#BUT im half way through season five and im feeling it. and also i want. to eat. those spice curls

[bmpmp3]

pros and cons of watching breaking bad and better call saul

pros: good television

cons: i want to eat at fictional fast food restaurant los pollos hermanos so bad

[strawberryspence]

happy valentines day, to my lovely people. i’m not going to tag each person, but you know who you are. no, you will literally know because i am going to send it on discord. you guys are my favorite tiny lil humans in my phone. i hope this makes sunsets/sunrises a little better. (im also hoping that it heals some of the pain the original sunset fic caused) ♥️

-

Steve Harrington has always loved the sky.

To Steve, there was something so captivating about it, something so bewitching. There’s no start, nor end to it. He has always been fascinated at how vast, and free it is. More than anything, Steve loves the way it changes colors with the season and weather. Sunsets and sunrises, and the things they signify. Some people hate the way it makes them feel smaller, like they could get lost underneath it, but Steve loves it. As long as he’s underneath the bright blue sky, he is safe.

At the early age of five, Steve’s first memory is of his mother, sitting beside him in the garden. If other kids learned their colors through flashcards and crayons, Steve learned his first colors through the skies. A sunset is where he learns his first hue of orange, and yellow, and blue. She was the one who taught him colors and it’s one of Steve’s favorite childhood memories.

At thirteen, the sky becomes Steve’s only friend. His parents started leaving more often now, saying something about how he’s old enough for it. Steve loves it some days, hates it some days. Today, he loves it as he floats aimlessly around the pool. No one’s going to scold him that his skin has started to wrinkle, or that he’s wasting his time watching the clouds change into different shapes. Being under the big sky is a reassurance— that he may be alone in this big, dark house, but he’s at least not alone in this world.

At seventeen, Steve finds comfort in the night sky. He finds it as the moon watches over him and as the stars sparkle and dance against the dark. It’s the first time he’s ever loved someone and the first time he has gotten his heart broken. He doesn’t cry, because “Harrington’s don’t cry.” He’s never alone though. It’s always going to be him and the big vast sky. There’s more horror in the world, like 12 year olds that get experimented in labs, a girl getting pulled in his pool and to her death and monsters living under the ground he is laying on. But the big dark sky stares from above him and Steve feels a little better in the uncertainty. He’s being wrapped within its darkness, almost like a comforting hug from an old friend who understands.

At eighteen, Steve meets his soulmate. Not the sky, but Robin Buckley. The half of his soul, a friendship forged from scooping ice creams and drugs injected into their veins. Robin— Robin is the rain after a long drought, giving him another reason to live and fight. The mall burns down and there’s— there’s so much death and he wishes he could’ve done something more. Two nights after the fire, unable to sleep, Steve asks if Robin would lay beside him on the ground. They lay in silence as the stars wave their goodbye, and as the sun greets him hello, signifying a new day, a new beginning. Underneath that new brand new day, Steve and Robin finally fall asleep, secure under the sun and clouds and safe in each other's arms.

At nineteen, Steve meets Eddie Munson. Really meets him, while the world is ending. It’s the night after they come back from the upside down, Steve's sides are aching and they’ll probably go back to the upside down tomorrow. Nancy has a plan, because she always does and he wants to take a nap, or eat something, but he can’t. He’s paralyzed in the uncertainty and danger around them. He sits at the back of the trailer, away from people that could see him, and that's where Eddie finds him.

“I can’t believe you guys have been doing this for years.” Eddie says, disbelief apparent in his voice.

Steve shrugs, “I don’t either. They’re—“ He pauses, thinks about El who’s only 15 and has the weight of the world on her shoulders, thinks of Will who’s been through hell and death, thinks of Max who’s still grieving her dead brother only for it to be used to lure her into death.

He thinks of the kids, the kids who're all barely 15 fighting this entity, “They’re all too young for this.” He finishes.

Eddie stares at him and Steve doesn't like it at all. It feels like he’s being studied, feels naked under Eddie’s eyes. Like Eddie can see through him, see the broken pieces Steve has glued together for all of them.

“You’re young too.” Eddie answers back, gently kindly, “You, Robin, Nancy, even me.”

Steve shrugs, even though he knows it's true, “I guess. I just want this to end already.”

Eddie looks away, staring at the skies as it finally starts changing its hues, “Maybe after this we can all go on a trip.”

Steve hums, “Definitely. Maybe a beach. El’s never been to one.”

Eddie chuckles, a smile on his lips as he looks forward. They watch the sky change its hues, a new day rising right in front of them.

“I don't really like sunsets.” Steve turns to him, offended and ready to defend his oldest companion.

But Eddie continues, “I’ve always liked the sunrises more, you know? Sunsets are— endings and though they are beautiful endings, nothing beats a new beginning, a new slate.”

Steve stares at him, watching silently as Eddie smokes. Steve knows the sun is rising, and he’s never been one to miss it when it’s right in front of him. But there’s something about the way the sunlight is hitting Eddie’s face, the colors dancing on his skin and the colors illuminating his brown eyes, making it brighter.

It's lighting him up in ways Steve has never seen before and something awakens in him, his heart beating against his ribs like it wants to break free. It’s breathtaking, Eddie’s breathtaking and it makes him feel things he’s never felt before.

When the silence grows heavy, Eddie breaks it, “Plus I really like it when the darkness turns brighter.”

It’s the first time Steve has ever ignored the sky and with Eddie here, he knows it won’t be the last.

At nineteen, Steve learns that the sky could also be red. He doesn’t remember much, just Dustin crying over Eddie’s body as the red sky above him thunders on, menacing and cackling at their demise. They killed Vecna and the victory is so close— so close.

It’s hard to look up at the sky then, when they finally emerge from hell while he cradles Eddie’s body. Steve thinks that no clear blue sky, or no dark starry night, can ever give him comfort again, not until he finally knows that Eddie’s safe.

At twenty, three months after defeating Vecna. Steve is on some beach with his friends— his family and they’ve survived. There’s no more danger impending to happen, all gates burned and closed forever.

Steve has just turned twenty, and he has real friends. He sits there, sand against his toes, as he watches the kids play around the water under the golden glint of the sun. They finally have their chance to enjoy being a kid.

“Is this what you wanted?” Steve looks up. Eddie’s hovering above him, with a can of Pepsi in his hand.

He hands Steve a can and plops down beside him on the beach towel. Eddie’s shirtless and yes, Steve’s ogling him but there’s also a clench in his heart as he tracks the taut skin, and pink scars surrounding his whole body.

It’s okay.

It’s okay.

Because they’re all alive, and safe, and the scars are there to be reminders of what they’ve survived. Whatever the horizon offers them, it’ll be okay.

Steve smiles at him, opening the soda in his hand with a hiss.

He stares at Eddie, holding out his can to clink it against his can, “It’s exactly what I wanted.”

At twenty-two, Steve moves to Boston with Eddie, Robin and Nancy. It’s a weird group. It’s his soulmate and her girlfriend, who was also his ex-girlfriend. On top of that, there’s Eddie. Eddie’s his best friend, but also the same man he’s been pining over for three years.

But they’re Steve’s family (aside from the kids) and he’d go anywhere if Robin asks. It’s the happiest Steve’s been in years, and he wouldn’t do anything like confessing to ruin the dynamic they’ve created.

Steve spends most of his days with Eddie, laid on their backs as they watch the clouds. Eddie makes him coffee in the early mornings, Steve never really understood why he’s awake to watch the sunset with him, but he’s there even if he hates waking up early. At night, Eddie watches as Steve outlines the stars for him with his finger, not knowing that Steve would climb the damn moon and take it in his back pocket for him.

It’s a conversation they’ve always avoided, whatever this thing Eddie and Steve had, the endless dance they do around each other.

Eddie’s almost death has always been hard for the three of them. There’s this overwhelming thought that— somewhere out there, somewhere far away— is a universe where Steve was too late, that Eddie died, that all he has is the tint of orange in the sky. A universe where Steve didn’t know that Eddie likes his coffee sweet, but doesn’t like ordering it because it doesn’t fit his image, where Steve didn’t know that Eddie snorts in his sleep and likes to wear socks under the sheets. A universe where the only thing Steve knows is the what ifs, the what could’ve beens.

It all comes out one day. The anniversaries have always been harder, not only were they far away from the kids, but the Vecna spring anniversary always hits them the hardest. It’s also Eddie and Max’s almost death anniversary, to make it worse. Robin plans it all out for them, they all call in sick that day, skip classes, just stay inside all day. Just watch movies, eat snacks, and stay wrapped in comfortable blankets. The four of them fall asleep in the middle of their fourth movie of the day, all tangled together and it’s days like this that makes it harder to ignore the fact that the four of them— are four halves from the same whole.

When Steve wakes up, Eddie’s not beside him anymore, Nancy and Robin still sleeping peacefully on the other side of the couch. The digital clock— they all can’t stand the silent tick tocking of a clock, reminds them too much of a grandfather clock, no matter how big or small— blinks at him, it’s almost 5:21 in the afternoon.

Steve knows it’s almost time for the sun to set, he charts it every weekend so he can take a few minutes to watch the sun wave her goodbyes. Steve swings the blanket on his shoulders and heads out to the balcony.

It’s not a surprise to see Eddie already there, watching the sky start to change colors, the sun impending to set in a few more minutes.

“Hey.” Steve slumps beside him, extending the blanket over to Eddie’s shoulder.

Eddie snuggles closer to him, “Thank you.”

“You doing good?” Steve asks, not able to take his eyes off Eddie.

“Yeah. Just—“ Eddie sighs, “Today is hard. I talked to Wayne.”

“What did he say?”

Eddie shrugs, “All the sappy stuff. He was thankful that I am alive and here. That he loves me.” There’s a hitch in his voice when he says it, that makes Steve’s eyebrows furrow.

“Wayne’s right. You do know that, right?”

Eddie turns to him, his legs hugged closer to his chest and head leaning against his knees, “Is he though?”

Steve opens his mouth to say something when the words spring out of Eddie, “It’s been three years since I let Chrissy die and ran away from her dead body like a coward. She could be the one who’s living this life, alive and happy. I could’ve tried.”

Eddie lets his eyes flutter shut, and for a second he looks so fucking peaceful, “Sometimes when I remember her dying in front of me, I try to think of something else. Anything else. My mind brings me to different places. Chrissy where she gets to graduate. She wears this pink dress, with her blue eyeshadow. She’s happy.

Chrissy where she gets to go to Paris. She looks like the kind of girl that would want to visit Europe. She’s wearing a beret, with the brightest smile on her face. Chrissy where we get to be friends. She’s always been kind, maybe she could’ve lived with us, maybe she could’ve been my own platonic with a capital P.”

Eddie opens his eyes, brown eyes shining with tears, “And then I open my eyes. And I remember that she’s gone. And I am here. Why do I get to live and not her? She deserves it more than I would ever.”

“Eddie.” Steve hisses, “Don’t ever say that.”

Eddie blinks at him, tears rolling down his face. Steve swipes it off his face, in the gentlest matter, “You’re here because you are here. Chrissy deserved better, yes, but she’s gone. We couldn't have done anything about it. The life you have right now? You deserve it, Eddie. It’s always been meant to be yours. There’s nothing you could’ve done to help her.”

Steve cups his jaw, thumb softly drawing circles on his cheek, “If you really think she could’ve been your platonic soulmate, then she would want you to live your life. She would hate you for saying all this.”

Eddie chokes up even more, his voice shaky when he finally speaks, “Thank you for saving me that day, Stevie.”

