#I MISS THEM SO MUCH MAYBE I SHOULD DO A REWATCH...

[avelera]

One of your posts mentioned something about viktor not truly acknowledging Jayce's workload when it came to him being a Councillor. Could you please elaborate on that?

Sure. I mean, maybe if I went back through and did an exhaustive rewatch, I'd find something to contradict the point, but as far as I can recall, the closest Viktor ever comes to saying that Jayce might be overworked is when he calls his time going over the shipping manifests for the Hexgates a waste of time because they should be working on innovations to help people in need (ie, Viktor obfuscating once again that he is dying and wants Jayce's urgent help but framing it in such a way that it sounds like a long-term societal problem instead of a short term personal one, so it goes right over Jayce's head).

And look, let me preface this by saying Viktor is actively dying at this point. He's sick, and in pain, and terrified, and he feels abandoned by the most important person in his life. I'm not saying it was wrong of him to not acknowledge Jayce's workload, or bad, or in any way not understandable. Jayce is an adult too and Viktor was definitely suffering more at that point than him.

But on one of many rewatches, I did note that when Jayce says, "Sorry, I have a lot on my plate lately." it is objectively true. And Viktor doesn't even acknowledge it. Being a full time councilor and promoting Hextech and working in the lab and trying to help Viktor and dealing with a civic crisis that could lead to outright civil war, etc etc everything else happening in S1, it's no wonder Jayce is snippy and on edge at the bridge, the guy should be on the edge of collapse quite frankly.

And Viktor doesn't care. He thinks Jayce's time on the Council is a waste of time, so he doesn't acknowledge the burden of it. That includes not acknowledging the fact that the Hexcore would have been destroyed and Viktor's one hope for a cure gone with it if not for Jayce's power and influence now. Jayce only became a Councilor to advance their research and help Viktor, but Viktor doesn't once acknowledge this and seems actively angry and jealous about it.

By the way, this isn't a case of one of them is right and the other is wrong, it's just a case of two very human people being human. It's very well written. But Viktor's lack of empathy for the challenges Jayce is facing means he's also not seeing how much of what Jayce is doing is for his benefit, how many burdens Jayce is taking on for Viktor's sake.

Viktor's emotional arc at the end of S1 includes a lot of feelings of abandonment by Jayce which are objectively not true. If he acknowledged Jayce's workload, he might also come to the realization that he's not abandoned, that Jayce is entirely focused on him just in different arenas. Maybe it would give Viktor the impetus to say "Hey, I don't want your help as a Councilor, I want your help in the lab because I'm scared and alone and dying and I'm about to make some very rash decisions because of all those feelings." Instead of just sucking it up and going it alone, which eventually leads to Sky's death and Viktor's collapse into utter hopelessness and resignation towards his own death.

And by the way, this isn't conjecture that Viktor is bad at seeing how much people around him care for him. Sky is another example of this. Viktor is so focused on extending his own life that, to paraphrase Heimerdinger in 2.07, he's not using the time he has to be with the ones he loves.

Later he will weep and rage at how he completely missed out on knowing Sky as a person, he completely missed out on knowing she cares for him. He'll craft an entire specter of her to keep him company as a result of this guilt in S2, because he can't live with the guilt of the fact he objectively missed out on spending time with the real woman when she was alive. And that is another version of what he's doing to Jayce in S1, by not seeing that Jayce isn't ignoring him, he's desperately trying to help in every way he can and the workload is burying him.

[probablysimpledreams]

Another Chance (Dabi x reader)

a/n: grrrr all I can think about is Touya I just love him so so much!!! His ending and the entire LOV's endings still have me so :( and I've been imagining what it would look like if they all survived the war and got to live. Which led me to write up this fic where the reader was dating Dabi pre-war and didn't know he survived until Shoto sought you out and allow y'all to reunite!!! There's a hint of angst but overall it's very cutey because Touya deserves all the love!!!

wc: 1017

"I've killed over 30 innocent civilians. The firstborn of the Todoroki family. I am going to tell you all why I committed these heinous crimes."

Despite the words leaving the villain's mouth, you couldn't help but smile softly as you rewatched Dabi's reveal video for the fifth time. Work was slow and you were missing him a little more than usual today. Besides, it really was all you had left of him.

It had been almost three months since the war between heroes and villains went down, completely changing the world you once knew. This meant it was coming up on three months since you last saw your lover. Since the night he broke up with you, saying his time in this world was up and you should move forward. Without him.

"Excuse me," a young man says as he approaches the front desk you're seated behind. His voice snaps you out of your spiraling heartbroken thoughts. You take a deep breath, pulling yourself together and throwing on your customer service face. "Are you ______?"

"I am. How can I help you today?"

"My name is Shoto Todoroki." Your stomach drops. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

-----------------------------

For the first time in months, the week flew by. Today was finally the day you were going to reunited with Dabi. As excited as you were, anxiety was growing more and more inside your head. What if he didn't actually want to see you? What if you only make things harder for him? He was already suffering so much, maybe it would be better if you just went home and never came back and-

"He's going to be happy to see you." Shoto smiles as he places a hand on your shakey shoulder, breaking silence in the waiting room where you sat with his siblings and mother, all waiting for Touya to wake up from his nap.

"Yeah the idiot has been saying your name like every other day," Natsuo chimes in with a wide grin. "Still can't believe out of all his secrets, he had a gorgeous partner this whole time. You sure you're not some spy or something?" Fuyumi slaps his shoulder, shooting you an apologetic look before the two bicker. You chuckle at the sight, feeling your anxiety go down. You never imagined Dabi would have come from such a lively family.

"He's awake," a nurse approaches your group. You stand up with his siblings, Rei smiling softly at everyone before you all walk into his hospital room.

"Touya-nii," Shoto is the first to speak upon entering the room. "You have a guest."

"Yeah well fuck off," he grumbles, closing his eyes again despite just waking up.

"Well you heard him ______, guess we should head then," Natsuo teased loudly. Touya's eyes widen at hearing this, sitting up on the bed as his eyes scanned the room, landing on you with a shocked expression.

"________?" he asked in disbelief that you were standing here in front of him. Fuyumi and Natsuo snicker hearing his heart monitor rapidly beat, causing Touya to throw up a middle finger their way before returning his focus on you. You stood awkwardly as he sat awkwardly, unsure what to do next.

"Let's give them some privacy, yeah?" Fuyumi grabs Shoto and Natsuo before heading out the room, closing the door behind her. The silence persists until you speak up.

"Is it okay if I sit?" you ask, pointing to a spot on the large hospital bed. The size of the bed and private room must be a perk that comes with the Number One Hero's money paying for your medical bills. He nods, shakey bandaged hands smoothing out the bedsheets before you take a seat with him. "So Dabi-"

"Touya," he cuts you off. "You can call me Touya. At this point Dabi is gone." He sounded so nervous as he spoke it made your heart ache.

"Okay," you respond. "So Touya," you giggle upon hearing his heart rate monitor speed up again after saying his name. You take a shakey deep breath, collecting your thoughts. There was so much you wanted to say to him. You wanted to yell at him for leaving you. You wanted to cry, thanking the heavens and earth he was still alive. You wanted to make him promise he'd never do this to you again. Yet every time you went to open your mouth, no words would leave. Touya took notice to the conflicting emotions on your face each time you went to speak, the heavy weight of guilt tugging at his heart.

"I-I'm so sorry....." his words were quiet and it sounded like he was about to cry. He doesn't expect you to forgive me. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if you didn't love him anymore. His heart sank as he heard muffled sobs leaving your mouth. He couldn't look at you.

"Can we start over?" you smile as he finally meets your teary eyes. His bandaged hand reaches to cup your face, thumb rubbing away the tears that have fallen from your eyes. He felt didn't deserve another chance at life like this, but god he wanted it more than anything. This time it wasn't because of hatred or spite. No he wanted to live out of love. Out of love for his siblings. For his mother. For you. Especially for you.

"Yeah, I'd like that," his voice is shakey as he speaks. He feels insanely nervous as he asks his next question, as if it's the first time he's ever asked you this. "C-can I kiss you?"

"Please." You don't care how desperate you sound in your answer. You needed him to know how you've been longing for him all this time, how he hadn't left your thoughts once since the last night you saw him. He pulls you into a sweet, gentle kiss. His lips are more burnt than the last time you shared a kiss, but it doesn't matter. He still tastes the same. He's still the same man you love. And this time, neither of you were going to let the other get away.

[shapelytimber]

Wanted to paint some of my favorite characters, nothing more nothing less

[COMMISSIONS]

Way too much yapping like an embarrassing amount, the individual portraits and the template I used below vvv

I shouldn't be allowed to talk about my favorite characters- especially to people who (presumably) don't know them xjfkdk apart from the very popular ones ofc

ILLYA KURYAKIN (The man from U.N.C.L.E)

gay ass little Russian spy I love him he is so *dramatic* and a huge nerd and a Beatles fan and into fashion design- perfect pocket size blorbo ;w; also seeing a Russian character being given a positive leading role in an American tvshow from the 60s ?? Yes he lives in New York and works for UNCLE America.... But he is still a communist ?? Incredible ! Also I really like the fact he isn't given the cliché personality traits often given to Russian characters i e anger issues drinks a lot violent ect (looking at you shitty(imo) modern remake... What did you do to my little guy ;;). In a close contest with Spock for the "gayest man from tvshow" of the 60s..... And in my heart he is winning djdkd for me the gay subtext of muncle hits so much more because it's not a scifi show- it's closer to home, Napoleon and Illya were *like that* in the present day of the 60s, they were both human, and no alien fuckery made them go to the village more than once or play house in the suburbs or get attached ass up to get pegged on a regular basis... Truly a show that feels written by an old queen and a guy with the biggest fem dom fetish jkvjjkb (don't get me wrong tho I adore star trek tos and spirk too <3)

KUROO HAZAMA and PINOKO (Black Jack)

sometimes I rewatch some of the oavs from the 90s when I'm sad :) I had a huge phase a couple years back when I read nearly all the manga (should really finish it... Or reread the whole thing frankly), watched *all* the shows (bar young black jack, hated that shit) and idk I just love this venal bitch so much- him and his daughter and his conflicted feelings for his tboy ex that he still loves kfkfkf btw I'm dying for a modern take on this like please please please I'd love to see Kei Kisaragi's story rewritten a bit (trans character in the 70s sure was progressive but oh boy-), because him and black jack's relationship makes me so *weak*.... And maybe see him a bit more than in one story- anyway ! When it comes to his daughter Pinoko, it's very hit or miss- when the writers lean on the cute father adoptive daughter relationship it's great, when they lean more on the whole "she has a crush on him" (very much like a child in most case, and he *never* reciprocate thank god) and bring up the fact she is technically 18 a lot (she was an evil tumor trapped in her sister before he created a body for her- black jack shit dw), and she gets jealous of other women.... Well it's terrible and I'm uncomfy :(

EVA KANT (Diabolik)

Look.... You just can't show me danger diabolik 1968 and not expect me to become insane djdkdkdk she is so cool ;; !!! Her and her devious eel of a man (here as a panther, because even tho I haven't read the comic yet, I'm taking an educated guess that all the panther imagery is here to represent him, the lethal twunk always in the all black gimp suit... And if it's not then fuck my entire life ig fjfkkd), the cuntiest het couple you've ever seen, such freaks I love them ! Partners in crime that will blow up the tax offices of the whole country if you try to put a bounty on them <3 they are in the guilty faves category only because I'm this invested in these characters after 1 (one) movie fkfkf watched the first two remakes and was hmmm let's say underwhelmed, could have been worse but going after the 60s one ie peak cinema was hard... I went in fully invested in these heterosexuals and they still fucked up their romance and relationship ;; (don't spoil me the third one btw haven't seen it yet ! I know it's the yaoi one- which doesn't give me much hope for Eva tbh...) I'll soon start reading the comics tho ! Managed to find all twelve volumes of "Il grande Diabolik" in french for pretty cheap so I'm excited for that :D (might scan them and upload them online because omg I tried finding scans in *any* language and only found a dubious website that sold digital copies for 7€ a volume ??? What is this)

UTA (The Void / Тургор / Turgor / Tension)

Apathy girlyyyyy she just like me for real for real nfkfk what absolutely charmed me about her is yes her design, but more importantly her chamber's design (if you've never played the void, a sister's chamber is a space that represent her. You get a sense of who she is by exploring her chamber before finding her and talking to her soul it's great). The lonely island out at sea, her laying down on a suspended steel boat in a grotto, looking passively at the moon by a crack on the ceiling.... And the moon is looking back. Incredible ! I love this game so much

KIM KITSURAGI (Disco Elysium)

Do I really have to explain this one ? When I played the game with quiji I remember I kept saying "when Kim talks, we *listen*" djkdk we did get a good grade in Kim Kitsuragi and got him to dance in the church <3 this fucking centrist cop wormed it's way into my heart and many others because of course he did. The only Kim K in my eyes. Also funny anecdote : before I played Disco Elysium, I had one concept art masterclass where a kinda famous concept artist came to give advice, make us really stressed then give us a shitty grade.... And when I tell you this man looked so much like Kim ??? Same haircut, glasses, face with a scar *exactly* where Kim's portrait has a stark shadow on his cheek and he was dressed in an orange top- truly uncanny. Anyway, Kim is so fucking cool how does he do it

DARK VADOR (La guerre des étoiles)

*sight* not surprising if you know me... and to be clear when I say Vader I don't mean Anakin Skywalker, post barbecue only zouz here. I refuse to yap about this man djdkdk I already do that way to much in ao3 comment sections

And here is the template I used ! Don't know who made it tho sorry...

