“Right now,” he amends.

I don’t write much angst, but I broke my heart writing baby TK in Precious Love (actually, I broke my heart writing most of this fic)

“You and I will still live here. But your dad won’t.”

TK doesn’t understand. Why doesn’t Dad want to live with him anymore? Is it because he leaves his Lego on the floor?

“Dad?” TK blinks. His eyes feel hot and itchy and his heart is beating really fast.

“I’m sorry, TK. Your mom is right. It’s better for us if I don’t live here anymore, but I promise that I still love you. It’s just going to be better this way.”

“But I want you to live here. With us! I promise I’ll be quiet when you sleep and won’t wake you up. And I promise to pick up my Lego. And I won’t leave my shoes in the doorway. And—” TK sniffs and rubs at his eyes with the back of his fist.

“Tyler, honey, it’s not anything you’ve done,” his mom says. Her voice sounds wobbly.

“Mommy, tell him not to go!” he cries.

From despite it all:

TK only breaks the kiss when his lungs are aching for air, resting their foreheads together. He peppers gentle kisses across Carlos’ jaw and down his neck, following a familiar path, using each kiss to write his love into his boyfriend’s skin, as if doing so will etch it there permanently, indelibly; a tattoo to match the mark Carlos has left on TK’s entire state of existence. Carlos cups his cheek as he looks up at him and the sheer fondness of his gaze has TK’s heart twisting in his chest as he stares back up at Carlos and wonders if he can’t just stay on his knees forever. 

also this first kiss from yours for the afternoon:

The first press of their lips together is gentle, almost chaste, but Alex slips his other hand around Henry’s back pulling him closer and Henry finds the soft dip of Alex’s waist inside his open coat, and when they kiss again, Alex parts his lips for him. He tastes sweet from the dessert but there’s something more, something unique to Alex that Henry wants to chase. He deepens the kiss, tangling his fingers in the curls at the base of Alex’s neck, losing himself in the slide of their tongues together and the press of Alex’s teeth as he tugs on Henry’s lower lip. When Henry pulls Alex closer so that there’s no space between them, kissing him thoroughly, as if there’s nothing more he needs in that moment than Alex and the feel of his mouth against his own, Alex makes a noise in the back of his throat that Henry swallows greedily. They part, breathless; minutes or hours later, Henry doesn’t know and frankly, he doesn’t care, all he can think about is the fact that he wants to do that again and never stop. 

He rests his forehead against Alex’s. “Hi,” he says on an exhale.

I’m so so proud of to the victor, the spoils (and its prequel). I can’t share my favourite passages from those fics without spoiling them, so I’ll give you this exchange with my beloved Bri instead:

Brianna has a coffee waiting for him when he arrives. “You’re a gem, Bri, what would I do without you?”

“Flounder aimlessly for a bit and then die a slow, uncaffeinated death probably.”

“That’s dark,” he says, taking a long sip of his coffee. 

“So, did you get the win?” she asks, looking over Alex with a quizzical expression on her face. 

“Of course I fucking did, Fox should have listened to me and withdrawn his application. I don’t know why he insisted on running it, he’s infuriating. The entire application was a waste of time.”

“Mmhmm,” Bri cocks her head and raises an eyebrow at him. 

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“That’s not the tie you were wearing this morning, Alex. Looks kind of boring to me,” Bri smirks at him and walks out of his office. 

Alex looks down. Fuck. He’s been wearing Henry’s tie. 

(iykyk)

This is one of the first times I read my own writing and thought, “I really love this”, from it’s just for snow:

When David stops talking, his voice is scratchy; he feels flayed from the inside out. He’s never bared so much of himself to anyone before, not like this. He prefers to only let people see the broadest brushes of himself, to keep them at a distance that won’t allow them to see the individual brushstrokes that make up David Rose. He doesn’t know why, but talking to Patrick in the dark, from the safety of his cocoon of blankets – it feels safe – Patrick feels safe. 

I’m also very proud of my The Grindr Toolbox: A Guide to Getting Nailed series, which features a fic from each of my fandoms, written for the same prompt.

