#Did anyone else find this weirdly romantic?

[oprahwinfreyjrjr]

Awww… I just noticed that Kimiko was wearing Frenchie’s jacket after he sawed off her leg. 🥹

[byleresque]

and when Will comes out of a Vecna trance from Mike speaking to him alone because he's just that attached to Mike's special little Will Voice what then. what then

[jinxs-gf]

songs explain what I can’t.

best friend!jinx x musician!reader

summary: you’re writing a song to confess your feelings to your best friend. only it does the opposite and your best friend believes her feelings for you are unrequited.

content, warnings: pics have nothing to do w readers appearance. modern au, reader is in a band, slight misunderstanding

word count: 1.1k

a.n. another request!! thank you <3

Jinx watches as you announce a newly written song. You seem more nervous and jittery than you'd usually be when performing a new project for the first time. It makes Jinx anxious for you, wishing she could soothe away your clear distress. Only you wouldn't let her.

For the past few months you'd been trying to make the perfect song. At least that's what it felt like to her. You shut her down every time she asked about it.

Her best friend subtly pushed her away. And it was tearing her apart.

You were—are everything to her. She’s never loved someone as strongly as she loves you. Never been loved as strongly as you love her. Though you two feel different types of love. Yours more platonic compared to hers…

You two shared everything with each other. Secrets that hadn’t been uttered to anyone else, delicate touches and words of intimacy.

Jinx wasn’t sure where the line was between platonic and romantic. A friend and a partner.

She’s never truly had anyone that filled both those categories. So how was she supposed to know how to distinguish the two?

She came to the conclusion that your actions were merely platonic, convincing herself that no one could ever really like—love her enough to want something more.

And she was okay with that (not really).

The song you’re presenting a sound she hasn't heard before, at least not from you. It was softer and sweeter than your usual punk-rockish sound. And in another life she'd love it. But in this one?

Jinx hears the song and gets...sad. Because there's a name in there and it isn't hers. you're singing about being in love with a woman that isn't jinx. And now she isn't sure what to feel. What to think. Because-

She convinced herself that she was just fine with you thinking of her as a friend. But the song was about falling in love with a close friend. It seemed like a clear homage to your friendship. It sounded like it was a song written about her. Blue hair described and all. And it references moments only the two of you have shared. Yet you sing another name.

Why would you hide this from her? Why wouldn’t you let her in on this person? Why why why…

Jinx would praise you and claim to love the song once it was over. Your routine after a performance was to run to her and engulf her in a big hug. Pouring all your adrenaline into the arms of your best friend. A hug that was oh so welcomed.

Her tattooed arms would squeeze you, while she hung onto the cloud of your affection and scent. A scent she’d admit she was probably weirdly obsessed with…

While you talked her ear off about how amazing the audience made you feel. Jinx loved listening to your post-performance talk sessions.

Every damn time without fail.

She’s not sure she can handle you going into detail about this new song though. It would surely break her. It’s okay, she reassures herself. Just try. Try to be supportive about this. Like you always do.

She holds her breath the moment the set is over. And as expected, you run down the stage and straight to her.

Except your hug feels less excited…

Was it because of the person you wrote about in your song? Have you been pulling away because of them?

“So…what did you think?”

Jinx responds, overly enthusiastic, “amazing! Just like always. You sure have a way with words.” And the last bit sounded bitter.

It left a bad taste in your mouth.

You wince, “really? Was it that bad?” You feel the need to explain yourself, “listen, I’m sorry I’ve been pulling away. But I needed the song to be good. I needed to get my point across and I didn’t want you to find out because it would ruin-”

Jinx is aware that the last thing you need right now is attitude, but finds herself rolling her eyes anyways. Your words make her feel like you know how she feels towards you, and that makes her feel exposed.

She grows defensive.

“Didn’t want me to find out because what? Any excuse you try to give me won’t be a good enough answer. You should’ve just told me about this girl you’re so infatuated with instead of keeping secrets.”

You gape at her, your band mates had awkwardly ushered the crowd away, sensing the tension before the argument even started.

“I- what girl? Jinx, the song is about you.”

“…What?”

“I know the song doesn’t explicitly name you, but I thought it was…obvious. I don’t know.”

The song was about falling in love with a close friend. That close friend being her. You were singing about her. You’re in love with her.

Well at least that’s been cleared up but…Jinx still feels defensive. If not a little offended.

"Why not? You don't want people to know you love me?"

"Of course I want people to! But I didn't want you to know. Up until now I thought we were just friends and that...that's all you wanted from me. I thought that y’know, this would be a cool confession. If you hated it I could just be like ‘hey no worries, the song isn’t about you anyways’.” You shrug helplessly.

"Silly goose. Of course I want you as more than a friend! What about the endless gifts I handmade? And how touchy-feely I am? That's all reserved specifically for you."

"Well I don't know how you are around your other friends!"

"I don't have other friends."

"Oh...how was I-"

She gives you no time to formulate a sentence. Usually you'd be annoyed at your best friend for interrupting you, but when she does it like this? By kissing you? Yeah you could get around to liking it.

And Jinx would normally be annoyed at your rambling only because she couldn't shut you up with a kiss. Yes she loved listening to you talk but sometimes you needed to slow down a bit.

And she could finally do that.

It was hungry, she refused to pull away. Allowing herself to practically eat you alive after all the pining she’s had to endure, thinking it was all one sided. It left your breathless, she seemed pretty keen on not letting you go.

You reluctantly pull away, trying to give yourself time to process everything. So much has happened in so little time.

She chases your lips, clearly not satisfied with the time she’s had with her lips on yours.

You give yourself about 5 seconds to cool off from the very dizzying kiss before you're rambling again.

"I don't exactly feel special anymore. I thought you chose to hang out with me because you loved me more than your other friends. Now-"

"Shut up," and she's kissing you again.

hey jinx lovers :P it’s good to be back

[running-with-kn1ves]

Hi! What do you think would happen if there was a disease that turned people into yanderes and the reader is immune? So she’s the only sane one, which everyone around her falls in love (romantically and platonically) and turns obsessive?

Hrmm I'd like to take a different approach to this than the original *yandere apocolypse* of which I was thinking. Just wrote down some odd thoughts for this one!

Perhaps two thirds of the world has been inflicted with this specific disease-- making this new population become violent, deranged and utterly--obsessively, in love.

There's the beginning stages of violence and death of course, causing a great chunk of the world to go mad as some yanderes who must share a darling cannot do so. Celebrities, idols, and your local barista who's friends with everyone in town, are constantly in a tug of war battle between their yanderes.

But life seems to somewhat settle down. Everyone still functions as they would in society-- going to the bank and paying their taxes, remaining at their 9 to 5 jobs. But there are far more murders, laws are no longer followed; the daytime has become just as dangerous as the night.

Our dear reader, a cashier for a chain grocery store, has so blessedly not been affected by this newfound disease. They know their residence in a large city and with a social job would not leave them unharmed by this new change to the world. So, they begin to attend support groups for 'darlings,' the victims and (mostly) sane population that has been left. At first the other victims were people they had never seen before, seemingly innocent and normal people who just wanted to go on with their lives. They all seemed to lead a much harder living, with their unending stalkers and vicious pursuers that made them sob for hours as everyone else listened to their woes.

Reader had yet to be targeted, of which offers them a sliver of relief-- until they fear perhaps they have been affected by the disease. But their life continues, without any impulse or desire to snatch anyone up, and without any stalkers or murderers on their trail. Life is almost, weirdly, normal.

They don't watch the news anymore, they go home before it gets dark, and refuse to take any extra shifts with anyone who's been affected by the outbreak. They continue to go to the meetings, out of solidarity and precaution in case they begin to hear footsteps behind them when walking from home or find eyes peeping behind their curtains. However, the support group seemed to have slowly begun to change. Its regular members were beginning to dwindle, less and less showing up regularly. And, there seemed to be an addition of.... hostility, amongst the newer members.

The support group "leader", a man who has thrown reader off since day one, seemed to be far more invested in hearing their experiences with these "attackers" as he called them. As was everyone else, of which were slowly becoming vaguely familiar faces. Not familiar enough to mention it, but to the point where it was beginning to get eerie.