PS : all these where made in 2-3 hours each :D wanted to challenge myself by painting quickly, and I mostly (looking at the Eva Kant one that gave me trouble) succeeded !

[sulumuns-dootah]

Can I please request a whb king's reaction to actress/actor mc but this time mc is in a dramatically sweet or cringy romance movie as the main lead? With the ending being the main couple having a child time skip cuz like why not (asmo's breeding kink...)

WHB kings w/ a romance movie actor reader

⟡ Masterlist ⟡

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

As much as Satan tries to enjoy the movie, it's not exactly his cup of tea

It will be kinda hard for him to stay focused, but will try his hardest

If there's some drama and maybe fighting that ends with a kiss, he's immediately into it

Also, he hates to admit it, but he's jealous of your co-star

So to somehow keep himself entertained, he'll look for ways to trashtalk them and the things they say

(Pointing out that it's just a script they're reading is useless)

       ༺☆༻

I also don't see Mammon as romance movie enjoyer, but he doesn't hate them either

There are a few romance movies you can get him to enjoy and yours is one of them

Mammon is especially interested in the part where the main couple moves into their dream house

He can't help but wonder what would be your dream home

And don't get me started on the wedding ring

The one that he'll get you, should you want one, will be way bigger and better than whatever that tiny stone was in the movie

       ༺☆༻

Cheesy romance movies are Leviathan's secret guilty pleasure

Sure, he will watch your movie and even like it, but won't tell you he did

His envy gets triggered every time there's a scene between the main couple wiht them touching or kissing

Sure, it's just one kiss on screen, but how many rehearsals and failed shots were there before you nailed it? He doesn't even want to try to guess

If he sees your co-star anywhere around you again, he can't be responsible for his actions

       ༺☆༻

Watching movies with Beel is fun for the same reason it's frustrating to show him the movie you starred in

He'll watch the movie whole, but focus on the exactly wrong thing

It's always something random too

I imagine Beel's the type to make '(a scene)but it just zooms in on random items' movie edits

Will point out background mistakes like missing flowerpots or extras changing clothes mid-scene

Only when it's solely you, centered in the shot, he'll finally pay attention to your character

       ༺☆༻

Belphie tries really hard to stay awake, he really does

But to him unless it's anime, it's kinda boring

Where's the superpowers? the cursed beings? the jojo stands?

If there's Beleth with you in the room, it's to Belphie's benefit

Belphie'll be awake as you're settling in to watch the movie and by the time you stop checking in on him, he'll be out

And then all that Beleth needs to do, is nudge him awake before you start asking for his opinion

       ༺☆༻

Asmo loves cheesy romance movies!

They remind him of his past lover and some of them even have sex scenes

And sometimes you can even cach him on the verge of crying once the big movie climax happens :)

So now that you're playing in one, he's found the one he'll keep rewatching over and over

Ooh, but if there's a sex scene in your movie, the mood drastically changes

Screw the movie... Asmo suddenly feels like rewriting the movie and showing you exactly what he'd do differently (you already know where this goes)

And the movie time skip to children is absolutely one of his favorite parts

Too bad he can't actually make you pregnant bc of his past lover's curse bc he would absolutely love to have a mini army of mini you's running around Hell

       ༺☆༻

If you ask, Lucifer would tell you that he doesn't have a movie preference, but romace movies are one of them

Generally, any movie that he can watch with the rest of the Paradise Lost demons without them arguing over it is a good one

Lucifer loves learning about the human experience so any realistic movie is a nice way of him to find out more

As you show him your movie, he'll watch it carefully and remember from it way more than even you could

The final scene with the main couple and their kids makes him smile

Similarly to Asmo, he can't help but wonder what it would be like to have a mini halfling that looks like the two of you combined, running around

[luckhound]

gintoki + relationship headcanons.

↻ pairing ✦ gintoki/gender neutral reader

↻ request ✦ I read your rules and stuff, and I hope I read it right gsusvjddn can I request some relationship headcanons for Gintoki? I can't watch the final movie for Gintama yet and I am devastateD —anonymous

↻ warnings ✦ mild suggestive content, blink and you'll miss it; terrible attempt at humour

author's note: this is several years late but i Just started a rewatch and was reminded of my love for this story and its characters. so uh, better late than never?

First of all, you deserve a medal for perseverance. You managed to do the impossible by entering into a relationship with this man, who dodges romantic entanglements without even trying to despite the many possible love interests in the source material

Now you have to deal with a cheapskate who doesn't have a single romantic bone in his body. Congrats!

Don't expect to be taken out on a date any time soon; his idea of a good time is to recline on the couch and read Jump. Unfortunately, that doesn't change even when he has a partner who he could be spending his free time with

When the two of you do go out, maybe sit down somewhere for a bite to eat, Gintoki expects you to pay. What? He should foot the bill? With what money? Any cash that so much as brushes his hands is snatched up by the old hag (Otose), or gobbled up by the brat with the bottomless stomach (Kagura), or swallowed up by the pachinko machines that the idiot hits up (Gintoki)

Rarely do you have privacy. At any given time, a revolving door of characters will intrude upon your finite alone time with Gintoki; if it isn't the rare client asking for help, it's one of his friends annoyances (or so he calls them) stumbling into you two, or some two-bit villain hatching the latest evil plan that's plaguing Edo this week

Then there's Shinpachi and Kagura, who stick to the man like gum on a shoe. Sure, you do adore them, but babysitting two kids while trying to spend quality time with Gintoki can get old—you're dating a penniless samurai, not a struggling single dad!

Don't bother expecting him to get jealous or possessive; if someone were to flirt with you in front of him, it'd go right over his head

You would have to spell it out for him after the fact, and even then he'd stare at you with those dead fish eyes, wondering what you wanted him to do about it

Wait a second, you must be thinking. All of these bullet points so far have only listed the cons of dating this bastard! Where's the good stuff? What are the pros?

There aren't any, sorry to say. You're better off dumping him like yesterday's garbage and moving on to someone worth your time

Which is probably what Gintoki would say, if forced at gunpoint to answer truthfully; he has no clue why you tied your fate to him of all people

You, on the other hand, might reply with:

He's constantly finding excuses to touch you. His head in your lap while he reads Jump on the couch, his ankle brushing yours under the table when dining out, his arm tossed around your shoulders as you walk

As much as he loudly complains and huffs and rolls his eyes, he doesn't stop you when you steal food from his plate. He'll even let you swipe some of his parfait, despite threatening to make you pay for another. It'd be easy for him to slap your hand away, but he never does

Romantic he may not be, but you know just how much he wants you by the way he can't keep his hands off you when the mood hits; his every touch elicits shivers, his mouth never strays far from yours for long, his gaze dark and intent on you

There is no one more doggedly loyal than Gintoki. No one who cares more about your wellbeing and happiness. No one else who would put you first when it matters, protect you from anything or anyone that may try to harm you

For those reasons and more, you'll deal with the many downsides that come with dating Sakata Gintoki. Not always happily, mind you, but you'll do it anyway

("Why do they even put up with him?" Shinpachi wonders aloud, watching the two of you bicker for the fifth time that day. "Stockholm syndrome," is Kagura's immediate answer.)

[alxxbee]

Ok, I just saw your redesign of Lucifer for the 2P AU you did and I honestly like it a bit better than in the show, he actually feels prideful here since purple is in fact the biblically accurate color of Pride! :D

Also making him a brunette and adding bright blues (a biblically accurate color of Sloth) as accents was a nice choice :) and the golden eyeshadow! :)

But does he still rule Hell in the AU with Alastor coming from Heaven? And what's the latter's role IN Heaven?

(I’m actually not very familiar with 2P lore if there really even is one but i’ll try))

((i also haven’t rewatched the show since it literally came out i maybe have forgor about like many things LMFAO))

(this also got deleted like twice and i’m pissed for rewriting this again)

(anyways here’s 2P Lucifer in my own interpretation)

2P Luci thrives in being alone, finding comfort and strength in it rather than misery. He doesn’t mind ruling Hell on his own. He doesn’t need anybody and doesn’t want anybody. His relationship with 2P Lilith has broken apart completely, due to their different views on redemption and the treatment of sinners. 2P Lilith is tricky since we know almost nothing of her, but i believe that she harbors a deep disdain for Hell and rejects the idea of controlling sinners for personal gain

BUUUUT something that has been in my mind recently is how he is essentially the embodiment of Pride.. but since 2P is (technically) the opposite of something (an inversion) The opposite of pride would be HUMILITY. Instead of making him a sad, insecure ruler, ..I’d like to think he thrives on human’s insecurities, fear, humiliation and self-doubt instead.. (rather than in the show he puts ON a prideful face when in reality he’s quite timid and socially awkward))

His relationship with 2PAlastor is quite decent (2P radioapple 🙂‍↕️) they still bicker but not in a hateful way like they do in the show, lighthearted jokes and banter, reflecting a mutual respect. (Lucifer knows how sensitive 2P Al is, and despite flourishing in humans despair and emotions, He has a soft spot for 2P Al.) ..Oh and they do not try to win over Charlie’s affection, ((2P Charlie actually does not really gaf about them XD))

Does not care for Heaven.. maybe even hates. but is not emotionally affected by his fall, I don’t know if Lucifer actually misses Heaven in the show, we can see how deeply affected he still is by their rejection of his creativity.

so i guess id like to think instead of him feeling hurt or betrayed(?), he feels somewhat thankful. Thankful that he was able to flourish in HIS ideas at last, finally seeing the evil of the world like he intended to.. destroying the order Heaven worked hard to maintain. Maybe he wanted Eve to bite the apple because he WANTED evil to come and corrupt the world, He knew what came with free will. He was a rebellious angel who went against Heaven in every way, intentionally with malice. Implying that Lucifer does not regret his role in giving sinners free will. He also cares for his sinners but not in a good way, more like he wants as many as possible so he could one day potentially top over heaven in power. A power hungry bastard.

He is serious, and a realist. NOT goofy and silly lmao. (Though he has goofy moments i shall not strip him of his whimsical fun entirely)

2P Lucifer and Original Lucifer share some similar qualities aswell. Something Both 2P Luce and Original Luce have in common is that they love Charlie.. and will protect her at all costs. Luci actually maintains a positive relationship with his daughter, He is close with her and tries to be in her life like a good father should, but 2P Charlie doesn’t usually give him the time of day. although she can be quite mean, and not the bubbly type at all like she is in the show, she still loves her father to a certain extent.