Tagging some pals to share what they’re proud of too: @welcometololaland @kiwiana-writes @indestructibleheart @stereopticons @indomitable-love @strandnreyes @everwitch-magiks + an open tag for anyone else who wants to share 💖

[akookminsupporter]

https://www.tumblr.com/akookminsupporter/736628315654438912/you-know-i-dont-like-to-discuss-the-subgroup?source=share

That's tkkrs'regular business. remember when the new BTS webtoon was releasing? And two three pages were like released or leaked from the webtoon and one was jm and jk's character's scene and other was with jk and joon's character's scene. Now in whole nj and jk scenes it showed like jk's character feels that "love at first site" not like actual way but you know like showing his crush on joon's character and no one said anything but but what triggered tkkrs was jm's character and jk's character's scene (I'm saying the characters cause idk the names i only know jm's name was haru) and i don't even remember the scene properly now but it's about when they first meet like when jm's character turns into human from a stone so it was that scene but since in the webtoon jm was shown someone closer to jk as jk's master kind of (even tho they had like 100yrs age difference lol) tkkrs'were throwing up saying the comapny is pushing fanservice even in webtoon.

So what they did was they started making tweets like "guys i just got information from someone that in the upcoming months especially in January hybe is trying to push a ship too hard but it's all about fanservice so don't worry if you want to know more dm me" and then all tkkrs ran with it.

Me as a jkkr i still haven't read that webtoon nor i ever planned to cause it's just a webtoon and not actual BTS so who the fuck takes that seriously and get's triggered over that?? Bro getting triggered over fictional character??? That too when you're ignoring the whole Falling in love scene of namkook but getting triggered over a stone turning into human???

What I'm saying is they always do this. They try to feed their cult with lies already so much when it happens they can make their cult fool into beliveing that their leader knows everything what goes on lol.

They're so scared of jkk that they always feel the need to pull out fanservice narrative but i never see jkkrs pulling that so who's actually insecure here??

How is the "comapny is hiding my real gay ship with another fake ship" and "The company has a problem with tk" exist in the same place?? Isn't their ship is not for cam?? So why beg for on cam content?? Why change the plot every two days?

Anon, you are thinking logically and logic is not a concept that the subgroup wants to understand. I think the fact that they basically refuse to see original content and that many of them refuse to draw their own conclusions from that and instead need others to explain to them in a misguided way what they see, says it all.

[messymindofmine]

How long is this Owen hate thing going to go on? It's honestly kind of funny how people seem to just look for reasons to hate on him. I feel like 404 just gave them even more reason to do so while simultaneously deifying the Reyes'. The thing is, my problem isn't even with the characters, I like them all. My problem is with the double standards. The Reyes' are obviously not perfect either. And even though Carlos’s relationship with them seems to be better, the fact that he didn't feel like he could go to them after him and TK broke up shows that things are still not great between them. Not to mention Gabriel's comment about how Carlos should have corrected Andrea's mistake in 211 rather than think about why their son wouldn't feel comfortable introducing his boyfriend to them in the first place.

I think Carlos’s face says it all here. Mind you, this was after Bad Call yet apparently Gabriel still doesn't recognize his mistakes with Carlos. Not only that but now apparently we need do add the fact that he felt like such a disappointment to them that he married a woman and they just let him go through with it despite knowing he was gay. I love the scenes we got with Gabriel in 404 but I don't like how it seems that even those have been weaponized against Owen. Yes, Gabriel saved his son and it was beautiful but Owen has done the same more than once. I mean, the episode is meant to be a parallel of Bad Call where Owen and Carlos were the ones that teamed up. Not to mention when TK got shot in 108, Owen sat with him the whole time stroking his face and talking to him. He apparently didn't even leave the hospital for a shower. When TK woke up, it was his dad he called for before he even opened his eyes and Owen was right there. And then Owen saved him again in 110.

Even the scene where TK revives Carlos is a parallel to Owen reviving TK in the pilot

Look, there's no denying that Owen is flawed and to be fair it is easier to focus on Owen's flaws since he's the main character and we see more of him but that still doesn't make the double standard any less unfair. Owen didn't ignore TK at all in 404. He picked up the phone despite the FBI lady not wanting him too. He looked at her like she was crazy for even thinking that he wouldn't pick up the phone bc "it's my son" and gave TK the best advice he could with what he knew. And he did this while the FBI lady badgered him and almost took the phone out of his hand. Yet there's literally people saying that it would be a good thing if Owen died and cheering on the FBI lady for making that comment.

