#I honestly never expected this ever but apparently there was already some problems in the band but this was definitely the final straw.

[hsruiin]

Vocaloid unrelated (kind of).

I’ve been a fan of TUYU for almost 3 years and the recent news has me flabbergasted.

[goldsbitch]

That one missed lecture

part 3 to That one Christmas flight

summary: After a missed moment, both parties are trying to contemplate what to do next.

warnings: crushing hard, cheesy af, swear words I guess, typos probably, slow burn let's just admit that

"A what?"

Surely she must have misheard Teresa. Yes. Lando has been on Y/N's mind so much these past few days that she has officially lost it.

"Sorry, not what. Who?"

"I dunno, apparently this like formula racer or something. I don't really understand it - so like we were at Al Bricco right, as usual. And there was this guy who seemed to be super into that sport and he totally freaked out. Like, the racer guy just went in and immediately left, kind of embarrassing. He like proper asked for a photo and shit. And after the racer guy left, this dude was so high off that he paid for everyone's drinks at the bar. Was nice! Shame you had the thing you had, or whatever."

Yes. Or whatever. Y/N made up some excuse for last evening, so mundane even she forgot what it was.

It was Monday afternoon after the Imola weekend. The philosophy lesson was about to start in few minutes. Y/N cursed Teresa for keeping this one tiny detail about yesterday. For fuck's sake, they'd already had two classes together today! Plenty of opportunity to mention this. Nobody famous ever came to Bologna. Y/N would expect Teresa to make it a bigger deal. But then again, usually it would not be a big deal for neither of you.

"Yeah, shame I didn't order a bottle instead of a glass," Teresa proclaimed.

"Did you see him? The racer guy?"

"Yeah. He looked like a guy, honestly nothing special about him."

"Do you know like his name or the team?"

"No, the fuck would I know that. You're focusing on the wrong thing - you missed a fun night with free drinks."

Y/N felt like her mind just got the DRS.

There were 20 drivers on the grid - the chances were low. Y/N overcame her initial shock and tried to focus on the lecture that was about to start.

For some reason Hegel's Lord-bondsman dialectic was not able to win in the battle for Y/N's attention today. Since Teresa was of little help, Y/N turned to social media. Surely, this fan must have shared his photo online. And then, once she finally discovers the photo of Ocon or Tsunoda, she will be abel to return back to her actual real problems instead of her schoolgirl crush.

They say if you need to find the "corpus delicti" these days, ask a woman to scan social media. Source more powerful than FBI.

Y/N had to excuse herself after staring at a photo of Lando's fake smile while standing in her favorite bar. Pacing around was required right now. After all, show us a problem that can't be fixed by maniacally walking around the block seven hundred times.

In her favorite bar. Lando was in her bar. In a bar, where she would have been, hadn't it been for her actually trying to track down Lando. Out of all the places on this gigantic planet. In. Her. Favorite. Bar. Must have been some random game of destiny. Y/N was getting real mad at destiny. She cursed the stupid Christmas tradition, she cursed ever getting herself involved with formula 1.

She cursed herself for missing him. In both meanings of the word.

//

Lando forgot when exactly had his burner account turned completely Bologna centered. But it was impossible to escape that city. So he decided to leave that account be for a while.

His fitness trainer must have been happy with him. Lando burned his the tension and confused mix of feelings in his session like his life depended on it. He went on to stream in his free time to check in on his friends, who seemed a bit confused on where his head had been lately. In the course of few days, life got back on track. Y/N slowly leaving his mind and he parting with it peacefully. Yet every was covered under a gray cloud of nothingness.

It was a simulator day for him. He was supposed be testing new configurations. Lando was never really good at simulators, it completely lacked the realness of it, so he had to push himself to stay professional and be a proper teammate.

"I'm just not sure about this breaking set up," he commented quietly, perhaps even more to himself than others after missing another turn. His engineer however picked up on it and started to get into super detailed explanation on why they wanted him to use this configuration and did not fail to mention how great it job it did for Oscar this morning. Lando simply nodded and did not bother to engage in eye contact. He was in no mood for this debate and kept staring at the screen. Just let it all flow by him. This engineer had been on the team for quite some time, so he did not hesitate to try and cheer him up.

"Come on, man. You can't just sit there. The car won't start if you don't go for it, you know?" he said as a joke. When Lando did not respond, he began to second guess his judgement. "Or we could just take a break, what ever suits you."

Lando took a deep breath. "No, you're right. I can't just sit here and do nothing." He turned to his engineer with a different more energetic look. "When I crash, we just start again next time, am I right?"

"That's my boy!"

//

Y/N woke up the next morning to suspiciously large amount of notifications on her Instagram account. Someone liked every single one of her pictures and few of those where she was tagged and commented on one of her selfies "nice". Curious to what this was about, she went and checked the profile out. The only thing present on it was a black and white photo with some random numbers and letters. Ok, so nothing. Just some random weirdo or a drunken joke of one the uni friends. Because for a single moment she allowed her intrusive thoughts in - and expected Lando's account to be the one liking it.

Contemplating breaking the rule and reaching out to him was the only thing occupying her yesterday's evening. But what good would that do, his account probably being run by some PR people who would dismiss it as just another fangirl trying her chances. She thought a photo might be more helpful, but it was just the same thing all over again. No, she missed her chance and it was time to start moving on.

Her usual morning brain fog breaking espresso at a coffee bar in the centre did it's job well. A lot of paragraphs she was due to write were waiting on her. Only one lecture in the afternoon. A nice calm day to spend in one of the libraries. She loved Bologna. Great food and ever-present history has cured many crushes through out the ages.

"also nice" -another notification from the same account. Y/N contemplated blocking it, but it just seemed rude, so she just silenced her phone.

When took her phone out to listen to some music on the way to her lecture, she had three more comment.

"very nice" -appeared under a photo from one of her dinner parties with the local students.

"why no smile?" -it was a selfie, so what?

"thought you were the smart one, but starting to doubt that" - written under a random photo of Bologna's stunning libraries. So what, she enjoyed aesthetics too.

The one comment questioning her brain capacity stuck in head whole the way to her lecture. What the fuck was that about. Why was anyone spending their time so uselessly. The only thing on that profile was picture with some JL043 mash of letters. She had more important things to do.

A loud ding of her comments notification interrupted the lecture in the middle of it. She gave an apologetic look to her already grumpy professor.

"check my followers"

She sighed. That's it, she'll have a look and then block this asshole out.

Her heart sank when she saw that the only account this one was following was the Japan Airlines. JL043. The Christmas flight.

Y/N has already left one lecture because of Lando this week, so she was not about to it for the second time. But she might have as well done that, seeing she would not have been able to repeat a single point from this lecture.

//

Lando was not a patient man. Especially not after he has decided on something. And he decided on contacting Y/N. With the newfound fire in his veins, another burner account was created - can't let her see he was following every single one of her friends, bit weird. Well, once you've started you might as well finish it. Lando was happy that he did not posses any serial killer tendencies.

He was also a cheeky boy, not about to make it easy for anyone. Had to be fun.

So he liked all her pictures and put few comments. When she did not respond immediately in the morning, he continued. And again, and again. In the later afternoon, Y/N's account followed his and smile on Lando's face followed after that.

A message appeared shortly after.

"Hey you..."

part 4

_________________________________________

Tagged all those who like to suffer: @prudyhoo @anuksunamon @sagestack @esquerkaren @ushygushybaby @ilove-tswizzle @thehufflepuffavenger1  @superlegend216

[scoonsalicious]

10.3 Lily

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Summary: Lily McIntyre, trainer for new SHIELD recruits at the Avengers Tower, has been in love with her best friend, Bucky Barnes, from the moment she met him. She's been content with her role of the #1 girl in Bucky's life, even if it means she has to sabotage a romantic relationship or two. It'll be worth it when he realizes that they're meant for each other, right? There's just one small problem: Lily McIntire never expected Bucky Barnes to fall for You.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, Lies, Machinations.

Word Count: 1.5k

Previously On...: Bucky found the envelope you were sent. And he did not take it well. He went running to Lily.

A/N: I have a job interview this afternoon! Wish me luck (although, by the time this posts, it will be over with already, but, you know, good vibes!)!!

If you ever feel so inclined to support my work, hop on over to buy me a coffee; it's much appreciated! <3

NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when new story parts drop, please follow @scoonsaliciousupdates

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

Lily couldn’t believe her luck. When she had arranged to have that envelope sent to The WarZone, she expected Major to freak out, to be frightened and disturbed, maybe even disgusted, by everything Bucky had done in his past and decide to stop seeing him. 

But for Bucky to think that Major was running background on him without his knowledge, and for him to run out on her? Lily couldn’t have planned it better. And he’d come to Lily for comfort. Everything was going perfectly. She was even willing to eat this disgusting pineapple on her pizza, she was in such a good mood.

Currently, Bucky was sitting on the floor, back leaning against her couch while she massaged his scalp, the television playing some mind numbing comedy in the background.

“I don’t get it, Lil,” he said with a groan. “If she had questions, she could have just asked me. I would have told her anything she wanted to know.”

“Mmm,” she hummed, wishing he would move on to a different topic, any topic, other than that harlot. “I did tell you she was a bitch, Jamie.”

Bucky leaned his head back. “But why would she do it?” he asked her with a sigh. “She made such a big deal about saying I didn’t have to tell her anything until I was ready. So, why would she go digging?”

Lily scratched at his scalp, trying not to let her annoyance come through her ministrations. “She obviously lied to you, Jamie. Apparently, your past mattered more to her than she claimed. I hate to say this,” she said, struck with a jolt of inspiration, “but maybe she’s attracted to that kind of thing. Some people are sick, Jamie and, well, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.”

She eyed him, hoping the memory would hit the way she had intended it to. She had been particularly proud of orchestrating that breakup. Bucky had been devastated, of course– but when he had confided to Lily that he had been planning on asking Jessica, his girlfriend at the time, to move into his room at the Compound with him, she had to take action. What else was Lily supposed to do, honestly?

So, she'd fabricated search histories on Bucky's laptop for all kinds messed up Winter Soldier porn while Bucky was away on a mission; the nastier, the better; and then conveniently "discovered" the history after asking Bucky to borrow his computer. Since Jessica had, "technically," been the only other person, aside from Bucky, with access to the device, convincing him that she had been the one to search for it all hadn't been difficult. Despite Jessica's pleas that she'd done no such thing, it was hard refuting the evidence Lily had manufactured, especially since Bucky was so technologically illiterate and never thought to check for dates and times of the searches, and Jessica had been out of their lives by dinnertime. Lily would be eternally grateful to Rule 34.

“Is this how it’s going to be from now on?” Bucky asked her remorsefully. “Girls are either going to be terrified of the Winter Soldier, or weirdly turned on by him? There’s no in between where they just see 'Bucky'?”

Lily rolled her eyes. Was he always this fucking dramatic? “Jamie, you’ve barely been dating her. Be thankful you found out about her now, before you got in too deep.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “It could have been a lot worse. At least now, you know the truth about her, and you can move on.”

“I don’t know why I’m surprised,” Bucky lamented. “I’m a fucking monster. How can I expect any good woman to fall in love with me, after all the shit I’ve done?” 

“Maybe,” she began, playing with the chain of his dog tags and hoping to get him off his pity train, “the problem is that you’re too caught up with girls who don’t really know you. Maybe you’d be better off with someone you already have a solid foundation with, you know?” Lily gently tugged his tags out from underneath his collar and began running her fingers across the metal, as she’d done hundreds of times before. It always made her feel connected to him, grounded.