Again, we don’t really know much about the characters and the family’s history in the show.. And until we do, everything i said could be changed completely!! Like i said this is something for fun!! I haven’t really been thinking much about this AU, i designed him as a silly redraw but if i ever in the future add more details to his lore i will 🫶

Oh and as for the relationship with Original Alastor and 2P Luci…

Ok that’s all idk i don’t write for a reason 💀💀💀 💔

[httpiastri]

🍈 first kiss or i missed you kiss with paul aron maybe with popstar! reader??? 🥺🥺

🍈 – send me a driver and a prompt from this list of hugging prompts, these touch starved prompts, or these kiss prompts, and i will write a short blurb for you!!

author's note: yet again, idk what a "blurb" is 🤣 i should definitely not keep writing 1k stories if i wanna keep up with the requests lo. anyways!! thank you SO much for this request?! it made me so happy to think that some people actually care abt paul and his popstar 🥺 i made it "i missed you"-kisses, hope you enjoy!! <333

3k celly !!

paul aron x popstar!reader

paul feels so out of place. he's never done something like this before, never been to a place like this before.

he isn't used to feeling like this. in his racing world, he knows everyone and everyone knows him. anywhere he goes, he has this confidence and ease plastered onto his expression; even if he doesn't know what he's doing, he will act like he does. but standing backstage at his girlfriend's concert? completely new territory, and he can't even pretend like it doesn't scare him.

paul flew straight to london from austria on the sunday night after his feature race. he spent the monday resting, doing his recovery workout, rewatching his races of the weekend – and most importantly, preparing for the night. the latter includes re-evaluating the outfit he's picked out for the fifteenth time (he almost considers running out and buying something new, but he isn't sure he will have time before he should be at the concert), pacing around his hotel room while trying to figure out what to tell you when he sees you again (will "you were so good" make it sound like he's talking to a dog or a child instead of a fully capable woman?), and trying to stop himself from smiling at the mere thought of you ("come on, paul. this is getting ridiculous").

of course he's late to the concert, and the entire way there in the taxi, he worries about not being allowed to get in despite his backstage pass. fortunately, he "only" misses the entire supporting act and almost your opening performance, but he makes it just in time to see you go out and start the show with one of your hits that has the arena roaring.

paul is used to having teenage girls scream his name when he stands on the podium, or having fans wait for him by the track hoping to take a picture with him. but this is all on another level. hearing the entire crowd sing along with every word of all your songs, seeing the tears stream down their cheeks at your sadder songs, and watching them dance in their colorful self-made outfits to their favorite songs makes his heart swell. the fact that they're all there for you, and the fact that they're probably just as obsessed with you as he is…

it will be painful, but he supposes he can find a way to be alright with sharing you with them.

not only is this his first time backstage of a concert, but it's also his first time seeing you perform live. granted, he's watched videos and listened through your entire set list millions of times, but there's still a hint of nervousness in his gaze when he watches you on the stage.

after the concert is done, after he's been shown the way backstage by a sweet usher, paul waits nervously outside the room he supposes is your personal lounge (your name in big, sparkly letters on the door kind of spoiled it for him). his gaze flickers around the area nervously, seeing all kinds of staff hurry past him carrying all kinds of stuff, none of them seemingly even recognizing that he exists. his hands find their way to his front pockets, burying them deep as he leans back against the wall. suddenly the collar of his shirt seems way too tight, and his belt must be adjusted wrongly, and he's struck with the realization that he ended up choosing the wrong outfit after all.

what if you don't like it? what if you think he looks weird, what if you think he doesn't fit in here-

his thoughts get interrupted by the sound of his name, and the fact that it's your sweet voice that's calling out for him makes his heart swell yet again. he turns his head to the side, a big smile on his lips as he watches you run down the hallway towards him. his arms are stretched wide and he scoops you into them when you reach him, lifting you into the air. the little squeal that slips past your lips only makes him squeeze you tighter, and your arms find their usual place draped around his neck.

"you made it!" you exclaim, leaning back slightly when he sets you down on the ground again. "i wasn't sure if you would be able to! wow, you're actually here!"

"of course i did, i-" he pauses for a second to collect his thoughts, but his words get tousled up in his mind – all of that preparation going straight out the door – and he has to shake his head at himself. "you were perfect. i'm so impressed."

your mouth forms some kind of happy pout, a thankful and relieved one, as you blink up at him. "really?"

"really. i've never seen anything this cool." he pulls you in for another hug, burying his face in your neck, inhaling that sweet scent of your shampoo that's been stuck on his mind for ages. "i really missed you."

"i really missed you, too."

his arms stay wrapped around you when you pull back, just enough to come up face-to-face with him and brush your nose against his ever so slightly. when you finally seal your lips against his, paul lets out a sigh he feels like he's been holding for weeks, completely melting against you. it feels like you've been standing there for hours, yet only milliseconds; mouth pressed against mouth, heart laced with heart.

when he finally pulls away, he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck, and he can't stop himself from pressing a few gentle kisses along your skin. it takes everything you have to lean away from him, a shaky breath passing your lips as you gaze up at him. "let's… go inside instead…" you mumble, head pointing towards the door of your lounge.

paul nods, doing his best to catch his own breath, before finally letting his arms unwrap from your frame. "but only if you tell me how you managed to change clothes that many times in such a short time," he says, and you can barely even believe your ears. of course he'd be surprised by something so mundane. "you know, i can barely even choose one outfit. but you had, like, what, six?!"

"yeah, but they're the same every show, so…" you say with a laugh, pulling the door open. "plus, i have someone to design my outfits for me."

"for real? can i borrow her?"

"just get in here already…"

[kanmom51]

Okay so I had to put my thoughts down in words

I just don’t know how to feel about what Jimin said in the bts of Muse, other than sad.

I guess I should start by saying I’d been dreading him saying something along the lines of that since I heard Who, as to why he made it. The MV bts came and went and then bam, we get a mini production diary, with saying he’s looking for love and is alone. Exactly how I thought he would explain it.

I hoped I’d be wrong but alas, he more than confirmed he is single. I suppose it’s not surprising, but all of our collective hope or support seems in vein now.

I’m still going to watch the travel show but I feel sad about it tbh. They make such a cute pair.

I'm really sorry that you feel that way love.

Especially knowing that you are just not taking what JM said the right way.

In any case babe, whatever you might believe about their relationship, that shouldn't take from you supporting them for being the most adorable human beings possible.

I won't go too much into the BTB. I do think you need to watch it multiple times, try to pay attention to JM's body language too. But I will say that I do think that your reaction here is unwarranted, in the sense that JM IS NOT saying he's single or that he is looking for love or that he is alone.

Let's start with the fact that JM was going for the gender neutral lyrics to start with, but that changed, probably because it sounded better with the "she" instead of the "you".

So, yeah, JM originally wasn't looking for a she, but a you. Funny how if this was an autobiographical song that would have mattered, right? Oh, wait a second. It isn't.

The song is not about JM, not about his real life, not about his actual experiences down to the T.

Not this song, nor Muse the album, even though the other songs were written by him.

Not an autobiography. Unlike Face.

JM says it here and he said it in his album exchange with RM!!

See, it looks like you are doing exactly what JM wanted fans to do. And that is get the wrong idea!!

Did you miss this perhaps?

Yeah, you probably missed JM saying this.

Btw, when JM talks about his diary, I really don't believe he means a personal diary where he writes his wants and needs and experiences, lol. He's talking about that diary where he writes his ideas for the album, his ideas for the songs, where he wrote his lyrics to the songs for Face (we got that diary with Face) and for Muse. And JM, he's a shy boy, Idk if you are aware of that. This young man who oozes confidence on stage is so very shy and the experience of having to explain to John Billion the idea he wants for the song and it coming to life left him a little self conscious, shy.

This isn't about the song telling the story of his life. This is about having to explain an idea for a song, his vision, it actually being something that he isn't going through.

Ok, moving on.

Again, JM explaining the vibe he is going for with the song.

And again his shyness.

He continues to say that he poured all his emotions into this so he's embarrassed.

Not because these emotions are his as in this is what he feels right now longing for love, but because he feels embarrassed to explain his emotions about the song, the emotions he's looking for in the song.

I suggest that if you are having an issue with understanding how this song is not JM, not his life, maybe go rewatch the album exchange with RM.

And read my post on it as well.

These feeling JM is trying to encompass in Muse (and Who) are part of the universal language of love, a language he is using in Muse to convey his message, which is not literal.

And specifically when he talks about Who, it's about that feeling of excitement in his work that he's looking for. Those are the feelings he's talking about. Not the lyrics about the "she" (who was supposed to be a "you"). Not the lyrics that are written in the universal language of love. No. It's about the feelings about his work. The feelings about the message he is trying to convey. Which has NOTHING to do with his love life!!!

But again, he's telling us about those feelings through a language we all understand. So that longing he has for that feeling with his work is brought to life as a longing for a someone to love.

This!!

It's a story he wants to tell!!!

And the whole "everyone's living alone" sentence that you are probably clinging to, cause obviously...

a. He could be talking about the fact that at some point of every person's life, they are living alone, as without a partner, a loved one, and as such it's a relatable feeling.

b. It's not like people that are in relationships don't feel alone at times. Even JM, who was in a committed relationship with JK when going through the struggles and feelings he had and poured into Face, into Alone felt that way. I bet you JK was feeling alone or lonely during the time JM was working on Face and Muse. During those lives in Feb 2023. And yet, he was in a committed relationship with the person he loved.

c. He's trying to tell a story, and he's trying to convey his longing for that feeling with regards to his work, and being lonely is how he's explaining it, the way he's conveying it to us. Hence the "everyone's living alone"... meaning - that is something everyone will understand, meaning, hoping he picked the right idea, the right way to convey his message as the 6th song for Muse!!!

THAT IS ART!!!

And JM created art. Not "this is a song based on my own experience" art, which he did with Face, but "this is a story I want to tell that will help you understand my feelings about my work" art.

And he knew.

He knew people will make the wrong assumptions.

Just like you are right now.

Side note, and before I go, Idk if you have noticed this, but Muse, promoting the album, talking about the album, is so much easier for JM to do than Face. With Face all we got was that it's personal, that he was struggling, but not much more than that. JM was pretty much staying quiet, and even when he did talk he was saying much of nothingness. While with Muse he's talking, he's opening up, he's explaining. You know why? Because it's not about his life!!

Just saying.

[maximoffcarter]

Take a chance on me.

Pairings: Emily Prentiss x reader.

Summary: To say that Emily was baffled that she first had control over the situation with the UnSub and suddenly being hostage and getting shot again, was an understatement. But what she didn't expect was that she'd meet someone.

A/n: This was requested by anon, I was going to follow Emily's thingy with Mendoza but decided to change it a bit and make it in my own image🫢 Also, I didn't want to have to rewatch those episodes cause I kinda like to think they didn't happen🙂‍↔️ I also did not proof read this, I never do until it's too late haha, so my apologies. I'm working on everyone's request, I'm slowly getting back to writing again cause I miss it so much, and I've been so busy. Hope you guys enjoy this, leave comments, hearts, whatever you like and reblog so this gets some love🫶🏻

*not my gif*

To say that Emily was baffled that she first had control over the situation with the UnSub and suddenly being hostage and getting shot again, was an understatement. After two days of dealing with this case, it seemed like they had it all figured out and under control, but of course, things don’t always go as planned or expected, and now here she was in a hospital bed, waiting for her procedure to get the bullet out because, apparently, it was dangerous to keep the bullet inside and she had to go through surgery to get it out. The team had already made its round to check on her and had promised that they’d be back once Emily was out, she didn’t see the need for them to stay when they had paperwork to do, and they could just go home. She groaned softly as she laid her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes for a moment, sooner or later the nurse would come to take her to the OR, and she’d be out for a while. Soon enough, she felt the presence of someone, she opened her eyes and was about to make a comment about being fine when her eyes landed on the agent that had saved her life. The agent she had spent the last two days working with, and that somehow, had taken her breath away.

“Carter…what…what are you doing here?” Emily offered a small smile, trying to hide the faint blush on her cheeks as she noticed the flowers that the agent was holding.