I also don't buy the argument that Owen hasn't been apologetic about his mistakes. Out of all three parents, Owen is the one that is actually seen reflecting on his mistakes and and apologizing. People go after him for the "about to be a father" comment yet Owen himself expressed regret for it unprompted. He did it again in 316 when in the midst of his own struggles and dealing with his trauma, he called TK up just to tell TK that he loved him and that he was proud of him. He apologized for the distance between them and promised to do better. And we know they're going to be talking in 408. That closeness they had that we all were so charmed by in s1 existed for a reason. And we now know that the reason we haven't seen it in a while is going to be addressed.

Look, I love all three of the parents plus Gwyn but at the end of the day parents are human and all humans make mistakes and have flaws. I like how the show reminds us of that. What I don't like is the double standard and the way people look for reasons to hate on Owen. It's gotten to the point where I have to filter tags and be very careful what fics I read bc I'm not interested in anything that just makes Owen out to be this awful parent when that's very far from what he actually is. My biggest pet peeve with fandoms in general is double standards and the ones people have for Owen compared to the Reyes' and even Gwyn are too glaring for me to just ignore

[strandnreyes]

This has been something that’s been on my mind for a long time, but I wanted to talk a little about the way Iris has been talked about in the fandom from time to time.

No one is required to like the character or any of the storylines related to her. It's fine if you don't, but we still should be mindful of how we speak about her. Hating on someone because of their mental illness symptoms or using those symptoms as the punchline of a joke is not okay. She's not a villain and she doesn't need to be made out to be one.

Even if this show isn’t entirely accurate in her portrayal, or even if the show didn’t get everything right when it came to her exact symptoms, medication, etc., that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to be better. Iris may be a fictional character, but people with symptoms like Iris'—atypical social interaction, difficulty reading non-verbal cues or things like humor or sarcasm, bluntness, flat affect—exist. They exist in and outside of fandom spaces. Everywhere.

There's already so much shit in the world and battles everyone has to face daily that if we can make it easier for even one person, why not try to do that. Taking the time to consider how our words are being perceived (what kind of messages we're spreading and the types of jokes we show are okay to make) is important.

There are already so many layered discussions in this fandom regarding TK's depression/addiction, Carlos' anxiety, or Judd's PTSD (which I know is in part by the fact that they’re main characters), and I feel like we all learn a lot from those discussions. Perhaps the same grace can be given to Iris?

This isn’t just a fictional world for some and empathy, understanding, and kindness can go a long way.

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

People nedd to stop infantilising helaena.

That's literally one the most annoying things that some of her "stans" (i doubt those are her real fans) keep using. Like, she only wants to play with her bugs, leave her alone. And apparently her evil brother is weaponizing her and doesn't respect her autonomy because he wants her to join him against Daemon's army? What's unreasonable about it? She should have accepted to harm the man who was behind her son's gruesome death. Dreamfyre avd Vhagar would have killed Caraxes and decimated Daemon's army. But she doesn't want tk burn anyone. Sure, but the war is an extreme situation, even Rhaena who is also shown not to be a fan of violence and is more traditionally feminine is going to fight because she is obviously getting Nettles' arc. They are changing everything from the book, unless the change could be beneficial to the greens. And the so called fans are cool with it. I mean, if this was their plan for helaena, they should have just copied her arc form the book since by making her a dragon dreamer they only made everything more nonsensical and annoying.

Another thing: it's funny how people were predicting for a whole season to whom are her words about playing a part and fulfilling the destiny were directed- Aemond, Alicent, even Aegon. But no, it was her for some reason helping and guiding the f***ng Daemon. I guess she can leave her bugs for a moment to do that , according to her supposed fans. It's infuriating.

Hello!

Even before the leaks came out, I questioned Helaena's virtual disappearance from the plot. But now it's quite clear that the writers turned her into a prop (as the author of one of my recent asks very aptly put it).