Except, this time, they felt… wrong, somehow. The metal engraving where his name should be felt foreign, not the embossing she was so intimately familiar with. She felt her stomach plummet. 

“What’s with your tags?” she asked, not even giving him an opportunity to respond to her previous statement. “They don’t feel right.”

Bucky pulled away from her, reaching up to gently take the tags from between her fingers into his own. 

“These are Major’s,” he said softly as he ran his thumb across the engraving, looking at the tags almost longingly. 

“Why–” Lily fought for composure, “why do you have her tags?” she asked him. “Where are yours?”

“We traded,” Bucky confessed to her. “Fuck, now I’m going to have to figure out how to get mine back.”

“You gave her your tags.” Lily did her best to cover her disgust and disbelief by making it a statement, not a question. In all their years of friendship, she’d never, not once, known him to ever take those tags off, let alone allow someone else to wear them– and lord knows she’d tried to get him to let her. Bucky nodded.

“You just let some random slut wear your tags, Jamie?” There was no hiding the distress in her voice now as she stood up from the couch, the action so abrupt that it knocked Bucky forward on the floor. 

“You barely know her! That’s so… so… ugh, that’s so gross!” 

“Why are you so upset about it?” he asked her, standing up and looking at her with a curious expression. “They’re my tags, but you’re freaking out about them worse than I am.” 

Shit. Cover, cover, cover.

“Well,” Lily hemmed, “because, obviously, she’s awful. I mean, she did all that shady recon on you. I gotta say, I think you should probably be thankful for whoever sent her that envelope. They did you a favor in showing you her true self, right?”

Bucky froze, his expression staring off into the middle distance as if he’d just realized something of vital importance. “Shit,” he whispered.

“What?”

He made a beeline for the kitchen, picking up his discarded leather jacket and shrugging it back on. “I fucked up, Lil. I fucked up, big time.”

“Where are you going?” she asked as he made his way back toward the front door, and she could hear the desperation in her own voice. “Jamie, we’re having such a good night.”

Bucky paused to turn to her, his hand on the doorknob. “She was upset when she got that envelope, Lil. I was so taken by surprise when I saw the contents of it, I completely forgot about her reaction when she first recieved it. She didn’t even know where it had come from. There’s no way she was doing background research on me.”

Lily could feel all her opportunities slipping between her fingers like fallen sand. “Maybe she was lying to you. Covering her tracks so you wouldn't suspect,” she said, knowing the excuse was flimsy, but not being able to come up with anything else in the moment.

"But she didn't know I would even still be there," Bucky protested as he opened the door. "I got held up having a conversation with Nat. Major was surprised to see me still in the building. There's no way she made that bit up for my benefit."

“I don’t see how that changes her motives in the least. Maybe she saw you still there and came up with the lie on the spot.”

“Because that’s not who she is!” Bucky practically shouted, taking Lily aback with his tone. “You said she did me the favor of showing me her true self, and that’s just the thing– I don’t believe that’s who Major truly is. If, and that’s a big ‘if,’ she did look up information about my past, she probably had a damned good reason, and I–fuck– I never even gave her the chance to explain! I just stormed out of there like a fucking toddler! I have to go make this right while I still have a chance. I’ll let you know how it goes!”

And with that, he was out the door, running, once again, back to her, and leaving Lily all alone, and heartbroken. How could things have gone from so spectacularly wonderful to so awful, in such a short span of time?

More importantly, if, for some reason, Major did decide to forgive Bucky, what was Lily’s next step going to be to break them up for good?

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

[raiseyourbarkid]

when i first started watching 9-1-1, i was so excited to join the fandom.

s3 had just finished airing, so there was already plenty of fan content available, and i hurried over to ao3 and started reading the fics with the most kudos.

one of the very first ones i read involved Hen reaming Buck out for rescuing someone who didn't have a chance of surviving afterward. it felt oddly familiar, and then i realized—they basically copied the speech Gerrard gave in Hen Begins when she saved that woman in a landslide. they took the abuse that Hen endured because she was black woman, and gave it to Buck. took the words out of a racist misogynist's mouth and put them in Hen's, made her the abuser, just so Buck could be the victim.

that was one of the most popular fics at the time. that was my introduction to the 9-1-1 fandom. and unfortunately, it set a precedent for what to expect from it.

one of the next fics i read involved Buck's relationship with his father. this was before Buck Begins aired and we learned what his actual backstory was, so people liked to invent tragic backstories for him. nothing wrong with that in itself. except as i read this fic (another of the most-kudos'd at the time), i started to realize—they hadn't invented a backstory for Buck. they'd just stolen Chimney's and given it to him. because apparently the story was more tragic or meaningful if it happened to Buck instead of the asian man. (and as i recall, Chimney was made out to be a real jerk in that fic, too.)

and so it continued.

after that introduction, i always stayed on the fringes of the fandom. i still read some fic—obviously, not everyone was like that, and there were a lot of really good fanworks! but i didn't really engage beyond that. as i read more fic, another pattern was emerging: the fandom's treatment of women.

9-1-1 is far from the only fandom to have this problem. in several fandoms with popular mlm pairings, there is a lot of mistreatment of female characters, especially ones who are viewed as a "threat" to the pairing. but the way people reacted to these characters—namely, Abby, Taylor, and Ana—was somehow astounding to me. obviously none of them were perfect people—what character is?—but i couldn't imagine anything they'd done warranting the reaction i saw from fans. i had liked them as characters for the most part! i didn't see those romantic relationships working out in the long term, but i didn't see that as a reason to hate them, much less reach the levels of loathing the fandom seemed to. you'd think these women were cartoon villains, the way fandom portrayed them.

honestly, it had been YEARS since i'd seen a fandom with such bad misogyny, if ever. and somehow, i was surprised again. i'd foolishly believed that fans had been getting better about that kind of thing, about hating women over a ship. so many other fandoms managed to be kind to the women involved with the men they shipped, why was it so hard for this particular fandom?

and now all this.

Buck's finally in a queer relationship, but it's not the one people wanted, so the response is to be hateful and homophobic towards the other character involved? in what world does that make sense? how do people rationalize that to themselves?

i'm just exhausted. i'm realizing now that this fandom has never felt like a safe space and maybe never will.

in over 20 years of being in fandoms, i have NEVER been in one that was so determined to be hateful. and over a show that's predominantly about love and the power of human connections? it's downright baffling.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s3 episode 22 thoughts

this episode was SO good. it was funny, it was heartfelt, and it was entertaining. but- and i'm sure you fans who have seen the show before know- something happened that is making me cry.

yes, actual tears! boy, there must be some real serious astrology stuff going on in the world, for actual tears are down my cheeks, something that almost never happens to me in movie and film watching experiences, and this episode did it to me. i usually just get a bit misty and that's the extent of it- even in one breath! but man. apparently i have a weakness.

sigh. we shall get into it, like we do.

reading the episode description: it's loch ness monster-like creature time!! i’ve been eyeballing this episode for a while, it sounds really interesting. a lake trip!! a trip to the lake!! 

we begin, and it is frog time!!! time for a frog!!! an endangered frog!!! dr. farraday is fighting for their rights. oh, he just used the term “frog holocaust” in his talk to this dr. bailey fellow, which is something. serious frog beef going down between these professors, for dr. bailey does not think that dr. farraday's research proves that humans are responsible for the fate of the frogs! how infuriating.

dr. bailey is going back to his car but lost “his beeper” so he’s looking by the lake for it. OH! his beeper meant a pager. i know what a pager is!!!! do not think i am uneducated!!! just never heard it called as such.

he finds the beeper but he is EATEN. by a BEAST!!! while a frog watches. 

if only this was the fate that all people who deny the need to protect the environment met! eaten by a lake beast! how much more just this planet would be...

intro time. and the first time i watched an episode and i heard the theme i started laughing hysterically because i didn’t realize that noise was the x files theme; i had just thought it was a well-known spooky noise used in vines and stuff and then. everything clicked into place. and it was soooo funny. anyway.

road trip to georgia!!!! WITH THE DOGGY!!! mulder calls it “a thing” SO RUDE????

“you wake me up on a saturday morning, tell me to be ready in five minutes, my mother is out of town, all of the dog-sitters are booked, and you know how i feel about kennels” <- help i’m CRYINGGGGG tell him how you feel!!!!

(love that they have already had a conversation on the morality of kennels before)

((but also truly what did he expect 😭😭 and he did all this on a SATURDAY!!!! she ought to have been way meaner!!!))

so he made her leave town with the puppy on a SATURDAY for a missing person’s case… omg do they even get paid overtime???

also mulder is lost which is soooo funny because WHY is he perpetually behind the wheel... he doesn’t have any sense of direction!!!

he makes a stupid pun about the killer being “large” and she straight up asks what he’s leaving out LMAOOO

(he points to a billboard advertising “big blue, the southern serpent) <- “oh, tell me you’re not serious” LMAOOOO

so they’re going to talk to dr. farraday and i think it’s so cute that scully is in some more casual-y clothes. anyway, they’re going over the serious frog beef between him and the victim. farraday does NOT miss dr. bailey’s loser ass... ijbol!!! why should he give a damn for one man when so many species are going extinct!

farraday said “has anyone ever told you two you have a great problem coming to the point?” after mulder asks if any native species attacked humans... lmao he is rude as hell!!!

AND ASKING ABOUT BIG BLUE MADE THINGS WORSE!!! now farraday is going on about how if anything requires real thinking people turn to UFOs and whatnot which is like.... um okay rest assured that if someone is gonna think it’s gonna be mulder. he's gonna think about any and all explanations on a sliding scale of plausibility.

LMAO mulder is being sassy right back while scully screams with her eyes. farraday gets even more pissed and leaves… honestly i’m sorry about the frog population king, but you’re not really winning any friends with influence to help you lobby on behalf of the frogs. or winning any friends at all. 

so mulder and scully and the doggy go to a bait and tackle shop, and the sight of them sharing an umbrella with a dog on a leash healed something in me, something i didn’t know was in need of healing but it was. and they’re reciting the different creatures that live in lakes- apparently scully read about cryptids as a kid!!!! 

she says they’re folk tales and he says “well, how many folktales do you know that can eat a boy scout leader and a biologist?” and she looks soooo annoyed. but then they go in, and he is a proper gentleman and shakes off the umbrella 

at the shop they see a “scale from big blue” and scully says it looks like “a carapace, something from a beetle” which again reminds us that she WAS studying bugs in bio, thank you very much!!

they’re chatting with the dude that sold mulder a map, and he’s talking about his own experience with the creature while wearing a hat that says “show us your bobbers” which is crazy, but we keep going. he claims he heard a cow get eaten by big blue as a kid. and in walks an alleged expert, ansel… whose daddy’s cow was eaten way back then!

ansel is buying more film to someday achieve his dream of catching a picture of the beast and scully looks deeply pained in the background lmaoooo i love her 

someone is putting a worm on a hook in order to fish on the lake. a big one bites!!! a real big one. OH! it’s actually a human body. the fisherman goes and gets the dude from the tackle shop and by proxy our agents.