He smiles, a lump burning against his throat, “Best decision I’ve ever made.”

Eddie stares at him for a few seconds, brown eyes staring intently at him. There’s a spark in his eyes that could rival the brightest stars, “I am in love with you, Steve Harrington.”

And right there, as Steve watches Eddie, the colors dance behind the love of his life, Steve says it back.

“I am also, insanely, in love with you, Eddie Munson.”

Eddie beams at him, moving closer to capture his lips into his. And if Steve had to describe the kiss, he would say that it’s exactly how he feels when the sun rises in the morning. It’s the feeling when the first hue of orange paints the sky. The feeling when the sun greets him once again. It’s a promise of new beginnings, captured with so much tenderness and adoration.

It’s comfort and skies and softness. It’s Eddie Munson.

When they pull away, Eddie moves closer, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder as they turn to the sky, waiting for it to change. Steve has watched maybe hundreds, maybe thousands of sunsets in his life. Together they watch as the day of the anniversary ends, with what Steve could only call the most beautiful sunset he’s ever seen in his life. Just before the darkness, it breaks into the most beautiful hue of pink.

Eddie starts shaking against him, a hand flying to block a gasp that comes out of him. Steve fights the smile forming on his face, his own eyes filled with tears.

“Hi, Chrissy.” Eddie whispers. Steve kisses the top of Eddie’s head to comfort him.

It’s a beautiful ending.

At twenty-six, Steve graduates with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Atmospheric Science.

Steve never avoids the sky. He studies it now, and writes the weather news for a big Boston channel. He stops to point out random objects in the sky, and has a telescope set up for constellations. He drinks a hot cup of coffee every morning, watching as the sun rises.

Eddie is always with him in every endeavor. He works as a music teacher in the middle school near their home. On the weekends, Eddie plays in a bar, singing his own songs and playing his Sweetheart. He makes Steve a cup of coffee every morning, watching as the sun rises.

Steve lays in the grass with Dustin and Suzie’s son and teaches him how to cloud watch. Eddie will then pester them, and try to teach the kid D&D. Steve takes time to send reminders to Max and Lucas to wear a raincoat if he sees that it’s going to rain in California. Eddie will slip an umbrella on his satchel when Steve forgets, because he could only think of Max and Lucas and the other kids.

Steve talks to Will and Mike for hours, just trying to describe to them a weather phenomenon so Will could draw it and Mike could write it for their latest best-selling comics. Eddie teases Mike for it. It annoys Mike so bad that he slams the phone. They laugh so hard, their ribs ache. Steve knits El a gorgeous sky blue scarf, because he knows how cold it gets in New York. Eddie gets her a matching hat for it.

Wayne calls them, every other day, to ask how the weather is in Boston and Steve asks how the weather is in Indiana. Eddie will talk his ear off. They have Thanksgivings together, year after year, thankful for the life they were given.

Steve and Eddie spend a few summers in the guest room of the farm house Joyce and Hop bought in 1986. Steve stays and writes about the stars and the planets because the skies are so much clearer in rural places. Eddie stays and writes tunes and rhymes, sings and records it in the empty barn on the back.

They still live with Robin and Nancy, but they’ve moved to a bigger house now. Steve has his own equipment for sky watching in the backyard and Eddie surprised him with a sunroof in his office. They have a dog named Hetfield and a cat named Sabbath.

And more than anything, Steve loves sunrises. He wakes up early for it everyday. He’ll set the alarm early, wake up, tell Eddie that he doesn’t need to wake up with him. The next morning, Steve will always find the kettle hot, and a hot coffee waiting for him as his husband wraps an arm around his waist, face smushed on his neck.

They wait for the sky to turn from darkness and brightness and smile when the sun waves at them with hues of colors— different everyday.

It’s a hello, a how are you, a comfortable hug.

It’s a reminder of new chances and new opportunities.

And as long as Steve Harrington is in Eddie Munson’s arms, everyday is a new beginning.

→ the original angstier sunset fic and it’s siblings <3

[dearinglovebot]

If the Grady family ever met the Nublar Six Five, how would they interact? Who would really vibe with each other, who wouldn’t?.

maisie being the closest to their age means I think she’d get along with them the best. she has a pretty similar personality to brooklyn and yaz so they’d either mesh very well or clash over it. I lean towards get along pretty well. sammy would be a little overwhelming at first but sammy is also the most insistent that she break out of her shell with the group. very much giving “hey she’s just like you were yaz!”. darius and her would have a very chill dynamic where they understand each other and could probably problem solve their way out of any situation. ben? they’re chill. but kenji is who is gonna have to grow on her the most. early seasons kenji is going to drive her crazy but later season kenji might grow on her. she’s going to find him annoying and he’s going to see her as quiet and broody. they’re going to be have to trapped in an escape room together before they become real friends.

the hidden adventure episode probably had the right idea in saying that yeah JWCC darius would love a dude who worked directly with velociraptors. maybe not JWCT darius who is being hunted for sport, but JWCC darius would be begging for velociraptor infodumps. what were their interactions with each other like? did they have biome preferences? what types of calls could they make with each other? he wouldn’t be asking owen about his day he’d be going straight to “did they have different sounding voices?? how many words did they know?? what types of enrichment were they given??”

owen overall is going to be a much easier sell to the kids than claire. yasmina is going to make fun of him the moment he says “alpha”, brings up motorcycles, or does the hand thing. the only way he is winning her over is if he shows his #vulnerable side over the dinosaurs or his family. basically she isn’t going to like him until she’s given a reason to believe he isn’t some weird emotionally repressed redneck. and speaking of rednecks, owen is semi-canonically from the south so that’s winning points with sammy. they probably share stories about cow tipping and everyone else goes “what the fuck does that mean”.

he’d get on with ben and brooklyn fine but kenji has a habit of annoying most people so im inclined to believe he’ll be considered a “little shit” type kid. pre-fk owen and early seasons kenji would require intensive care to get along 1v1 but after that then they have potential. now that owen has experienced #Fatherhood he’ll be more inclined to make an effort to reach out to troubled teen kenji™. it will have the same vibes as a school guidance councilor and class clown where the kid says the councilor is soooo lame but still asks for a hug at graduation.

like I said above, claire is going to be the hardest sell for all of them. she is Miss Jurassic World in the flesh. they’re not going to trust her at all. but she feels really bad about the whole incident so she’s going to do her best to pay off any therapy bills or travel expenses for the families.

kenji is the only she feels the most guilt towards because she actually knows him from his dad. on the island, he annoyed her (he was objectively very annoying) but now that she’s reformed she just feels bad because he was probably just acting out because his family dgaf. kenji initially doesn’t trust her even more because she ran in the same circles as his dad. but he also recognizes how much she’s changed since then and it makes him kind of upset because his dad wouldn’t do half the things she did for maisie. they have a very complex dynamic where claire feels indebted to him for everything that’s happened (with both the island and his neglectful dad) and he has to work through a lot of daddy issues whenever they interact. they get each other in a nuanced way but it’ll keep the relationship strained for a long time.

sammy is the most willing to give her a chance because she wants to believe that someone like claire can change. and claire is going to try her hardest with that chance to prove she wants to mend things however she can. for a while, sammy is going to be the only one really holding conversation with her but the others are kind of using that to gage if they want to take a chance on her too.

darius will be the next person to take that leap of faith cause she does seem like she’s putting in an effort. she’s a full blown activist and mother now after all. claire appreciates them both immensely and has probably cried at least once over winning them over. they have a lot of similar moral stances post-fk so there’d be a very easy dynamic. she values everything about her park a lot more and he’s happy to talk with her about it. she’s got a collection of anecdotes about the dinosaurs and their handlers and he appreciates what she shares.

yas may always be a little weary of her but her knack for terrorism is going to appeal to ben the arsonist and brooklyn the true crime detective. she’s got so many leads about lockwood manor for brooklyn to chase down. she may not totally love claire but she does respect her. as for ben, i think if anyone was going to commit burglary it would be them. she would refuse to “encourage” his behavior (because she wants to at least pretend she’s a responsible adult) but if it happens then it happens okay! they’re as bad as each other and shouldn’t be left alone

weeew that was a lot. loved getting this ask

[wonsohl]

hii do you think you cld write abt gunwook ? maybe smth like popular!gunwook and shy!reader in a school setting

also, i rlly enjoyed ur yujin imagines! they're so adorable

omg! ofcc , recently gunwook has been biasing me lately after kcon 😭😭! thank you for the compliment abt my yujin imaginess <3 ! tbh i didn't know how succesful it would bee

young love 🫂 - p.gw

PAIRINGS: popular!gw + shy!freader

it was winter. your favourite time of the year - not just because it was the season of your birthday but because you loved christmas and the traditions of the mistletoe at school.

your school recently (by recently you mean 4 years ago) started this thing were they would leave mistletoes around school.

at first it was very controversial but they made it rule that you don't have to partake in the tradition if you didn't want to.

most people didn't because half of the boys in your school were ugly and smelt like canned fish.

however if they did wanna kiss someone, it would've been the f9.

f9? basically the most handsome, jaw-dropping, extravagant, elegant, heart-beating boys ever to be seen.

you had the 3seniorz - aka : sung hanbin & zhanghao from class one with kim jiwoong in class two

then you had the musicianz - aka : seok matthew & kim taerae from class one

and then finally the coocooz - aka : shen ricky, kim gyuvin , han yujin and your beloved park gunwook.

pretty much every sane girl in your school had a crush on them because who wouldnt?

the f9s pretty much run the school, if they ask someone to do something they would.

one time ricky asked a girl a year above him to buy him something from the school store, she bought the whole store for him.

another time taerae asked a girl to get his guitar from the music room, she got his guitar with the rest of the music room on her back.

so you could tell that these boys had every girl wrapped around their fingers ,

including you.

but no one knew of course.

you barely talked in lesson and never raised your hand and on top of that you sat the middle row in lessons and would always leave a sticky note on the teacher's desk ever day to remind her that you were in so she didn't need to call out your name.

and thats how you lived for pretty much all 3 years of highschool until today.

you made your way to your homeroom with your headphones in and got a sticky note from your bag to put it on the teacher's desk and plotted your bag on your chair.

whilst returning to your chair, you realised that someone must of forgotten their cleaning duty yesterday and forgot to clean your desk.

their was pen marks everywhere and gum under the table.

you sighed heavily, but too heavily so no one else knew your dissapointment. you were about to go to the toilet to get some tissue when your phone started ringing.

it was inhee your bestfriend

'Y/N!!' said inhee through her phone speaker ruining your eardrums forgetting that you were on speaker everyone in your class looks at you.

you smile back awkwardly and dash out the class room.

'omg inhee! you dont need to shout my name at 8:03 am in the morningg" you said complaing about your friends behaviour

'oh im sorry miss l/n but apprently seola from our class got a mistletoe with ricky! '

' WHAT?? damm she's so lucky! '

' I KNOW RIGHTT THAT'S WHAT I WAS SAYINGG ' says inhee and then for the next five minutes of your call inhee was complaining about how it should've been her instead of seola.

'ME AND RICKY HAVE FIRE AND WATER SIGNS WE ARE LITCH SOULMATES'

'okok i get your pointt~. it's not that deep its only a kiss he probably doesn't feel anything for her anyway.

'after all he is a player but that doesn't mean anything! i have been waiting for my first kiss to be ricky just to be knocked off by son seola who is a complete copy of me :>'

'inhee its just a one time thing, you can make a move to him on the last day of school or something'

'ONE TIME THING?'

she said again, at this point you thought she was intentionally trying to publicly embarrass you infront of everyone as well as make you deaf.