Y/n huffed a chuckle as she walked into the room, placing the flowers on the table in front of the bed. “I uh…I wanted to check on you. I heard they’ll have to take you to surgery.”

Emily scoffed. “Yeah, well, apparently I can’t keep it in, and they convinced me of the surgery to save me from pain.” She shrugged.

Y/n chuckled softly as she nodded. “Yeah, great choice.” She smiled softly as she tilted her head, staring at Emily. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Well, you saved me. So, I gotta thank you for that.” Emily smiled softly as she stared at her. “And…thanks for the flowers.”

Y/n looked at them and chuckled nervously. “Yeah, well, they were out of ‘get well’ balloons. And I thought these flowers were pretty.” She smiled softly and returned her stare at Emily. “And you really don’t have to thank me.”

Emily nodded as she huffed a chuckle. “Well, I still wanna thank you. Not everyone would risk their life for a stranger.”

Y/n hummed as she squinted her eyes. “Isn’t that our job, though? Risking our lives for strangers?” She grinned softly.

Emily rolled her eyes playfully and grinned. “You know what I mean, and if you don’t, then maybe it’s your problem or maybe me not thinking because of the painkillers.”

Y/n laughed softly as she nodded. “Understood.” She tilted her head as she stared at Emily for a moment before she cleared her throat and looked out the door. “Well…” she looked back at Emily and offered a smile. “I should go…I uh…I need to report back to my office.”

Emily nodded. “And I’ll go into surgery soon.”

“Good luck with that.” Y/n huffed a chuckle as she nibbled on her lip. “It was great working with you, Agent Prentiss.”

Emily smiled softly. “You too, Agent Carter. But please call me Emily.”

“Then you must call me y/n.” Y/n smiled.

Emily nodded. “Fair enough.” She grinned. “Well, I definitely owe you a beer or a drink for saving me. I sure hope we see each other again.”

Y/n grinned softly. “It’s a date.” She shrugged. “I’ll call you tomorrow to check on you…and to talk about that beer or drink.” She winked at Emily. “See you around, Emily.”

Before Emily could say anything else, y/n was already out the door. Emily’s eyes widened slightly as y/n’s words kept running in her mind. ‘It’s a date’. A date. Was it a date? Emily was not entirely joking, she did want to buy her a drink for saving her, which she normally wouldn’t have offered, but felt the need to. But she hadn’t meant it as a date, she hadn’t even thought about it and the words just came out of her mouth. Of course, she wouldn’t mind going for a drink.

Y/n was really nice, Emily found herself getting along very easily with her and they fell into a comfortable rhythm to work together, which Emily really appreciated and made it easier to work this case. She also couldn’t deny that y/n was a really beautiful woman; her voice, the way she walked with confidence, the determination and dedication, her beautiful wavy hair, and the way she smiled…woah, Emily! Stop right there. She snapped out of her trance as she heard the nurse walking into the room, suddenly, Emily remembered she was still in the hospital. But even as the nurse took her to the OR and kept talking about how easy and quick the whole thing would be, she couldn’t help but keep y/n in her mind.

********************

A few weeks have passed, and Emily was allowed to go back to work, eager to already leave her apartment and get herself busy with work, even if that meant getting busy with paperwork. Not a day went by without Emily getting a visit from someone from the team, and she was not left alone at all, which of course she appreciated a lot, but she was ready to get back and actually do something herself. As she walked into her office, she stopped in her tracks as she noticed a bouquet of flowers sitting on her desk. Her eyes widened a bit as her brows raised, not really expecting this. As she made her way to the flowers, she picked up the small note that laid between the flowers.

‘Heard you’re back on duty. Welcome back! And please be safe since I’m not there to save you again ;)

-Carter.’

Emily’s breath hitched as she stared at the small note and then back to the flowers, not being able to stop her heart from beating as fast as it was. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that she was just flattered by the flowers, but the way her heart was beating? Yeah, that was not common at all. She nibbled on her lip as she leaned down and smelled the flowers, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips at the beautiful smell. But the moment was interrupted as she heard a knock on her door, startling her and making her turn back fast.

“Emily Prentiss in the house! We missed you here, Em!” Penelope squealed as she walked to Emily. “I made sure that your office stayed clean, and also- oh?” She looked behind Emily and let out a gasp. “Who sent you flowers?!”

Emily looked back at the flowers and then back at Penelope, clearing her throat nervously. “Ah…uh…well…” she walked around her desk and then sat down, putting her bag on the desk, and looking at Penelope. “I don’t really know.”

“There’s no note?! Oh…you got a secret admirer that we don’t know about? Do I have to look into surveillance footage? Because I-“

“Garcia!” Emily interrupted, raising her brow as she offered a smile. “No need for that. And…the flowers are just…there. It’s okay.”

“Huh…” Penelope shrugged as she sighed. “Well, fine. Guess we’ll leave it at that.”

Emily nodded softly and thankfully, Penelope dropped it as she told Emily what she had been missing from the days she was not here. But all Emily could focus on was the flowers sitting at the corner of her desk. She felt a bit guilty because since she had left the hospital, she had meant to call y/n but having a full house, barely having any time for herself, it had been hard to actually get some time for herself. As Penelope kept talking, she looked down at her phone and decided to take a little step.

Emily: Good morning. Just got to my office and found some beautiful flowers sitting at my desk. Do you happen to know anyone named Carter?

Y/n: Oh, not sure. The name sounds familiar but can’t wrap my head around it.

Emily: Well, too bad because I really wanted to thank them. I loved the flowers. Happened to be my favorites too.

Y/n: Huh…this Carter must be very smart and has very good choices. Maybe they wish they could’ve seen your face when you saw them ;)

Emily looked up at Penelope as she felt herself smiling, biting her lip softly as she tried to hide it and try to focus a bit on whatever Penelope was saying. She looked down at her phone as she nodded to what Penelope had said, but half of her attention went back to her phone.

Emily: I was quite surprised, but it was nice to walk into my office to such a beautiful surprise. Thank you, y/n. You really didn’t have to.

Y/n: But I wanted to. No problem. Though I hope this means I’ve finally earned my drink and next text I get is you telling me when I can see you ;)

“Who’s texting you that has you smiling?”

Emily’s eyes widened at Penelope’s voice, and she rapidly looked up at her. “Oh, ah…what?”

Penelope chuckled softly as she raised her brow. “Oh…so you do know the person who sent you the flowers.”

“I- uh…I mean…” Emily sighed loudly and decided to give up. She licked her lips nervously before she cleared her throat. “I do.”

“Who is it?!”

“Oh, I know who those are from.” JJ suddenly showed up at the door, smirking as she noticed the flowers. She walked to them and sat on the other chair beside Penelope.

Emily stared at JJ and bit her tongue, trying to save the comment she had in mind. “JJ…”

“It’s this agent from Field Office we worked with a few weeks ago. Emily and…what was her name? Carter?” JJ smirked softly as she looked at Emily. “They got along so well.”

Emily groaned softly as she closed her eyes and looked down, placing her hands on her forehead. “You gotta be kidding me…”

“OH?!” Penelope looked between JJ and Emily, already getting excited.

“Don’t get too excited, Garcia.” Emily chuckled softly as she sighed, nibbling on her lip for a moment.

“What you mean not to get excited? Our girl found herself a girl! How can I- oh. Oh. No. Emily Prentiss, you’re not doing that.” Penelope suddenly snapped, raising her brow. JJ only chuckled softly as she covered her mouth.

Emily furrowed her brows as she shook her head. “Uh…what?”

“I know that look on your face. Just because you’re the chief, doesn’t mean you cannot have a life outside this building. And if this girl is persistent, I don’t see why not! Do you find her attractive?”

Emily stared at her, and she took a deep breath, averting her eyes for a moment as she tried to find the right words to explain the situation. “I just…” She sighed. “Yes, I find her attractive. I don’t know her very well but she’s…really nice.” She smiled a little as she looked back at the flowers.

JJ grinned softly as she looked at Penelope. “Someone has a little crush.” She teased.

Penelope nodded rapidly as she smiled and turned to look at Emily. “Em, c’mon. Call her!”

“Well…she has tried. We text and…I might’ve suggested that I owed her a drink and that has not happened yet…” Emily said the last few words almost in a whisper, a shy smile on her face.

“Oh, because she left out the fact that Carter saved Emily after she got shot.” JJ grinned.

“She did?! We need to worship her! Cute and a knight?! You definitely gotta call her and invite her out.”

Emily groaned softly as she shook her head. “I don’t know, I mean…what if she’s just being nice? What if she’s just…I don’t know…feel like she has to- hey! Give me back my phone!” She tried to stop Penelope from grabbing her phone, but she was too late.

Penelope gasped as she went through Emily’s phone. “‘Hope this means I’ve finally earned my drink and next text I get is you telling me when I can see you’?!” She looked at Emily and her jaw dropped, a chuckle leaving her lips. “Emily! It’s obvious she’s into you!”

“Why someone like her would be interested in me?”

“Oh, c’mon, Em. Anyone would be so lucky to have you, and I’m pretty sure she knows that.”

“And have you seen yourself in the mirror, babes? Please!”

Emily laughed softly, nibbling on her lip as she looked back at the flowers. She sighed softly. “I just…I’m not sure she would want to deal with me.”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, Prentiss. You are allowed to have a life outside this building.” JJ said as she looked at Emily, tilting her head as she stared at her, offering a small smile. “C’mon, Emily. What could possibly happen if you accept one drink?”

“That’s what I’ve been telling her!” Penelope whispered/yelled.

Emily stared at both of them, groaning softly as she shook her head and licked her lips. She extended her arm and grinned a little. “Give me back my phone.”

Penelope squealed as she handed back the phone. “Chief Emily Prentiss got herself a date.”

Emily chuckled softly as she shook her head, looking down at her phone as she nibbled on her lip.

Emily: How does Friday sound? 8 pm?

Emily waited anxiously for a reply, feeling JJ and Penelope’s eyes on her. It would only be fair if she took her time to answer, of course, Emily had taken her time replying back and-

Y/n: Friday sounds perfect. Would you mind sending me your address so I can pick you up?

Emily: Sure, I will :)

Y/n: Perfect. See you on Friday, agent Prentiss. Can’t wait ;)

Emily bit her lip softly as she read the message over and over again.

Emily: See you on Friday, agent Carter. Can’t wait either.

Emily looked up at JJ and Penelope, smiling widely as she nodded. Both women clapped and cheered for her, making Emily laugh. A drink won’t hurt…

********************

This has never actually happened to her, she was going a bit crazy on how she kept pacing around her room and how she just kept getting clothes out of her closet; she had gone through at least three dresses now, and she still didn’t find the right one. It was just drinks. A date, yes. But drinks. With a beautiful woman…she was losing her mind. Since when did she get this nervous? It wasn’t exactly her first date, but she hasn’t been really open about dating in a long time, mostly because the job had taken a lot of her time, and she had made up her mind that she didn’t exactly had time to date. But y/n knew the job, she was part of the FBI too. Was she getting ahead of herself? Thinking about y/n this much? She had not been able to stop since that day at the hospital. How could she? When she had the most beautiful smile she has ever seen and-

A sound suddenly startled Emily, snapping out of her trance when she figured out that y/n was already here. She cursed under her breath as she grabbed her heels and purse, deciding at that moment that the dress she was wearing was good enough. The moment the door of the elevator closed, she took a deep breath, trying to stop her beating heart. How was it possible that she felt so nervous? How come y/n made her feel like this, and they barely knew each other? She took a deep breath and then let it out as she walked out of the elevator. Y/n was leaning over the car, looking around as people passed in front of her, fidgeting with the bouquet of flowers she had in her hand, and then, as she turned, her eyes landed on the raven-haired woman, her breath hitching as she composed her posture, smiling softly as Emily walked to her. She couldn’t help the way her eyes darted down over her body; she was wearing a sleek, form-fitting red dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, and her hair was styled in perfect waves. She was stunning…

Y/n cleared her throat as Emily stood in front of her. “H-Hi.” She smiled softly.