I mentioned my opinion on Helaena in season 2 here, and I want to emphasize that my quarrel is not with the character but with the writers. Just like Aegon, Helaena is blatantly being used to show how dysfunctional the Greens are as a family - and to highlight the flaws and sins of other characters. These characters being mainly, once again, Alicent and Aemond.

Alicent is a bad mother because she is shown to be more worried about Helaena seeing her having sex with Criston than about Jaehaerys' death and then forces her traumatized daughter to go through with the public funeral and traumatizes her even more. And now Aemond gets violent with her and trying to force her to do something she is not willing to do.

Whether it is a good call to ask her to fight or not is one question. A lot of people say something along the lines of "If only Aemond had not burned Aegon...". True, Vhagar plus Sunfyre would be better than just Vhagar; but, firstly, even this duo (okay, trio if we count Tessarion) would still not be enough to counter Rhaenyra's four dragons (with Caraxes and Sheepstealer - six), and, secondly, Sunfyre for all his spirit is young, inexperienced and quite small (Tessarion is also basically still a baby, by the way). Would Aegon, had he remained in power, have abstained from asking Helaena to join the common effort?

The thing is, post B&C Helaena became almost a non-entity. She easily gets over the horrific death of her child - and then does nothing. What is left of her? Why is she supposed to be treated as if she is made of glass? Because of the mere fact that she is a woman? Not enough. Because her child was murdered? She seems to have got over it: she is nowhere near the mental state her book counterpart was in. And don't get me wrong, I am not of the opinion that only badass dragonrider ladies are supposed to be respected and cherished while peace-loving and gentle women deserve nothing. This is not about badassery: as you said, the situation is dire. It's not about Helaena doing it for Aemond, it's about the survival of their family: Alicent, Aegon, Otto, Helaena herself - and her little daughter about whose existence many viewers have probably already forgotten. But she refuses to join Aemond because "I don't wanna and because you're a bitch". Awesome.

However, she is indeed ready to guide the murderer of her child. When I understood where this whole thing about "fulfilling destiny" is going I couldn't believe it for a second. And for me it was the final nail in Helaena's character coffin. Phia's acting was great (in the scenes where she was actually given the chance to act) but the character development... RIP, Dreamer Queen, it was nice knowing you.

P.S. Gosh, I completely forgot about Moondancer and Vermax while counting TB dragons. So, even with Aegon and Sunfyre safe and sound - but without Dreamfyre - it would be 3 against 8. Helaena, would you like to rethink your decision?

[stupendousfoxthing]

It's so annoying to me when I come across people who say that tkkers base their belief in taekook on edits and videos that overanalyze. Not saying that there aren't shippers like this but I know this is not the case for alot of tkkers I know and certainly not for me. I had no interest in shipping and theorising on band mates being in a secret relationship when I got into BTS. I just really loved their music and their story.

I noticed taekook while catching up on lives and binging BTS content trying to get to know the members more. I wasn't trying to ship any members, but I was picking up on things with taekook that made me side eye them ngl. The odd tension in lives, the hot and cold behaviour, being overly touchy and familiar with eachothers bodies and personal space while also sometimes acting like they don't know eachother. I tried to brush it off but the vibe they were giving off was like when you start noticing tension between two people in a friend group but nobody talks about it and it becomes the big elephant in the room, only to find out later they were secretly hooking up lol.

After awhile I felt like I had gotten a good grasp on all the friendships and dynamics within the group and yet taekook remained a big question mark to me and fandom discourse certainly didn't help at all. It's only then that I fell into the rabbit hole out of curiousity and most of what I learnt has solidified my suspicions about them. You really don't need analysis videos or shipping edits to notice them because the vibe they give off and the things they do, the way BigHit handled them, these things are enough to make you question. Remember when locals at 2020 Grammy's were asking if they were a couple? Yep, taekook give off boyfriend vibes and we all know it, even the naysayers know it deep down.😂

(Btw I love reading your thoughts, please post more 😭)