OH! there is only half a body. they’re bickering on what could have eaten half of a human body while hiding together under an umbrella, and it’s really cute but where is the dog?

the tackle shop man is out in the swampy part near the lake wearing dino-shaped boots to try and make some convincing tracks LMAO. king of the hustle. but something approached him as he gets stuck in the mud!!!! and he is dragged into the dark lake with only a dino boot left behind!

apparently his name was ted. rip ted and your bobber hat and funny boots.

mulder seems to believe that the tracks are legit and tells scully and the dog to watch where they’re walking as to not disturb them (and the dog is named queequeg i’m gonna CRY!!!) 

the sheriff is OFFENDED by mulder’s suggestion to close the lake, because clearly this is just a bunch of drunk people falling overboard!! and then getting run over!! well if that happens as frequently as you seem to think it does, we need to do something regardless of if any beasts are involved.

scully is not buying that the tracks are from a real creature because they did not leave very deep impressions. but the dog yanks her away!!! he’s off investigating the dino boot! the prints may be a hoax, but the blood on the shoe is very real!

cut to some stoners on the lake talking about hallucinogenic toads. he holds a local frog and licks it. but someone interrupts his toad licking session coming back to the surface from a scuba dive?

oh no!! scuba dude is pulled by some sort of creature!!! and his head is removed from his body. well that is not good.

time to locate the head. both of our agents are in fun little jackets, and still bickering over what went down.

ansel the big blue photographer is serenading his camera, preparing for the perfect shot, which he has set up by filling an inner tube with meat. something bubbles beneath it. BUT NO!! it skips the meat on the tube and goes right for him!!!!! he snaps a picture as it gets him!! three attacks in one day!!!!

mulder asks the sheriff again to CLOSE DOWN THE LAKE and he again refuses. scully says it’s inconclusive still, which is echoing the dr. bailey saying about the fate of the frogs being inconclusive!

the sheriff falls in, and out there he brushes into something big. he immediately proclaims that the lake shall be closed down, calls state police, AND wildlife fish and game. well okay that gets results i guess.

they’re examining the photos from ansel, and mulder things that this blurry thing COULD be a tooth. it is very funny.

AWWW the dog needs to go for a walk, and mulder offers to go with her :,) she lifts up her jacket to show her gun, says she’ll be fine, and smiles. STOP I LOVE THEM SO MUCH?????

why is this episode making me emotional with their little lake visit. also something bad is definitely going to happen now. she says goodnight :,)

aww the dog is MAD and she’s talking to him in that kind of voice you reserve for a little creature... but he wants to go into the woods!!

no!!! he runs too fast!!! NO!!!!! WHERE DID HE GO???? HE ISN’T ON THE LEASH????

NO. I CAN’T BEAR TO WATCH SCULLY LOSE HER DOG…. 

oh my gosh, she is sitting in the chair, holding his collar in grief…. she is literally spaced out into another dimension mourning her little friend and mulder is rambling about the lake…. i want to slap him… NOOOO. she asks him to repeat himself because she was so out of it…

(if this doesn’t end with a dog reunion i will drop this dumbass show. BET.)

mulder asks if she can drive a boat. psh can she drive a boat? it’s natural to her bloodline.

she is piloting the boat and he’s telling her where to go, and she’s braver than me because if i lost my dog at this moment i think i would need two weeks to begin to even SORT of get a grasp on reality. 

“i know the difference between expectation and hope. seek and ye shall find, scully” <- this is a genuinely fantastic line said by mulder, but i’m still in dog mourning so we can go analyze that later 

map facts with scully :)

until the monster comes STRAIGHT AT THEM!! i like how she kept asking “what is that, mulder?” because it reminded me of when she kept asking mulder to get the bugs off of her in darkness falls… like the blind hope/faith/desperation that he would hold the answers and have a solution… ohhhgghh

big crash into the boat!!! it is leaking and she picks up the radio and calls a distress signal (another natural feature to a scully) but the boat is FILLING with water!!

mulder gets some life jackets for them and they barely get them on in time as the boat sinks. whew! a conveniently placed rock for them to perch upon is nearby!!!

but there goes the $500 deposit :( 

mulder says to swim and she is GAGGED “in which direction?!” lmaoooo

mulder is unsettled by how dark it is, because you forget these things in a city… and scully says you forget a lot of things in a city; her father taught her to respect nature, because it has no respect for you. or your dog, i guess :(

they both pull out their guns as they hear splashing!!!! mulder whispers that it was big blue, but scully asks “so what if it was?” <- NOOO you took her dog and her deposit, you’ve broken her spirit!!!

mulder says he wants to know because it could revolutionize science, and so many of the things they chase are intangible, but it’s a creature within the confines of a lake, it should be right HERE- and she isn't buying it for a second

she says she saw HIS FUTURE in ansel’s photographs, a man listening only to himself and seeing nonsense; she can’t figure out his motives, and things are approaching angst levels on this rock in the middle of nowhere, but SOMETHING APPROACHES!!!!

it’s a duck. okay so it could be worse!!! he says he’s still tempted to fire and she slams into him LMAOOO 

sleepover on the rock. “hey scully, do you think you could ever cannibalize someone?” <- LDHDMDNSMDNSBBDNSND I’M GENUINELY YELLING LMAOOOOOOO HOLD ON. hold on i need a minute to handle all that. (she gives a thoughtful and scientific response) <- that’s Them. that is their dynamic right there.

“you’ve lost some weight recently, haven’t you?” “yeah i have, thanks for-“ (glare of realization) LMAOOOOOOOO WHAT EVEN IS THIS EPISODE

“poor queequeg” she says, and i’m gonna CRY. but mulder has a better response now to her grief instead of just babbling on about the lake, asks why she chose that name. she shares that was the name of the harpoonist in moby dick, which her father used to read to her from.

and as she says this, she realizes how much mulder is like ahab, “so consumed by your personal vengeance against life, whether it be it’s inherent cruelties or it’s mysteries, that everything takes on a warped significance to fit your megalomaniacal cosmology” <- the words of a girl who was REALLY into a book as a kid and is also experiencing near-death levels of hypothermia and grief

LMAOOOOO HIS RESPONSE IS “scully, are you coming onto me?” yes. now kiss on the rock.

and she keeps going, talking about how his search for the Truth will take down everything he loves, just as it did for Ahab.

OH! he starts talking about how he always wished for a peg leg, even as a kid, and it first it seems like another of his many jokes but he says it’s because maybe then it’s enough to Persist despite the difficulty; without, “you’re actually expected to make something of your life- achieve something, earn a raise, wear a necktie” so perhaps he is the ANTITHESIS of ahab, for with a peg leg he may be more pleased! 

woah. that got deep. i’ll be gnawing on that one for a bit.

THEY BOTH QUOTE A LINE FROM THE BOOK AT THE SAME TIME... STOP I’M GONNA SOB?????

but a splashing approaches… and they draw their guns…. CUT TO A COMMERCIAL BREAK!!!!

it’s dr. farraday??? he says he hopes he’s not INTERRUPTING anything!!! wait so was the shore right there the whole time LMAOOO (silent walk of shame to the shore) BAHAHA

so what is this dude doing out here?? obviously it’s frog science! he’s been breeding the frogs to get their numbers back up. 

mulder is thinking…. if there are fewer frogs for a dinosaur to eat… it would have no choice but to turn to different food sources! (cutscene to serious arguing between mulder and dr. farraday whilst scully watches)

sheriff rolls up!!! another person had their arm bit off, and so he has thirty boats searching that area. but mulder says we have to search THIS cove, where the frogs have been going missing!! he blatantly refuses.

what if it was her little dog that bit the dude’s arm off…

scully politely asks for him to send a few men over and immediately gets results LMAOOO he quietly mumbles “thanks”

but a distant scream is heard!!! it’s dr. farraday!!! they run and find him!! something grabbed his leg and was shaking it. his leg is messed up really bad so scully is tying a tourniquet, and mulder’s running off after the mystery creature…. no self preservation instincts….

so he’s off with a gun and a flashlight chasing the human eating beast…. only to find some frogs. but something is approaching him?? quickly!!! and he’s firing his gun!!!

into a GATOR??? not a fancy lake beast!!

he’s staring out into the water… claiming to be fine. but he said he wanted the monster to be real, that he saw hope in such a possibility. she says there is still hope, that people want to believe, which is why the stories have endured for so long. 

GASP! the minute they leave, we see a big sea beast…

i’m literally so torn because i was CONVINCED the dog was going to come back 😭😭😭 and this episode was so good but WHY did they have to throw that in there… like i can’t even make an objective analysis of how this went because i’m so sad. WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?!?!

“oh juni there have been lots of human people that die in this series” which i mourned for too! but. i have felt the pain of losing a beloved and innocent creature and i do not wish for it to return and being reminded of its inevitably is not something i wish upon anyone MUCH less dana scully, who has already suffered in mythological levels.

really though, the episode was good. it was genuinely fantastic. it just clearly hit a bit of a nerve with me so i'm not going to do a thoughtful wrap up in the manner i like to think i usually do. but here are the things i liked, beyond the whole aesthetic and mood: bickering, umbrella sharing, scully at the helm, joint quoting of moby dick, deep introspection in the form of projecting onto book characters, cannibalism debates, outlandish creature as a monster of the week, rock sleepover, and fighting over frogs

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews: The London Special

Okay, I wasn't expecting this to drop so soon! Let's go! Maker-breaker! This is post-season 5 finale! I'm practicing all my negative reactions just in case!

Oh. That's Lila. Or "Lila."

Surreal-looking intro sequence. Cool!

Triangular prism chess

Old Lady Alix

Get noclipped

Exposition

Wait, she's into them kissing now? Or is she just done with their bullshit?

Gabriel making the wish is supposed to happen? That causes the apocalypse! That's probably why reality ended!

So the Miraculous big bang undid the nightmare phenomenon? Noted.

So the wish didn't cause the apocalypse? Goddamnit show, be consistent with the lore!

Kagami yes!

Kagami no!

Wait, is Marinette impacted by the wish? Is that why she won't tell Adrien? Is she mind-controlled?

Actually, looking at her, Bug Noire does look more like she's a puppet,

She won't come clean.

"No. I'll just use a key card instead."

Yes! Tell him!

I think she's being forced by the wish. Phew.

Honestly, this might be as bad as telling the truth to him. Probably worse, since he can tell something's up.

Yes! Kill! Wait no! She's covering Shitmoth's tracks!

Oh god. She's telling everyone this.

Also where is Felix in all of this? Where's that genocidal bastard?

Shitmoth won.

Well, at least the Kwamis are safe.

Lying to Alya

No, no you didn't.

So you can adjust the wish to cause the apocalypse? Why didn't they just say that?

Construction Marinette

Meta humor

Jaundicebug. Couldn't Ladybug just keep on the bright vest?

Not really, considering that apparently Miraculous canon exists in the same world as Ghost Force. Dummy.

Noclip

Just summon your lucky charm already, dummy. You already know their powers.

Maaybe get her for that if she's doing it of her own volition?

And what would those bigger problems be? That the plot is harder to comprehend?

Wait, is this just recycled scenes from the season finale?

So no one's dead and cloned. Phew.

No, Gabriel was never Adrien's father.

Alternatively, you could've just not detransformed, confiscated the rest of his rings, and arrested his ass.

One of the few London references

So akumatizing yourself gets rid of your memories? Or do people always forget when akumatized?

And yet they still got hit by the nightmare gas when Tomoe somehow didn't. What the fuck.

And you can't tell everyone else either. Like, why are you doing this? You could just not do this. Unleash the truth. Unleash justice.

Thinking with portals

Just open the portal a bit larger.

He'll have the Gorilla.

Nathalie's cooking here.

No it won't.

And the other half is a lie.

You think no one will ever know? Someone will know. Someone will find out, and they'll tell Adrien at his lowest. And that'll be a thousand times worse than just telling him the truth upfront.