'inhee enough with this yelling over a boy! its not even past 9 am yett'

'well this boy is my lifeline, soulmate, couple, future hubby, fiance he is like my everything! he means the whole world to me just like gunwook means to you silly!'

gunwook. gun wook . park gunwook.

you loved his name.

you loved they way he talked .

you love his visuals.

most of all you loved his smile.

'yeah but gunwook is different - first of all he is not rich and spoilt , second of all he is classprezz and is not a player'

' okay but imagine if you got a mistletoe with him! like that would be so cute!'

'with who? gunwook' you scoff at her words.

'gunwook is way out of my league, i would never get mistletoe with him and that's how i like it and i wanna keep it that way for th-'

your phone fell out of your hand skidding across the marble floor of your school hallway.

you pick your self up and run to get it but another hand it there before you.

you look up to see gunwook.

'oh my god' you thought.

eugh this was so cliche for this to happen.

but even through those thoughts, you and him still kept eye contact

'ay gunwook did you get the homework for-

OMG YOU GOT A MISTLETOEE'

you look behind gunwook's broad shoulders to see his friend gyuvin running towards him whilst pointing up towards the ceiling.

and follow his fingers to see the mistletoe right above your head with you and gunwook

'BRO YOU GOTTA GIVE HER A KISS - A RICKY COME HERE GUNWOOK GOT A MISTLETOE'

'GUNWOOK HAS TO GIVE HER A KISSY WISSY OOOO~'

you look back to gunwook eyes as he meets you with an awkward smile after he elbowed gyuvin in his ribcage.

'you don't have to kiss me! it's j-just a tradition' you say excusing yourself slowly.

then all of a sudden gunwook holds you by your shoulder and mouths sorry before pulling you in for a kiss.

your lips clash onto eachother as you close your eyes not knowing how to react and slowly losen up to his touch.

those seconds then feel like minutes which feel like hours the kiss breaks up and you suddenly realise where you are.

you look around to see a whole entire crowd has formed around you two with phones everywhere.

you obviously freak out and gunwook being the man he is he drags you through the crowd and brings you too your class.

'thank you' you say smiling back with a bow

he laughs abit which make you feel embarrassed but he reassures you.

'it's ok, you looked so cute when you tried leave because i knew you liked me' he says giggling with his dimples showing.

your cheeks instantly flush and laugh back.

the bell rings meaning you have to go back to your seat and gunwook looks at his watch.

'ill get going now but if you want i can take you out for some ice cream later'

you nod back with a smile going back to your seat whilst inhee runs through your homeroom door slamming it against the wall.

'y/n. tell. me. everything.'

[apriciticreveries]

hey Apri! i just wanted to send this via an ask instead of continuing on that original post you made about Asahi because our discussion is getting extremely long (not something i have a problem with it all! just impractical formatting, you know?)

I’ll admit I don’t know how much of a time difference there is between Alien Stage seasons. That’s why I think five to seven years of age difference is feasible for Asahi and Nyx, even if they are related? But they don’t have to be half siblings, of course not. They could be second cousins or something of that sort, with their parents being cousins. Or Asahi could be Nyx’s niece, if that age difference makes more sense, or they could be directly related insofar as father and daughter. Nyx probably graduated at 16-17? so Oryon could have had him have kids in that time frame. Your call, Apri :) hope you’re doing well!

sorry im responding late . . eugh . . i think i went outside right before you asked this . . why does my timing suck so baaaaaaad . . * claws aggressively at walls *

but yep ! i understand ! i was actually scrolling through my posts earlier today, and to be honest, the thread was taking up a lot of space . .

i think the time gap would be . . 7 to 9 years ? that’s just me looking at the age gap between luka and the others though, so im not completely sure too .

though it is probably multiple years since anakt probably needs a lot of time to prepare and practically train and teach each batch of new contestants for the competition !

although the father and daughter connection, to me personally, is the most interesting, i would feel really bad for nyxie : ( . . he’s like cas, practically still a child and already being used for . . that stuff . it’s sad . but i am most interested in this concept . . as . . depressing for nyxie it is . .

i do wonder how nyxie would feel about this, though . . also wonder how he would feel letting asa go or seeing her being taken away by kyuno after being purchased purely on her looks . . speaking of looks, i wonder if oryon would specifically breed nyx and another human to get asa’s appearance .

i think asahi should be one of his earlier litters ? ( if oryon does multiple, which just sucks ) maybe she was even his first child, like cinna to cas . and as a result, they have a smaller age gap of maybe 6 to 8 ?

though im personally completely open to discuss this more, and for you to change any of that ! i really value your opinions, and especially on this since nyxie is yours ! thank you by the way ! i hope your doing equally as well, if not better ! stay safe and healthy !

( random side note : . . what if dian also had a daughter and that daughter meets asahi and they’re the same ages and they become not friends but enemies and— naur . )

[ginalinettiofficial]

hey what’s up hello okay so i finally just finished s2 e52 of dndads (had a very crazy work week so was listening in bits and pieces) and here’s the thing is that im also currently relistening to the whole season and earlier in this week, the most recent episode i finished, was halt and catch fireball, and before that ya know was mrs. swallows oak garcia’s home for peculiar teens or whatever that one is called where they are just. at normal’s house and we got to actually get to know rebecca a little bit and i have got to say that i don’t know if i could’ve picked a more painful and wild older ep to listen to as a precursor to dood riddance i really don’t!!! literally half of the shit in dood riddance just circles back to that arc in the swallows oak garcia home and it’s CRAZY

like first of all. the red vines, which they called twizzlers the entirety of e52 which was MADDENING as a person who legit just finished e30/31 where the red vines were introduced

but then like. e31 is where taylor gets the anime sword from nick!!! that he loses in e52!!!

there were a few other things that i’ve forgotten in the half an hour since i finished the ep because my brain is a sieve on a good day and i’m just getting home from two back to back 13 hour shifts (with an extra 1hr10/20 each day for the commute) so the brain machine is so fucking broke rn

but mainly. i wasn’t loving e52 esp after dood left i just was not vibing with it, i feel like the vibes were off in the room in a way that translated into the ep for a bit there, but then anthony in those last like three minutes brought it back around and with the roll of rebecca??? after i legit JUST finished listening to the eps that feature her the most prominently and like truly showcase not only normal’s relationship w his mom but also, as is said several times in e30/31 and their teen talks, just how similar normal IS to his mom and how he really clearly is a total momma’s boy and very much so seemed to be a kid who sought solace with his mom more than anyone else in his family and just. having legit JUST reestablished that in my own, made the end of e52 DEVASTATING for me in a way that idk if it was for other ppl??? idk haven’t checked the fandom yet im very disconnected this season but just.

like

i think that okay so we have ten parents it could’ve been, right? and five of those are the kiddads, and none of us want to see them die, so in that moment when anthony was telling us what was gonna happen, obviously my instinct was like “oh god don’t do this don’t do terry jr again but truly permanent” and then my next instinct was that it would be potentially even MORE awful if it was scary’s dad because finally there he is and that’s ALL she wants and for willy to take that moment from her would be INSANE and then (mind you this was my thought process over the course of literally 10 seconds, my brain is ping ponging in my head and has been since the second i got in the car to head home i need to sleep) and THEN my next thought was, oh god, but how fucked up would it be if it were marco??? oh god, how fucked up would it be if it were cassandra?!?!?!?! and then it was time for the roll and truly in those brief seconds basically my brain flicked through every potential victim and said “oh god THAT one would be the WORST”, EXCEPT for veronica and rebecca, and it made the hit of it being rebecca who was low down on my instinctual list to think of but then the second he said her name i was immediately ricocheted back to earlier in the week when i was listening to halt and catch fireball and mrs. swallows oak garcias home and how many emotions i had about normal and his mom just relistening to those episodes and then the fact that i DIDNT think to worry about her just

all of that combined to make that a CRITICAL HIT FOR ME OKAY like i am SO fucked up over this truly that was WILD and i applaud anthony burch for it and now am excited for the finale even though ive spent the last three eps just dreading it for several reasons but now im excited and devastated and i love that

anyways. that was word vomit i just NEEDED to get this out because the connections between those two episodes really will not stop hitting me in the head and i need to impart that onto SOMEONE. if u read this. ur a real one. rip rebecca swallows oak garcia you were a legend and i am so sad about u

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 9/12/2023

this series not sponsored by murphy's wood oil soap but boy do i wish it was

listening

this song popped up as the first video when i opened accursed tiktok to figure out what the deal was with that german engineer lady digging a storm shelter in her basement. this is the specific recording i want but the second video with a slightly longer intro... u have got to see Abel Selaocoe in motion performing Ka Bohaleng/On The Sharp Side.

i feel like every time i see a video of a cellist they're doing some absolutely bonkers shit and producing sounds i did not know a stringed instrument could make

-

reading

i am constantly chasing the very high highs of raymond chandler's philip marlowe detective noirs. Human Target, a DC extended universe thing by Tom King and Greg Smallwood got real damn fuckin close.

i took thirty-five screenshots while reading these twelve issues. they are such a lush love letter to midcentury advertising. it luxuriates in period-typical stylized coloring in a way i do not see very often. i hope mr smallwood gets sucked silly every night.

one of the reasons for the tuesdayposts is to force myself to look at new things, bc sometimes i find shit i really like. i am remarkably unwilling to consume new things when i am not feeling good, even though new things i like are…not a keystone, but really up there holding together some arch in the viaduct of mental health or whatever.

anyway Christoper Chance is a man with a very specific skillset: perfectly imitating wealthy clients to lure out assassins. he takes a fatal does of poison meant for Lex Luthor and has about twelve days to solve his own murder before he dies. this is an EXTREMELY compelling reason for someone to haul ass through an entire noir novel in less than two weeks.

let's make some comparisons to other spy media i've seen in the last month. christopher reminded me a bit of loid forger from spy x family: same hypercompetent backup plans for backup plans and incredible disguise skills. im sort of...positively? fascinated by him, as opposed to the (also entertaining) train wreck of james bond's psyche slamming up against soft targets for two to two and a half hours. like there is womanizing in Human Target, but it is not the time-filling bond girl eye candy. do not worry, christopher FUCKS.

it is self contained within its twelve issues so i didn't have to read eighteen other crossovers and have encyclopedic knowledge of c- and d-listers from the silver age of comics. it was a very fair mystery. the twists and turns weren’t stupid. i know that’s not a terribly helpful observation but sometimes in a mystery…it takes a fucking stupid turn. most importantly imo it sticks its landing and understands that a noir is a subgenre of tragedy.

how’d i find it: has a pretty cover, stood out from the crowd on hoopla. americans, you probably have access to hoopla through your library!

-

watching

@andmaybegayer referenced the youtube channel About To Eat in a recent mondaypost and i was so enthralled by this man's confident, dulcet, soothing and mustachioed tones. i had forgotten that i could in theory make french onion soup like myself. at home. soup season will not begin here for many months here and even then it's kind of pushing it, but i would like to eat some soup without melting!!!

overall About To Eat's recipes are a bit beyond my skill level and ability to prepare things in one sitting without joint pain but they are a display of competence i find very fun to watch.

-

playing

ive rationed all my picture slots for other slots but i did finally obtain two of the country-specific fishing rods in genshin impact. they were extremely irritating to obtain but i trust you'll understand i'm quite pleased with myself.