It wasn't until they went to their next shift for work, did they realize why everyone seemed so odd. Customer after customer came up, all purchasing odds and ends that could be suspicious if one paid close enough attention. But all that reader could focus on, was how the eyes of each person seemed to linger upon them, taking notice of their loose work shirt and unkempt hair. It was a common sound to hear heavy breathing from the other side of the counter, odd compliments on how beautiful their eyes were, or deafening silence from customers that didn't utter a word but stared in complete captivity. The next support group meeting, those nameless faces seemed to be far more recognizable. At this point, the original members of which reader had originally met, were nowehere to be found. All that remained, were the uncomfortably familiar customers, and the oddly charismatic leader.

Every eye seemed to be on them, each waiting for them to speak on their experience. But despite the creepy, lustful gazes and hateful glares at one another, there was some form of supportiveness that came from the group. They gave reassuring pats and squeezes, some getting a little handsier than others.

There were a few that reader recognized more than others: the silent, dark haired man that came to their register everyday, the businesswoman who always seemed to loosen her scowl once she saw them, and the couple who seemed a tad more than "friendly." Out of all of them though, reader felt the most reassurance from the group leader-- the man who seemed to dote on them like a parent would, though there was still fear over his constantly nagging questions and downward stare behind his glasses.

It was once reader decided to stop showing up to the increasingly more recent group sessions, did things start to turn sideways. There would constantly be a knock at the door, asking why they weren't there, if something was wrong, if a stalker had gotten to them. But it wasnt until recently did they feel they were being watched, followed, stalked.

Things started to go missing, from their favorite pair of underwear to little knickknacks kept on their desk. Reader had never felt the effects of the disease and its victims, but ever since the uncomfortable shift in the support group, life hadn't been the same.

One fateful afternoon, there came another series of knocks. Reader couldn't take it anymore, and had long given up on answering the door. The knocking continued, however. Thered be a pause, a moment of hesitation, before the pounding began again. Muffled voices could be heard outside readers front door, and suddenly there grew a great fear in their chest.

Not long after, the knocking seemed to occur in other areas around the house. The backdoor echoed as glass was banged on, the windows of their bedroom seemingly pressured by fists that begged to be let in. Their name was called from outside, small and booming voices all begging to be let in, promising that they were only there to help.

Reader covered their ears, crawling under the blankets and rocking themselves to the hope that the noise would go away. And eventually, It did-- only to be replaced with the sound of shattering glass and rushed footsteps.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Can you talk about your thoughts on hinny? I have no problem with people shipping it but to me personally it just doesn't work. It feels like Rowling tried too hard or maybe just wasn't good at writing romance and messed it up. Maybe it was too rushed? The ship doesn't work for me but I'd love to hear your views.

Okay, sorry it took a while to answer this, I actually have a lot of thoughts and I have posts on some of them that I hope to get out soon-ish. I also wanted to go back to the books to make sure I'm not talking out of my ass. But I don't like Hinny, never did. And my reasons are kinda divided into three categories.

Disclaimer: I don't have anything against anyone who ships hinny, it's just really not my thing and I don't see it working with the way I see their characters.

And that's like the core of it. I just don't see Harry and Ginny as compatible on a character level. That and their relationship never really read as believable to me in the books.

The 3 categories I mentioned are:

Harry's character

Firstly, I think Harry is gay. Not bi, but gay. I think he was never actually attracted to a woman and I have a whole post to prove it. So, because that's how I read his character, I just can't really see him with any girl.

(Now, I don't think JKR intended for Harry to come off as gay, but he did)

Secondly, he never thought about Ginny, like, up until book 6, and even during large portions of book 6, he just isn't thinking about Ginny as a potential romantic interest. And when he does think about Ginny in the final two books it never reads like he really likes her. It reads like they decided they are dating, but I don't think Harry knows why he supposedly likes her. He just decided he does, but doesn't know why. It was kind of the same with Cho, where he said he had a crush on her and was nervous around her, but if you asked Harry what he likes about her, his answer would be: "Ehh...."

Like, Harry doesn't really seem to know why he's dating Ginny, and neither do I. It's just how it's written.

2. Ginny's character

So, this is again my opinion, but I don't like Ginny. I just don't like her character. I wish her off the page whenever she talks.

And, when it comes to shipping, for me, I need to find both the characters involved interesting and fun for me to explore to ship them together and care about the pairing. As I don't like Ginny and don't really care for her, I can't really ship her with anyone, not really. It's not even like I hate her (not the way I hate Dumbledore), I just find a lot of her actions and behavior iffy and she annoys me more often than not.

I'm not going to list everything I don't like about Ginny (some of it appears in the rest of this post). But her treatment of Fluer, for example, really soured her character to me. Like, sure, Ginny's young, but, she's 15, and by that point, I think she should take responsibility for being awful to Fluer who was nothing but nice to all of them. Envy is not a good look for Ginny.

3. How they are portrayed together

Like I mentioned in the Harry section, their romance just never really felt there to me. The descriptions were off and left me feeling annoyed at their scenes together more than anything else.

Again, I'm writing a more comprehensive post about it, but the gist of it is that Harry's thoughts about Ginny in books 6 and 7 are weirdly detached for a supposed crush at best or outright uncomfortable for me to read at worst.

Now, we know Harry can describe characters he finds attractive in greater detail. There is none of that detail with Ginny. He only mentioned her hair color and that her hair is long and smells nice. Like, he doesn't talk about her eye color, her facial structure, eye shape (like he does sometimes with characters he does find attractive) — nothing. He doesn't even call her pretty once! At least he referred to Cho Chang as pretty twice in the series.

In the books there is never a scene (not even one) that convinces me they should be together. Like, they have no chemistry. They kinda remind me of Ron and Lavender tbh. They make out and are present in the same space often, but they never talk. Not really. I don't think Ginny actually knows Harry all that well because he never honestly talks to her about anything real. They don't really have chemistry or a relationship, they're just together. At least, that's how I always saw them.

And yes, Harry has his jealousy moments (that are portrayed so weirdly I always narrow my eyes at them to make sure they were actually there, but that's a whole other post about Harry's chest monster of jealousy), but he still doesn't really explain what he finds in Ginny. He doesn't mention she's attractive or pretty at any point, nor does he mention anything he particularly likes about her personality (except that she doesn't weep like Cho and is good at Quidditch. Neither of which are particularly good basis for a relationship).

Like, Ginny mentions why she likes Harry and that she does multiple times. Harry by contrast, just feels so incredibly uninvolved in his own relationship, to me.

Also, personally, I just find the setup of their relationship iffy. Like Ginny outright says she never gave up on Hary and always knew they'd end up together. It means, that since she was 11 (or earlier), she was crushing on Harry, never gave up on her crush, and considered them ending up together fate. She dated other guys to make Harry jealous and pay attention to her, and that's just really gross. I don't like her long obsessive crush on Harry or her treatment of the other guys she dated on her way to get Harry.

Proof of that, for those wondering:

“I never really gave up on you,” she [Ginny] said. “Not really. I always hoped. . . . Hermione told me to get on with life, maybe go out with some other people, relax a bit around you, because I never used to be able to talk if you were in the room, remember? And she thought you might take a bit more notice if I was a bit more — myself.”

(Half-Blood Prince, page 647)

She literally said she dated other guys so Harry would take notice of her. That just grosses me out.

So, no, I don't like Hinny (or Ginny).

[skellseerwriting]

Pirates and Prejudice (and Dragons)

James Hook x GN! Dragon Rider!Reader Part 4

Part 1

Reader is disabled (prosthetic foot) and I am not disabled, so if anyone who’s reading this is please let me know if anything is written weirdly or wrongly

Word Count: 2,970

Warnings: mentions of different prosthetics, mention of scars, reader is momentarily self deprecating about their face, Hook (consensually) takes off reader’s prosthetic, brief panic from others, romantic tension

Summary: Hook gives reader a look into his life as a pirate

What do you mean you’re ‘going to take me on an adventure?!’”

Hook let out a free laugh as you approached him at the gate. His eyes glittered something mischievous.

“That’s something you’ll have wait for.” He teased.

You made a fake annoyed face, hoping to have gotten some answers after mulling over all day what he could have possibly meant. He lifted his head in laughter again, eyes closed and elbows up with the back of his hand to his face; an open gesture of being comfortable with you. How could he be so annoying, yet so endearing?

“Well,” He wiped a tear from his eye, gesturing to the path in front of the both of you. “Care to find out?”

You didn’t know whether to be surprised or not at “finding out” that the adventure was at Auradon’s main harbor.