Braid tail

Getting some Freddy Five Nights vibes here

Teleporter battle!

Stuck in the void

Wait, I'm pretty sure Alix was back during that happy days illusion pool sequence thing. Was that fake?

Admittedly, "both have their ups and downs" was one of the better answers to that.

New animation style

Well that didn't have much to do with London aside from the time travel crap being an allusion to Doctor Who and the Sherlock reference. Is it because British people suck? Either way, this was less of a special and more of stuff that should've been added to the season 5 finale. Their explanation of lying wasn't too bad, though. They explained that Marinette did this of her own will and had her stick to it, ultimately. I'm just glad they explained that no, everyone didn't die. I hope the side heroes get to kick Felix's ass for what he did in the new season. Bitch has it coming. And yeah, Lilamoth's going to spill the beans to Adrien one way or another.

[aziraphales-library]

Hello! I love what you do here! Your blog has been my number one guide to find good fanfics!

I wanted to ask if you could help me here. I recently read a fanfic with naga!crowley who was in some tower he couldn’t get out and he wasn’t himself. Azi found him there. It sounded very cool but had quite a bit adult content. I feel rather uncomfortable with sutch thing and wanted to know if there are any other fics with the same idea but no adult content and please no human AU’s. could you help me with that? Already a big thank you for this blog <3

Hi! Your description gives fairytale/fantasy vibes, so I hope these are the kind of fics you were after...

A Demon's Guide to Love and Curses by cyankelpie (G)

(Crowley has been cursed by a witch, cut off from his powers, and trapped in serpent form. Only a True Love’s Kiss can restore him to his former self. There’s just one problem: demons can’t fall in love.)

“So what’s your plan?” Crowley said at last, sounding resigned. “You want me to ssslither into town, find some random human, and see if I can fall in love with them? And get them to fall for me?”

“Goodness, no. That would never work.” Aziraphale crossed the floor and pulled his cloak off the coat stand. “My plan is to take you into town, and then, together, we’ll find someone for you to court.”

The Prince and the Serpent by IneffableDoll (G)

The witch’s expression was downright evil. “You’ve heard of True Love’s Kiss, haven’t you?” Anthony stared at her. If he’d had eyebrows instead of being a snake, they’d have touched his hairline. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” ~ This is a magical rom-com about an idiot besotted snake and an idiot besotted prince very loosely inspired by The Princess and the Frog, what do you want from me?

The prince and the snake by Lost_In_Wonderland12 (G)

The kingdom of gold got a prophecy long ago about the youngest child of the king weilding a flaming sword and the king waited expectantly for this child for years until finally the worthy one was born. His last child, Aziraphale, his knight. Fast forward to years later after the death of the king, his oldest son Gabriel has since taken the throne and has no hopes for his youngest brother. That is until a cursed man, a sorcerer if you will, with snake like eyes starts becoming a slight problem. He messes with the roads, terrorizes children, sets snakes loose in barns, and Gabriel does not like him one bit.

So he asks for an audience with the snakelike man who asks for something unusual in return for staying out of trouble. A companion, and a willing one at that. No one steps forward except for Prince Aziraphale, who is whisked away with the promise that he can visit. What will come of this?

A Familiar Bond by ChubbstheFish (T)

There is a reason witches are warned not to summon demons. The sleepy town of Tadfield was supposed to be peaceful, a town full of witches practicing their craft without worry of outside persecution. At least it was until someone let a demon loose. But local bookshop owner and garden enthusiast Aziraphale doesn't really care about all that nonsense, not when he has just acquired a new friend and companion in the shape of a Familiar. Crowley just wanted to head back home. But that's getting harder to do now that he's gone and gotten attached to a certain witch, which is bad since he does not want the pure-hearted man to be corrupted by his mere presence.

The Rose and the Serpent by Atalan (M)

AU, retelling of “Beauty and the Beast”. Quite honestly, sending Aziraphale off into the forest to be held hostage by a giant snake in a cursed castle isn’t even the worst thing Gabriel’s ever done to him, and at least it means a change of scene. But then neither the snake nor the castle turn out to be quite what he’s expecting…

Choose Your Princes Wisely by ZehWulf (T)

“There’s an enchanted castle West in the Hellian slopes, and apparently it comes with a prince looking for a bride or bridegroom to free him from a dark fae’s curse.”

“I see,” Aziraphale says finally, when he realizes both Gabriel and Uriel are staring at him expectantly. “You want me to marry a beast?”

Gabriel's mouth flattens. “I want you to take this gods’ blessed opportunity to secure your family’s future for good."

OR

Aziraphale is a professional quest hero who just wants to sit by the fire and read a book, if his overbearing family will ever let him; Crowley is a serpent demon who needs a gullible hero he can con into gathering some critical ingredients for a human corporation spell. Hijinks and a lot of terribly inconvenient feelings ensue.

- Mod D

[jowi8597]

Wang Yibo's 10th debut anniversary - the list of acting works and unimportance of cql/untamed

Before diving into the exciting events on the horizon, like the Milan Fashion Show and the latest episodes of Exploring The Unknown this weekend, let’s take a moment to go back to Yibo’s 10th debut anniversary, which we celebrated just a few days ago. As we remember, the highlight was the wrap-up photo shared by Yibo Official, beautifully showcasing his impressive body of work in both acting and music singles.

One notable aspect of the list of acting credits is its comprehensive nature, encompassing every role Yibo has taken on - not only those that have been aired but also those that remain unseen and may never be. Upon examining the list, it becomes apparent that some credits stand out, featured in larger font or bolded to signify their significance in Yibo's acting journey. The elevated titles closely align with the projects Yibo himself emphasizes as milestones or expresses fondness for, reflecting his personal connection to these key roles.

It's no surprise that Hidden Blade claims the top spot, regarded as an undisputed masterpiece by critics, audiences, and fans alike. Even Yibo himself considers it his most significant acting experience.

The second spot is firmly claimed by War of Faith, Yibo's important, mainstream drama, which, in my opinion, showcases his most mature performance. Surprisingly, third place goes to Exploring The Unknown! Although it’s a documentary, it provides Yibo with a rich experience that rivals many dramas and films.

In the accompanying photo, I’ve highlighted the first eight most important works featured by Yibo Official.

I find the emphasis placed on these works to be both expected and entirely understandable. Those who closely follow Yibo are already aware of the works that hold significance for him, as well as those that have faded into obscurity.

Therefore, I am not at all surprised to find cql/untamed written in smallest, almost illegible characters and positioned on this list alongside unfinished and unreleased works. This placement reflects Yibo's own approach, which we have been observing over the past few years.

It's somewhat amusing how certain individuals appear to be exaggerating the significance of the mere presence of cql in Yibo's body of work.

Neither Yibo, nor Yibo's fans (mtjjs) ever aimed to erase the drama's existence. Yibo includes it because it is a natural part of his acting journey; many fans continue to appreciate cql and Lan Wangji's character, because it's Yibo's work.

All Yibo and his mtjjs are doing is setting the drama the status it deserves - a past work that holds no bearing on Yibo's future acting projects.

Honestly, this is a slap to those who view cql as more than just a bygone work. It has become evident that for Yibo, this drama holds little significance anymore; he has clearly moved on and has left it behind.

Just as cql is merely a previous job, xz is simply a former colleague. There is no compelling evidence to suggest otherwise.

It's clear that the past is unchangeable, even if it has brought along its share of traumas and problems. However, it is possible to downplay and overlook that past, and that's precisely what Yibo and his team chose to do during the celebration of his 10th debut anniversary.

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

Please Believe Me

August x POC!Reader, Andy Barber x POC!Reader

Wordcount: 2700

Summary:

The things you’ll do for the ones you love. Does it ever reach a point where it’s too much?

Warnings:

18+ MDNI, Smut, Sex Work, Seduction, Light BDSM, Possessive Sex, Jealousy, Bratting, Sassy

Notes:

Hello Heathens! I had August on the brain while listening to El Tango De Roxanne from the musical and how fun it would be to taunt him. And well this fic was born. Happy Reading!

Divider by @firefly-graphics

Banner by @cafekitsune

“Fuck you.”  

“Now, now, that’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”  

“I don’t think it’s harsh enough. You didn’t even consult me or how I might feel about the situation before agreeing to do it.”  

“I honestly didn’t think you’d have a problem with it seeing as you practically do the same thing for work.”  

“Of course I have a problem with it! At work I get to pick and choose who I take on. All people who are vetted for already. This, is not that August!”  

He cozy's up to me. One arm wrapped tightly around my waist as the other hand slowly caresses my face. “Come on love. I need to get this guy alone and vulnerable. What better way to do that than with your alluring ways. You won’t have to do any more than you already do for work. If we plan it right, you might even get to keep your clothes on.”   

“Low blow, Agent. Really, low blow.”  

“Agent. Damn, I seem to have struck a nerve. Come on, baby. Help me out. I promise to make it up to you. Without your help this can end up taking me far longer and possibly farther away as well.��Please.” He places a feather light kiss to my neck for emphasis.  

I sigh. “Fine. But just the once. I don’t like being used as a pawn in your games. Work related or not August.” You release yourself from his grasp. “Promise me it will only be this once.”  

“I give you my word.”

What started out as what I thought was a vacation had quickly taken an unexpected turn. Here I was reluctantly helping August on a mission I was unaware was the reason he took me on this trip. He needed to get close to Andrew Barber. A lawyer by day with ties to the mafia, who apparently had some very sensitive intel provided to him from his client, that could be very bad for the organization if it were to get into the wrong hands. He needed to get into his hotel suite and secure the information. Returning it to his superiors before its ultimate destruction. 

I didn’t like that I was pulled into a mission by my boyfriend. My means of paying the bills, essentially being thrown in my face. So I decided, as a fuck you to my so called boyfriends deception, that tonight I would lean in on my skills as a sex worker far more than was required of me.

I make my rounds through the party a couple of times. Mingling with faces I am familiar with from other parties and new ones that seem eager to meet me. I take my time before I make my move. Could I have made it over to Andy sooner? Of course, I could. But I was drawing this out for as long as I could just to stick it to August.  

With a purposely over full glass of champagne I make my way over to Andy. Miss stepping on purpose and dropping my glass at his feet, as I cling to his shoulder to “break my fall”.  

“Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry. These damn new shoes are just giving me the hardest time tonight.”  

“No harm done. My loafers can take it.” He pulls me away from the broken glass. “Let’s get someone to clean this up, so you don’t ruin this ravishing dress.”  

“That’s very kind of you...”  

“Barber. Andrew Barber.”  

“I thought you looked familiar. I’ve seen you at parties before. Never this far from home though. Or alone.”  

“I could say the same about you when it comes to being alone. A rarity to see you without a suitor on your arm.”  

“Perks of the job. But I am not at home and as such I am my own date tonight.”  

“Lucky me that you just so happened to crash into my orbit. Your name precedes you amongst the circles I run in.”  

“Word of mouth can be a dangerous thing. Expectations and all.”  

“I’ve heard you skins so sweet; you taste like cinnamon.” He nonchalantly states as he finishes his whiskey.  

“Is that so, Mr. Barber?”  

“I’ve been trying to schedule an appointment with you for a while now actually. The need to satiate my curiosity getting the best of me.” He places his glass on passing tray.  

“Guess you are a lucky man tonight after all.”  

“Would you do me the honors of dancing with me?”  

I place my hand in his offered palm. “Lead the way.”  