-

making

unphotographable things:

reactivating the dried sourdough starter from the horrible woods apartment of 2021, unforch rn it does look like when my cat regurgitates her kibble

sprayed the new couch down with some rather nasty insectide just in casies, it is still degassing in my office with the fan at helicopter speed and the balcony door open and towels shoved under the inside door for another 24h, also made plans to dye a big canvas dropcloth and strategically pin it in place for a cheapo slipcover

coffee table specific unphotographable things:

finally finished cleaning all seven

had to violently strangle the urge to repaint certain inner sections and made peace with touching up the worst of it with an oil-based paint pen bc let's be real nobody is going to look closely at that but me

pried some corrosion off one of the little brass decorative thingies, now it looks bad in a slightly different way

photographable things:

now this is a fun little record cabinet. i haven’t seen many pieces out in the wild that have that sort of vertical bullnose detail. makes me think of thirties waterfall dressers with their molded plywood rounded upper edges.

i can’t decide if the veneer on this piece is starting to really go (it is heavily crackled esp on the sides) or it was once owned by a smoker. the photo below is of the THIRD round of cleaning this front panel after upping the cleaning mix to a HEARTY 2:1 water/soap, and this was not the worst panel on the piece. mostly it really just smells like old wood? i don’t THINK the innards are cedar, bc that would be an odd choice for a record cabinet, but it is an oddly fragrant base wood.

there are some details that make me think it was never a terribly high end piece, or was maybe repurposed into a record cabinet? the veneer is quartered but somewhat indifferently matched, it has very indifferent nailhead finishing, and im not sure if the casters and record slots were later additions. i think the little door catches are original, but they aren’t magnetic yet which starts ruling out some later mcm. i would hazard this was made right before or right after wwii, but realistically it could be early thirties-early sixties. no makers marks :(

i will refinish this eventually. a bit nervous about how the front bullnoses might come out, i don’t really want to fuck around with veneer repair or like. grain painting. that’s for insane ppl and antiques dealers and i am clearly neither

free of ghosts, spider eaten on the house no additional charge with the friends and family discount

[autisticlenaluthor]

sc request: Any s4 or s4 SC ideas you have?, feels like we don't get many of those, despite it being some of the best settings for identity reveals. Kara and Lena have an established knowledge of each other after season 2, making those seasons ripe for identity reveals, or Lena figuring out inconsistencies with Kara. The whole plane scene, the introduction of Sam as someone who Kara can be jealous over but unsure why meanwhile Sam calling Lena out on a crush on Kara, The whole reign/ex bf [1/2]

2/2] returning, the angst of Kara being hurt, s4 truth seekers, s4 setting up a potential return of Cat who figures out lena and kara are pining over each other, angst over Kara having to erase Alex's memories of her, Kasnia, the almost identity reveal actually becoming an identity reveal, and so many more potential AUs to canon. Feels like we as a fandom kind of ignore those potential settings because canon wise they sucked.

---

okay yes i just wanna say sorry in advance because this is going to be a mess because I have SOOO many thoughts about season 4. so buckle up for the most incohesive, rambly analysis you've ever read

i will literally say it until im blue in the face but season 4 had so many potential reveal spots and I will forever be angry lena found out the way she did

personally, i've always hated that lena never figured it out on her own. she's a genius/former child prodigy with multiple phds and you want me to believe she was fooled by a pair of glasses and a ponytail?? i think it would've been way better if she'd always known the secret and she was just waiting for kara to tell her. i'd hoped that in the season 4 ep where mercy attacks, after supergirl bypasses the lockdown, lena would've told her she knows.

specifically when she gives her that look, when she raises her eyebrow and tilts her head after kara says "but you're in a crisis and happy to see me". that was the PERFECT opportunity to show that lena knows, she just isn't letting on. i would've loved to see smth after where lena confronts supergirl about knowing she's kara. it could've been in an angsty/betrayed way or in a kind 'i know' way. idc. it just should've happened

also the thing you said about inconsistencies ! lena is smart, she's intuitive. things don't just fly over her head. and while I don't think she seems like a big 'people person' I think she's the type of person who analyzes behavior and makes mental logs of everything.

she's also been betrayed so many times by friends, coworkers, assistants, family, etc. that she has to know her friends. and by that I mean be slightly stalker-ish. i don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that lena's had L Corp employees look into the superfriends without them knowing. or at the very least, Lena would've lurked through kara's social media profiles when they were becoming friends.

this is all relevant because being who she is -- I don't think lena would take kara canceling plans or leaving abruptly in the middle of things as just a coincidence. especially because when supergirl makes a big save it's often on the news-- if lena's character were more realistically written, she would've pieced together that supergirl is always 'out' right around when kara leaves her. and I think even if she'd just had a slight suspicion that those two things were connected, she would've investigated.

so even if she didn't know kara was supergirl right off the bat-- I don't think she would've made it FIVE YEARS without piecing it together on her own.

it literally took her like a week and a half to figure out sam was reign once she started getting suspicious, like come on !!

--

I've never thought about kara being jealous of sam before (typically she's written being jealous of jack. and we see that in season 3) but I kinda love it as a concept

lena and sam were so close in season 3 and when sam leaves, in the first episode it's implied sam and lena are still in close contact. lena seems like she gets into pretty intense relationships once she's friends with someone

(she obviously holds back and tries to wall herself off. but i think once she's in, she's IN with her attachment to that person. i think of course, she still keeps information about herself private- she doesn't open up right away, if at all. but i see her as forming very strong attachments-- which we sort of also see with andrea. she's been deprived of genuine connection and care her whole life so when someone shows that to her, she doesn't want to let it go. i also think that she feels way more intensely about these relationships than were shown. like with kara -- she presents as caring about her a Normal Amount but we also see her studying for gamenight and crying over pictures of the two of them together. i think way more of those behaviors happen that aren't shown, bc of lena's history with trauma and abandonment)

and the intensity might be something that makes kara feel insecure. sam is gone so lena and kara are seeing each other more often but maybe sam comes up in conversation more. lena will mention in passing things sam has said over text or how much they're talking or say she misses her, and it will make kara feel uneasy.

i think at this point kara would know that the feelings of jealousy are because she has a crush. at least, she'd know it subconsciously. but at this point she knows she needs to tell lena she's supergirl and she's starting to feel a lot of guilt around lying to her. so I feel like she'd sort of beat herself up for it? like think that she can't have a crush on lena or come forward about her feelings until lena knows

[rosehearrt]

"How old is he?" He in question being the sightful steed Riddle was tending to. Altho animals weren't of any concern to Vil in terms of phobias or allergies of any sort, he much preferred to keep his distance from the horse to remain free of any hair that might be shed during his time around the stable. Besides, he didn't know the horse well enough to even consider coming anywhere too near. He doesn't know much about horses, at all, for that matter much less being able to read their body language that well other than to watch an animal's ears.

"I sometimes forget the fact that you're quite the equestrian." he muses, arms folding over his chest. Suppose one might mistake Vil for the type, too, with how animals would try to interact with him despite doing his best to avoid them - suppose it's true when they say animals have quite the judge of character but even that's no reason for Vil to want to interact with them. "Is this where I should search first from now on when I hear you're not occupied with Queenly duties? Heh." / hi i know we mentioned on discord w pony and im not trying to jump ahead but... we love riddle thanks.

“Five. But I began riding him when he was four. Most horses shouldn’t necessarily be ridden until they get older than five years, according to many experts, but Vorpal achieved his strength young, just as I did. I suppose we were drawn together through that.”

With a smile on his face, Riddle reached a hand upwards to stroke tenderly over his steed’s muzzle. Although he wasn’t certain his upperclassman wanted to be given a riding demonstration, he’d suited up just in case, as proper attire was as essential to getting both himself and his horse into the proper headspace as it was for movement and capability. He’d decided fort today on breeches with thigh-high half-chaps over his slick black riding boots, and a fleece-lined, chin-high, half-zip shape wear jacket over his usual polo for an added layer to prevent wind-chill. Lastly, of course, never one to go without, he’d decided on a pair of black wrist-length riding gloves he could snap into place. He looked every bit the part of a seasoned equestrian…and he supposed with the amount of time and effort he and Vorpal put into their regimen, at this point he somewhat was.

“The school had acquired him amongst a batch of other foals gifted by a donor, but from what I gathered, they were considering giving him away. He achieved a reputation of volatility and aggressiveness - he refused anyone who attempted to come near him, let alone ride him. Sometimes it feels like it might be nice to think that he was doing it for a reason…like he was waiting for me.”

It was quite the feat to pull Riddle’s attention away from Vorpal, whenever he was in front of the sleek brunette animal, but Vil-senpai’s presence did it well enough. It had practically made his heart skip a beat in excitement, when he’d been asked to introduce one of his favorite people to the very first friend he’d made here at Night Raven Academy. He wasn’t used to others taking an interest in what he did outside of academics…he figured he was usually a bit too much to take in large doses. It was understandable.

But riding his horse was so much more than a club activity for him. Even without Silver, Sebek, and the others, he spent much of the gaps in his schedule here, working with Vorpal. After all, Riddle Rosehearts wouldn’t accept anything less than complete and total perfection when it came to his marks in competitions. Neither would his horse, if you asked him, the animal could make quite the displeased expression when criticized, much like his owner. But aside from that, Riddle also genuinely loved spending time with him. Sometimes, he even did his studying out here, or read a novel laying with his back against Vorpal. The horse never seemed to mind. They were in-tune, that way.

Anyhow. He was touched, was the crux of the matter, that Vil-senpai wanted to come here. His admiration and affection for the other only grew, the simple request to see his steed was all the catalyst he needed.

“There’s nothing quite like riding. It feels freeing in the way nothing else does. I do spend much of my time here…so I suppose that would be a yes. Vorpal? Say hello.”

His smile grew, and then, as his horse blinked slowly, and examined the blonde in front of him cautiously for a moment before conceding with a bow of his head further forward, offering it for a pet, a laugh like chimes left Riddle’s lips. His heart felt light, his being utterly delighted by the sight of the two. Clueless to any aversions Vil-senpai might have had to the animal fur, or at the very least not considering the possibility right now, he gestured towards Vorpal.

“It seems he’s given you his approval! He’s quite fickle with it when it comes to most. Vorpal, that’s wonderful!”

[firelxdykatara]

Katara x Aang :3c

are you trying to get me in trouble

-cough-

no but in all honesty, my genuine feelings about kataang boil down to three major points: 1. it's boring, and does not jive thematically with either of their character arcs, to the point of, 2. actively hampering character development on both sides, and 3. katara deserved better.

points expanded under the cut. (please, if you're a kataang shipper and you see this, just keep scrolling. i've tagged it appropriately and put the bulk under a cut and at this point that's literally all i can do lmfao.)

send me a ship and get my (brutally) honest opinion!

1. It's Boring: This is the most subjective point on the list (I mean, in fairness, it's all subjective, but I have evidence from the show and post-canonical materials to support my other points; this one is just preference), but there's just... nothing to kataang. It's cute (when it's not actively aggravating), and... that's about it. It's not even that I dislike friends-to-lovers as a shipping trope (though it's not my overall preference), because there are a lot of friends-to-lovers couples that I do ship (kanej comes to mind, also will/elizabeth from potc, karolsen from supergirl, romione and hinny from hp, among others), but one thing that I think all of those couples have that kataang doesn't is that both sides of the pairing are teens or adults when they get together, with teen/adult dynamics and issues and stories to deal with, rather than one half being a teenager and the other being literally prepubescent.