Merlin’s Academy was built extremely close, thank goodness, otherwise you would have never made the trek. The whole time, Hook pulled you along by your hand, barely allowing you to keep up with him. He seemed way too excited to take you on this “adventure”, so you couldn’t help but let his eagerness infect you. It wasn’t until you actually tripped that he slowed down enough for you to pace along next to him.

He didn’t let go of your hand, however.

You tried not to think on that too much.

Arriving at the edge of the busy town, you stood on higher hills and took in the sight.

Yellow houses with blue-tiled roofs were irregularly placed in the area, slowly descending into the the docks that spread along the coast, the widest part of it all. Birds that you presumed to be seagulls called out in the skies, accompanied by the dings of bells far away. A distance farther in the water that sparkled in the sun sat a decent-sized island. It all smelled like fish, you realized with a smile. It smelled like home.

When you deal with giant lizards with even larger appetites, it can be hard hunting enough meat. Due to the land’s lakes, fish was an easier sustenance to obtain. The whole place didn’t smell like this, but the dragon pens and the area during mealtimes certainly did.

Making your way through the bustling town, you dodged and weaved through people trying to make their way somewhere. At one point your hands got pulled apart, so with a giggled “no!” you both instantly tried to reattach them.

The stench of fish got even stronger once you arrived at the docks. Some of it looked brand new, while the particular boards you stood on creaked and groaned.

Placing his hands hands on your shoulders from behind, he finally gave you a splinter of an answer.

“My ship is here today.” He had a boat?

“Which one is it?” You asked, turning your head to look at him behind you. He made a funny look.

“Guess.”

Bringing your hand to your chin in thought, you browsed the large array of boats. Some were new, some were old, some small and some ginormous. You pointed at a tiny dingy.

“Is it that one?”

Shaking his head, he exasperatedly went “Do you really think I’d be caught dead in that? Try again.”

Deciding to continue messing with him, you brought your finger to one covered head to toe in mildew, seaweed, and rot. It looked like it had been anchored there longer than you’d been alive.

Getting a bit fed up, Hook reached his arm over yours to grab you hand and swivel it somewhere else. It landed in front of what could only be described as a very grand, very beautiful ship.

The sides of it gleamed of a dark, rich wood, with rails at the top highlighted in red; Mahogany? Windows near the back sported inlaid, diamond-shaped glass of a spectrum of colors that dazzled, leaving you to wonder how it looked inside when the light shined through. Multiple mast poles held up cream sails that flowed slowly in the wind, promising freedom. To top everything off was a small, dark flag with what appeared to be a skull on it, set high in the sky.

You were in awe.

Hook sucked in a worried breath through his teeth.

“Well, what do you think?”

You turned to look at him, struggling to even think of what to say about the absolute piece of art you had just witnessed.

“It’s beautiful.” You managed to get out.

“Really?” He beamed.

“Yeah!” You nodded.

“Well all right then. Let’s go meet the crew!”

“‘The crew’?”

After he led you to the massive boat, your confusion was quickly dispersed. Once he helped you climb up the rope ladder (you were well experienced with ropes, you told him, so it was no struggle), cheers instantly erupted on the deck. It was packed with men of all ages; some as young as you, to some old enough to be your grandfather. All appeared to have a variety of backgrounds; no two men looked alike. The one thing tying them all together was their shared lifestyle as pirates. They swarmed Hook, clapping him on the back and barking out all sorts of questions of well-being.

“What new treasure have you’ve gotten in my absence lads?” He asked them, before being bombarded with various tales of chases and running from authorities. As they all essentially shouted over each other for his attention, you could just see in his eyes how happy he was to be with them.

It was kind of shocking, if you were being honest. How did a boy like that come to relationships like these?

Once things died down a tad -Hook’s grin still splitting his face, along with those little crow’s feet- he gestured towards you.

“Men! This is my classmate and friend! Make sure you’re kind and welcoming!”

Right after that, many of them started to surround you. You began to feel a little overwhelmed, only more so by the fact that Hook had called you his friend. Looking at these men who started prodding you with questions, you noticed a similarity.

The balding one in front of you wore a black eyepatch on his left. The young one next to you had a simple, small hook on his right hand. Behind him, another man stood on a wooden peg-leg. And to your delight, one with beautiful features proudly wore nicks and scars all over his face and arms.

These people, you realized. These people are like me. James doesn’t pity me, he understands me.

Before even attempting to answer anything they had asked, Hook pulled you away with a “that’s enough questions” and brought you to a barrel to sit on. Next to him stood a jolly-looking man with white hair covered by a red bandana.

“This is Mr. Smee.” He explained. “Smee is my first mate.”

You looked at the middle-aged man before looking back to the young man in front of you.

“…You’re the captain?”

Hook nodded.

“But how? You’re one of the youngest people here?”

He must have found something about your confusion amusing, because he let the expression on his face show without restraint. Then, it faded into something more solemn.

“Smee used to be first mate to my father; former captain of the Jolly Roger.” He said slowly. “Then I took on the title a couple years ago when…” he trailed off.

Oh.

You reached for his arm.

“James, I’m sorry for your loss.”

His glum countenance immediately turned into one of amusement, eyebrows high and lips pursed.

“Oh, he’s not dead. He’s retired, in Fiji.”

You gawked a little. “Oh.”

“I inherited the title from him, but the crew’s been without me this past year while I’ve attended Merlin Academy. Smee here’s been keeping them in check for me.

“Oh! Before I forget…” Hook’s eyes lit up before bringing his attention to one of the many containers that were strewn about the place. He pried open a crate lid with his hook before lifting something out of it in his other hand. After approaching you closely and sitting in front of your feet, he held out a wooden peg leg.

“May I?” Was all he said, and you noticed his eyes held that secret feeling you were coming closer and closer to putting a name on.

“Yes. Please.”

Leaning forward, Hook began a slow, yet warm and soothing process. He cuffed your pant leg up enough to uncover the base of your prosthetic, followed by touching the piece with his hands. He froze, looking into your eyes with a silent question. After you nodded, he proceeded again, gently undoing the straps and slowly taking it off before handing your foot -with the shoe still on- to Smee.

You felt slightly uneasy having a piece of yourself with someone you didn’t know, but since Hook trusted him so much, you decided to do so as well. After that, Hook was very swift with the rest of the job, finishing it moments later.

“Now you’re a real pirate.” He stood up, offering his hand out to you.

“I like the sound of that.” You responded, taking his offer and getting up off of the barrel.

The second you put weight on your left foot, your footing gave out and you tripped right into Hook. He instantly caught you, arms wrapped around you securely, promising safety.

“Easy there.” He cooed. “Can’t have you ruining that pretty face of yours.”

You blinked at him, trying to will the blood not to rush to your face at his compliment. “But my face is already ruined.”

Gingerly, he brought a thumb to your cheek, rubbing it against a rather thick scar.

“No,” he hummed, his eyes anywhere but yours. “The lines that adorn your face are a beautiful map, telling me of your journey in life and who you are as a person. Except I don’t need to follow it to find a buried treasure.”

Pulling away from him a bit -and totally not out of embarrassment- you said you wanted to get some walking practice in. With an “of course”, Hook took your hand once again and led you around the deck; providing little tips and tricks on how to handle the narrow point of the wooden leg. It was even harder with the slight rocking of the boat, but to your delight, you got the hang of it right away. And hey, if you stumbled a few more times, needing Hook to grab you by the waist to hold you steady, who’s to say it was intentional?

For a little while you both hung out on the deck, spending time with the other men there and listening to new and interesting stories they had to tell; real adventures. You were positive that everything Hook had done with you today was nowhere half as interesting as the things he had probably done, but you considered it an adventure nonetheless since it was something exciting you had never experienced before.

Everything was lively and jolly as the wind carried up your spirits and your hair, gifting you the scent of salt. While continuing to hear with eager interest to the impossibly outlandish tales the oldest men had to offer about their travels, Hook eventually nudged you and motioned with his head towards the set of doors beneath the higher deck.

Following him, he led you to a room filled with wonders and things of otherworldly beauty. Silk cloth strung from the ceiling, many with little beads that could cling against each other. The walls were covered with extravagant paintings and mounted heads of mythical creatures. Filling up the room were different kinds of furniture that had gems, jewelry, and apparel sitting on or hanging from every visible inch. Near the back wall sat a garnished heavy desk in front of what you recognized to be one of those beautiful colored windows. The sun had neared dusk and sent the perfect warm rays through it, setting many things in the office alight and glittering like a dragon’s den. Tiny pieces of rainbow blipped around the room, coming from the dangling necklaces that moved to the sway of the boat.