Under the light of the twinkling chandeliers, the grand ballroom comes alive with an air of elegance and enchantment. The music changes to a tango and I'm not surprised as the secret mobster leads me around the dance floor with grace and passion. Thank the gods that I am well versed in ballroom dance as our bodies intertwine in a sensual tango that seems to weave a spell over the now captivated audience.  

The way Andy is commanding my body would be concerning, if I weren’t here helping August. Who I am still mad at by the way. Why not making him suffer a little by upping the ante with his mark?  

As the sultry notes of the music fill the air, our movements flow like a graceful river. Fluid, passionate, and oh so irresistible. With each step, we exchanged whispers of desire. Our eyes locked in an intimate dance of their own. I am adept as seducing men, the girlfriend experience my main forte, though I was finding it far too easy to stare into those devastating ocean blues of his.  

I could imagine what kind of image we were giving the rich and notorious crowd surrounding us. My dress flowing around me, rich with hues of deep crimson, that clung to my curves. Andy with his cocksure, confident stance and sharp features exuding charisma.  

Every pivot and dip igniting sparks and evoking a deep yearning that resonated in the heart of one particular onlooker. In that moment, we transformed the dance floor into a realm of magic where time stood still.  

The world outside faded away to a green haze as August watched me so effortlessly captivate Barber with my whiles. The rhythm of our dance, the way in which Barber led me with grace and passion, combined with the electricity of your temporary connection, had his mind thinking all kinds of crazy things.  

“Would it be to forward if I invited you up to my suite to continue this somewhere more private?”  

“Seeing as I am not on the clock tonight, I don’t see a problem with it. Do you have any business or clients you need to tend to first?”  

“No. I was here tonight purely out of boredom and to show my face. I can’t wait to get out of here.”  

“Well then I guess we better get going then. A nightcap awaits us.”  

“Mmm. You read my mind.”

“I see you spared no expense on your stay Mr. Barber.” I surmise as I wander the living room of the lavish suite.  

“Please call me Andy. No need for formalities. You're already up here. Now what's your poison?”  

“You wouldn't happen to have any Glenfiddich on hand would you?”  

“A woman who knows good whiskey. You really are everything and more aren't ya sweetheart?”  

“Be out of a job if I wasn't.”  

“How do you take it?”  

“Straight. Two fingers. Sometimes three if the mood strikes.”  

He shakes his head and chuckles as he pours my drink. “I'll keep that in mind.”  

Handing me my drink he links his fingers through my free hand and leads me to the massive bedroom. Clearly ready to cash in on that tension we've been building.  

Hopefully August has already found his way into the suite and I won't have to take this much further. Although I might not hate it if I have too. Andy really is quite the charmer. And that beard. Whew.  

“Let's get you comfortable. That suit jacket looks like it needs a break. Your poor biceps must be suffocating.”  

Placing my drink on the nightstand, I take the initiative to unbutton his jacket. Smoothing my hands up his surprisingly fit physique and pushing it off his shoulders.  

“Now doesn't that feel better?”  

He pulls me into his chest. Placing his hand on the small of my back and pressing me against the rather large bulge in his slacks.  

“Much. But I must confess the shirt is starting to feel a bit stifling.”  

“Oh no. Best rectify that as well then.”  

“If you insist.”  

His fingers tease along the exposed skin the low back of my dress provides as I slowly undo each button. Revealing a rather sculpted chest underneath.   

I make sure to spin us so that Andy's back faces the closed ensuite bathroom to our left. I have a feeling that just may be where August has hidden himself.  

It is rather hard to hide such a large frame.  

I wonder how much longer he is going to let this go on before he makes his move. I know that look in Andy's eyes and things are on track to get rather steamy very shortly.  

“Do you know how badly I wanted to kiss you out on that dance floor and finally see if the rumors of your sweet taste are true?”  

“Why didn't you?” I run my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.  

“I had a feeling that once I started, I wouldn't be able to stop.”  

I smile sweetly up at him as he runs his thumb along my cheek bone. He closes his eyes and leans down, just has his lips graze mine he winces and grabs at this neck as he falls unconscious onto the mattress beside us.  

Now standing where Andy used to be is August. A not so happy August. I can see the tension in his shoulders as he caps and pockets a now empty syringe.  

“We are going to have a serious conversation when I am through getting what I need from him. You are skating on thin ice.”  

“I thought I put on a rather convincing performance.”  

“Too convincing if I do say so.”  

“You said you wanted me to use my skills of seduction. So that’s what I did. Seduce.”  

“You didn't need to look like you enjoyed it so damn much.”  

“If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were green with envy. But that can’t be right since it was you who put me in this situation in the first place. Knowing full well what I would have to do to get you what you needed.”  

“We’re tabling this discussion until I have retrieved what I need.”

The mission was successful and we have made it back to our own lavish hotel on the other side of the city.  

“Take it off.”  

“Take what off?”  

“The dress. His stench is all over it and all I can see is him touching you out on that dance floor. Take it off sunshine before I cut it off you myself.”  

“Holy shit. You actually were jealous. Who would have thought.”  

He slips a knife out of his belt and takes a step towards me, twirling it around his fingers. “Now is not the time to push me baby girl.”  

“Okay, okay. Relax, Auggie. I’ll take it off.” I slowly begin to disrobe.   

A growl emanates from his chest when he realizes that I have absolutely nothing on underneath my dress. “Bed. Now. Face down. Ass up.”  

No longer feeling the urge to tempt the beast further, I do as requested. With a sway to my hips and flourish to my movements of course.  

He removes his own suit. Leaving him clad only in his boxer briefs, that can barely contain his tantalizing girth within.  

He runs a hand down my spine. Stopping as he reaches the fat of my ass. “I am going to spank this delectable ass 10 times. 5 for enjoying your seduction of Barber too much and 5 for being bare underneath your dress in public without my knowledge. You are to count every slap. Understood?”  

“Yes, Sir.”  

“Good girl. Now tell me what your safe word is.”  

“Holiday.”  

“Remember, I will never strike you in anger. If you feel it becomes too much, you must use your safe word and everything stops. Understood?”  

“Yes, Sir.”  

“Let’s begin..” He rears his hand back and sends it flying. Striking me right on the meat of my left ass cheek, dead center.  

“One.” I gasp out.  

He pulls back and smacks on the exact same location on my right cheek.  

“Two”  

He alternates sides back and forth, covering the whole of my ass until he strikes both cheeks at once. I passed the pain to pleasure threshold smacks ago so with a moan I call out, “Ten!”  

“My good girl.” He rubs my heated flesh in soothing circles. “You took that so well. And you’ve made quite the mess of your thighs. It’s a downright mouthwatering sight.”  

He lowers himself off of the bed to his knees to get a better look. Groaning as he pulls my cheeks apart to watch my slit drip with rapt attention. He leans forward and begins to clean my thighs with his tongue.  

I barely have a moment to truly catch my breath, when his talented tongue glides along my lips and settles on my clit. I moan at the subtle suction, hips seeking out further friction.  

I can feel his growl more than hear it as he buries his face in my cunt and feasts on my flesh like it the ripest and sweetest fruit he has ever tasted. I give in to the pleasure of being so thoroughly devoured. It is not long before I am on the precipice of a pending orgasm.  

August knowing the cues of my body so well, has me at a disadvantage as gives a final lick up my folds and pulls away. I can’t help the whine that escapes as the cold air of his absence meets my dampened flesh.  

“Shh. It’s ok my sweet one. I’ve got you.”  

He peels his restricting boxer briefs down his thighs and lets them fall to the floor. Tossing them aside with his foot he steps forward, notching is aching cock against my quivering slit.   

He only waits a breath before pushing his hips forward. Impaling me in one smooth motion. The thickness of his girth combined with my sensitivity and how close I was to release have me coming undone as my walls stretch to accommodate him.  

His pace is unrelenting. A reclaiming of a body that already belongs to him. Savage and rough like the beast I know him to be. Extasy beyond compare.  

There is a sweetness hidden under his rough exterior. Even as he ravages my body. Something that I am one of the few in this life to glimpse upon. He places a gentle kiss to my spine. A moment of that sweetness before I feel his teeth clamp down onto my shoulder.  

Setting me off once more as he loses himself in the throes of his own powerful orgasm. Filling me to bursting with his seed. I go limp. Body lying pliant as I am blissfully engulfed in August's warmth and weight. Unable and uncaring to move after being so thoroughly destroyed.  

“One of these days I am going to knock you up good and proper. Then everyone will know who you belong too. I’ll let you enjoy practicing for now, while my workload is the way it is. But mark my words, you will be round with my child soon enough.”  

He kisses my forehead and sets off to run us a bath so we can bask in the afterglow together. I hear his phone vibrate on the bathroom counter. The Agency most likely.  

“Walker.” He answers. “Yes, I have secured the intel.” He checks the water temp as the person on the other line responds. “Copy. I will meet you at the rendezvous point tomorrow.”

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

Gundam: Witch From Mercury Season 2 Episode 1 Review

- The show immediately jumps back into the status quo, almost as if Plant Quetta was just a nightmare. However we can see all our characters reacting to the situation no matter what kind of facade they put up. Suletta is starting to doubt her actions, Nika is haunted by the fact her friends almost died, Shaddiq is already making plans to frame Jeturk, and Miorine is stuck watching over her father. There’s a nice dissonance between the Spacians having fun while our main characters have now experienced true terror, never being able to recover.

- The dueling committee has changed up due to the attack. Now that Shaddiq is getting more involved in his father’s business, Sabina and Renee are ready to take up the helm. Felsi is now the acting substitute since Guel’s MIA and Lauda became the new head of Jeturk Co. Fianlly, Secilia and Rouji are the same as ever (and Secilia adorably protects her boy from Renee’s advances)

- El5n is absolutely fabulous and I love every second he’s on screen. He’s serving cunt every single minute and everyone thinks it’s weird, but no one has directly called him out yet. Still, judging by the OP, there’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to our James Charles-wannabe. The writers also took time to link him to Norea, so perhaps there’ll be a relationship developing between those two in the coming future. People in forums have already stated that he’s the most terrifying character due to his manipulative personality and lack of clear goals, but I’m rooting for him. Nobody who becomes a replacement head to ride a death bot and seduce a tanuki has a happy backstory.

- Due to Jeturk suits being used in the attack, the companies are now starting to scapegoat them in order to gain more power. This is causing an immense amount of stress for poor Lauda, who’s lost both his brother and father. I guess taking L’s is hereditary. I’m absolutely expecting him to snap and try to murder everyone. And honestly, as long as he’s planning to murder Shaddiq, I’ll support him.

- Norea and Sophie both transferred into school but they’re so bad at hiding themselves that they caught in the span of less than an episode. Interestingly, Sophie isn’t the one who rushes things, but instead Norea. Sophie seems more interested in just playing around, eventually getting her work done but for now just enjoying the situation. Meanwhile, Norea is wholly devoted to the cause. She threatens Nika with death twice and has no problem attempting to murder Suletta the moment she thinks it’s appropriate.

- Sophie’s dolls are especially interesting. She has four of them, two are her parents and two are her little sisters, and all of them are worn as hell. However, despite saying she loves them, she replaces one with a stolen Halo almost immediately. Sophie probably has no idea of what a family really is, she’s just acting out the motions of it. She replaces her stuffed animal when she finds a “better” one, not realizing that true families don’t replace. There’s also something interesting going on with her calling Suletta “Big Sis.” If Suletta is a clone of Eri then that technically makes them sisters, and now Sophie, another Gundam pilot, is adding herself to that family dynamic. Maybe all Gundam pilots are linked, not by blood, but by situation.