And don't get me wrong, I have no problem with age gap ships in general. And as far as atla goes, Katara, at 14, has the same age difference from Zuko (16) as Aang has from her, and it's never stopped me--because both Katara and Zuko are well into puberty when they meet and I have no problem picturing them being into one another and growing together as they enter adulthood. Aang, on the other hand, is a child. And he acts like it. Which wouldn't be a problem, if the show weren't expecting me to believe he is a) ready for a romantic relationship, and b) ready for one specifically with Katara, who is not only older and far more mature but is specifically cast as his caretaker in a very maternal role for the entire show's run.

This show asks me to believe that a teenage girl well into adolescence is going to be attracted to and develop romantic feelings for a pre-adolescent child--and it asks me to believe this while showing us otherwise that Katara's type is actually older boys with fabulous hair and angsty pasts in all of her other potential romantic dalliances--and then enter into a relationship with him, all while ignoring the elephant in the room that is the fact that she was basically acting like his mother for the entire series to that point. (Something that is heavily lampshaded earlier in the very same season.) That just stretches the bounds of credulity way too far for me, especially when there's no evidence that Katara herself would get anything out of their romantic relationship.

There's nothing there for me to sink my teeth into. No delicious development, no parallels where they help each other grow, no internal conflicts that they have to work through together, nothing. Certainly no reason for me to actually believe Katara feels (or would grow to feel) anything for him other than the platonic affection of a caretaker. I can easily believe she loves him dearly, as a friend and quasi-little-brother, but I just can't see that developing naturally into romantic love--not the way it's presented in the show.

And even if they did manage to at least make the development of Katara's feelings believable, unless they changed something fundamental about the nature of their relationship, it'd still be boring, so.

2. It Actively Hampers Their Character Development--On Both Sides: I've written before (extensively lol im so sorry) about how kataang is actively detrimental to Katara and to Aang. In short (because ye gods this post is already getting long enough), Katara is narratively harmed by being shoved into a relationship that completely ignores her stated feelings--a relationship that had been presented as a one-sided puppylove crush for the vast majority of the series--and it inhibits her growth as a character in ways that become far more obvious in the comics and lok, where the very same creative forces that lead to her beginning a relationship with Aang in the first place reduce her to 'the Avatar's girl' and very little else, all the way through to the end of LoK (where she is a Healer and the Avatar's wife and, again, very little else).

As for Aang:

As to how this relationship is detrimental to Aang (other than the comics and LoK nonsense)? Just take a look at book 2, when he’s trying to learn Earthbending from Toph. Katara constantly coddles him. Much of the time, she’s afraid to be anything other than gentle and understanding with Aang--partly because of her fear that if she pushes him too far, he’ll run away. (Which he does, several times.) But sometimes, what Aang needs to grow is a sharp kick in the slats, which Toph was more than willing to provide--and which worked. Katara was great for teaching Aang to waterbend, but he needed more than that to grow as a person. And he can’t get that while he’s in a relationship with someone who will apologize for getting upset when he was very explicitly neglecting her.

In addition, it is pointed out by Guru Pathik at the end of Book 2 that one of Aang's chakras is blocked by his attachment to Katara. Aang takes this to mean (incorrectly) that he has to stop loving her in order to become fully realized as an Avatar, but this is actually part of the problem--because the issue isn't that he is in love with Katara, it's that he's possessively attached to her. He believes himself entitled to her love in return, rather than selflessly loving someone regardless of whether or not they return that affection. (This is obvious come the EIP episode, where Aang demands to know why he and Katara aren't in a relationship already--because he kissed her without asking [or even checking to see if she'd be ok with kissing him], which he phrases as mutual even though it very much was not, and he gets angry and violates her boundaries when she says that she is confused and doesn't want to think about it right then.)

It is his attachment to Katara--the need for her to return his love, the belief that she will and it is only a matter of time before he gets what he wants--that he was supposed to let go of, not his feelings for her in general. Unfortunately, while he pays lipservice to doing this (far too late for it to be useful--if he'd stayed with the Guru for five more minutes and unlocked his chakra there, that battle would've gone very differently), he almost immediately backtracks on that development come book 3, and there isn't another single whisper of Aang maybe growing up and moving past his one-sided and possessive crush and realizing that even if Katara doesn't feel the same way, it doesn't mean she loves him less or that their friendship is less important.

What really needed to happen, for Aang to grow as a person and become fully realized as an Avatar, was for him to grow up. To realize that his feelings were not of paramount importance, and that even if he was in love with Katara, he was not entitled to her love in return. He should have been able to move past his need for her to love him back, in order to get past that stumbling block, unlock his chakras, and regain the Avatar State in time to face the Firelord. But he didn't. As a result, they had to find some other way to just give him the Avatar State (a well-placed rock) and the means to defeat Ozai without killing him (the deus ex lionturtle) and his entire character arc just fell apart in the third act rather than reaching a satisfying conclusion.

3. Katara Deserved Better: This really ties into how her romantic relationship with Aang hampered her own development, but I'm still bitter enough about it that it gets its own bullet-point. And the biggest single reason I could never ship kataang--the thing that would've turned me off even if there were substance and a halfway decent storyline for them--is the fact that Aang kisses her without her consent (for the second time) in Ember Island Players, Katara gets angry at him and storms off, and then..... she walks out onto the balcony to make out with him.

With nothing to bridge that gap.

It's bad enough that a show aimed at children had a scene where the child protagonist kissed the object of his affections without her consent when she didn't want him to (made explicit by her angry reaction)--and this is absolutely an issue when the show is aimed at children and it may well be the first experience they've had with consent issues portrayed in media--but this moment is never addressed again. Katara just decides--completely off-screen--that she does love him Really and walks out to make out with him in the epilogue. There's no conversation, no apology for violating her boundaries, no discussion of why that was wrong or any indication that Aang understands what he did and why it upset her. They don't have a single one-on-one interaction between that kiss and the epilogue, and the only other time they are on screen together, Aang yells at her and storms off.

So, even leaving the comics and lok aside, Katara deserved much better from her own romantic plotline. In fact, she deserved to have one, rather than simply being the oblivious object of Aang's affections, given a couple moments where she blushes but otherwise remains completely ignorant of his feelings (she looks shocked and upset when he kisses her prior to the invasion, and then she completely forgets that even happened because she's confused as to what Aang is even talking about during EIP until he brings it up; that's not the behavior of a fourteen-year-old girl who was kissed by someone she was developing romantic feelings for), before the epilogue where it becomes clear that she figured all of that out off-screen and had feelings for him after all.

She's a main character, not a side-character written in solely to give one of the mains a love interest. She deserved a romantic plotline of her own. (She could have had one with someone else, with very few changes made to what was actually on-screen prior to the epilogue, but that's another conversation entirely.) She deserved to have her feelings considered at all important by the person she was going to be paired with in the end, rather than having him just assume she felt the same way and then get mad at her for never giving any indication of it when he'd never asked about her feelings to begin with. She deseserved agency in her own romantic narrative, and she just didn't get that with Aang.

So yeah, at the end of the day, my biggest issue with kataang is that it involved doing Katara dirty, and she's my favorite character and she deserved so much better damnit.

[trashcanfanfics]

May I get a fanfic in Val’s POV where Valentino is in one of the worst moods he’s ever been in since nothing has been going his way correctly and he ends up lashing out in reader?(Im a sucker for angst) 🥲

There were a few more asks that I felt could fit into this so thats what I did! Also, friendly reminder, I write gender neutral! Hope you enjoy!

Valentino was pissed. Nothing was going right. Three actors were maimed, five more killed, and to top it off, Y/n wasn't at work or answering his texts. He had half a mind to march down there and demand why they didn't come to work. He missed them more than anything, really. Val thought that seeing them would definitely would change the whole day. That was before he remembered that he confessed while drunk. He decided to let them be, but he was irritated to say the least. He was losing money, afterall!

He gave up on trying to be the bigger person. Valentino was their boss, fisrt and foremost. He pulled out his phone and pulled up their contact. He'd call them.

The phone rang twice before a groggy "hello" answered. Val's anger raised. They ditched work to sleep in? Absolutely not. It doesn't matter how much he loves them, this was unacceptable.

"Y/n where the FUCK are you?" He was seeing red. Val was also slightly hurt. It seemed like they were avoiding him the last few days. Whenever he tried to talk to them, it seemed something else was in the way. Their breath caught in their throat. Fear. That was fear. They were scared of him. That didn't sit right in his mind and made his anger worsen, but this time, at himself.

"I'm sorry, Boss, I-" there was vicious coughing fit, "-I'm a lil' under the weather." There was more coughing. Guilt bubbled up in his chest. Of course they're sick. They've been looking awful for at least two days now. He can't believe he didn't notice sooner.

"It's alright, it's just been a stressful day today." They hummed back in tired underestanding. "Get some rest, babycakes." He hung up the phone and turned to the closest office person. Val informed them he would be out for the rest of the day and to contact his second in command to take care of whatever else was needed today. With that, he left.

~*~

Y/n's place was that little house Val murdered their stalker in. They appreciated not living in a run down apartment now, but was slightly confused as to how he got the house. He told them not to worry about it and enjoy their new space.

Upon entering the house, he took off his coat and hat, hanging them on the rack by the door. The furniture was replaced with lovely red and black walnut instead of that tacky white and bright makore it was before. He had let Y/n take over with his interior designer and decorators. They certainly had taste, just as he knew they did. The ceilings, he was pleased to notice, were now high enough that he could stand properly.

Val made it to the kitchen and opened up some cabinets, looking for some type of soup he could make for them. That's what people eat when they're sick, right? It's what Vox always made him when he wasn't feeling his best. When they weren't fighting or on a break. He found it weird that he didn't feel empty the way he used to when he broke up with Vox before. Maybe it's because he didn't have anything past platonic feelings for him now? Hm.

He found the soup and then went searching for a pot. The pot he pulled out was...very well used, to put it nicely. Val made a mental note to get them a new pots and pans set. Heating up the soup, he added a few extra seasonings to it to make it less bland. the next thing he found that needed replacing were their dish and silverware. How did they live like this? Their bowls and plates had chips in them, silverware with dents and scratches. Plastic cups from the second hand store? No wonder they got sick! He immediately went online and bought them new dishes.

He grabbed the bowl of soup in his bottom hands while grabbing a chipped mug (more replacements needed) and pouring some juice from the fridge into it. Putting the juice back, he handled both items in both sets of hands. He carefully made his way down the hall to the room.

Inside, he was greeted by Y/n's sleeping form. Their peaceful face made his heart melt. He gently placed the soup and drink down on the nightstand before gently shaking them awake. They snorted and sat up, immediately groaning, then held their head. A headache probably. Their eyes met his and widened.

"Bo-" They started coughing harshly. Val placed a hand on their back, rubbing up and down to help. His lower hands reached for the mug and brought it up to them. They looked at it when their coughing calmed down and then took it, taking a drink.

"How're you feeling, Y/n?" The question took them off guard. Had they expected him to be angry? The thought made the guilt from before rise up again.

"I'm...not the best." They looked down at the mug in their hands, gently rubbing the rim with their thumb. Val rubbed their back some more before grabbing the soup in his upper hands and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I heard soup can help with that." He smiled as he dipped the spoon into the soup. Val offered the filled spoon to them. They stared at it amoment before looking him in the eyes and taking the bite. Val's face erupted with a blush. Why did they have to do it like that? He looked away as his lower hands smoothed out the bedsheets near them. The thumping in his chest reminded him that he had drunkenly confessed just a few days ago and hasn't said anything about it to them since.