“This is beautiful, James.” You told him for the second time that day, carefully reaching out and touching a necklace chain made out of what you could only presume to be gold. “I don’t see how you could ever leave this room. All the artwork in the world couldn’t compare. It must have taken a lifetime to acquire it all.”

“You’re right, it is hard to leave.” He told you, grabbing something near him out of the corner of your eye. Then, he grinned, adding “But then I’d never get to feel the ocean breeze on my face or the sun on my skin. The rush of adrenaline as I make yet another daring escape. That’s what I live for. Freedom.“

“That’s what I live for too.” You said absentmindedly as you meandered and ran your fingers through various goods. “That’s why I fly.”

“We’re the same in that way. Although, most of this was acquired by my father. But steadily, I’m making it my own.” He moved in front of you and revealed the item he snatched. It was a necklace with a leather string; not nearly as dazzling as everything else in the glittery and shimmery room. At the end, however, laid a single, dark pearl encased in twisted silver wire.

“This was my first addition.” He began, forehead nearly touching yours as you both looked down at it. “I was eight. Nearly drowned getting that oyster.”

You moved your palm under his so you could feel the pearl with your thumb. Your breaths started to mix together.

“It must be really special to you.”

“It is.” He said honestly, then slowly tilts his hand so the necklace landed in your palm. “Which is why I want you to have it.”

You quickly scanned his eyes but found no hints of guilt or regret. You wanted to refuse, but you knew he would never take no for an answer. Instead, you let yourself feel honored at such a gift.

“Thank you.”

You wanted to return the favor, but you didn’t have anything to give him. On the other hand… your brain thought dangerously, and before you could take a second to question the idea, you leaned forward to reward him with a tender kiss on the cheek. His skin felt so soft, and it smelt like the ocean.

Hook gasped.

He gripped your arm tightly, and before you could wonder if it was for a good or bad reason, he tilted his head towards you; aiming for your lips.

A loud thud, along with what sounded like wood splintering, occurred above you. Shouting arrived after it. Hook pulled away, and with a look of annoyance and fear, ran out of the room to figure out what it was. You followed right after, trying to ignore the flustered feelings welling up in your stomach.

As soon as you reached the deck, it was instantly clear what had caused those sounds. The wood splintering came from several crates that seemed (thankfully) empty, and what so happened to make those sounds was a giant, winged lizard.

“Beastie!” You cried, launching yourself towards her. She was snarling and growling at the pirates around her pointing weapons at her, who were terrified out of their wits at seeing a dragon for the first time.

She near instantly calmed down upon feeling your hands on her snout and neck. Mouth closed and heckles lowered, she made a deep purring sound.

“It’s okay,” you told her reassuringly. “It’s okay.” Then, you turned around to the others. “It’s okay,” you declared loudly. “Beastie’s my dragon. She must’ve tracked me here, and likely thought I was in danger. Please put down your weapons; I promise she won’t harm you!”

This seemed to put the mean at ease a bit, but they mostly only lowered their weapons.

“Do it!” Hook shouted, although not unkindly. “Or are you going to question a trained dragon rider?”

Hearing the command straight from their captain seemed to put them into motion, as they followed suit right after that.

“Is this her?” Hook asked, slowly approaching with his arms up. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful creature.” He added in awe.

Beastie prickled a bit, but with Hook’s behavior and compliment, she allowed him to come closer. You took his wrist and placed it against the warm scales.

“Wow.” He breathed.

“Yeah.” You said. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

He nodded absentmindedly. You sucked in a breath, still reeling internally over what had just happened -or didn’t happen- in Hook’s office.

“I have to head back now, James.” He looked at you with sorrowful eyes. “It’s getting late.”

“Right.” He said sadly, glancing down at the floor.

He had Smee bring your foot over as you hopped on Beastie. While your brain screamed at you all the reasons you should stay, he took off the (your?) peg leg and replaced it with its true counterpart. He looked at you like he was about to beg you to not go, to beg you to be with him just a little bit longer. But you knew it was getting late, and he knew that too.

Bringing the pearl necklace quickly over your head to rest at your collar bone, you gave Hook one last look of that secret feeling before flying back to Merlin’s Academy; way too far from the boy you fell in love with.

James hook was like you in too many ways to be healthy. So, you decided then and there that you were going to give him a taste of your freedom.

Part 5

Taglist

@lesbpotmurdocklokistan

[carlos-in-glasses]

Fic Pride Friday - on a Saturday!

Thank you for the tag @freneticfloetry @lemonlyman-dotcom @bonheur-cafe

@literateowl @ladytessa74 @liminalmemories21 🧡 And for giving me a reason to create a banner for non-WIP tag games.

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

I've opted to share from three fics- Suddenly in the Silence, Where All This Love Comes From, and Wrestling Angels:

Suddenly, in the Silence:

"I think the closet is haunted," TK says, fumbling the buttons of his lapelled pajama shirt. Carlos faces the opposite side of the room. "But it's from Ikea." "Not that one." TK throws an arm towards the white pre-fab nothingy unit that had housed their pajamas. "I mean the old Reyes relic." "My dad's tatarabuelo built that," Carlos says defensively. And occupies it now, TK thinks but does not say. Instead, he opts for, "It might be fun to sleep in your old bedroom like we did that time before. Snuggled up in that creaky twin with your adorable horse comforter over us." "My old room," Carlos breathes a laugh, "Is the most haunted in this house." "With memories, though, not ghosts."

Where All This Love Comes From

A single tear slips from Carlos' eye. Years ago, there was a young man in New York City called TK Strand and he had no idea that in Austin, Texas, a stranger called Carlos Reyes was aching, yearning, pining for exactly him. He had no idea how loved he was going to be by someone he had yet to meet. He had no idea how wonderful he was as a person with or without a partner – but he was about to find out. That's why you have to keep living, Carlos thinks, so you can find out.

Wrestling Angels

But love is going to come into his life, and it won’t be what he’ll expect, because it’s going to be TK Strand, a firefighter who shows up in Austin from Manhattan following a relapse. He’s a little fierce and rough and moody and funny. He’ll bring disorder to the orderly life he’s about to work so hard to create for himself and himself alone. TK will cause him pain, and he’ll push TK’s buttons, and then it’s going to work out, and he’s going to marry him. And TK is going to be the one to ask. Love is going to be powerful, runaway, gutting, enormous – yet weirdly and utterly defined by the small moments as much as the major events. It’s going to feel physical and invisible, like storm winds that take his breath and knock him off his feet. He’s going to have sex. He’ll have it with a few guys before TK, and every time with each of those guys, it will be somewhere on a sliding scale of outright bad, awkward, embarrassing, mediocre, good, better, great, fantastic. With TK it will be different. Supercharged, mind-blowing, right from the start, and it will also be gentle, romantic, connective in a new way. It will always be a deeper experience than with anyone else. It’s going to mean something real every time, even from the beginning when TK insists that it’s not going to, and Carlos will pretend as much as he can that he doesn’t mind.

I know I'm late so might have missed things but open tag and tags below:

@reyesstrand @paperstorm @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @heartstringsduet

@vineofroses @theghostofashton @lightningboltreader @chaotictarlos

@goodways @welcometololaland @orchidscript @rmd-writes

@strandnreyes @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @chicgeekgirl89

@sznofthesticks @nancygillianmvp @safeaswrites @my-little-tilly

@sugdenlovesdingle @carlos-tk @honeybee-taskforce @sanjuwrites

@alrightbuckaroo @never-blooms

@fallout-mars - If you want to share/haven't already! No pressure ever! ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜

[christinesficrecs]

Hey, this is my first time requesting some docs. I’m really craving some possessive Derek🥹 Sterek please

Sure!

it’s obvious, you’re oblivious by EvanesDust | 14.8K | Explicit

Derek’s new roommate is alpha bait but seems disinterested in everyone—especially Derek.

Stiles is suddenly popular, but can’t seem to catch the interest of the only alpha he actually likes.

…or the one where Stiles and Derek get paired together in room assignments and are secretly in love with the other.

I don't know why, but I guess it has something to do with you by LunaCanisLupus_22 | 17.8K | Explicit

The one where Stiles goes thrift shopping and steals an alpha's shirt. And gets a lot more than he bargains for.