- Prospera once again is manipulating the hell outta everyone. She says to Suletta that she didn’t do anything wrong when her daughter starts having doubts, but with Miorine she states that she believes Suletta went too far. She’s just telling both of them what they want to hear, and guiding each of them to her own desired goal. Also Suletta literally said her mom was a magician so the “Prospera is brainwashing Suletta” theory is also getting a lot of ground

- Quiet Zero is apparently a plan to end war throughout the galaxy, and I can already tell you, that the name makes it clear that it won’t be through some peaceful method. It’s either a weapon designed to destroy whole planets or it’s some Evangelion hive mind shit where everyone in the world will be linked through the GUND system. And if it’s the latter, that would make the connection between Gundam pilots we see even more important. Soon, everyone will be family

- Nika is stuck between a Gundam foot and hard place. Poor girl just wants to build up connections between Earthians and Spacians but the organization that sent her turned out to be a terrorist organization. She doesn’t want her friends to be put in danger, but she’s scared to come out and ruin her friendship. Her tendency to isolate herself is what got her almost squished, it was only Suletta looking out for her that saved her. I hope she can be honest with her friends in the future and achieve her goal of peace. One that isn’t organized from mass murder/brainwashing

- My boy Guel didn’t show up in the episode. He’s busy entering his depressive spiral. However from the OP, it looks like he’s on Earth. Give me vigilante Guel

- Finally, let’s talk about that gorgeous ending. The amount of symbolism in that minute and thirty seconds is off the wall. Watching Miorine’s ghost constantly pass through her, showing that the two want to be together but can’t connect. Then, Aerial fucking stabs her in the heart, awakening something, and suddenly Suletta is dancing, controlling the GUND bits in her possession. There’s multiple Suletta’s dancing, maybe hinting the clone theory. She also loses her headband, the one her mom gave her, showing that she’s gained her own autonomy. Finally, her and Miorine are in formal dresses, holding hands, probably at Miorine’s birthday. Suletta looks more mature, she’s shed her childhood innocence.

In short, I’m so fucking hyped to be back. My sons and daughters are really going through it and I hope they all get out with minor mental trauma. Except for you Shaddiq, you Sha-dick

[mashounen1945]

Learning to play fighting games is Pain™

I don't know if I'm the one who has a problem here or if this genre of videogames is simply not for me, but that's what it feels like when I try it.

I tried to start playing various fighting games... Well, at least those that can actually run on my PC without crashing the entire system because they're way too heavy for the CPU: either emulated stuff like Street Fighter 2 for SNES or anything that could be played on FightCade, or indie games & fan-games for PC. But it turns out the only way I can do literally anything (and by that, I don't even mean winning, just... not being immediately reduced to a pulp without having even touched my opponent) is by sitting down for hours each day during several weeks, memorizing all combos for each character, reading detailed breakdowns of each character's pros and cons and spreadsheets with each individual technique's frame data, and then trying to read the movements of the opponent so I can know what specific attack they're about to use and what exactly I have to do to counter that (as if reading people's non-verbal language in real life and knowing what's the right thing to say or do at that moment wasn't already hard enough).

And it gets worse. I thought my reflexes were decent enough after having played games like Spark the Electric Jester or Mega Man Battle Network, where dashing into an enemy attack at the right moment or hitting an enemy right when that enemy is attacking is actively encouraged, or Sonic Battle, where I have to pay attention to what an enemy is doing so I can figure out what kind of special move they're immune against and what I have to do to win a battle without being hit or what I have to do in order to avoid being KO'd in one hit. But nope! It turns out having practice with those games is still not enough, and in every fighting game I try, I can't even react to literally anything and every attempt of counter-hitting an opponent right when they're in the middle of their own attack fails spectacularly. Besides, there are all these combos that allow you to inflict lots of damage in a short amount of time and it feels so satisfying to pull them off (at least on a keyboard, because my USB gamepad is crap, apparently), and some characters or even entire games seemingly expect you to use those combos a lot; however, learning and practicing combos is virtually useless in games like Dragon Ball FighterZ or the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure arcade, where you can't use combos —or even heavy normal attacks— unless you previously fill up a special energy meter meant to be used for those combos... but said meter is at zero at the beginning of every fight, filling up that meter is such a tedious chore and then it becomes straight-up impossible to do that while also trying to avoid getting beaten up by your opponent.

Something I can never get used to is the fact that I have to press Up on the d-pad (or move the analog stick upwards) in order to jump, or that I have to move backwards at the right moment in order to guard against an enemy attack. This is a problem for me probably because I played platformers such as Sonic and Mega Man —as well as indie games inspired by either or both of then— during most of my life, all those games have a dedicated jump button, and those games that include a guarding or parrying mechanic of some sort also have a dedicated guard/parry button.

(There's also Super Smash Brothers, which I haven't even looked at: it works in an entirely different way compared to other fighting games, and it lowkey scares me, to be quite honest)

Like... How did people even play these games back in the day, when things such as frame data and analyses of pros & cons per character weren't available for the general public and competitive gaming didn't even exist?

Honestly, the only way I could ever learn to play fighting games is if someone else with actual experience sat down with me and guided me through the entire process. In a nutshell: I'd need a sensei, just like in a real-life martial art.

Anyway... I'm tired of this, I'll go back to Battle Network. I'd already finished the 2nd game's normal story mode on early June and I was planning to start with the postgame now, but I chose to make this digression into a different genre before resuming my Battle Network 2 playthrough. I guess it's time to kick Bass.EXE's ass now.

[lady-october]

Pairing : Oli Sykes x Female Assistant Genre : Romance, Smut (18+ Only) Previous Chapters : 1-8 on Archive of Our Own

Story Content : 18+, Smut, Drama, Choking, Power dynamics, Romance, Dom/Sub, Sadism/Masochism, Mentions of addiction & self harm, Degradation, Praise kink, Exhibitionism, Breath play, Dirty talk.

Summary :

“Don’t you see what a dangerous game you’re playing? Why did you have to look so fucking delicious tonight, I couldn’t stop undressing you in my mind, thinking of all the twisted things I want to do to you.” She had only worked on the touring team for three weeks, but her mind had been hijacked by dirty thoughts of a man she barely even talked to. Sure, he was very attractive, but were there other reasons she was so uncontrollably drawn to him? This is a filthy story of pain, self discovery, and love.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 9: Can you help the hopeless?

Chapter title is lyrics from "Can You Feel My Heart”

We're back to Oli's perspective for this one.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She shouldn’t trust me.

I don’t even trust myself.

We were all in the taxi driving back to the hotel. I made sure she sat next to me, but all she’d done the past 20 minutes was stare out the window. 

Will she spend the night with me, or did she get everything she wanted from me already?

The street lights filtered through the car, highlighting how tired everyone was as they passed over them. Matt was asleep on the other side of me, and kept slumping onto my shoulder, which would have been fine if he wasn’t a drooler. I saw his mouth fall open again – my queue to push him off of me before my shoulder got wet.

I wanted her to spend the night with me and not run away this time; as if that somehow would prove she wasn’t using me. 

Would that really be enough? 

I wanted to say yes, but I wasn’t sure at this point. In fact I don’t know what it would take.

The lights kept hitting her eyes. She looked drunk, but happy. Satisfied even.

Satisfied because of me – the twisted things I did to her?

But I was torn. That gnawing, itchy spot deep inside me – that craved her as much as she seemed to crave me – no longer needed to be scratched. Which was an absolutely incredible feeling, not really comparable to anything else.

Yet I also felt filthy. Like I had betrayed some integral part of me. 

This isn’t how I wanted this to play out.

The problem is, the things I want from her I have no right to expect. I wish we weren’t on tour. I want to get to know her, help her get to know herself. Show her all the different sides of me; I wanted her to not run away in fear when she sees how fucking messed up I am.

The pain I felt when she ran away the first time – leaving me in the arena storage closet – flickered in my chest. Mingling with her words from last night, that had been playing on loop in my mind all day; ‘I’m terrified of having something worth losing.’ 

I had never related to a sentiment more, yet the way we handled this fear was completely polar opposite; and I honestly didn’t know whose approach was worse.

Am I being delusional? Would this ever work? Is this all we’ll ever be? 

…When the tour ends, do I just never see her again?

Tonight was the last night at this hotel, then it was back to the tour bus with no privacy except a few fleeting moments. If only she didn’t want to keep things private, at least that way it would make sense for us to want alone time. But I knew that wasn’t what she wanted.

Every time the street lights washed over her face my heart would tug.

Is it just a crush? Do I just need to wait it out?

I don’t like who I became tonight because of her. The type of person who talks to someone he can’t stand for hours, just to make their crush jealous. What fucking twat does that?

Oh yeah – me, apparently.

But I don’t know how to stop. The more I try to play it cool, the fucking crazier I seem to get. The more I try to not think about her, the more I do. It’s exhausting. 

Is it even a crush, or an obsession? 

I don’t know how to tell them apart at this point.

I hate how my feelings always have to be so large. Life would be so much easier if I could feel things in normal amounts, like normal people do. Others can kill spiders just fine without drowning in guilt. Meanwhile this world has too many sharp edges for someone like me, as if I’m a completely different breed of human that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere without going fucking mad. 

Without turning to drugs.

I feel like a loser. Imposter syndrome no matter how successful the band has gotten.

Her hands were in her lap. If I was just a bit more drunk, I’d take one of them into mine right now, pull her closer to me. 

But I knew better than that. I had pushed my luck so far tonight I wasn’t sure there was any coming back.

Am I just self sabotaging?

When we went back downstairs to join the others at the party, she had spent the rest of our time there desperately hiding the marks I left on her. Making sure her hair was covering them, or she’d keep her hand there. Somehow that hurt me, as if I didn’t already know she wanted to keep things private. Just like it hurt me when she didn’t react sooner to me chatting with that bird. 

Or when I woke up this morning, and the space next to me was cold and vacant.

I watched her drink more and more as the hours went on, her speech getting more slurred, her eyes looking further into the distance. I couldn’t tell if she was drinking to have fun, or to run away from everything I was putting her through. She was sitting with Mat and Lee, all three of them in hysterics over something I hadn’t quite overheard, when Liam had tapped on my shoulder.

“Can we have a quick chat?”

I looked at him suspiciously, “Sure, mate.” 

We got off the sofa and he led me outside to sit on a bench looking out over the city view, “This seems quite serious, should I be nervous?” I said with a laugh.

He was drunk but clearly not as drunk as I thought, cause he appeared dead sober when he turned towards me to ask, “You like Alice, yeah?”

I inhaled deeply. We hadn’t talked about Alice since the night I asked about her weeks ago. And while I knew he was aware we hooked up, I guess he must have known more than I realised. A large part of me was happy he knew, and was happy I could talk to someone about it. So I answered honestly, “Yeah.”

“Then what the fuck was all that about with Sasha?”

He must have been referring to the bird I’d been chatting with for hours when we got here, “Was that her name?”

He laughed, “Right. Of course you didn’t even know her name.” He leaned deeper into the seat, “What happened to being kind to Alice? You know she’s going through shit.” He sounded worried, maybe even a bit upset.

I scratched my head, knowing how badly I fucked up tonight, “It seems I do really stupid shit when I’m scared.”

He must have had some type of understanding, cause he didn’t say anything for a long while as we just stared out at the view.

“You wanna know why I’m always in tank tops?” He asked out of nowhere.