"...Val?" His breath hitched wheen he heard them say his name. He looked back at them. "Can I have more?" He just about died again. He quickly dipped the spoon back into the bowl and raised it back to their lips. Their...very soft looking lips. The way they wrapped around the spoon and took the soup with it. He was getting very hot and bothered. Oh no.

"How about I take that cup and you take the bowl, precious. I'll get you more juice." He stood, holding out the bowl with his upper arms while the lower ones reached for the mug. They let out a soft laugh and handed him the cup before grabbing the bowl. Both of their hands touched and Val swore it felt like fire raced across his skin. He squinted, awkwardness forgotten for a moment, and leaned down to place an unoccupied hand on their forehead. They had a fever!

"Uh...Boss?" Their face was red, probably from the fever. He removed his hand and hummed. Val left the room without a word and headed for the kitchen. He opened the fridge and picked up the jug of juice in his upper right hand, twisting the cap off with the upper left. As he was pouring the juice into the cup, he wondered what he wwould do about the confession thing. He capped the juice and put it away.

Back in the hallway right outside the bedroom door, he knew he had to tell them again. But sober this time. He entered the room and walked over to place down the mug. Y/n watched him, the bowl, empty, had been placed on the nightstand.

"Y/n, there's something I'd like to discuss with you." He sat down on the edge of the bed again as they went ridged. There's that fear again. He hated the way his chest hurt at the thought of them being afraid of him. "About a few days ago. When I was drunk." He wasn't looking at them, but heard their sigh as they relaxed. The ache in his chest eased a bit when he saw that from the corner of his eye.

"Yes...That." Their reply almost made the moth laugh. They felt just as awkward as he did over this. That made this easier somewhat.

"Yes, well, I meant what I said." He took a breath. "I love you, and that's the reason that Vox and I aren't together anymore. He called me out on my infatuation with you a while ago but I said it was just a passing thing and that I wanted to make things work between him an' me."

"So...You two are back together now, I'm confused by the continuity, here." Y/n's voice was hoarse. They cleared their throat as Val reached over to hand them their mug. They thanked him and took a swig.

"No. This time it's for good because I want to pursue you." He grabbed one of his antenae and scratched where the base and his head meet. A tic he'd picked up from Y/n. Though, they have hair that they run their fingers through instead. "I would like to become your lover." He finally met their eyes. They were staring blankly at him. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. They didn't feel the same.

"...You do know how...inappropriate this is right?" They ran their hand through their hair, undoing knots as they came across them. Val itched to help them with that. Even when their hair looks like a rat's nest, he imagined it'd feel soft. "If we were to be together, how would that look? I'm your employee, a porn actor. everyone'll see this as you taking advantage of me. How would that be for your reputation?"

"To hell with my reputation! I couldn't give less of a fuck. All I want is you! If it makes you feel better, I'll fire you, I'll make you co owner of the studios! Anything to have you beside me and share your existance with me."

"Boss-"

"To allow me to kiss you! To let me hold you! To let me wake up to you every morning and fall asleep with you every night!" He was waving all four hands and his lower ones reached out to hold them by the upper arms.

"Boss!" He didn't hear them, too caught up in his feelings.

"To share meals and experiences! To live with you and laugh with you!"

"Valentino!" This snapped him out of it. His upper hands were now gently holding their face. He enjoyed the warmth and how close they were. They let out a breath. "Calm down, I still have a headache." He immediately let go of them and scooted as far as he could from them.

"I-I'm sorry, precious, I don't know what came over me." He looked down at all four of his hands folded on his lap. They sighed and reached over to hold the bundle of hands.

"I do. You've got it bad." They huffed out in amusement, but their attempt at a joke made his heart sink further. "But, uh, I kinda got it bad too." These words made him whip his head back up to look at them.

"What...?" He could have slapped himself if he wasn't so focused on the next words to come out of their mouth.

"I love you, too, Valentino. I would love to be your partner." Those words made him grab them into his embrace and snuggle his head into the crook of their neck.

"That's wonderful, precious! I'll make you so happy, I promise!" He squeezed them tighter. They wheezed slightly.

"That's great and all, but," they wheezed again, "I'm still sick." Oops. He let go and stood up to take care of them thoughout the rest of their sickness.

The word after may have changed, but they wwill always be his favorite.

[philtstone]

Listen LISTEN u already KNOW I am nothing if not a HO for the way u write casual intimate touches,,,,,,,,so how about,,,,,,,“don’t want to let go hugs” for,,,,,,drum roll pls,,,,,,,sarah/bucky 👀👀👀

part of this verse and specifically relevant to a plot point in "clover". shoutout to @firstelevens for gently coaxing me through the unreasonable volume of nerves i experienced posting this. there be angst ahead. im a little sorry in advance

you can also read this on ao3 :)

Sarah's been thinking of her mother all afternoon.

She's not sure why. Maybe because her back and feet ache, that dull tiredness that comes from a long week of work. Or maybe because the house is so full. People are moving in and out through the porch and the living room and the kitchen and the backyard. Her mother always ran a full house. If there was a person needing something, they were let in through the front door. Sarah's long come to realize that the most prevalent need was for a friend, even if it was wrapped up in an ask to borrow plastic tablecloths or extra sugar or get a recipe they just couldn't crack.

So she's got her mom on her mind. There's a tenderness to her remembering. Also a fragility. Her mother, who had given up college not because of some oppressive social tragedy but because she had wanted to. Her mother, halfway pregnant without meaning to be and jumping feet first into a new business she didn't know much about running, her husband’s hand held firmly in her own. There's a reason there used to be about four years difference between she and Sam. More or less nullified now, but anyway. Sarah wonders what her mother had felt, in that moment, filled with love for the life she had but faced with the unchangeable reality of what she never was given to mourn the loss of in the first place.

Sarah is thinking of all this when she enters the house, laughing at some nonsense Sheira's spouting. Sheira always spouts nonsense when tipsy on coolers, and she's outside on the porch now, perched in her husband's lap and hooting her head off at Mr. Liu's whacky stories. Annette's in the backyard, mediating an age-old debate between her mother and Ms. Gloria regarding some brand of seasoning, and Annette’s boyfriend's talking knitting patterns with Carlos by the landing floor bathroom.

Sheira protests Sarah's leaving, but it’s loose, distracted, the way comfortable friendship can be at this hour and with the knowledge you're all home.

"No, I'm just gettin' some water –” Sarah’s saying. “I'll be right back, you keep on making a fool of yourself, girl."

"Now Sarah, you know my wife's always foolin'."

"Mr. Langston you better keep your thoughts to yourself, or I'm leavin' this lap. Go on, Sam honey, deal the next hand. Look at this. I’m bettin’ on him, ‘cause Captain America won’t cheat."

“Yeah, but old Sammy will.”

“Aw you know my poker face ain’t worth a damn, Lou, c’mon –”

Sam's losing at cards to some of the dock guys. He's got a full smile on, one that he's shot over at her every so often since about four thirty when she passed him by in the kitchen. It's closer to eight now. They've got half the street over -- Sarah's not sure how it happened, but one thing led to another. Maybe it's 'cause Sam's home. It's close to the end of the summer, wind turning, kids feeling some kind of way about going back to school. Cass has been babbling all week about how he's gonna have to start thinking of college next year -- a whole three hundred and sixty-five days from now. AJ is already scandalized on his behalf.

Just now, the kids are running up and down through the house. She heard something, an hour or so ago, about a game of cops and robbers tangled up in a Tik Tok challenge Sarah's had just enough Mom Bandwidth to declare acceptable for consumption – vaguely, she's aware that Bucky's been corralling 'em, and that is enough for her. It's nice and cool indoors when she slips through the screen door and pads her way toward the kitchen. Laughter filters in through the windows from all corners of the place. There's music playing. There's a kind of loving in the air. Sometimes, Sarah thinks she tricks herself into not savoring it as much as she should.

You're so practical, Mama, Cass told her a few months ago, grave in the kitchen while he helped her with the overfull garbage bags. I think you run our house a sorta way and it makes everyone forget that's not just how things are, like, everywhere.

Sarah has to stop her pilgrimage because Elling Clancy's string bean self has just raced patter-footed past her, holding an old nerf gun with her hair in its customary tangled nest and hollering something about Sugar shorin' up their defenses.

"Elling! Don't be slipping on my hardwood and bustin' your head open now!"

"No Ms. W!"

She is about to move on when she hears the much quieter murmur of voices coming in through the living room. Sarah pauses, leaning back, and looks in through the door. She feels her whole self soften, one hand coming up to flutter against the slipping strap of her sundress.

Bucky is with little Nina Calleigh by the foot of the couch. Sarah's sure Nina must have tired out from the older kids' game, needed a rest or a break or a distraction; there's a bent copy of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe open but abandoned on the floor by their legs, and one of AJ's old dinosaur figurines discarded by what must be Bucky's half-finished glass of sweet tea. They're engrossed in something, he and Nina, heads bent low together over it, a secret little conversation all of their own. At four, Nina's started loving those. She's determined to communicate everything either as a yell or a lispy whisper in your ear, both done with equal force and conviction. Doesn't help that her older sister is Sugar, and Sugar sees it her God-given duty to full body slam the whole world at any given opportunity.

Bucky moves his arms, lifting Nina up from her place on the floor to prop her against his chest. For the first time Sarah spots Alpine as a raggedy little ball of white in his lap, one of her tiny white feet poking out over the strong bend of his knee. Nina wants to cuddle with the cat, Sarah realizes, but keeps grabbing at her with abrupt movements and getting scared when Alpine startles.

"Gentle, we gotta be gentle," Sarah hears, feeling her lips twitch up into a small smile when it's followed by Nina's protesting,

"But I am been' gentle."

"'Kay, give me your hand. See? Like this." Together, they pet the cat once, Nina's chubby brown hand held delicately under the smooth metal plates of Bucky's fingers. "She doesn't get scared like that."

"Oooh," says Nina, pretty and wide-eyed, small bubbly voice filled with wonder. "She's so sof'."

"You wanna pet her again?"

"Yah! Can I pet her the whole night?"

Sarah can’t tell what it is. The way he is holding her, maybe, bracketed carefully upright but with enough space that she can be her own little person as she overbalances in the generous movements that four-year-olds so favour. Or the look in his eye, an open, selfless thing with no one around but Nina to see it, not quite adoring because he would never allow himself that with a child that wasn’t Sarah’s. This is something she has come to learn about him, has had to work to understand. But God, she feels it, that look, right in the center of her own chest. She watches him continue the conversation, listening intently to Nina’s small declarations, one hand reflexively coming up to cup the back of her head and tuck back the loose, flyaway curls haloing around her dimpled cheeks. Something sweet, aching, and long-forgotten wells up from a deep place in Sarah’s heart.

She makes it the rest of the way to the kitchen, slides down against the cabinets beneath the sink. By the time she has wrapped her arms around herself her cheeks are already wet.

She doesn't really know why she is crying. She tucks her hands around her mouth, tries to keep it quiet. It's not too hard at first; it's a quiet emotion that she's feeling. She pulls her knees up, and closes her eyes as tightly as she can, like maybe it will stop that way.

Footsteps creak on the kitchen landing and then she feels a warm body beside her. Her brother’s wide familiar hands cup her shoulders like he used to do when they were kids.

"Hey now," Sam says, somewhere above her.

"How'd you know I was gonna be here?" Sarah mumbles, face still covered, not without a touch of frustration.