The subtle seduction of Stiles Stilinski by DropsOfAddiction | 5.8K | Explicit

Derek waits, thinking it will only be a matter of when, not if. But nothing ever happens.

Stiles doesn’t jump him when they’re pressed close watching films on the couch, he doesn’t clumsily kiss him while wearing his stupid sombrero and he doesn’t grab Derek’s hand when they’re at the movies.

He doesn’t do any of the things that Derek had predicted he’d do.

In fact, he doesn’t do anything at all when it comes to Derek.

Derek’s not used to having to make the first move and it terrifies him; even with his limited romantic experience with a few homicidal women, they usually just took what they wanted from him.

Derek’s never wanted anyone like he wants Stiles and every time he sees him lately, it’s like it gets a tiny bit worse.

A Letter From Mom by StilesIsMySpiritAnimal | 32.9K | Explicit

After waking up at the age of 11 without any memories of his past Stiles spends eight years with his father in the tiny town of Shelter Cove, California. After his father’s death he receives a notice from a storage facility in some town called Beacon Hills. Stiles is confused and thinks the manager made a mistake until he finds a letter that should have been for his 18th birthday that his dad never gave him. It’s from his mother, who he has no memory of. Weirdly enough, her letter mentions Beacon Hills and some woman named Talia, who he’s supposed to trust. Confused and angry at his father, Stiles sets out for Beacon Hills anxious and determined to find out what his dad had been hiding from him all these years.

It’s (Not) a Cult by lhr111 | 56K | Explicit

Well Stiles, you told me a few weeks ago that you thought Derek was leading a cult.”

At that Derek whipped his head toward Stiles in shock. “You thought I was a cult leader?”

Stiles will not be shamed. “Well, either you or Peter. Peter made more sense, but since he deferred to you that one time I was a little unsure. I mean, what else could I think with all the weird shit going on. You, hanging out with random high school seniors, doing secret things, ordering them around like you are their parent, them actually doing what you tell them. It’s really weird, okay?”

The Dynamics of Infatuation by AllTheseSquaresMakeACircle | 36.1K | Explicit

Stiles was slave. Then he wasn't. Ever since then, he's been stuck with the royal family. And if was being honest with himself, he did not entirely mind it.

The Darkness Fades Away by heartsdesire456 | 44.9K | Mature

After Derek is the one who saves Stiles from a terrible night gone wrong, they aren't the only ones forced to overcome barriers, break down walls, and try to rebuild their lives one step at a time.

Though, they are are the only ones doing it together.

Proximity by NadiaHart | 5.9K | Explicit

This was supposed to be a routine scouting mission. Go check out the creepy warehouse that suddenly appeared behind the abandoned movie theater off route 15; take some notes, maybe a photo or two. Do some basic recon and report back to the rest of the pack.

That is decidedly not what happened. And now, standing chest-to-chest, squished into a shipping crate with Derek, Stiles absently wonders where he went wrong.

He Gets Me High by talktowater | 11.5K | Explicit

Stiles and Derek act like a couple. But they're not. Seriously! Derek has a boyfriend and Stiles has a girlfriend. They're just friends, overly-attached and possessive friends, but that's it. Right?

When it all comes crumbling down by Littleredridinghunter | 216.1K

Stiles is recovering from the Nogitsune. Erica is the only one that is really there for him, Scott's too busy rekindling his relationship with Allison and Stiles feels like he's falling apart.

When a near-miss with a kelpie results in an encounter that he could never have predicted, Stiles begins to think his life might be getting back on track.

He's wrong.

Stiles' life is so messed up he can't even begin to explain it, maybe it's time for him to finally do something for himself and get out of Beacon Hills. But where will that path lead?

With Stiles involved, no doubt danger and death won't be far behind.

[34saveme34]

SMG4 sim review + Idk things funny

this is gonna be. unorganised. witness !

he sleeps with starving pou good for him

dumb hobo knockoff.......... where have I heard that before...........

interesting he's getting called a knockoff though!

some violence today I see!

he barely just woke up and is already going right in to Meme

I mean, I. respect the grind but. damn

one could say.... it's going to be perfect? Huh SMG4?

Hey that's. pretty early! Uhm. wow

he's REALLY going for the grind huh?

Also I posted before the "plan out shit vs make up shit" and man I love it for him honestly, he really does feel like someone who likes to go with the flow

and I'll say his video was pretty charming! Although it is once again Hamburger. saying once again because of his phone apparently like, having a hamburger folder full of hamburger pictures. I don't remember which episode it was at this point

very intensive meme making btw. puts his whole memeussy into it or whatever. sorry I said that, I won't delete it though. you have to read it

HE IS SO INSECURE "it should be funny" BRO, YOU'RE THE MEME MACHINE THE FUCK YOU MEAN SHOULD

CMON

me for real. me when I post something stupid and wonder if people will like it. I'm so SMG4 in this moment

his number 1 hater...... even after all this time..... what is this if not true love?

okay but genuinely so interesting. He was working hard on a video and it got disliked and 3 also called it shit

Idk I'm just, whenever 4's insecurity in his videos come up, I get reminded of his little "nobody loves me unless I am meming good" episode

especially with 3 being involved here

I bet he actually chuckled once but decided to say that anyways because he doesn't want to feed 4's non existent ego

anyways the fact, the FACT that after 3 tells him his video sucks he dies?? I know that they probably weren't going for it but it really does feel like he really REALLY cares about what 3 thinks of his stuff

it's almost like he wantst to prove himself to 3 that he can make stuff beyond 3's imagination, which is, kind of gay

can.... can this be counted as him using his guardian powers? I mean, it IS meme related even if for his video

I wonder what else can he do. I also wish we could see more moves and stuff where both of them are needed. like sure, we got the wotfi 23 fusion move but other stuff we really only saw them working by themselves

forced to hold hands doesn't count because they didn't really. use their powers there so

so disrespectful to his boyfriend..... come on man. you know he is worth millions. and his kisses for you billions

also find it really interesting that he seems to be the brightest here, like lighting wise

I wonder if he got in there because he actually LOVES being involved in 4's videos. Like, nobody else did, all the other stuff were memes

it was only 3 who wasn't, which I think especially justifies his weirdly coloured outline

I wonder, maybe, he was counted as negative points because he's not a meme

or maybe it's a bit of a throwback at the idea that he can't be funny

I just love this shot. this is so me core, I'm so like this, I'm saying this all the time

this looks so cursed

also kinda funny the ice cream seems to replenish him more than a watermelon

I mean- at least his eating isn't complete wack?

into the deep pocket you go, child

Now, let me say something controversial. I think, if 4 got over himself, he would like some fanfics. like ASMRs already like, especially this type of thing he's listening to hold a cringe factor

a cringe factor outsider people also associate with fanfiction. I'm just saying, I think he would read angst fanfics. He would read them and feel really sad but would be too ashamed to tell anyone about it

This is also supported by the fact that he likes dating sims. I don't know what his exact type is in all of this but he definitely enjoys sappy, romantic stuff. All of it. If he wasn't scared of people judging him, he would be so so SO indulgent. I think this is one of the reasons he likes hanging around Boopkins. I think he might even envy his ease of showing his interests in even the most indulgent stuff without caring what others think

you should've comforted him. Anyways why are you here, there's no way that much time passed. you're here at like 7 AM. Do you just live here 3? You also said in wotfi 23 prep stream that you have your credit card linked to 4's pc!!! you're not beating the living together allegatins, 3!!!!!!!!

although really interesting he gets his stuff together over 3's comment

he lost it at 3's words, he collected his shit together over 3's words

again, what is this if not true love in plain sight?