I frowned, “Yeah, actually I really do. Nothing wrong with it mate, but when it’s fucking freezing out it makes me wonder. Especially since we’ve given you mountains worth of tour merch and you just cut off every sleeve in sight.”

“Alright, no need to make me feel weird about it.” He said with a frown.

“Shit sorry. I mean, yes please – enlighten me.” I said, gesturing with my hand to proceed.

A smile slowly bloomed on his face, “I’m a real skinny guy. I never liked to lift weights, always had a problem putting on weight. The amount of hook-ups I’ve had where the guys were in deep disgust when they saw these noodles.” He waved his arms about to highlight how bony they are. “I hated myself. Started wearing anything that covered me up. I stopped dating, just accepted my loneliness.” He looked down, “Quite sad really…” 

I opened my mouth to console him, but he continued before I got a chance, “But then my mate got injured, and as part of his rehab he needed to go swimming. Despite how much I hated being topless I wanted to be a good friend and support him. The swim instructor was an absolute god of a man, deep blue, ocean eyes.” His expression turned dreamy as he described the man, “After the third session he came up to me, told me I was the most beautiful man he had ever seen, took me out that night and he’s been my boyfriend since. He doesn’t stop gushing over my hair and my build. He told me he always wished more skinny men would show off their arms.”

“That’s beautiful, I love that.” I said sincerely.

His smile got bigger, “Since then I’ve worn all my ‘flaws’ on my metaphorical sleeves, and while many people don’t like me – or disagree with how blunt I am,” He gave me a knowing look, “I’ve gotten so much closer to some people, and gained myself some absolutely fantastic friends… And of course a job I couldn’t be happier with.” He said, nudging my arm.

I laughed, “Glad we don’t drive you mad.”

After another silent beat, he asked, “You scared she won’t like something about you?”

I knew that’s where he was going with his story. Liam had seen me through some of my worst times after the breakup. While we hadn’t talked about it, I know it was pretty obvious how fucked up I’ve been the past year.

“I showed her a glimpse of it a couple days ago, and she ran off.” I answered solemnly. Vague but true.

He studied my face, “Didn’t you guys just hook up?”

I smiled at him. “That obvious, huh? Who else knows?”

“To be honest with you Oli, I’m not sure the other lads would notice if you made out in front of them at this rate. They’re fucking clueless when it comes to most things.” We both laughed at that, before he continued, “But I just guessed, considering how fast you ran after Alice when she stormed off – and the state of you both when you came back.” He finished with a grin.

I sucked my teeth for a second, wanting to tell him more, not knowing what would be too much information. “I’m not sure what our hookups mean to Alice. I have a bad feeling it’s not the same as me.”

He nodded, “I don’t know, maybe it’s not meant to be. But there’s only one way to find out, really.”

His point was valid, but I was terrified. Knowing my odds were low – probably even lower after the kind of shit I pulled tonight. Yet looking at her now, staring out the window, it seemed worth the risk. 

The way she makes me feel…

It’s not like with my ex; her intensity matched my own, both of us desperate for something larger than life – an all consuming love neither of us was scared of, and embraced with open hearts and minds. I was gonna marry her, spend the rest of my life with her, I knew that early on. 

Then she tore me apart and left me in a state I’m not sure I’ll ever fully recover from.

But it’s very different with Alice.

She’s not open. Sure, I can see the intensity simmer under the surface, but I don’t think it’s the same flavour as my own. And I can’t tell if that’s my perfect counterpart – my ying to my yang. Or if I’m water and she’s oil, and we’re doomed to never mix.

It doesn’t help that she lied tonight.

I knew I pushed her too far, I knew I shouldn’t have choked her that long. I just want her to see that she’s playing with fire, yet she refuses to admit it. For some daft reason it just makes me want to push her further.

When we pulled up to the hotel I quickly nudged Matt awake so he’d get out first.

“Not the bloody penguins!” He yelled as he jerked awake violently. 

All of us broke out in laughter, even the driver, “Fucking hell mate, you’re alright. You’re at the hotel, not Antarctica.” I said, amused.

Matt wiped at his mouth, “Thank fuck for that. Remind me to never invest in igloos.”

I shook my head, “Well shit, guess our next business venture’s off then.”

When Matt got out of the car I turned my attention back to Alice. I wasn’t expecting her to be smiling lazily at me, clearly drunk. I couldn’t tell if she was just amused from Matt’s dream, or if she was silently reaching out to me, letting me know she wants to spend tonight with me.

I was waiting to see if she was getting out on her side of the taxi, or staying behind to let the others get a head start. But she didn’t move. She just kept smiling at me, and I felt hope build in my chest.

When everyone else had evacuated, I slipped out of the car, offering her a helping hand. I’m happy I did as she more than likely would have fallen face first onto the pavement if I hadn’t been there to catch her.

She was a lot more intoxicated than I had originally thought. Sadness crept back into my heart at the realisation, knowing she wouldn’t be able to make a conscious decision on whether to stay with me tonight or not; knowing her choice might not carry too much weight.

I watched the others disappear into the hotel as I braced her against my arm to slowly lead her towards the entrance. She welcomed my help, leaning into me, warming something inside me.

“You alright, love?” I asked gently, testing to see how slurred her speech would come in response.

“Yeah, just really tired now.” She said, sounding perfectly sober.

I frowned, confused, not sure what to make of her state.

I watched through the clear glass of the hotel doors as the elevator door closed with everyone behind them. I smiled, knowing we’d get a moment of privacy to slip into the same room if we wanted to. But instead of walking through the entrance, I side stepped and leaned her up against the brickwork next to the door. She smiled up at me, glassy eyes meeting mine.

“Wait, why aren’t we going inside?” She asked.

I felt the nerves hit me as I responded with my own question, “Well, what room are we going to?”

“I don’t know.” She said, sounding more distant now. She placed her hands on my chest and began trailing upwards, sending a shiver up my spine. Was she not done with me afterall?

“Do you want more, love?” I asked, letting my hands slip around her waist, stepping closer to her.

“No, I’m exhausted.” She said, sounding more inebriated again. 

My confusion doubled. I didn’t have any more answers than before all my questions, so I decided to gently continue my prodding, “So what do you want to do?”

She searched my face wordlessly, her features turning sadder by the moment, causing my heart to sink.

This was it – this is the moment she’ll turn me down for good. Either out of fear of where this could lead, or she’d gotten everything she needed from me, and I simply wasn’t worth the trouble anymore after tonight.

I couldn’t blame her.

Rejection hit me like a ton of bricks before she even got a chance to say a single word.

Mine and Liam’s conversation was running through my head. Do I push through the fear and lay my heart out to her? This might be my only chance. Not knowing how drunk she was meant a couple of things; her reaction could mean very little, as she may feel very differently tomorrow. Or she simply wouldn’t remember any of it.

But I was drowning, and I could fight it with everything I had – hoping the waves would take mercy on me. Or just relax into it and sink to the bottom.

I decided to go out kicking and screaming.

Then my mouth opened to speak, knowing that it might be the worst mistake I’ll ever make. 

Somewhere in the back of my mind I found myself hoping she wouldn’t remember any of this, but the words had already begun escaping my mouth.

“You wanna know why I almost relapsed the first night we had sex?”

Shock flickered in her eyes, before she clumsily – drunkenly – nodded.

Okay, here we go.

My gaze fell to the ground and I took a deep, shaky breath, placing a hand on the brick next to her head to steady myself, before letting my eyes meet hers again. “I don’t think this world is made for people like me. I feel too much, too fast. And there’s no room for that anywhere, is there?” I could feel my heart racing as I let myself stare at her for a moment, trying to memorise her features – knowing this could be the last time I was this close to her.

My other hand seemed to have a mind of its own, as I found myself caressing her cheek. She leaned into it and warmth spread inside me, despite knowing it might just be the alcohol causing her to react like that.

“I think some part of me knew I was in trouble the first time I saw you.” I sounded so distant, making me question whether I’d spoken the words out loud or simply thought them.

I took another ragged breath as I let myself become more vulnerable, “I’m terrified of you. I’m terrified of how much I think about you. How much I feel for you.”

She was just staring at me, bewilderment on her face, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking, or feeling. But I knew exactly what I was feeling…

“I think I’m falling for you, Alice.”

It was as if I’d jumped off of a cliff as the words came out of my mouth.

Her mouth fell open, and I was expecting her to run off again any moment now, so I placed a hand on her arm before I continued. I wanted – no, I needed –  her to hear everything I had to say before she slipped away from me one last time, “And I know, I have a weird way of showing that with all my nonsense tonight.” One more deep breath before jumping off yet another cliff, “I wanted to get high that night to stay away from you, to save myself from whatever obsession I have with you, to save you from me – from stupid shit like tonight, when I know you’re in pain too. No one should have to put up with how fucking broken I am.” I laughed a bitter laugh, looking away, not ready to face what was in her eyes, “I’m intense, and I knew I’d smother you. So naturally, here I am, smothering you…” My words trailed off, sounding as defeated as I felt. Shaking my head, I let go of her arm, ready for her to make a run for it. Instead I felt her hands on my chest dig into my shirt. And when I dared to meet her eyes again there was so much emotion in them it was my turn to be shocked. I still couldn’t tell what she was feeling, and to prevent her from speaking one last time I blurted out the question I wanted answered most of all right now, “Anyway, you wanna come back to my room tonight?” Clumsy, forward question. But I had to know. 

My heart was pounding so fast I was getting light headed, as her mouth opened and shut a couple of times. I heard my nails dig into the bricks from how tense I was growing by each passing second.

“No,” The pause between her words were mere milliseconds, but it was enough to make me feel like my world was crashing down around me, before she quickly continued, “let’s go to my room. All my stuff is there.”

My whole body relaxed, and I couldn’t help but smile. I knew her response didn’t necessarily mean anything, but at least she hadn’t run away.

At least I would get to hold her as I slept again.

“Alright, your room it is.” I said and tucked her under my arm. She leaned into me, holding onto me eagerly as I led her inside.

We fought against the lock of her room for a while, but as soon as we got inside she instantly began ripping her clothes off. With every item she removed she nearly fell over, and the shoes she tore off hit the wall, missing the mounted TV by inches. I huffed out a laugh. It amazed me how she had similar grace – and luck – no matter if she was drunk or sober. 

When she was done she unceremoniously collapsed on the bed.

She was stunning naked. Her soft, ivory skin, only marked by me. So very different from my own skin, which was more marked than not.

I undressed and climbed in next to her, pulling her into my embrace. To my surprise, she didn’t just relax into it, but entangled us further, soothing every wound inside me.

I can’t remember the last time I slept as good as last night, with her in my arms; finally, rest without nightmares. With any luck tonight would be just as peaceful.

I felt her twitch, already fast asleep. Not surprising with how exhausted she was. I fought against my own sleep for as long as I could, wanting desperately to enjoy the moment, but I could feel myself slip away.

And before I knew it I was drifting…

The crimson river flows far and wide.

Her lifeless eyes stare down at me; I could fall into them, swim in them, drown in them.

She is starving.

She takes a bite; do I taste sweet enough?

Sharp teeth tearing into warm flesh.

She’s painted red; blood runs down her chin, down her breasts, down to where our bodies connect.

Once again her claws reach into me; my ribcage an open book for her to read.

She takes what she wants, what she needs – what she craves.

Meticulously picking me apart, leaving the unwanted behind.

Discarded, like peas on a child's dinner plate.

My remains are left to rot.