“Hi.” Emily said softly, smiling as she noticed y/n’s nervousness. “Are those for me?” She grinned softly.

Y/n raised her brow before she looked down at the flowers. “Oh! Yes.” She huffed a chuckle as she handed Emily the flowers. “Sorry I…you just…” She looked back up into Emily’s eyes, smiling softly. “You looked gorgeous.” She said softly.

Emily felt her cheeks heating up as she stared at y/n, smiling softly as she accepted the flowers and tried to hide her blush by smelling the flowers. “Thank you.” She looked back up at her. “And…you look beautiful.”

Y/n grinned softly. “Thank you. I dress up once in a while.” She said playfully as she stepped aside and opened the door for Emily. “Your carriage, m’lady.”

Emily couldn’t help but laugh softly as she grinned, raising her brow. “Such a gentlewoman.”

“I’d like to think so, yes.” Y/n chuckled as she closed the door once Emily got in the car. She then walked to the pilot seat and got in the car as well, taking a deep breath before she closed the door.

At the beginning of the ride, both women were silent, both too nervous and shy to even say a word until a song started playing and both started singing to it. Both started laughing at the same time, and from then, the conversation kept going. Soon enough, Emily noticed that they had arrived at a restaurant, which surprised her a bit but also felt her heart flutter. As they sat down at the table, they both fell into a very comfortable conversation, work was out of the topic the whole night. Y/n couldn’t help but stare at Emily the whole time she spoke, finding it incredibly cute how she talked about random stuff, and she looked so passionate about it, loving how Emily seemed too different from Chief Emily Prentiss; she definitely loved her smile and laugh, and she wanted to keep seeing it and hearing it.

“So…” Emily grinned softly as she raised her brow. “This was a whole dinner…with drinks.”

Y/n hummed. “Yes.” She grinned.

“I thought I said I’d buy you a drink.” Emily tilted her head, her tone playful but also wondering what y/n had really planned.

“Well…I know you’re the one who set the day and time. But…I thought maybe this first date could be my treat.” Y/n stared into her eyes, smiling shyly as she nibbled on her lip.

“Which means that I still owe you a drink, and we’ll see each other again.” Emily nodded as she chuckled.

“Smart plan, isn’t it?” Y/n raised her brows playfully. “Is this you telling me that my plan completely failed, and you don’t wanna see me again?”  

Emily stared into her eyes, not saying a word for a moment. A smiled tugged at the corner of her lips as she thought about it, she definitely wanted to see her again…there was no denial about it. “It’s me telling you that next date, is on me.”

Y/n’a heart started beating faster at Emily’s words, her smile widening as she nodded, trying to hide the fact that she felt very excited. “I’ll hold you to that.”

After ordering dessert to share, they headed back to Emily’s apartment, silence surrounding them, but it was not awkward or uncomfortable anymore, both had smiles on their faces. As y/n parked, she got out of the car and went ahead to open the door for Emily, offering her hand for her to take. Emily chuckled softly and took it, stepping out of the car with the flowers in hand. She stood in front of y/n and stared into her eyes, smiling softly at her.

“Thank you for tonight. It was…really nice actually.” Emily said softly, not letting go of her hand.

“Of course. It was definitely nice.” Y/n smiled softly. “So…text me when you free?”

Emily nodded. “Definitely.” She smiled softly before she leaned in and kissed her cheek softly. “See you soon, Carter.” She said as she started walking away.

Y/n felt butterflies in her whole body, smiling like an idiot as she watched Emily walking away. “See you soon, Prentiss.” She breathed out.

Emily watched over her shoulder and gave her one last smile before she walked into the building. She knew JJ and Penelope wouldn’t let her sleep on this, and they would tease her endlessly, because at the end of the day, they were right. She was happy that she had said yes. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder if this would actually be something else. It had been a very long time since Emily had actually thought about dating someone, about wanting to be with someone, but the truth was that she couldn’t help but do so with y/n.

********************

“Well, then I did everything wrong.” Emily groaned as she ran her fingers through her hair, waiting for Rossi to say anything at all -once his laughter died-.

“I’m sorry to tell you that you’ll have to start over. Follow the rules, Emily. The rules.” Rossi laughed before he hung up.

Emily looked at her phone and cursed under her breath, putting back her phone on the counter and walking to the stove, groaning softly as she thought about starting all over again. And then a knock on the door made her realize that it was already late, looking down at her watch and sighing. She walked to the door and opened it with a shy smile on her face, her face soon enough softening as she stared at y/n. A box in one of her hands and another, flowers…God, y/n would literally give her a whole garden if she could.

“Hello pretty girl.” Y/n smiled softly. “Since you told me you wanted to stay tonight…I thought I’d bring dessert.”

Emily smiled softly as she scoffed. “Well, I’m afraid to tell you that we will have to order take out.” She stepped aside to let y/n walk in.

Y/n furrowed her brows as she walked in and the first thing she did was turn to Emily’s kitchen, raising her brow as she saw the mess on the kitchen island. “I…take it that you wanted to make dinner for us?”

Emily nodded as she sighed. “And failed.” She looked at y/n as she bit her lip softly. “I’m sorry.”

Y/n smiled as she walked to the kitchen island and placed the box and flowers on it, turning to look at Emily. “What if we do it together?”

Emily furrowed her brows. “What? You don’t…you don’t feel…I don’t know, disappointed?”

Y/n tilted her head. “Disappointed? Em…” She took her hands and brought them to her lips, kissing the back of her hands. “You tried. And the thought is very sweet. And…” She shrugged. “What a better date than getting to cook with you?”

Emily felt her heart fluttering as she stared into her eyes, a smile spreading across her face. “That…sounds good.”

“I gotta admit that I’m better at dessert, but…we’ll try out best.” Y/n grinned as she pulled Emily with her.

Not too long after, the kitchen was surrounded with laughter, both women having the time of their lives as they tried Rossi’s recipe once again, but this time, Emily wasn’t even worried about or stressed. She enjoyed the fact that she could laugh and have fun with y/n while trying their best attempt to get the recipe right this time. Emily couldn’t help but smile as she stirred the sauce and y/n wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin against her shoulder as she watched the sauce, and teased Emily saying that she already looked like a top chef. After they were done in the kitchen, they went ahead and sat down at the dining table.

“I think Rossi would be proud of us.” Emily nodded as she took another bite off her plate.

Y/n nodded as she hummed. “It’s so good, I might ask him to give me some lessons because I don’t want any other pasta in my life.”

Emily laughed softly as she stared at y/n. She stared at her for a moment as she smiled, licking her lips softly. “I’m sorry if tonight didn’t go as planned. I really wanted to surprise you with dinner.”

Y/n looked up at Emily and raised her brows. “Are you kidding? This was way better than I expected. I had so much fun. And I just…loved seeing you happy and smiling like that.” She smiled softly as she tilted her head. “The best date I’ve had.”

Emily blushed slightly as she nodded, taking her glass, and taking a sip of it. “Good.” She tried to hide her smile behind her glass.

Y/n smiled softly and went back to the pasta. She then grinned softly and grabbed a single spaghetti, only putting the end of it in her mouth and turning to Emily. “What do you say if we do the lady and the tramp scene?” She raised her brows.

Emily furrowed her brows but couldn’t help laughing as she looked at y/n, the spaghetti hanging from her mouth. And yet, she didn’t think twice before she grabbed the other end and put it in her mouth, starting to eat it. Soon enough, their faces were inches apart from each other, eyes locked, they stared at each other for a while, not moving an inch. Emily was the one who broke the spaghetti and leaned in to press her lips against y/n’s. Y/n’s breath hitched, her eyes instantly closing and placing her hand on Emily’s cheek, trying to keep her in place as she kissed her back. The position was a bit awkward, the table coming in between them, but they didn’t mind it much as they continued the tender kiss. Emily was the one to break the kiss, taking a deep shaky breath as she opened her eyes, staring back into y/n’s who was already looking at her, a silly smile on her face.

“And you still doubt that this is the best date?” Y/n teased as she bit her lip.

Emily ran her tongue over her tingling lips, chuckling softly at her teasing. “Couldn’t help it when you were being all cute.”

“You mean stupid.” Y/n chuckled.

Emily shook her head, her hand holding y/n’s and bringing it to her lips. “Not stupid at all.” She grinned softly. “What do you say we skip to dessert?”

Y/n smiled. “Let me just tell you that it’s the first time I make this sort of cake and- oh. Wait.” Her smile then turned into a smirk. “You don’t mean that dessert.”

Emily shook her head as she bit her lip. “No.”

Y/n grinned. “I like your idea of dessert better.”

Emily chuckled softly before she stood up and pulled y/n with her to her room. Needless to say, the other dessert was completely forgotten.

********************

Emily shook her head as she tried to ignore the fact that her phone kept vibrating in her pocket, trying to focus on the task she had right in front of her, but her mind drifting away every now and then. She felt guilty, to say the least. After that night in her apartment, Emily had become so busy with work that she had her schedule pretty much full, but that was not all of it. In a night accompanied by her overthinking, Emily couldn’t help but think that maybe she was not what y/n needed. They hadn’t really talked about where this was going, but Emily could feel that once she gave in, things would start to crumble. That’s how it always was. She was not exactly made for relationships, because she always messed up.

She hasn’t meant to ignore y/n’s texts or calls, she did answer…every now and then. But she didn’t know how to put into words that she didn’t think things would work, and not because she couldn’t just say it, but because she knew that sort of her didn’t mean it. She liked y/n. Hell, she could swear with her life that she was starting to fall, but it was too good to be truth. She barely had any good things in her life aside from her team. But y/n was too good to be truth. She was so sweet and kind, she was beautiful and so…incredibly hot. She had never met anyone like y/n, which scared her. Sleeping with her had not exactly been in her plan for that night, but she hadn’t been able to control herself. And boy, she did not regret it. Which is why she felt even more guilty, thinking that she gave y/n the idea that she just wanted to get her in bed, and that was it.

Emily looked up at her door when she heard a knock, and then went back to her file as she told them to come in. As she heard the door closing again, she looked up and she froze for a moment, her heart stopping as her eyes connected with y/n’s. She noticed the serious look on her face, and it made Emily’s body shiver and not in a good way.

“Y/n…what are you doing here?” Emily said softly, trying not to sound harsh.

“You were not answering my calls…or texts. I thought maybe paying you a visit wouldn’t hurt.” Y/n said softly as she sighed. “Emily…did I do or say something wrong?”

Emily furrowed her brows. “What?”

Y/n shrugged. “It’s…it’s been three weeks. Since we were together. You said you’d call, and I know you’ve been busy. But you just…entirely ignored me.” She shook her head as she looked at Emily. “Did I do something wrong?”

Emily groaned softly as she scratched her head, nibbling on her lip as she tried to think what to say. “Y/n…I didn’t mean to do that. I just…I’ve been busy.”

“You can save that excuse, Emily.” Y/n snapped. She sighed and looked away for a moment, licking her lips nervously. “Look…” y/n looked back at Emily as she crossed her arms over her chest. “If…you don’t want us to go out anymore, I get it. But please just…be honest with me, and don’t leave me hanging and waiting for you.”

Emily felt a pang of guilt as she stared at her, standing up from her desk and walking over to y/n. “Y/n…”

“I get it that I’m a bit…silly. You can call me weird if you want. But I just…” y/n huffed a chuckle as she looked down at her hands. “I never…felt more comfortable to be myself…without having to worry if it’d be too much or not.” She looked back at Emily as she shrugged. “And you…you made me feel safe to do that. I’m sorry if it was too much.”

“Gosh, no!” Emily shook her head as she grabbed y/n’s hands in hers. “I…” She sighed. “You’re amazing. You’re…so cute and sweet. I never thought that you were too much or weird or silly. You make me smile more than anyone.” She smiled softly. “I was an idiot for just dropping you like this.”

“Why did you do it then?”

“Because…” Emily looked into her eyes as she frowned. “…it seemed too good to be truth. And when that happens…it normally doesn’t end well at all.”