It doesn't annoy me when other people say that about Taekookers, because I know for a fact that's not what I base my belief on and I think a significant portion of people who say that are trying to convince themselves there's nothing between TK, we just really want there to be. A lot seem to believe that if they get rid of us Taekook's relationship will stop existing, whatever the nature of that relationship is. Personally I hate analysis videos. Like I said previously, when I first starting looking at Taekook those kinds of videos weren't very popular yet. The two big YouTube accounts I followed just posted compilation videos of moments with no analysis. That's all I need. There are so many moments that speak for themselves. I'll be screaming about the nape kiss until the end of time. I'm sorry but there's no way you're going to convince me there's anything platonic about that. Two recent moments I think about a lot are the Sweetheart shirts and Tae's live where we found out Jungkook always sings "To Find You" to him. Those are very loud and obvious imho. I don't need to analyze them. I've also in my own life accurately called these same "vibes" between plenty of people who ended up together. The tells aren't any different for same-sex couples, but some people will readily read romantic/sexual interest into every interaction between a man and a woman but dismiss way more sus moments between two men. I think there would be no question about Taekook for a lot of people if they were a het pair. I do remember the buzz around them at the Grammys. I was just recently thinking about reactions I saw on Twitter to the live where Tae played "Oh No Oh Yes" (where he intentionally "twin flamed" with Jungkook as an anon recently pointed out). That had some people questioning things. I remember seeing people talking back and forth in a thread about the lyrics and how they usually drag Taekookers but maybe we're onto something. 😂 I still think that some people who call us delusional just don't follow what happens between Taekook, because they were more suspicious than ever during solo era. Thank you for the message, sorry it took me a bit to get to answering ❤️

[paperstorm]

I did get the vibe that TK was the more invovled party in wedding planning or maybe just equally as invovled and we just didn't spend enough time w/ Carlos in season 4 to see him being obsessive.

My HC is that it was becauase it was a celebration for the two of them, but namely Carlos, TK took it V seriously. He said his little speach to nancy about needing it to be real b/c they fought so hard to be able to get married. Which is so good and true, but I just think that was maybe way more about wanting to give Carlos something he never thought he'd have then about TK's own need to do it. Like - I think TK is very aware of how a brown queer kid in a deep red state might not have been given the freedom to really think about or dream about a wedding. Not saying TK didn't have other/similar hang ups, but I think he's such an empathetic person and he would care so much about givng Carlos a wedding that he wanted (especially after the Iris reveal).

Where as I think TK just does not care that much about his birthday party lol. As long as he has his people he's happy. But Carlos of course cares even more because it's a day to celebrate his favorite persons existence! It's his favorite holiday! He gets to make everything about TK which is literally perfect because as far as he's concerned everything SHOULD be about TK lolol.

Anyway they love each other so much it's disgusting (it's not it's perfect)

Oh stop 🥹🥹🥹 of COURSE they care so much about celebrating the other but not really that much about celebrating themselves. Of course they do. They love each other so much. Carlos wanted TK’s birthday party to be big and fun and extravagant to acknowledge the fact that there were a lot of years where TK might not have made it to 30, but he did and that deserves to be celebrated. And TK who grew up in a much more accepting world than Carlos did (the early 2000s were still a crazy homophobic time but there weren’t the same factors working against him as there were for Carlos like you said), would want Carlos to have a big showy wedding because Carlos deserves to be proud of who he is and who he loves and show that off to the whole world. I love themmmmmmmm

[extasiswings]

Tim going off on a LS fan on Facebook for their criticism of the Carlos storyline ...

I saw and am honestly just so 🙄🙄🙄. He’s completely missed the point. (Unsurprising, because he doesn’t take criticism well).

The thing is, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter one bit whether it was a “real marriage” (which I guess we’re defining as a love marriage?) in the eyes of the people in it. It was a real marriage in the eyes of the law. The fact that it exists has real legal and financial implications that by their very existence impact the futures of the people in it—it’s not actually a “meaningless piece of paper” as Tim put it. Texas is a community property state, so all of Carlos’s income and assets acquired with that income while they’ve been married is also equally hers. If Iris has debts acquired during their marriage, he’s likely responsible for them. Carlos and TK bought a house together—Carlos being married means that Iris, as his wife, has a legal and financial interest in that property (a fact that TK was not made aware of before buying a house with his partner). Carlos and TK got engaged despite the fact that they would not be able to actually get married since Carlos was already married—again, a fact that TK was not made aware of before getting engaged.