"I'd like to think I know my sister."

"Shit," Sarah says, sounding far more watery than she means.

"You've had this look on your face all afternoon," Sam says, more gently than Sarah expects. "Been keepin' my eye out. You need a minute?"

Cass is nearing the end of high school, AJ about to start it, both turning into beautiful young men. She's so much older -- different body, different heart, different mind. Last week she heard on the news about another Black child in Baltimore, hurt by the people meant to protect her, and felt some measure of relief at her own decisions.

"I'm bein' so silly," Sarah whispers. She can feel Sam waiting on her, listening. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Sam. I don't know --"

She knows – he’s always been good with them. Even at his lowest points, those early days he’d visited, she had noticed. With her own boys, and their friends, and their cousin Lola’s brood last Thanksgiving – and there has been a quiet acceptance to it on both their parts, that this is it. They’re happy. Sarah is so overwhelmingly, achingly happy sometimes, at the fullness of the life she’s fought tooth and nail to build.

"I don't -- can you be grateful, like so grateful, I don't even know -- but there is a part of your heart that breaks anyways, I, Sam --"

"Oh," Sam says. "Oh, Sarah, yeah, of course. What happened?"

"Nothing," Sarah says, which is not a lie, and begins to cry in earnest. Sam wraps her up in a hug. She can still hear the sounds of the party, too-close, like it’s just outside the kitchen door waiting to jump in.

Sam shifts against her and Sarah realizes there is another presence pausing at the doorway. A child’s small voice asks a question. She stills, trembling, unable to calm herself. There is a rustle of movement, then toddler feet against Sarah's cracked laminate tiles.

"Hey bubba. You know where Cass is?"

"Yah. He’s playin’ in the backyard."

"Can you go hang out with him a minute?"

"'Kay."

"Okay. Thank you."

Three swift footsteps, and then he is there beside her.

"What --"

"Hey, hey, it's okay.” Sam, firm and reassuring. “She's fine."

"Sarah." There's quiet urgency to it. "Are you hurt anywhere? What happened?"

"She's just feelin' a little fragile right now," she hears Sam say, quiet above her.

“What …”

Sarah looks up, chest gasping, feeling a bit cracked open at the edges. Now that she has started crying, she does not know how to stop. It's always been like this. She hates crying, she remembers, ‘cause it’s always been like this.

Bucky is looking at her intently, brows drawn together in a soft shape, mouth parted slightly in the middle.

"Hey," he says softly, when she meets his eye. She is suddenly desperate to explain herself. She lets go of Sam, grabs onto him, brings her hands to his face. She presses one to either side and pushes her thumbs uncoordinated over the warm shell of one ear and the high curve of a cheekbone, feeling as though if she does not touch him she will fall apart.

"I love you," Sarah says, breath stuttering with the force of it. She is still crying, but she's moved beyond caring now. "I love you. I love you so much, I don't say it enough, but I --"

"Okay," Bucky says quietly, like he understands. "Okay." Then he folds her into a hug, letting her face press against his heart, beneath his chin. It’s not tight, not like the kind that squeezes, but there’s an unquestionable firmness to it. She can feel him press his mouth against the top of her head over the uneven crown of her braids. He is steady and present. She's pulled into his lap. She doesn't want to let go. She doesn't know what to do with all the grief that's so abruptly welled up inside of her, tangled into something beyond words. She can feel the murmur of some exchange above her head, and then the creak of Sam's feet leaving. They sit there for another minute, and Bucky is warm and solid and thrumming around her, and Sarah cries.

When he eventually shifts beneath her, Sarah operates on instinct and tightens her hold, nails digging into the hard curve of his shoulder blade. There is a beat, like he is making a decision, then Sarah feels a slight tensing of muscle, and the small swoop in her belly as she is lifted easily into the air.

She keeps her face pressed against the soft t-shirt covering his shoulder as Bucky walks them quietly from the kitchen into the living room, then beyond, to the den. The quiet click of the door shuts behind them, and Sarah is placed gently down on the rusty orange cover of the daybed, before he climbs up behind her on sock-clad feet and pulls her to his chest. He wraps himself around her from behind -- arms solid around her torso, knees bracketing her wide hips where her skirt has crumpled up around her thighs. He leans back against the wall, takes Sarah with him, and keeps them there, pressed together, only breathing steadily in the mundane fresh-laundry smell of the room.

The change in location helps her recalibrate. It's been so long since he’s stayed in here, Sarah thinks. Bucky’s a tidy creature by nature and habit, so he hasn’t really left much clutter behind. His books are on the shelf though, now, by her filing cabinet of tax stuff and the laptop Sam keeps at the house. Beside that is the small stack of college brochures she knows he’s collected in case Cass’s anxieties flair up again. Meticulous, like she said; over-prepared. Sarah has dealt with the hard press of survival by becoming a crisis-to-crisis kinda person. She’s always joked that there’s someone in her corner, throwing her in with Bucky and his compulsive twelve-step contingency plans.

She can hear a quiet echo of kids' laughter through the window, out into the backyard.

"Sarah," he says quietly, after a while. "I love you too."

"I know that," Sarah says. Her voice is stronger now, but raw. She looks down, rubs her thumb over the strap of his watch.

"You tell me you love me all the time." She stays quiet. “What’s going on?”

It is hard to explain. For many reasons, but foremost, because she doesn’t know if she can do it in a way that leaves him forgiving of himself.

“I think I had to grieve a little,” Sarah says.

He shifts around her, then runs his hands down her arm. Again, it is a movement light but unquestionably firm, and present. She can feel him press a kiss to her neck.

“Okay,” he says, and does not ask further.

They will go back out in a bit, she thinks, and be full of love for the life they have again. But in a minute, in a minute.

[pbandjesse]

Today was a productive and good day. Why I fell apart half way through I cannot tell you. But I am alright right now. I think I am just stressed out. There is just a lot happening. With work and the wedding and everything else. I will be alright.

Some of it was that I just did not sleep good last night. I woke up a ton. I was to hot. My pillows were messed up. My wrist hurt so much. It was not a good time.

When my alarm went off I was really uspset. I have myself five more minutes before I got up and made the bed.

I shook it off pretty fast though. I loved my outfit. I loved that I could wear a sweater. I was in a good mood and things were good.

I was a little frustred when I realized I forgot my water bottle. I was already down the street and decided it was fine. I was bummed but that was alright.

Except after I got breakfast and got to work my water bottle was there?? I got in and said good morning to James. Went and put my purse down on the table. Went and checked the tour route. And when I came back to the education room my water bottle was next to my purse??? It was not there when I put my purse down. I left it on the hook with my purses at home. I was so confused. I am still very confused. Did I manifest it?? How did this get here?? I was happy to have it even if I was very confused.

I lead a small cannery today and then had a tour. I was a little nervous because it had been so long. But it was honestly great.

It was a shorter cannery too but even with some hiccups (Gabby discovered we spelled the group name wrong on the chase and we had to sharpie them real fast) it went really well and we had lots of laughs. They really enjoyed the video too which I was happy about. And everyone had fun.

We took a short bathroom break. And then me and Gabby split the group. And it was a pretty excellent tour! Not the best I've ever done but it was very good! And at the end I got a $20 tip! I was like. Omg thank you. Really lifted my spirits and made me feel good. And I'm just really happy that they enjoyed it. One woman told me she thought today was going to be boring but it was actually super fun and she's really glad she didn't skip it.

I was going to go do supplies for the next hour but instead James asked me to sit at the desk for them. Jessica told me I could just stay there so James could have a break. James went to 711 and got us pizza. And they're took a little break. I mostly watched tiktoks since I didn't have my crochet with me. I sold some tickets and chatted with some people. But overall it was just chill.

Once James came back to make a phone call I headed out. I went to target to get a few things. I got a little overheated and upset. I did really enjoy looking at the Halloween stuff. I got the Lilly of the valley ghost flowers. I did not get the skeleton I wanted. Maybe next time. I also got another molecar and I got the zombie one. Very on season.

I got a Starbucks drink before I went home because I was so overheated. It helped. But I was really just interested in going home.

When I got back here I brought everything in and went to get changed. I apparently didn't notice Sweetp got out and got left in the hallway for like an hour and I felt so bad. I only realized when he was at the door crying to come in!! Im a monster.

But he came in and I gave him treats. All forgiven.

I did two rows of my knitting and changed my bag for tomorrow because I want to use my leather tote bag. And then laid in bed until James came home and joined me.

We laid together for a long time. Until then went to do their podcast. I got a little mad because their podcast took way way longer then normal. So me and Sweetp had to make our own dinners.

The sun went down and me and James talked for a little. Eventually I went and took a bath and it helped my wrist a little. It's not constant pain. The wrist support I got when I was at the store earlier helps. But it's not perfect.

Tomorrow is my bridal shower! I'm excited to see my mom and my aunt's and cousins and niece. Plus some friends. Anne is going to get me in the morning and then me, Charlotte, and Callie will carpool to the city with her. And I will come back to Baltimore with Jess. I hope it's just a really fun time. A nice meal. Lots of love.

I hope you all have a great night sleep. Goodnight everyone!

[astralscrivener]

hiiiii im rereading squad up bc I've been trawling the klance archives to rec stuff to my sister and im having feelings!!! The first feeling is deep and nostalgic affection!!! You were posting the chapters of their senior year during my junior year, and you bet I was rereading it my senior year, and a lot of the events that you referenced or like the media they liked my friends and I were into at the same time, like (to be continued 1/?)

(cont)

idk binging the entirety of whichever new vld season the second it dropped, or losing our minds over tlt musical. Your writing and the almost daily chapter notifications (holy shit) hold such a dear place in my heart, anyway ty for putting so much love into the world; you make it a better place.

The second feeling is awe bc hhhot damn do you write a lot and it just keeps getting better!! Wtf!!! (To be continued 2/?)  

(cont again)

Half the reason I stopped my reread to write this is because one of the ch notes (somewhere in the 70s) says smth like heyyyy I'm gonna maybe stop posting daily chapters anyway go read my other five ongoing fics. every time I see ur username in my inbox bc AO3 notifs I'm reminded of the sheer level of ridiculous talent & dedication I see in your writing. anyway thx for being cool (tbc 3/?)

(cont again again)

The third feeling is. Idk where it comes from but especially with this series I feel as tho u've given me-the-reader the chance to walk alongside something. In pace w the timeline or w the stage of life?? or the emotional ups/downs of the characters in a way that is rlly hard to find. Thank you for writing this in the time that you did, in the way that you did, and also specifically for writing love the way that you did because it's incredibly beautiful. (4/?)