Y/n furrowed her brows. “Emily…”

“Since the very beginning. The way you acted with me, the way you smiled and looked at me, how easily you made me laugh and just feel…happy. It all seemed too good to be truth. And that scared me.” Emily said softly, afraid that if she spoke louder, her voice would waver. “I just…I was afraid that if I gave in to this happiness, it would soon end. I’ve…been hurt before. I feel like I’m not actually made for relationships.” She chuckled sadly.

Y/n tilted her head as she took a step closer to Emily, letting go of one of her hands and placing it on Emily’s cheek. “Em…I would never hurt you. Didn’t you hear what I said? I had never felt more happy or safe with anyone else. And I…want you.” She smiled softly.

“You do?” Emily whispered softly.

Y/n nodded. “I do.”

“With…flaws, traumas, and everything?” Emily smiled sadly.

Y/n chuckled softly as she nodded. “Everything.” She let go of Emily’s other hand and placed it on her waist, pulling her closer to her, leaving a small space between their bodies. She then rested her forehead against Emily’s and smiled a little. “Take a chance on me, Em…please.” 

Emily chuckled softly, closing her eyes for a moment to relish this moment. She placed her hands on y/n’s neck, smiling softly. “Yes.”

Y/n smiled widely. “Yes?”

Emily nodded. “Yes.” She looked into her eyes, studying y/n’s face as she smiled. “I want us to date.”

Y/n chuckled softly, trying to hide the happiness she felt but knew it was useless. She wrapped her arms around Emily’s waist and brought their lips together into a sweet, gentle kiss, missing the feeling of Emily’s lips against hers. Emily smiled against her lips before she kissed her back, wrapping her arms around her neck to bring her closer, while y/n’s hand went up her back, rubbing it softly as they kissed.

Emily broke the kiss but stayed close to y/n, pecking her lips before she smiled. “You were thinking about the Abba song, weren’t you?” She said playfully as she looked into her eyes.

“I was ready to get my Rosie act, and sing like her.” Y/n grinned as she leaned in and kissed Emily’s jawline, tracing her kisses down her neck.

“Of course.” Emily chuckled softly, biting her lip as she tilted her head to give y/n more access.

“Emily, I have- oh my god.” Garcia stopped in her tracks as she stared at both women, her eyes wide at the scene in front of her. “I’m…sorry. Didn’t know you had company.

Emily jumped slightly, making y/n turn back to look at Garcia, both their eyes slightly widened. “That’s why you knock first.”

“I did, but guess you were too distracted here.” Garcia raised her brow. “You must be the famous Carter.”

Y/n looked back at Emily and then at Garcia, extending her hand to shake Garcia’s. “You can call me y/n. Or Carter is fine too.” She chuckled.

Emily smiled softly as she looked between y/n and Garcia, and then her eyes stayed on Garcia. “She’s my girlfriend.”

Garcia looked at her with wide eyes and her jaw dropped as she stared at both of them. She then squealed and chuckled softly. “I knew this would get somewhere! I called it! I’m so happy for you.” She then gasped. “Oh my god, new addition to girls' night. It’s gonna be amazing!”

Emily chuckled softly. “Garcia…you came to give me something?”

Garcia nodded. “Right, here, the reports you asked for.” She handed her a file and then smiled. “I’ll just leave you two lovebirds alone.” She chuckled softly and then stopped before she closed the door. “By the way, you’re so charming and sweet, the flowers? On my knees for you two. Nice to meet you, new friend.” She giggled before she left the office, running to JJ’s desk.

Y/n chuckled softly as she turned to look at Emily. “Girlfriend, huh?” She grinned.

Emily smirked. “Isn’t that what we agreed on just now?”

“Yeah.” Y/n pulled her closer again, wrapping her arms around her. “It’s just nice to hear it.”

“It’s nice to say it.” Emily smiled softly before she leaned in and kissed her lips again.

[r-aindr0p]

"magical boys"

*BREAKS DOWN A WALL AMD CHUCKS MINI ROLLOS TO ANYTHING IN SIGHT*

WHERE?!

*visibly shaking* I am normal about this reversal trope of magical girls. I can definetely be trusted to not squeeze this mozarrella with a bowl cut to death. *mini rollo definitely being squeezed to death*

No idea if it's three anons or one but that's really sweet ✨ pls beware depending on which guy you plan to eat some of them give food poisoning or hallucinations (thinking abt some as those small colorful rainforest frogs)

I love magical girl animes very much, grew up watching tokyo mew mew (and somehow managed to watch wedding peach all on youtube a long time ago, i did not understand the english subtitles at all lmao, rewatched it years later and loved it), so imagine my surprise when I stumbled accross the first (if you ignore saint seiya) full on magical boy anime in 2015 and ever since I wanted to draw my own, and now I have my musketeers :)))

A lot more magical boy yapping under the cut because I love this trope so much

Anime I'm talking abt is 'Binan Koukou Chikyuu bouei-bu love' btw ! It's on the parodic side but not as much shitpost-ish as 'magical girl ore' for example. It takes itself "seriously" in it's own way. (and the ending song talks about 2 characters of the show that drifted apart and how there's 3 meters only separating them but it's enough for one to miss the other and aughhh my heart I could yap about this for ages)

LOOK AT THEM (couldn't find a decent pic of the season 1 clothes, this is season 2 and the pic is still low res augh)

Like, I was ?? idk in my last year of middle school maybe when I found this ?? fantastic discovery. Pink wombat mascot with the voice of an old man gives cute bracelets to 5 guys to save the earth. They have to say "love making" and kiss their bracelet to transform, I'm crying And here's the villains of season 1 and season 2 (twins) (silver haired bowl cut annoyed guy is my favorite, what a familiar description....)

There's 3 seasons in total to this anime and season 3 has a new cast of guys but years later at the same school !

Scenario is basically the same as season 1 but with different guys and villains, but omg the otter..... I love that yellow otter so much..... (look they have magical ace and deuce ) Villains of season 3 are called "edelstein knights" or something (ince again an angry guy with ridiculous bangs considered a villain, my beloved)

Other legit magical boy I love a lot is 'Fairy Ranmaru' !! It takes itself more seriously than binan koukou, in it's own scandalous way I'd say. They went ham with the fanservice during transformations it's crazy-(especially uruu's transformation) def +16 at least They do try to talk about serious matters and feelings/emotions in general. I cant' really tell if it's well written since I'm really an easy audience, I should watch it a second time... It's a visual experience at least if you're into that kind of designs

Blue guy my beloved.... Not showing any more, you can find the transformations on yt crunchyroll literally published them

Alright one last "magical" boy/girl, it's not even exceptionnal but it's a fever dream shitpost that has a special place in my heart : 'Classicaloid' So a girl's father created humanoids with the memories of classical composers and went to get milk, leaving them all. The classicaloids eventually decide to squat at the girl's house. They have magical powers called "musik" and have a small transformation animation. So to a certain extent I do consider this a magical people anime.

Here's everyone from season 1 (untransfromed) Beethoven and Bach (maybe mozart too tbh) are the most recognizeable but good luck to guess the others :') (Liszt and Tchaikovsky are genderbent) They are all so whacky together I love them so much, bach only speaks in musical terms "andante, pianissimo etc.." Chopin is the looser of all times, Mozart is.... Mozart, and Dvorak (season 2) became a pigmy hippo for literally no reason The animation is nice but the ending song illustrations ??? dang

First two pics are from season 2 endings, they all represent an important location for the composers or something related to them (for example Chopin's is the père lachaise cemetery in paris where irl one has a tomb) Really I'm amazed by all the ending art pieces, I can't put more than 10 pics per post, I would've showed them all otherwise eeee) On the thrid pic you actually see mozart in his musik outfit ! An in one ep he even lets his hair loose ahierjh

(takt:op is absolutely in my watchlist)

If you made it this far thank you for listening to the yapping, wether it was interesting or not ! :)))

[allgoodnamesrgoneee]

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Silent Conversations

Masterlist

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — After living in Madrid for nearly a year, Jude's gotten the hang of spanish. So he never thought he’d have to learn a new language just to flirt with someone—until he meets you.

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 — Jude Bellingham x Deaf!reader

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 — 9.7k

Warnings! FLUFF!! Jude is kind of obsessed with you in the best way, lover boy, you're very adorable in this one, reader speaks but can't hear, reader can read lips,

Preview

********** Being deaf and a chatterbox is a contradiction that most people don’t know how to wrap their heads around.

But it’s who you are.

Since you can remember, you've always loved to talk—loved filling spaces with words, with thoughts, with laughter. Being deaf has never stopped you. If anything, it’s only made you more creative in how you communicate.

People underestimate how much talking you can do with your hands, how much personality you can pour into a single sign, a raised brow, a quick smirk. They think "talking" only means sound, that conversations without voices are somehow lesser, as if the absence of noise makes words any less real. You’ve spent your whole life proving them wrong.

And tonight is no different.

Your little brother practically vibrates with excitement next to you, hands flying as he signs about how insane the game was. He’s been a Real Madrid fan for as long as he’s been able to walk, and your parents had gone all out for his birthday—jerseys, meet&greet tickets, the whole experience.

So far, the night has been going well.

Your family has been cheering and chanting for Real Madrid alongside the thousands of other fans packed into the stadium, their voices blending into the electric hum of excitement that fills the air. The game has been nothing short of exhilarating, each pass, each near goal sending waves of emotion through the crowd.

Your hands ache from the number of times you’ve signed to your brother, asking for updates on what’s happening when the movements on the field become too chaotic to follow. He’s been patient, grinning as he translates key moments for you, his enthusiasm infectious.

When the final whistle blows, confirming Real Madrid’s victory, the stadium erupts into cheers. Your family is ecstatic, jumping to their feet and embracing one another in celebration. You smile, soaking in the energy, but exhaustion is already creeping in. The weight of tomorrow morning sits heavily on your shoulders.

You love nights like this—love the way your father’s face lights up after a good match, love the way your younger cousins beam with pride, shouting the players’ names like they know them personally—but you can’t afford to linger. Not when your boss expects you bright-eyed and fully alert at the crack of dawn.

You sigh, glancing at the time. If you leave now, you’ll get home at a decent hour, and maybe you'll get six hours in tonight. I should go, you sign to your brother.

He frowns. So soon?  

"I have work in the morning."  

He relays this to the rest of your family, and they groan in unison. Your mother reaches out, squeezing your arm in understanding. "Text us when you get home," you read on her lips.

You nod, exchanging quick hugs before making your way toward the exit.

The corridors are still crowded with lingering fans, some of them stopping to take pictures or rewatch highlights on their phones. You weave through them, emerging into the crisp night air just outside the stadium, and pull out your phone to call for an Uber.

Five minutes.

Not too bad.

You exhale, shoving your free hand into the pocket of your jacket as you make your way toward the designated pick-up area near the parking lot. Your feet ache slightly from standing for so long, and the cool breeze is a welcome relief after being surrounded by so much body heat. You scroll through your phone absentmindedly, debating whether to pass the time by answering a few messages or just watching the people around you.

That’s when you feel it.

A presence.

It’s subtle at first—a shift in the atmosphere, a slight prickling at the back of your neck. Then, footsteps. Slow. Unsteady.

You look up just in time to see him stumbling toward you.

The acrid scent of alcohol hits you first. It’s overpowering, the kind of stench that clings to a person’s skin and clothes, the kind that makes your stomach churn. He’s disheveled, his jacket slipping off one shoulder, his eyes unfocused. But there’s something sharp in the way he grins at you, something that immediately puts you on edge.

"Hey," he slurs.

Your grip tightens around your phone. You don't respond. Instead, you take a step back, angling your body away from him. But before you can put more distance between you, his hand shoots out, gripping your wrist with surprising strength.

"I'm talking to you, you little bitch!"

Panic spikes through you like ice water.

Your breath hitches, your heart hammering as you instinctively jerk back, trying to free yourself from his grasp. Your hands move on their own, the motions quick, desperate. Leave me alone.  

The man’s face scrunches in confusion. "What? What are you doin' with your hands?"