The fact is, what is comes down to is that TK and Carlos have been in a relationship for YEARS, making major decisions about their future together, and with this retcon (because that’s what it is) that means that by not being honest about this, Carlos has basically completely removed TK’s agency in their relationship by not allowing him the information necessary to make informed decisions about his life and future, which is objectively an extremely shitty thing to do to your partner (and which just underscores how bad this writing is because if they had thought it through at all they should have recognized how much the context that he’s been keeping this a secret decimates Carlos’s character (which pisses me off because I love him), reframes and colors aspects of their relationship and major milestones, and just in general makes him not a great boyfriend when before this “twist” he was!).

Like I’m sorry but I genuinely can’t with the “it’s a meaningless piece of paper” argument when even without touching anything else about it that piece of paper at a minimum means that everything you own is owned equally by your spouse. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if Carlos died while he was still married to Iris, she would own part of their house and TK wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. The legal protections of marriage are a big deal—that’s literally one of the reasons why queer people fought for marriage equality for so long.

And look, I know it’s fiction. If they want to pretend LS takes place in some alternate universe where the laws of Texas aren’t the laws of Texas (don’t even get me started on the whole “annulment” thing) they can do that. But a) they haven’t indicated that’s the case, and more importantly b) regardless, it’s not okay to be so fucking condescending when people are rightfully scratching their heads over a plot twist that was never remotely foreshadowed, is clearly only happening for the drama of it all, has more plot holes than Swiss cheese, and makes zero sense.

[doublel27]

The ONLY thing that I didn't like from tarlos scene is how they pulled the carlos is tks soulmate too out of nowhere and except us to eat that, as if season 1 tk and his infamous *Alex is my soulmate* even tho he was with carlos never existed. Good thing carlos didn't believe and called him out on it Idk, I'm just struggling to believe tk this time.

The rest is a 👩‍🍳💋. SO DELICIOUS!

Okay, one, the scene was delicious. And two you’re entitled to your opinion and your take of the scene. Please don’t think I am not allowing you.

But as you’ve walked into my house, and shared your take, I’m gonna share mine.

You don’t believe TK, but I do.

Here’s the thing TK calls Alex his soulmate in a sentence rooted in the past tense in 1.05 “116 days ago when I proposed to my soulmate and he moved in with his trainer.” It’s TK’s response to Paul when Paul suggests TK doesn’t know rejection. TK follows it up with “yeah that was not my best day. Look, everyone gets kicked in the head. You gotta get up and try again.”

In 4.16, TK suggests that he had a feeling the word soulmates applied to him and Carlos in 1.01 but that he ran from it. With the context above, I can see him giving Paul advice in 1.05 but also talking to himself (be it so noted that the episode still for 1.05 is still the deleted tamale scene and then he and Carlos take Paul out to a club and they’re clearly growing closer)

See, because the LAST TIME TK got this feeling of forever/meant to be/soulmates, that was his perception, but not the reality. It was the story TK, who is a hopeless romantic, told himself and why he proposed to “fix the relationship” (file under bad relationship modeling from his parents).

So if he feels soulmates for Carlos NOW, why trust it? And considering how his whole life blew up upon finding out that Alex didn’t feel forever about TK the way TK felt about Alex? Like he ODs, leaves his whole life and comes to Texas. Why would he risk doing that again when TK doesn’t trust his own heart?!

But the advice he gives Paul here is also for himself. You can’t just give up because you got hurt once. And maybe you can trust it. And it gets shaken after he gets shot but he is lost and doesn’t want to hurt Carlos and is honest with him about the fact that TK doesn’t know where he wants to live or what he wants to do and he can’t make decisions about Carlos if he doesn’t feel settled (where we get Carlos’s infamous “if it’s not meant to be then it’s not meant to be”)

See, I don’t think it’s ever that TK didn’t love Carlos entirely. TK wouldn’t have come back around every time he bolted if he didn’t feel deeply for Carlos. It’s that TK didn’t believe he could be loved fully and unconditionally by another person. It took Carlos being steady and patient and constant to tame my favorite feral cat of a boy.

And so, I believe TK felt it from those first moments and was so scared he would blow up his entire life again. So he bolted, breaking good things before he counted on them and they broke him out of nowhere.