(cont again again again)

anyway I'm gonna go back to my reread! gn and thanks for doing what you do <3 (5/5)

ngl i teared up receiving this ask last night 

thank you so much for this 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 it still astounds me that there are people still not just like, following my socials but still reading my fics who were there 4-5 years ago when i was originally posting them

sometimes i have a complicated relationship with fics like squad up, just on a writing/technical level, and comments like these remind me of why i still keep it up

it originated just as a way for me to cope with day-to-day life because i was going through a lot when i was posting it. it was a transitional period in my life, my social life was in flux because of that, and i needed a way to escape. it touches me to know that i touched other people and was able to help them through their day-to-day lives, too. 

especially on the portrayal of love in squad up, that fic honestly helped me figure out that i was bi and what i wanted out of a relationship. almost 5 years out now from when i first started writing squad up, and at about the same point in my relationship where keith and lance were in theirs when i was writing it (1 year and 10 months into mine, vs keith and lance being 1 year and almost 5 months into theirs in chapter 1), my outlook on relationships hasn’t changed, and i think that’s a testament to the way it’s kind of helped me figure out what i wanted 

thank you for this. thank you so, so much, and best of luck in wherever life takes you 🥺🥺💖💖💖

[akkpipitphattana]

Why is maya needing to do so much.. Like i get it Lola was feeling neglected. However maya has always been on her own. She doesn't have the dependency that Lola has. Maya showed her love in so many ways. An since its maya season not Lola why couldn't we see how everyone can come to understand that's mayas way. That's how she is. Instead of making her into something that's got to be fixed. Maya may not say she loves Lola but she has definitely shown it. For arguments sake lets say maya does have work to do on herself. Why does it need to be on Lola timeline. People cope and deal with things differently. Why couldn't lola be understanding considering maya had to deal with alot at a very young age.. Plus all the shit Lola put her through she has the nerve to not consider just maybe she might also have some blame in why Maya doesn't fully open up to her. This isn't me saying maya is a saint. This is just me wondering why in maya season everything seems to only be about lola an what she wants and how she feels. Instead of what Maya wants and how maya feels. Like i thought we'd get more of her backstory like what she dealt with being an orphan at the age of 11. No we have to deal with Lola not getting the attention she wants so now maya has to fix herself so she an Lola can get back together. Which lola doesn't even seem to care enough that maya is trying. Im sorry i don't like how this season is going. Its the Lola/Maya storyline 2.0 instead of Maya storyline. This is maya season an yet all people are talking about is Lola an her feelings. Actresses are doing amazing with what they are giving tho top notch acting

Alrighty! Lot to unpack here.

First of all, Lola has also always been on her own? For the most part at least, considering she had an alcoholic mother and started feeling isolated at the age of thirteen because she found out she had a different father, and her and Daphné stopped talking when she was sent away to mental hospital for cutting herself.

Now onto the beef of what you said… it would be one thing if Maya just had a different way of showing she loved Lola and that was the problem, but that’s not it. Anon, I think you need to grasp the fact that it has been a year and a half since Maya and Lola got together. And in that time… Maya never said she loved her. She never prioritized her, always choosing the association over Lola, and it left Lola feeling like Maya didn’t love her or care for her at all.

That is not me saying that Maya is awful or terrible for this. Actually, I don’t think anyone has. No one is under the impression that Maya is a bad person or that she doesn’t care about Lola. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t still have things to work on, that she doesn’t have issues she needs to work out. She does! Not being able to open up to a girl you were dating for a YEAR AND A HALF isn’t a good thing! Neither is running away from problems and not telling people where you are for five days or not crying for eight years! Saying Maya doesn’t need to work on anything, that she’s fine staying like that is doing a major disservice to her because she cannot be fully happy like that, and that’s seen in her relationship with Lola.

And no one is saying that it has to be on Lola’s timeline, either. Lola made the choice to break up with Maya because she knew it wasn’t working anymore. She didn’t tell Maya to change, she didn’t offer an ultimatum, she did what was best for her and ended things. That just happened to be a catalyst for Maya to look at herself and realize that there are things she needs to change. And Lola should not be expected to have to remain in a relationship she feels unloved in in order to let Maya change on her own time, and the fact that you would suggest such a thing is EXTREMELY fucked up.

And I would fucking LOVE to know what you’re talking about when you talk about “all the shit Lola put her through” that made her not wanna open up. You mean in s6? When she was struggling with an addiction and the death of her mother? When she reacted badly after Maya ghosted her for a week after finding out she was an addict? When she pushed Maya away because everyone in her life was telling her how horrible and toxic she was and she believed them, so she tried to protect Maya from herself? All those things she apologized for, and happened OVER A YEAR AND A HALF AGO!!! BY THE WAY!!!

And we have SEEN the way that Lola tries to get Maya to open up. It’s nothing that Lola did, it’s that Maya has trauma to work on to be able to open up. And as someone that heavily fucking relates to Maya and Lola both, you have no idea how much that implication pisses me the fuck off, anon.

This isn’t about Lola “not getting the attention she wants,” this is about Maya literally not opening up to her girlfriend. And Lola very obviously cares that Maya is trying! But how the hell would you feel if your ex girlfriend suddenly dropped this bomb about her grandmother that you didn’t know about on you after literally breaking up over the fact she didn’t open up? It’s literally confirmation for Lola that she was right and then Maya drops this on her. It really has not been that long, nor has enough change been made for Lola to feel secure.

Also! We literally are getting more of her backstory! Like I don’t think you’re paying attention if you think it’s just about Mayla. Like we literally have met Suzanne, her grandmother. We’ve learned about her having alzheimer’s and the way that affected Maya and how having to relive the accident over and over again led to her deciding to stop visiting. We’re also getting the activist storyline too, which is teaching us more about Maya as a person outside of just her trauma and relationship.

If you are choosing to look at this season like “Maya is perfectly fine as she is and shouldn’t have to do any work on herself and also Mayla is getting too much screentime” you are missing the fucking point.

[franeridart]

Anon said: Are you still into krbk? I noticed you haven't draw them a lot recently (I don't mean to pressure you, I was just wondering)

I still very much am!!! but a convergence of unrelated happenings (my focus being unusually scattered, lack of general motivation, them not having interacted much in the manga lately, my having pulled out of the fandom a little for a bunch of reasons, having gotten into a lot of new things I want to make a lot of stuff for ??) had my output of stuff for them/inspiration related to them die down a lot ): I miss them though, I should fill a page with doodles of them one of these days... well, I haven’t drawn much in genereal lately, so maybe let’s start first with fixing that haha

Anon said: Fun Fact : In smash bros ultimate there are spirits with octopath traveler and they're in pairs and guess what ? Alfyn and Therion are together :3

I KNOW!!!!!! It makes me so emo I’m a bundle of feelings they’re soulmates I tell youuuuuuuuuuu ;;A;; (little inconsequential things making me a mess, what’s new xD) - another fun fact is that h’aanit and ophilia share one too!! and I ship them too!! and cyrus and tressa share one as well, and they’re my brother’s mains in his save! A series of delightful little coincidences haha

Anon said: Will you be drawing more Jujutsu Kaisen? I love your art sm and I would love to see more!!!!

Right now I feel like I want to spend the next ten years drawing these kids, so I sure hope so! But as I said my focus has been very scattered for the past three or so months, so I can’t promise anything ): let’s both enjoy it while it lasts haha

Anon said: You are my emotional support artist. I check back every once and a while and BOOM. Serotonin.

You’re too kind!!!! But thank you, I’m glad I can make you feel better! :D

Anon said: i'm super new to your art (and mha) and i just wanted to say your krbk stuff is just !!!!!!! it makes me so happy and makes my poor jaded heart feel something and it's just all around incredible!!!

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!! I’m glad you like my way of portraying the kids!!!!

Anon said: I’m about to cry I’ve spent an hour looking though your bnha tag for that lil comic where Kiri hugs Baku and. It. Sent. Me. Back. To. The. Top. I didn’t even get to finish reading it. I’m so upset. So. So. So. Upset.

(same) Anon said: OH MY GOSH IT KEEPS SENDING ME TO THE TOO I HATE MOBILE AND LOVE YOU I LVOE YOU BUT THIS WEBSITE IS K I L L I N G ME I JIST WANNA SEE WHAT HAPPENS AS KIRI ATTEMPTS TO HUG BAKUGOU BUT NOOOO, AN HOUR OF MY TIME ISNT ENOUGH SAYS THE TIME STEALER

(samesame) Anon said: I. Found the hug thing. On Pinterest. In. Five. Seconds. I hate life but also it was really cute. Thank you but seriously I hate this website

The saga hahaha sorry anon I couldn’t get to you before you went out of your mind trying to find it, I got the asks in the middle of the night! Glad you could find it, though I’m kinda sad you had to look on pinterest for it (...sad it is on pinterest at all tbh) here it is anyway, if this is the one you were talking about! you really went back in the years for this one huh

Anon said: So for that thing that you made a w h i l e ago where Bakugou ruffles Kirishima’s hair, right? So I imagine Kiri is like w h a t and calls over Mina or Denki or Sero or all of them or something like that and tells them and is freaking out and they’re like “he wasn’t in the right mindset, you know he sleeps at 8:32” and make a joke out of it as Kiri is freaking out. And Kiri is freaking out soooo much as they are crying laughing on the floor at Bakugou’s sleeping schedule.

hahaha I’m sure he must have freaked out on them at some point after that, and bakugou must have done the same (probably with jirou, less likely but more hilarious with todoroki or tokoyami haha) - though, the original idea came from a bigger one where the scene in the comic didn’t bring them anywhere closer to getting together (or figuring out they’re into each other, for the matter lmao idiots) maybe one day I’ll get back on that >:]

Anon said: In your comments, you said “at this point my hands will never forget” and I had a nozaki-kun memory float into my head, imagining him sick and trying to make his deadline xD yes muscle memory

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anon you have no idea how often I think about that hahaha yes, I say my hands won’t forget but we all know that’s exactly how it’ll end at some point lol

Anon said: dang this happens all the time like I follow someone for their bnha content and then like two months after following them I find out they used to make yowapeda content and im just sitting their like dang thats wild because bnha and yowapeda are like the only two animes I watch

ANON!!!! HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Always so nice to find other ywpd fans!!!!!!!! Sorry I’m not making art for it anymore (for now) but despite my sister insisting I read the manga already I’ve been putting it off......for years lol but it’s on my reading list!! So maybe I’ll get back on it at some point!

Anon said: FRAN!!!!!! i love ur art so much and im trying to buy ur products on redbubble and i geniunely cant decide what to get!!!!! i tired asking my friend but she doesnt know which one either hahahahhahah ig i just wanted to send this because i really appreciate u and u are very talented. im sending u lots of high vibrations and love❤️🧡

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!! It means so much to me that you guys are still buying my stuff (TTATT) I should...........seriously update it..........gomen m(._.)m

Anon said:YES YES YEEES MORE ALFYON ON THE WAYYYYYY 💖💖💖💖💖 They're both the cutest really their ship is the beeest  Try reading some the alfyon fanfics if you have some time, they're really good ! The one i really recommend you is Crismonberries, blackberries by court_court on Ao3 !Your art is the best ever can't wait to see more octopath !!💖💖💖

Anon thank you SO MUCH for suggesting that fic to me I!!!!!!!!!!!! loved it so much I deep-dived into it and spent two straight days reading it it’s such a gem!!!!! ;;; bless you

Anon said: Have you watched Fullmetal Alchemist?

Hell yeah! Only Brotherhood though. I read the manga too tho!!

Anon said: Have you read Noragami? It’s one of my favourite manga, and the anime isn’t half bad either (still waiting for s3 tho lol) anyway it’s really good, concept-wise it’s similar to Soul Eater, I totally recommend

I watched the first season back when it aired! It’s not really my thing though ): feels a bit sad in that very specific way that always ends up just making me miserable as I keep reading............................... sorry

Anon said: I will never not be in love with your art. Everytime I'm feeling down and/or missing the boys I scroll through your krbk tag and it reminds me exactly of why I love them so much and I'm so thankful for that. Your brand of krbks is the one I love the most and honestly thank you so much for all your marvelous art of them and of other things as well because you art is just so pretty and I love seeing your ocs and other fandom art 💕💕💕

Anon I love you......................... ;;;;; thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me (oTT^TT)o<3