You swallow hard, pulse racing. You try again, this time forcing yourself to speak, hoping the sounds come out right. "I can't hear you. I'm deaf."

His expression twists into something cruel. "Deaf?" He laughs, loud and mean. "You serious?" His grip tightens. "C'mon, don’t be like that. Just talk to me.I can show you a good time."

Your throat constricts. You shake your head quickly, signing, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, over and over, even though you know there’s nothing to apologize for. It’s just instinct. A plea for him to stop, to let go.

But he doesn’t. If anything, your silence only makes him angrier.

"Stop doin' that shit!" he snaps. "Just say something!"

Before you can react, before the panic fully settles into terror, a shadow moves behind him. Fast. Deliberate. A hand clamps down on his shoulder, yanking him backward with enough force that he nearly loses his balance.

"That’s enough, mate." The voice is low, firm. Unmistakably authoritative.

The drunk stumbles, blinking in confusion as he turns to face whoever pulled him away. And that’s when you see him.

Jude Bellingham.

He’s taller than you expected, broader too, his frame imposing even in casual clothes. His coils are damp, like he just stepped out of the showers, and there’s an undeniable exhaustion in his features—deep shadows under his eyes, a certain heaviness to the way he holds himself.

But none of that matters right now. Right now, his entire focus is on the man in front of him, his jaw tight with barely contained irritation.

The drunk sneers. "Who the fuck—"

"Walk away," Jude says flatly.

The man wobbles slightly, his mind struggling to catch up as he starts recognizes Jude. His eyes widen. "I was just—"

"I don’t care." Jude’s voice is sharper now, cutting through the drunken haze like a blade. "She’s not interested. Walk away."

There’s a moment of hesitation. A beat where the drunk seems to consider whether or not this is a fight worth picking. He glances between you and Jude, his lip curling in annoyance, before finally, begrudgingly, releasing a scoff.

"Whatever," he mutters, stumbling back. "Wasn’t even worth it."

You don’t breathe until he’s gone.

The moment he disappears into the crowd, your entire body sags, tension draining so quickly that your knees feel weak. You swallow, pressing a hand to your chest in an attempt to steady yourself.

Jude turns to you then, his brows knitting together in concern. "You alright?"

You nod automatically, even though you’re not entirely sure it’s true. Your hands tremble slightly as you sign, Thank you.

Jude watches your hands carefully, and your gaze shifts to his lips expecting him to say something next—to offer words you wouldn't be able to hear. Instead, he hesitates, then lifts his hands.

You… okay? The sign is clumsy, the movements stiff, but the effort makes your heart stop.

He had recognized what you were signing before. He had understood. you think.

You nodded, your throat tight with gratitude. He relaxed a little at your response, but still glanced around, protective. "You waiting on someone?" His lips move slower this time, giving you a chance to read them.

You nod again, holding up your phone. "Uber." The words come out in a bit of a slur but he understands them.

Jude frowns, looking at your screen. "Two minutes?"

He must have seen the time displayed on your phone because there’s no way he could’ve understood the tone of your nod. "Yeah."

The way he scowls in response makes you think that’s not an acceptable answer. His eyes shift, scanning the parking lot, and you can practically see the wheels turning in his mind. "Look, you want to wait inside? The security team can keep an eye on you till your Uber arrives."

His concern is sweet, and you find yourself nodding before you can think. "Okay. Thank you."

You let him lead you back to the main building, where there’s a security team waiting by the entrance. He explains your situation, and they offer you a smile. They won't let you stay inside the stadium since the game has already ended, but they’re willing to stand outside with you until your car arrives.

You nod in gratitude and wave a goodbye as Jude makes to leave. You expect him to keep going, to be on his way, but instead, he hesitates. For a second, he just looks at you, as if deciding something, but he shakes his head, offering a quick smile as he slips away into the night.

The security team stays with you the whole time. They make sure you’re safe and wave down your Uber when it arrives. You thank them and climb into your car, making your way home.

That’s it, you think. That’s where the story ends.

But it’s only the beginning.

**********

-Bianca🌻

[cuchufletapl]

I was rewatching the scene where Ekko is trying to stop Jinx from killing herself to get a better feel of her perspective during all that and:

She's looking at him as he talks about it not being too late to build something new, and then she looks down.

Focus on the cymbal monkeys lining the Z-Drive that AU Powder put in as decoration.

We go back to Ekko, who also looks down for a second before he says the bit about someone worth building it for, and when the camera focuses on Jinx again, she seems to still be looking down at the Z-Drive before her gaze flickers back up to his face.

How the fuck did this detail not stick in my mind before this rewatch. The monkeys have been her symbol since childhood — it's practically her signature as Jinx, since what set her on the path to become Jinx was a cymbal-monkey bomb and she spray-paints it everywhere, in every place where she causes mayhem. But given AU Powder's fondness for them too it's safe to assume that she used them often for her gadgets even before that. Gadgets that she'd surely show and make with Ekko because that's a hobby they shared as children.

Her eyes fixating on this detail, these little toys that are synonymous with her, at the same time as he's saying the words that convince her to give life another try. It's significant! It's her past and her present, her inventiveness, her trauma and her havoc-wreaking — and Ekko is carrying it with him. During his time in utopian Zaun, he fell in love with AU Powder again, yes, but he was also finally able to reconcile with the fact that Jinx existing doesn't mean that his Powder is dead, that Jinx didn't replace her, that she's a continuation of the girl he knew. The cymbal-monkeys inside his device that allows him to rewind time and try again and again: they stand for both Jinx and the two Powders, three versions of the same girl he's come to love.

So Ekko, in this scene, is not really asking her to change and fix her image like Vi did (which kind of takes me back to his conversation with AU Powder in front of the Vi mural, when she asks him, "You want me to change?" and he tells her no, that she's the kind of person whose ideas change the world and should allow herself to live to her full potential — because he's missing that part of her that's salient in Jinx, but that AU Powder is repressing). To her, his words sound like she doesn't need to die to break the cycle. No part of her needs to die. There are no chairs to choose to sit in anymore.

There's also a possibility that she realises that he's doing something weird with time. Every second of this conversation, every time she looks at him, he suddenly gets more disheveled and injured despite the grenade never going off (from her perspective) — she must notice that. She looks at that glowing gadget by his side with this added touch that is very much hers. And maybe she figures out that it was a version of her who put it there.

[thedinosapien]

Theory: Brooklynn talked to N5 before leaving

The finale leaves many things implied or even confusing – in a way that makes it seem like something happened, especially between the scenes where Ben warns Brooklynn about the Bumpy's egg in the suitcase and the scene where B leaves. I invite you to rewatch the final scene, so it will be easier to understand what I say:

It is implied that Brooklynn had a conversation with the Nublar 5 off-screen, hidden from the viewer. The implications of the scene:

Ben is the one who talks about Bumpy's egg, so he obviously put himself in front of his friends. In the next scene, we see the position of each of the boys and girls: in front, Ben (who talked about the egg in the case), behind him, Darius and lastly, Kenji, then we have Sammy in ahead of Yasmina. Keep Brooklynn's reaction finding out about the egg in mind, I'll talk about it later.

Although Ben asks for the egg, the one who has it in his hands in the last scenes is Kenji. It's not Ben, who loves Bumpy more than anyone, or Darius, who is Brooklynn's best friend. She decided to give the egg to Kenji, proving that:

A. Maybe she trusts him more than Ben or Darius (understandable, since Pincus didn't do what she asked and D left her with the Allo, but it would be a bit strange for the scene, don't you agree? After all, Ben is Bumpy's dad);

B. There was more to the scene than what is revealed to the viewer. A conversation, probably.

The only one Brooklynn hadn't seen before in the season was Kenji, so she didn't know about the affection he has for the baby in the shell, that is, she had no reason to choose him, again indicating that there was an exchange of words between the characters.

There is two hypothesis about what must happened:

• Before giving the egg to Ben, he (Kenji) interrupted and demanded to receive it in Ben's place. It would be strange, since one way or another they would already have the egg in hands – in very safe hands –, changing only the fact that it would be with Ben Pincus;

• Or better, Brooklynn took advantage of the great opportunity she had to give essential explanations for the third season: Santos would kill them if she noticed any sign of betrayal on B's part, but with only one egg missing and the promise that none of her "ex-friends" would get in the way of the plan, everything would be safer for Santos. B just had to take advantage of the small gap to tell her friends WHAT she was doing, WHERE she was going and WHY she was going there – remember, the others don't know anything about Sayona's plans. Those informations will be essential for the characters!

It makes sense, doesn't it? After all, part of the arc of Kenji's relationship with the others is that "nobody tells me anything". Having him as the center of the scene, being, somehow, the priority of information, implies a development in his arc and a future advancement in the others' as well.

Note, in the beginning, Kon was the last, but in the end he is the one who is the most ahead of his friends. There really was something.

Now, the final detail that is totally related to Brooklynn's reaction to the egg: Throughout the season she never knew that Bumpy would have a baby. Her reaction reveals that she realized she lost a lot. It's exactly what Earnest said: "You're nothing special [...]. You're never happy with the good thing you've got, right in front of you." This reinforces that Brooklynn's story is about enjoying the things she already has, what she loses with her obsession and what she also has to gain from it. She needs to balance a lot of things in order to finally understand, by herself, what the truly wants and needs.

——————

A stupid theory I posted on reddit and thought it would be nice to post here. Tumblr must be more active, so activity ≃ interaction + addiction/correction for the theory.

I should stop thinking too much abt this show

If it turn out to be totally wrong, I hope you guys don't remember my post lol

[phantomoftheorpheum]

School Spirits Season 2 (episodes 1-3) liveblog/thoughts

**Spoilers for School Spirits Seasons 1 and 2x01-2x03

note: so last season I wrote up a lot of really detailed timeline stuff as I watched, and I don't think I'm going to do that this season, because 1. it's not a murder mystery anymore and 2. since a lot of the "mystery" elements of last season didn't tie back to Maddie at all, I can't expect all the little details to necessarily come together for the main plot. There are a couple of loose threads from that which I will keep an eye out for (honestly, I think they're just accidental loose threads), but my approach this season is more just ~vibes~

2x01

ROFL I completely forget Xavier got hit by a car at the end of season 1, like it completely slipped my mind. I possibly should have done a rewatch leading up to this, but I didn't and I'm here now, so I'm gonna go with it. I am watching the recap, though.

First question remains the same- what does Mr. Martin want? He tells Janet "the only way out is to go back in" and tells her that she needs to "go in deeper" which she does not want to do. He later tells Maddie that he wishes he had never pursued "this," though we know we can't trust him, so who knows if he actually has regrets or not. However, the fact that he runs from Maddie (and vanishes to who knows where?) suggests to me that he is genuinely afraid of something. If he were completely in control, I don't see why he would run away, what are the ghosts going to do him? Kill him?

Okay, Simon, my boy, please think clearly. Maddie literally gave you information that would have been impossible for you to have otherwise. The only reason you even found out Claire was involved in the blackmail was because of this stuff.

Lots of setup, some refreshers for the start of the season, fairly standard for a season opener. The budget feels higher already.

Unsurprisingly, it looks like Janet's past is going to play a big role in the season. Her dad seems like he sucks. I guess my immediate question is- are we getting all this backstory because it's emotionally relevant to Janet's storyline, or are we getting all this backstory because there's going to be a big plot element around it? When Janet goes to the graveyard, we see her grandmother's and her father's grave. Are those characters still in play as ghosts?

So far it does seem like the ghost characters are going to get the majority of the emotional weight. Rhonda, Charley, and Wally all already feel like they've been set up for some character development, while Nicole, Claire, and Xavier (until the end) don't have particularly clear set up for anything. Simon and Maddie have always been central, so no surprises there.

Okay, tbh, I did not think the car hitting Xavier looked that bad, but I'm going to assume he suffered a head injury or like that thing where if you get hit really hard at just the wrong moment it stops your heart, or something like that until told otherwise, because otherwise I can't figure out why he literally died for a minute.