Really loved the fnaf bit, though Mario smashing his PC was kinda Eh

especially cuz he got punished for it

can't even be attention seeking around 4 because he's just gonna freak out and call you a distraction

and he like memes all the time which means you could become a distraction to him VERY often

lowkey makes me think 3 doesn't like to bother with some stuff because of that, like i just KNOW he wants to hang out more

like CMON

hey that's his silly little music player from last episode!

the bootleg 3 plushie in his inventory!!

a little gay I'll say

what ya lookin so crazy for!!!!!!

maybe the only fans option wouldn't have failed you like the sponsorship did

I mean at least the merch worked

which uh.....

not to be like that but my mind went catboy 3

ME !!! ME FOR REAL

by the way this once again shows how fluid and stupid fame is in the SMG4 videos

or this is like a sly sign at 4 falling off again and trying to hide his insecurity!!! I don't want that

I hope that this is just a bit that doesn't get brought up again, we don't need It's gotta perfect 2 I think

anyways that's it for the episode! Overall fun honestly

would be interesting to see videos like this with other characters as well, considering it shows an insight into the character's brain

for example here, I could tell that 4 has problems and is also still quite insecure, though that's not something that can just change so easily soooo

yeah

overall real fun though I'm left desiring a normal episode

[hils79]

Hils Watches Mysterious Lotus Casebook - Ep 10

I swear to god if he ends up having to pretend to be his own fake twin brother I am going to die

I know this is about her symbolically letting go of the past but that was a nice sachet! If she didn't want it she could have just given it back

I get nervous whenever they mention how little time he has left

He really is pushing this. Is it not enough that Li Lianhua has an ex-husband and a new boyfriend, and that Qiao Wanmian is engaged to someone else? Let it go!

Oh no. Is he going to get mad that he didn't beat Li Xiangyi in a fair fight?

I do think that's true. He's happy to forgive anyone who hurt him, but he still blames himself for everything that happened 10 years ago.

Yeah, he's angry

People do love slamming him into walls and I support this habit

Yeah, I kind of assumed he knew. Actually at first I thought he was the one who did it.

Yeah, that's not going to work. He nearly keeled over just from throwing a sword at someone

This is weirdly romantic? He doesn't want to fight anyone else no matter how good they are

Well at least now he's on board with the 'stop Li Lianhua from dying' agenda. Good. If anyone is stubborn enough to find a cure for an incurable poison it's him.

I'm amazed it took this long for the guard puppy to show up

Dude, you literally try and fight everyone who annoys you

Has anyone made a gifset of all the times Li Lianhua has wagged his finger at someone? I feel like this is a thing that should exist

I love that this is the second time in about 10 minutes that he's used his poor health as an excuse to get out of a conversation he didn't want to have

Aww! He knows Fang Duobing won't let Di Feisheng kill him. Not that Di Feisheng wants to kill him. Quite the opposite, in fact

There are going to be some really awkward conversations when Fang Duobing finds out who Li Lianhua and A-Fei really are

That's very sweet but I thought he had no money

Haha! Oh no he stole Li Lianhua's money to pay for it.

You'd think he'd be used to it by now

Haha! He has no idea how much Li Lianhua lies

Oh, sweetie, you have no idea how much you don't know

That definitely doesn't sound made up at all

OMG they're looking for Count Rugen!

I love him

[bearcreekhq]

WEIRDLY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS MEME

anonymously send a question or questions from below! credit taken from here

What's the lie you say most often?

How loosely or strictly do you use the word 'friend'?

How often do you show your genuine emotions to others?

What's a hobby you used to have that you miss?

Can you cry on command? If so, what do you think about to make it happen?

What's your favorite [insert anything] that you would never recommended to anyone before?

What would you yell in the middle of a crowd to find your best friend or romantic partner? What would they yell to find you?

How loose is your use of the phrase ‘I love you’?

Do you give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do you prefer to receive?

What fact do you excitedly tell everyone about at every opportunity?

If someone was impersonating you, what would your friends or family ask or do to tell the difference?

What's something that makes you laugh every single time? Be specific!

When do you fake a smile? How often?

How do you put out a candle?

What’s the most obvious difference between your behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when you're alone?

What kinds of people do you have arguments with in your head?

What do you notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at you?

Who do you love truly, 100% unconditionally (if anyone)?

What would you do if stuck in a room with the person you've been avoiding?

Who do you like as a person but hate their work? Vice versa, whose work do you like but don't like the person?

What common etiquette do you disagree with? Do you still follow it?

What simple activity that most people do/can do scares you?

What do you feel guilty for that the other person doesn’t even remember?

Did you take a cookie from the cookie jar? What kind of cookie was it?

What subject or topic do you know a lot about that’s completely useless?

How would you respond to being fired by a good boss?

What’s the worst gift you ever received? How did you respond?

What do you tell people you want? What do you actually want?

How do you respond when someone doesn’t believe you?

When you make a mistake and feel bad, does the guilt differ when it’s personal versus when it’s professional?

When do you feel the most guilt? How do you respond to it?

If you committed one petty crime or misdemeanor, what would it be? Why?

How do you greet someone you dislike or hate?

How do you greet someone you like or love?

What is the smallest, morally questionable choice you’ve made?

Who do you keep in your life for professional gain? Is it for malicious intent?

What’s a secret you haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

What hobby are you good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

Would you rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if you were not genuinely wanted there?

How do you respond to a loose handshake? What goes through your head?

What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did you pick up from someone or somewhere else?

If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would you present on? What would the title of your presentation be?

What do you commonly misinterpret because of your own upbringing, environment, or biases? How do you respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

What language would be easiest for you to learn? Why?

What’s something unimportant or frivolous that you hate passionately?

Are you a listener or a talker? If you’re a listener, what makes you talk? If you’re a talker, what makes you listen?

Who have you forgotten about that remembers you very well?

Who would you say ‘yes’ to if invited to do something you abhorred or strongly didn’t want to do?

Would you eat something you find gross to be polite?

What belief, moral, or personality trait do you stand by that most wouldn't agree with?

What’s a phrase you say a lot?

Do you act on your immediate emotions, or do you wait for the facts before acting?

Who would/do you believe without question?

What’s your instinct in a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn situation?

What’s something you’re expected to enjoy based on your hobbies or profession that you actually dislike or hate?

If you’re scared, who do you want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

What’s a simple daily activity or motion that you mess up often?

How many hobbies have you attempted to have over your lifetime? Is there a common theme?

*please do not interact if you are not a member in the group, this is for the use of our roleplay members. see the credit linked above for the original meme!

[quinnmorgendorffer]

gob x tony

Oh boy okay okay first of all thank you for asking and sorry for taking so long to reply!!!

anyway.....

I am not exaggerating or speaking hyperbolically when I say that Gob/Tony is truly one of the best modern, CANON gay romances ever put to film.

First off, you have Gob's whole backstory. He's the disappointment, the one who should be the one to inherit his dad's company but is too incompetent compared to his younger brother. It's, again, canon that he's kept around to commit crimes for his family, use his charm, and - this one is his own thought process - fuck people to help the business.

He's the unwanted son, the bullet in his parents' shotgun wedding, canonically his mom's least favorite child and definitely not that high on his dad's list, either. The man is desperate for love throughout the whole show, leading to him freaking out when he thinks his girlfriend doesn't appreciate his magical abilities or using his bachelor party to try to frame someone for murder just because his dad's the one planning it. He cries when he thinks his brother didn't listen to his CD! He just wants people to love and appreciate him and it never seems to work.

Then he meets Tony. And even in "Sword of Destiny", Tony is impressed by him! And Tony takes enough interest to come to his wedding illusion and seem vaguely impressed as well - and note that no one from his family came to the wedding at all except Tobias, and that was just because he got an acting gig!

And, though they both were faking at first, Tony listens to him. Tony doesn't judge him. Tony is just as ridiculous as him, is just as "same" as him, and obviously feels a need to be around him for more than the Fakeblock scam, just like how Gob obviously wants to be around him for more than just to ruin his career. After all, they're both disappointed and hurt when they think the other is straight, not just angry and mad they did this for nothing like you would think if they didn't have feelings for each other.

And Gob, the man who consistently tries to run away from his problems - including even Tony at first in the beginning of s5 - becomes someone who actually proposes that they go on the road together, that Tony runs away with him. And then when he finds out that Tony is still really alive, he's the one who tracks him down and brings him back to Newport Beach.

And Tony, someone shown to not give a damn about anybody - he surely isn't romantic with Sally and he was doing something with his brother's widow ("it's fucked up") - cares so much about Gob. He tries at first to gently let him down when he's denying his own feelings. He apologizes for "missing" their sex date. He doesn't laugh at Gob for getting his words mixed up ("branding each other's taint"), which most everyone else does to him whether he realizes it or not ("the matriarch, if you will" "sure, I will"). He even agreed to do the 2nd of July float, and I cannot believe someone as show-boat-y as Tony fucking Wonder, someone who has to be the center of attention, would do a combined magician act for just anyone. And that's not even getting into the look of pure fucking LOVE Tony gives Gob in the series finale or how he's the one to suggest "Just hands!" to him.