So, my big question for the end of episode 1 is- how will this tie Xavier to the ghost world? Will he be able to see ghosts now? (I can see them not wanting to do this because Simon being the only person who can see Maddie is portrayed so heavily as a special bond, but also linking Xavier to the supernatural seems like the obvious reason they would kill him briefly, so....) Maybe it's just to get him onboard with everything because Claire is clearly not going to buy this story and Nicole seems pretty skeptical, too. I guess I'll just have to keep watching to find out.

Also seems important to mention that Janet is clearly pretty messed up from both what she's been through (and possibly her life before her death) and she appears to have been locked in a basement for like a year and I didn't miss all of that, I just don't have much commentary for it other than- I can't blame her.

2x02

Okay, so far it does feel like Xavier's brush with death is mainly to get him to be more open to everything, but I think it would be cool if he has some sort of lingering supernatural effects of the experience. Having a character die and then be brought back feels like the sort of thing that majorly changes them. If this weren't a supernatural story, I would assume that would be emotional/metaphorical change, but this show is about ghosts, so I'm kind of expecting something more than that.

I hate to say it, because I adore Wally and I hate love triangles, but it's making me itchy to watch all the Simon/Maddie/Wally scenes where Wally very clearly feels threatened. It's not there for no reason.

New additions to the cast, Yuri and Quinn. I wonder why Yuri never thought it was odd that Janet could make permanent stuff? Does he also have that skill? Because if not, surely he would notice that his stuff resets and (at least some) hers doesn't? I do like Yuri so far, though. I'm about halfway through the ep, don't feel like I know much about Quinn yet.

So we now know Janet's dad definitely sucked a lot. With that confirmed, and with the scene of Janet hiding under the stairs (as Maddie) with the person going up and down, do we think that's her father's ghost? (It wouldn't surprise me at all if Janet sees ghosts even though she's technically alive now). And... How did he die? did she (or her grandmother) kill him?

Xavier, my dude, I know I was tough on you last season, but cheating on Maddie does not mean you deserved to be hit and killed by a car.

Mr. Martin is engaged? (well, was) Interesting.

I hope someone realizes how triggering the Mr. Martin & Janet stuff clearly is for Rhonda. Obviously (so far) in the flashbacks we aren't getting the impression that it's an exact reflection of Rhonda's experiences, but close enough.

Okay, I wasn't expecting the Wally conflict to directly come up so soon, but I hope this at least means that we'll get some happy-go-lucky glimpses of him this season because it's one of my favorite elements of his character and (as Maddie basically called out) it's been very lowkey recently. I understand why he's upset/struggling, I like the layers, I just hope that's not the only side we see of him this season.

Alright, they just said Xaiver has a concussion. I'm no MD, but I did do some sports medicine training (unfortunately saw my fair share of concussions, including a couple that required ambulances, paramedics, and a trip to the hospital) and I do not think if you actually almost died of a head injury that anyone would let you back in school like the next day, even if you aren't expected in class. The lights alone would be problematic. But that's probably just me nitpicking.

So what you're telling me is Yuri saw a ghost with extra abilities and he was just like "eh 🤷‍♂️"? honestly, kinda valid. I'm glad Charley is addressing that.

I just had a thought that probably won't happen, but could be interesting, since Simon & Xavier are headed to the house that Janet is burning down, is it possible that Xavier will see Janet (Maddie) as Janet and not as Maddie? That would be an interesting effect of his death that's different from Simon's ability to talk to Maddie's ghost. I don't know how it would be helpful, but it could be cool.

Also was I right and Janet's father's ghost was actually there, or was she just imagining/remembering him? Clearly we don't know the extent of her abilities, or how the other ghosts factor in, but considering Janet's love of science and all the documentation, it would follow that she was running different experiments and she needed a bunch of different test subjects to do so. The big question being- what negative effects did she know/assume this had on them, because if it didn't have any, there would be no reason to hide it and they might do it voluntarily (they have very little to lose). Is it just that she was actively keeping them from crossing over? It seems like it would be something worse than that.

Mr. Martin is afraid of something "bigger," so clocked that. I do have an idea of what the red light means from the trailer, so not going to pretend to be super confused or speculate a lot, but not gonna explicitly say here because in case people haven't seen the trailer that addresses this.

2x03

So... do we think Claire is going to get an actual storyline, or?

Ah, there's some Wally lightness I was looking for.

Just got to the scene with Nicole's brother who I do not believe existed last season & I could be wrong, but he very much feels like a character that's been introduced to provide Claire with a new love interest and I am questioning if this would have absolutely anything to do with the central plot.

Janet's quite possibly a genius, but also she managed to leave her bag in a bathroom and lose all the money she stole, so brains aren't everything. I can't even laugh at her because I left my purse in a public bathroom a few months ago and didn't realize until I had driven an hour and half away and then had to drive an hour and half back (luckily it had been turned in) and then an hour and half the other way again.

I didn't realize I wanted more Xavier & Simon detective squad scenes until just now, but I do. I think they're really funny together, the actors bounce really well off of each other.

Okay, wait, wait, I immediately take back what I said about Nicole's brother because Janet's just been offered a ride to a college, and they just told us five minutes ago that Diego is in college, so what are the odds on "Diego sees his sister's missing best friend"? High, I'm guessing.

Well. That happened a lot faster than I was expecting it to, but okay. lol.

Can someone explain to me how the hell is Mr. Anderson is not in jail?? Stealing that much money is definitely a felony.

I can't tell if we're setting Nicole and Xavier up for a legit romance or just absolute horror and hilarity, like right now I could honestly see it going either way.

I just had to pause for like ten minutes from the secondhand embarrassment of the Wally/Janet scene. I know that's not the important part of that, but omg.

I don't understand how everyone else thought what Rhonda relayed about the party made Janet look bad instead of Mr. Martin. She literally says "no more experiments" and it seems like she wanted to give back the objects taken from the other ghosts, and I don't really get why Rhonda had to spell that out for everyone, like exercise some common sense my guys. I'm not saying that I fully buy that Mr. Martin is the ultimate evil (the man is scared of something) or that Janet is the ultimate good (setting aside the whole "stealing Maddie's body" thing, she was willing to kill Xavier with a car, so not a paragon of good morals, but still), just that I don't get what they missed about Rhonda's story to see Janet as the bad guy there.

I'm back to "Diego exists as a character solely for Claire" even though they technically used him for the plot briefly.

How did five of you lose Janet? She was literally right there.

So is it (the "hellscapes" so to speak) like a "you have to confront your death before you can move past it" kinda thing, or??

Unexpected MVP dynamic Simon & Xavier! But also Xavier should not be driving either and the girls really should have dropped both him and Simon off.

I'm not sure where Janet falls on a morality scale, but approaching Maddie's mom is rough if she doesn't intend to try to give Maddie's body back, because she has been through enough and like... oof.

It took me several hours to get through these episodes because this show has the misfortune of being on the most buggy streaming platform of all time, so my brain is tired at this point. I'll start a new post if I have any additional thoughts.

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

post-s2. good omens mascot here, coping unhealthily.

This is the first proper post I'm writing since the audio breakdown, good thing I queued a POTC one last week, I suppose. Yes I slept through the entire day today, missed the theatre workshop I was supposed to attend and may or may not be listening to A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square on loop. Have an update on my coping because my social life and family are both Tumblr now:

Every song is about them now. A lot were before, but now every single one. Even an old Hindi song from a 1900s Indian military movie that I have not watched, by the way. But the lyrics (thank you Google translate) are: Everybody wants a handful of the sky, everybody searches for a handful of the sky, there is a world waiting to be hugged to the chest, the moon is a fair full of stars, but this heart is still lonely. And of course that makes me think of Crowley as the starmaker. Ow.

I made the very intelligent decision to rewatch the first three episodes of season 2, knowing what the Job minisode and the Edinburgh minisode do to me. I'll be here clutching Crowley, well, hugging him close to the chest, just like that song... ah, fuck, here we go again.

I listened to you all and am drinking a lot of water, since my tear ducts were emptied yesterday and now I'm unable to cry. I also ate too much chocolate.

I searched for sad Aziracrow edits and watched them. Don't look at me. I'm in a hell of my own creation.

I used too many emotions last night and now I feel hollow and achy. Maybe I should cope with humour and write the summaries.

Or maybe that will backfire and I will be filled with horrifying levels of emotion.

I slept. A lot. Many hours. Lots sleep.

So. Well. You know. Adopted child of divorce. You were all right, this is exactly like dealing with a breakup or divorce, but much more painful.

Someone please, please, please stop me from clicking the Crowley whump tag to find fanfiction.

I remember my initial Good Omens posts. I remember calling the fandom sad, desperate, queer and masochistic, and also pointing out how you all blame Neil and then sit and make headcanons that are a hundred times worse than canon.

I was so right. Look at me now, sad, desperate, queer and masochistic, making headcanons that are a hundred times worse than canon.

Wahoo.

[terresdebrume]

I think I want to point at the elephant in the room today

The problem when we have the ever more frequent conversation of how to keep a fandom alive after the show it's based on stops airing is that we tend talk about it in a way that ignores the very real differences between the juggernauts of old fandoms like Star Trek and newer shows like Dead Boy Detectives, namely:

1. The difference in amount of material

2. The accessibility of said material

Part of the reason why Star Trek or The X-Files still have active fans so long after they aired is because those shows had multiple seasons with an average of 20 episodes each. For the X-Files' 11 seasons that's about 200 episodes each with their own storylines, themes, interesting ideas and frustrating mistakes right there to inspire Fanart, fic, meta, and any number of fanwork. I'm not even going to do the math on Star Trek: this show got about a bazillion shows

Dead Boy Detectives, and a lot of genre shows nowadays have like... Eight episodes. Ten, if we're lucky. Fandoms for procedurals or more broadly appealing shows fare better (Lone Star comes to mind, or sitcoms for example) because networks tend to keep them online longer, but genre series get ever shorter with ever fewer opportunities to really grow an audience... Think of all the shows that got popular on Tumblr in the past few years and tell me how many got a proper season? Shadow and Bones was cancelled. My Lady Jane: one season. Gentleman Jack, two (three?). Good Omens: maybe 3, depending on how the network handle the Gaiman situation. The Umbrella Academy got four seasons. Stranger Things, with 5 seasons and 42 episodes managed to equate roughly 2 seasons of the X-Files (probably not even that if you account for episode length). The Witcher currently has 3 seasons for 24 episodes.

Contrast this to shows like Dead Boy Detectives with, again, eight episodes. Maybe 16 if we get really lucky, but I'm not holding my breath. This is just materially WAY LESS soil for a fandom to grow in. It's not that people aren't motivated, it's that as much as you want to keep it going, there's only so much to say about 8 episodes! George Rexstrew, who plays one of the leads, even recently admitted that he's running out of things to say about his performance, and who can blame him? So after a while, you gotta turn to AU which by definition are always going to be potential hits and misses, since they diverge from what brought people to the show in the first place.

I know we're all real good at spinning yarn but sometimes it gets really hard not to run out of fiber.

As for accessibility: the Big Olds benefitted from two things. One, they were broadcast on much wider-reaching channels, if not from the start, then when they eventually made it on public networks. They had a regular play time, and you could stumble onto them by accident, this getting interested and picking it up. And two: the popular shows had a decent chance of getting tape or DVD sets, which made them easier to own and show to your friends so they could binge the story and join you in the fandom

By comparison, look at the barrier of access for Dead Boy Detectives:

Need to have a Netflix account

Need to see it somewhere in your recommendation (good luck if you come in more than a month after it released)

Need to see people talk about it as they binge (need to be in the right place at the right time, and by that I mean where fandom happens since Netflix has a habit of doing zero advertising for new shows)

Need to keep paying for a Netflix account if you wanna rewatch, or figure out how to do a piracy, which is getting more difficult and riskier every year

Need to be willing to get invested in a forever unfinished story

And when on top of that the writing in the first episode is, let's say it frankly, far from the best, that is a LOT of obstacle to overcome for a pretty small sandbox

So like, yeah, sure, we should be willing to keep making a fandom happen after a show ends, but at some point we can't ignore that the effort it takes to keep fandoms alive is getting way more intense than it used to be