And, outside of the canon of the show, I've seen some people say it started as a homophobic joke and I truly do not believe that. From my knowledge, Mitch basically made Gob a magician because it was funny. And you know what's funnier than one magician? Two magicians! And since magic is still weirdly a man's world, of course a magician couple happens to be two men. Will Arnett even said the story is sweet and is about Gob finding a connection he's never had before. And since they were planting hints of Gob's sexuality for YEARS, I find it hard to believe they were trying to be homophobic in any way. (Though, tbh, I have to agree with Maeby that "Gay Gob is funny.")

Anyway, I'll stop there. But tl;dr, Blunder is a true fucking masterpiece of romance and I will take no critiques on that.

Send me a ship and I’ll give you my (brutally) honest opinion on it

[leastdatablebracket]

ROUND 4, MATCH 2

Propaganda under the cut!

Shuu Iwamine

Propaganda

This damn partridge kills you CONSTANTLY, regardless if you romance him or not. One of them is literally at the START of the school year, he beheads you then uses your head to pilot this grotesque horror movie android thing! Completely unprompted, you can just die immediately! Horrible school doctor material, even worse boyfriend material, but alas, he's my favorite character.

[hatobf spoilers and also gore / violence kind of ?] he literally kills the mc in both of his endings, and in the true route he uses her best friend to kill her . and chops her body up and puts them in boxes to his student . and he puts her brain in a strange scarecrow machine . its insane hes so undateable man <//3

Decapitates protagonist and puts her head in a jar. Kills multiple other characters. Just generally an unpleasant person . My favorite character btw

He hates your species, sees you more as a science experiment than a romantic partner, and also kills you in his ending. Plus he has just, the worst attitude about the whole thing.

Bad End with him the government takes you out. "Good" end with him he cuts off your head, sticks it in a jar, and talks to it while on the run from the government. (Spoilers for hatoful BBL) True End of the whole game that ties up all the characters' stories, he kills you again but this time sends your head to your childhood best friend and takes your brain out to make basically robo-frankenstein. Was also an adult when the MC was a young child, and is the school nurse at MC's high-school. He's also a partridge. 

Literal birderer (bird murderer) 

It also turns out the (unrequited?) love of his life was the father of the MC's childhood friend. AND HE DOESN'T PULL ANY OF THIS SHIT WITH HIM. HE EVEN BECOMES A SLIGHTLY BETTER PERSON FOR HIM IN HOLIDAY STAR. It even turns out that everything thing he did in the true route of Hatoful Boyfriend was to fulfill a promise he made to that man on his deathbed (ALTHOUGHT RYOUTA'S FATHER NEVER ASKS HIM TO COMMIT ANY MURDERS, FATBIRD JUST THINKS MURDERS ARE A GREAT SOLUTION TO MANY PROBLEMS). So like, he's not just a murderous sadistic partridge who is also kind of a dick. He could not be one. Just NOT FOR YOU. OR ANYONE ELSE. JUST THIS ONE SPECIFIC PIGEON.

Solas

Propaganda

He believes all mortal beings deserve to die. He is bald but in a very unsexy way. He exudes zero chemistry and talking to him about romance is like talking to a boiled egg. 

Described by major media as "elf hitler," he dumps you to destroy the world

He is a smelly know it all, and that's before you find out he is a deity in disguise who caused the rift you spend the game trying to fix in the first place and he betrayed you and chopped off your hand

Breaks up with you, disappears without saying anything, plans to destroy the world

Look. I’ll admit I have not personally romanced solas. I am baffled that anyone would WANT to romance solas. I know we all love a waify little elf wizard with questionable motivations but jfc look at him like im trying not to say anything demeaning about bald dudes but he does not wear it well. Also iirc you can only romance him if you’re also an elf and then he’s weirdly rude and dismissive if your character is Into Elf Culture. Look im a huge lesbian but Iron Bull is RIGHT FUCKING THERE why would you do this.

[orelsemystery]

my OCs from Or Else! they're all normal and well-adjusted and soooo good at talking about their feelings.

Charles (upper left): former reporter, current assistant to Julian. wants to be a detective, a Romantic poet, a free spirit, a cloistered academic, a fantasy world hero, etc etc. is actually a socially anxious millennial.

Julian (upper right): private detective. used to be the star of a kid's TV show called Young Sherlock. doesn't seem to want anyone to mention that. is weirdly shy for someone whose job is to be nosy.

Piper (bottom left): grad student. watson to lu's holmes. they're not not an emotionally messy queer wracked with longing. they're not not increasingly conflicted about the cultish, dysfunctional state of their English department.

Lu (bottom right): grad student. big main character energy. unfortunately, is actually the "missing woman who becomes a cipher for everyone else to project on" type in this story. writes about erotic fanfiction and victorian ghosts. did she leave because she was too cool for school or did something more sinister take her away??

find the picrew here!

[jaskiers-lutkulele-of-sex]

Follow up from Eddie's POV as a bathroom-shy camp counselor

So here's the thing- Steve kinda knew he was a freak. The summer before, the first summer he and Robin had worked together, Steve had taken ten on the last night of a week from hell (was he supposed to be finding campers as part of the very last counselor vs camper game? Yes. But if he never saw another camper again, it might have been too soon), and he'd ducked into one of the single occupancy bathrooms off the mess hall.

He'd pissed, maybe cried a little, washed his face, and was just trying to find the reserves to go back out, when the door burst open and Robin Buckley had thrown herself in, and slammed the door behind her, flopping dramatically up against it, like someone was following her.

They'd looked at each other, startled, started to laugh, and rapidly found themselves almost crying.

She eventually explained that she'd seen a moment to make a break for it, and had been hoping for, like, five minutes of solitude before she had to kill one of her girls.

They sat on the floor, and they chatted, and they de-stressed for a moment...

And that started it. For the rest of that summer, they did their best to have overlapping downtime, overlapping activities, to pick each other's cabins for joint activities, and to hit the staff bathrooms in the evenings and chat a little, debrief on the day, while they brushed their teeth and stuff.

And at the end of the summer, at the end of an even more shit week (basically a skeleton crew of staff as almost half of them were down with the same virus or whatever that had been going around all summer.)

Steve and Robin were almost the last men standing, and at lunch they'd sat across from each other, and resisted the urge to lay their heads down on their arms, and looked at each other, and silently realized they both Also now had that stupid virus, but there was No One Else, so they were gonna have to suck it up and push through, and make it another 20 hours until the kids all went the fuck home.

So that night, slow and a bit loopy, and fucking desperate for the week to be over, they had sat down and leaned on each other and maybe even cried a bit, and talked.

And Robin had come out to him.

And Steve... hadn't been honest with her.

He thought he'd handled it well (really well, considering he'd been working his way up to being a little bit in love with her), and he was, like, very very honored that she felt like she could tell him, and he Did love her, he decided, even if it wasn't gonna be romantic, because he wanted the world for her, he wanted her to want someone who would be GOOD for her, and to her, and would think she was as like cool and neat and as special of a person as he did (and that was Not going to be Tammy Thompson, he was Very sure).

But what he hadn't done? Was say "me too."

Well, not that he was also a lesbian, but that he Also liked... well, he liked More Than Girls, he was pretty sure, and had for a long time maybe, and he wasn't completely sure what that was called, if it was, like, at all normal.

And that wasn't all.

Steve had a kink. Well, Steve had several, had had enough sex and spent enough time alone jerking off in his teenage hood to know about Several slightly less-common things he liked that most other folks didn't seem to...

But he had one Big Weird one. One that he'd never told anyone about, and never planned to, and actually had sort of figured was an ab... a bud... a burr nation or whatever, Wrong and Bad like liking boys was supposed to be...

Steve liked it when folks... well. He liked it when people he liked were... kind of desperate.

Growing up, he'd always been weirdly fascinated by stuff on TV like when someone was a prisoner and tied up and stuff, and they had to ask the bad guy to let them go so they could pee. Or where the good guys spiked the bad guys drink with laxatives, so the bad guy would have to stop chasing them and run to the bathroom, things like that.

He didn't know why he was so interested, but he had been, and in a way that felt like he instinctively should hide it, as instinctively as he hid that he liked to look at other boys sometimes.

At least part of his King Steve persona had been about being a person No One would suspect of being... perverted? No one looked at King Steve: Ladies Man and thought maybe he also kind of thought he'd like to touch another guy's dick. No one looked at King Steve: Perfect from hair to shoes, and thought maybe he also liked to put off going to the bathroom sometimes just to feel it build, to jerk off while desperate to piss, and let relieving himself afterwards feel kind of like coming a second time... that he'd like to get a partner that way- so full and worked up that they didn't know what was gonna happen first, and he'd be absolutely fine with it either way, as long as he could watch them struggle to hold on, to let go, to finally break and feel so blissful...

Anyway.

He'd said none of that to Robin.

Back in Hawkins, they'd stayed close, him driving her to school, her coming over to hang and watch movies sometimes in the evening... if she had wanted to pretend to date him or something, like, so people would have "proof" she liked boys, they couldn't have done a much better job.

And Steve... well. He didn't, like, come out? Exactly? But he... well at first he maybe Failed to Hide the part where sometimes he liked guys, but after, after he realized what he'd said one night, while they were watching one of his more action-type picks... well, she hadn't made a big deal out of it.

So.

So he stopped hiding that part.

And the other ... Well, Robin knew he'd had a pretty solid sex life there for a while, and although sometimes they talked about stuff (yeah, Steve knew they had a weird friendship, for a guy and a girl. Maybe weird for Anyone, but yeah probably weird for two people who weren't dating), but she sometimes made a big deal out of Too Much info (and sometimes pushed for more, fascinated), and he'd been pretty careful, he thought, to not give anything away.

... And then Eddie Munson signed up to play guitar all summer at Steve and Robin's camp.

Robin Clocked Steve Clocking Eddie as fast as it happened, and Steve was no sooner talking himself down from "oh shit, Munson's hot", than he was scowling at Robin as she suggestively wiggled eyebrows and meaningfully nodded her head and just generally made a nuisance of herself (And she had no legs to stand on- Steve Also Saw how tongue-tied and left-footed Robin kept getting around another new counselor, Chrissy Cunningham.)

And Steve thought he was doing all right, thought he was maybe covering for his slightly too-intense interest in Eddie... until the first break, until there were like eight of them and some weed and some beer, and a liiiiittle bit of harder stuff, and they were all winding down and taking the edge off in Quail Cabin, over on the girls' side.

And Eddie started squirming.

Eddie was kind of a squirrely dude, so Steve might not have even noticed (except that he Always Noticed certain behaviors), but it got worse and worse, and Eddie got quieter and quieter.

Steve couldn't figure out why Eddie hadn't excused himself. The girls had all been out at least once, and Steve thought every guy but Eddie had taken at least one opportunity to step out and pee on a tree, but there Eddie was, clearly uncomfortable, clearly not going to do anything about it.

Steve had kind of needed to take a shit for a little while, like, by no means urgently, but like he could if he needed to? And normally he would have just waited till they were all done and gone before bed (Or maybe not, if he had time to kind of enjoy the urgency a bit, later)

But, feeling bad about whatever Eddie's dilemma was, his Thing didn't really extend to people being Unhappy or whatever (In all his fantasies, the only thing he wanted his partners to feel was Relieved and Good, after), Steve excused himself down to the bathroom.

Maybe Eddie was freaked out by going out in the dark by himself? Seemed a little weird for the hellfire worshiping-the-devil dude, but people could surprise you. Steve certainly knew that.

Robin joined him, and Eddie did too, thank Jesus, but he got kind of... kind of cagey or something, when they got down to the girls bathroom.

Steve didn't hear him take a stall, but the almost-there affect or whatever had taken hold and Steve actually suddenly did have to go kinda bad, so he was momentarily just focused on that...

And after he was done, he could hear sinks running... But he didn't think...

And when he came out? Eddie looked bad. Eddie looked really bad.

Robin had clocked it too, and after Steve made her stop being a jerk and go away, Eddie had gone super white and made for the stall and basically fell down. Steve caught him, and helped him, and then in the rush realized that Eddie hadn't been able to latch the door

Steve thought Eddie definitely didn't want anyone to hear him, but he also probably didn't want anyone to walk in, so Steve just stood there awkwardly holding the door, and keeping himself focused on anything except for listening to Eddie practically moan with relief on the other side of the door.

Stupid crush. Stupid kink. Stupid dick getting inappropriately chubbed up.

Eventually, the sounds of Eddie seriously blowing up the toilet slowed, and then stopped (as did the, like, ecstatic moaning Steve had been guiltily committing to memory).

When Eddie emerged again, he was clearly embarrassed, but also just as clearly relieved , relaxed in a way he... well, he rarely was. And it looked good on him, the ease in his shoulders, the pink of exertion across his cheeks and nose... fuck this was definitely only making Steve's thing worse.

And Eddie admitting that he didn't like to go to the bathroom in public? Implying that he regularly held it longer than was comfortable to avoid that?

Fuck.

(Now, Steve did think this probably meant that Eddie didn't drink enough in the day, but that was probably an argument for another day)

So yeah, they chatted, and made amends, and Eddie splashed water on his face (and Steve failed at not watching the water drip down his neck, at noting how the damps made the hair around his face even curlier) and they headed back up to the cabin.

And when they ended the night? When Steve and Eddie finally parted ways?

There was definitely a new... rapport there. An intimacy maybe?

Steve wanted to take Eddie's little bashful grin and good night and fold them away into his breast pocket.

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

Writing request thing: Bucky + "friends kiss each other all the time, righr?"

OMG @bolontiku, this prompt grabbed me so hard, and I had so many different scenarios immediately pop into my head. This little shorty was the favourite way I saw this playing out. __________

It was obvious to everyone, except for maybe him, that you were smitten with Bucky Barnes. It didn’t help that he was weirdly affectionate with everyone on the team. With Steve, you got it. They’d been best friends for close to a hundred years. The lack of personal space between them made sense. It did with Natasha too, after all, they had some Red Room history that neither of them spoke about, but somehow had trauma-bonded them. With the rest of you, there were easy touches, affectionate shoulder bumps and sometimes, and this was where it was weird, kisses. Usually just on the forehead. But it seemed strange to you that this formerly-brainwashed murder machine had turned into the unofficial goddamn sunshine officer.

You were flopped on the couch watching the news, feet propped up on an ottoman when he popped over the back of it and flopped down beside you, slung his arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to kiss you on the cheek.

“How was your day, doll?” The low rumble of his voice hit you right in the sweet spot and you thought you might need to bit your tongue lest you moan and lean further into him.

“The usual. Nat beat the crap out of me on the mats, Clint killed me at the range, and I thought Steve was actively trying to kill me when we went on our run. Then I cleaned the table at poker this afternoon, and reminded them it’s my big brain that makes me so important,” you laughed.

“You even beat Tony?”

“I’m thirty-five thousand to the better because he’s too cocky. Might not be a big bet to him, but that’s going to my favourite charity,” you laughed.

“You didn’t consider going on a vacation?” He asked.

“Nah. Don’t have anyone to go with,” you shrugged. He squeezed you close. 

“I’d go with you,” he offered. 

“Yeah, but I want to go on a romantic vacation, with a view of a perfect turquoise beach, where it’s just as easy to lay in bed all day than head to the swim-up bar, and clothing in the room is optional,” you laughed, leaning into him. Bucky leaned away from you and smiled.

“Sounds good. I’m in,” he said, his voice just a shade lower, just a touch rumbly-er. A whole lot sexier.

“Oh but -”

“Sweetheart, I know dating is a lot different now than it was during the ‘30s, but I’m ready to take our relationship to the next step. I’d like to make us a steady thing. This sounds like the perfect opportunity,” he said.

“Oh.” You couldn’t find other words. You blinked and looked at him, and tilted your head, confusion washing over you. “Oh?” It was Bucky’s turn to look confused.

“Sweetheart, we’ve been dating for months now?” He asked.

“We have?” You asked.

“We have a standing Friday date night, we go to the pictures together every Monday. And Taco Tuesday?” He replied.

“Oh my god,” you breathed. You’d been dating your dream man for months and hadn’t noticed? He started laughing and pulled you in to kiss your forehead again.

“I don’t kiss anyone else. Do you?”

“But,” you paused, gaping. “But friends kiss each other all the time, don’t they?”

Bucky let out a loud bark of laughter. “I know I was out of it for a long time, but even I know that friends don’t kiss all the time. Maybe I moved slower than a modern girl like yourself likes,” he chuckled, leaning close enough that you could smell his mint toothpaste. “Maybe I should have done this sooner.” He closed the gap between you and pressed his lips against yours.

__________

@rampant-salamander