... Subscribe to the story on Ao3 for future updates

[blasphemecel]

Semi Eita — Coil

PAIRING: Semi Eita/Reader WORD COUNT: 3.4k TYPE: Fluff, Humor, Misunderstanding but honestly it’s pretty funny, (Attempted) match making WARNING: None, but lmk if I’m wrong

You used to think having your crush stare at you was flattering.

The Problem — as you coined it, and your friends make fun of you for this because apparently it’s ‘unoriginal’ — started near the end of your first year.

Being the manager of the volleyball club, you always find it odd when you overhear anyone gush about their favorite players or call them handsome since you’re kind of jaded to their charms, but Semi is cute, good at a sport and not an unhinged serial killer. What’s not to like?

You do realize your standards might be low. Like, in the gutter low, but still.

When he first took to stealing glances at you, you had the gall to entertain the delusion that maybe he liked you back and giggled about it over lunch with some of your friends who knew your secret. If it was all in your head, it wasn’t a big deal. Even if he was indifferent to you, you figured you’d hardly be the first person to have unrequited feelings for someone, so you didn’t sweat it. It’s not like you expected to elope with him or something. Honestly, ‘the goss’ was just good fun.

Then he started looking for longer.

Then it turned into a frown.

Then he started furrowing his eyebrows, and it was more of a glare than a stare.

And then, after he got the hang of it, he started glaring at you before he delivered his monster strength jump serve, and you shuddered and wondered if it was a threat the first few times. He still does it to this day, and you have no idea what it means, but all you see is, GET OUT OF MY CLUB.

… Perhaps you’re being a bit ridiculous.

He’s not rude to you or anything, never has been, so while you don’t know what to make of this, it has never been a huge concern. However, since Shirabu replaced him on the starting line-up, his glaring habit has gotten worse, to the point you find it distracting sometimes.

You hand Shirabu his water bottle and try to garner some sympathy. Not for Semi, but for yourself. “I think you loosened some of Semi’s screws,” you say.

He quirks an eyebrow. “Don’t start with this.”

“Start with what?”

“It’s not my fault Coach Washijo decided I’m a better fit.”

“Oh, no, no!” You wave your hand with a sheepish grin since you didn’t realize how accusatory your words sounded until now. Then you lean in to whisper conspiratorially in his ear, “He’s been gaping at me like a dead fish ever since that morning every chance he gets. What should I do?”

“But he does that all the time,” counters Shirabu, not at all empathetic to your struggles.

“Eek! You noticed that?”

“Taichi and I were talking about how embarrassing it is the other day,” he says off-handedly.

“Kawanishi noticed?!”

Shirabu rolls his eyes at your dramatics.

Though you should be offended, you get an evil glint in your expression and wiggle your fingers before you squeal in excitement and twirl around him. “So you’re not above some good gossip after all, Shirabu-kun!”

“It’s too early for this,” he scoffs, probably because he doesn’t want to admit you’re right.

___

Semi looks vaguely pissed off, as usual, and he’s been staying after practice more and more. Today he seems to be running even later than normal because the last few times, he was out before you finished sweeping the storage room, but right now you find he’s still here. You swing the keys around your finger before you poke your head out. “Hope you don’t mind if I stay around? I have to lock up and put away the volleyballs.”

He has some kind of emo stare-down with the ball in his hands and you wonder if the question you asked really is that complicated. “No, it’s fine. You should leave the keys and I can clean up when I’m done.”

Ack! Shot down! “Are you sure? It’s not good to stay out so late.”

“It’s alright,” he says. “I don’t mind.”

“Okay,” you concede because you don’t want to piss him off when he’s already on edge all the time. “Do you need help with anything?”

Semi waves you off and you frown. He doesn’t seem to want to talk to you anyhow, so you take the hint, gather your things and leave. At least you got an errand off your hands.

“Um… Still, try to be reasonable,” you nag one last time on your way out, wagging your finger and all.

___

You’re not one of god’s strongest soldiers by any means, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if Shirabu’s serve smacked you in the face.

It wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened, either, and you remember Tendou groveled for your forgiveness when Reon’s spike woke you up one morning last year because you weren’t watching where you were going. It was thoroughly embarrassing for everyone in the vicinity, and Tendou enjoyed himself while Ushijima asked him what that even had to do with him, which was a valid inquiry.

You don’t register it heading your way — he, Kawanishi and Tendou usually have good aim, so you’re way less cautious of them when they serve — but Semi finds it necessary to lean over and headbutt it before it can hit you with a hand on your shoulder.

“Ow,” he says, somewhat belatedly, then turns towards Shirabu’s general direction. “Watch it!”

Watch it? But he got in the way of the serve…? You are so confused.

“Sorry, sorry,” calls out Shirabu, and you can tell he’s embarrassed even though he’s trying to hide it.

Since you’re on Semi’s shitlist, you resist the urge to laugh at him while you watch him rub at his forehead. He kinda reminds you of a kitten, but again, you’re not trying to get murdered today, so you don’t share your inner thoughts out loud. “Are you alright?”

“It’s whatever, Shirabu’s serves are weak as shit.”

You snort. “Petty. Do you want a bandage or something? I can go get some from the infirmary.”

“Don’t bother,” he says. “Really, I didn’t even feel it.”

The look on your face should show him you know he’s bullshitting, or at least you hope so, but then he does his little glare and you’re more inclined to drop the topic. Or maybe not. “You’re gonna get a bruise and look stupid, though.”

“I’d look stupid with a bandage on my forehead, too,” Semi says, and you can’t really argue with that. Then, after a stilted silence, he awkwardly tells you, “Off I go,” and walks away from you.

“Off you go,” you repeat in an incredulous tone once he’s out of earshot, raising your eyebrow while you follow his retreating figure with your gaze.

___

Whenever Coach Washijo leaves you guys unattended, Tendou starts behaving like a middle schooler whose teacher left the room. Somehow he talks you into trying to do a serve, too, and you get behind the white line. It’s kind of weird. You’ve only ever stood here in passing while doing this or that.

It doesn’t seem like the ball is going to make it after it catches on the net, but then it tips over and lands on the other side of the court. You clap your hands in excitement without meaning to and Tendou screeches like this is the most amazing feat of athleticism he has ever witnessed.

He extends his hand and waves it up and down. “Give me a high-five!”

Goshiki, who has to turn everything into a competition, stretches forward even more. “Give me a high-five, too!!!”

Semi glances between the two of them. He reluctantly raises his hand while he’s standing and shrugs as if to imply they’re insane, but he doesn’t want to be left out.

You run up at them in fake slow motion like you’re an important player getting introduced at a huge event.

“Miracle boy Satori,” you greet before you give him a good smack on the hand which makes him holler something incomprehensible in pain. Then he falls over and writhes around, but you ignore him because you know he’s faking it.

Then you move onto Goshiki. “Our other ace.” At this, he beams at you like you just told him Santa Claus is real.

Now, the boss battle. Your hands are a little sweaty, but this is a great opportunity. Maybe you can say something cute, and maybe he’ll have a Hallmark movie realization that You’re Not So Bad After All. You’re robbed of your thoughts of romance when you notice how grumpy he looks.

“... Semi,” you offer and your hand meets his in one limp, boneless action. What was that?! You grimace and prepare to bolt when his lips curl even further down than usual before Tendou raises from the ashes and slings an arm around your shoulder.

“Really? This can’t be all you have to say about Semisemi!”

“Tendou, stop screeching in my ear.”

He ignores your input. “Isn’t he handsome? And strong? Wasn’t the way he headbutted that ball for you earlier not super macho?!”

“Um,” you croak.

This is the most constipated expression you’ve seen Semi pull off to date, and that’s saying something. He crosses his arms and you think he’ll get wrinkles with the way he’s scowling. No, this is bad news — if you pick the wrong dialogue option, he’ll eviscerate you both. There’s only one solution.

You cup your ear and wrestle out of Tendou’s hold. “Oh, Ushijima, don’t worry, I’m coming!”

“Wakatoshi-kun isn’t calling you over,” he says before he pulls you even closer, cheek-to-cheek.

Goshiki considers it for a second. “Yeah, he didn’t.”

(You forgot he’s still here.

Ushijima sneezes with the most stoic expression possible.)

“Was that my name he just said?”

“Since when is your name a sneeze?” Tendou cries.

“I better go.”

Once you’re a safe distance away, you sneak a glance over your shoulder only to see Tendou and Semi swatting at each other’s hands like they’re collectively trying to fight off a fly. Then Tendou pulls away and makes kissy faces in the air and Semi tries to trip him with a kick to the leg in retaliation. Goshiki, from his position behind them, shoots you a smile and thumbs-up when he notices you’re looking their way.

You stand in front of Ushijima now, but there’s no reason for you to be hovering near him, so you struggle to think of what to say. He speaks first, though. “I apologize.”

“Oh, um, what for?”

“On behalf of Tendou and Semi, for their strange, sometimes disturbing behavior,” he says.

You resist the urge to laugh. “Don’t worry about it,” you say. “That’s just how they express their love or whatever.”

“But they’re hitting each other.”

“Well, it’s playful- I think.”

“So they’re in a relationship?” asks Ushijima with grave concern.

You shrug.

“... I was under the impression that Tendou was loyal to a woman named Pamela Anderson.”

___

“You’re right,” says Shirabu before he plops down on the bench next to you, discarding his water bottle to the side. You cease your writing on the clipboard to turn towards him, taking a mental note to refill it later. “Semi-san’s screws are loose.”

“Hm, what makes you say that?” you ask, considering how disinterested in the topic he was a few weeks ago.

“He tried to hit Tendou-san with a mop.”

Not really that unusual.

“Then,” bemused, Shirabu continues, “he passed the mop to me and asked me to hit him, too. Like we’re friends who get along.”

“Oh shit, it’s bad for him,” you say in astonishment at the information you just received. Semi strolls in not long after like nothing had happened. He passes you a customary glare before he trudges to the other side of the gymnasium, and you squirm in your seat. “Do you think I’m next?”

___

Even saints have a limit to their patience, and you don’t consider yourself half as virtuous.

All day, you’ve been suffering. You tripped on your shoelaces, almost fell, and then got performance anxiety because you could feel Semi’s eyes drilling holes into the crown of your head when you crouched down to tie them again, leading you to messing that up three times. Then he had the nerve to sit in front of you, say, “Let me do that,” in the most annoyed voice possible before he almost cut off the blood circulation to your foot with how tight he fastened them.

(It is possible he now believes you don’t know how to do it by yourself, but you’ve been avoiding thinking about that.)

Then — ever alert of his gaze — you confused several bottles, filled Ushijima’s with your soda instead of water, lost count of things you were supposed to be keeping track of and ended up writing down wrong measurements more than once, misplaced towels and sweatshirts, almost put Yamagata’s phone in your bag instead of your own, and deflated a volleyball. You’re surprised Coach Washijo hasn’t verbally abused him for paying more attention to you than drills and laps yet.

Now you’re alone with him after practice hours again, and he’s acting like you’re not even there.

You walk up to him with a resolute expression. For no discernible reason, maybe just to express your frustration, you slap the ball out of his hands. It lands between the two of you with a dramatic thud.

“What’s your problem?” you demand.

Okay, sure, it’s a little weird for you to ask that after what you did not even a second before, but you’re annoyed beyond belief. You like him, you really do, but this is so ridiculous! If he has something to say, he should just spare you and come out with it.

Evident confusion flashes across his face, and you want to pull your hair out, or maybe get the mop and see how he likes it when it’s aimed at him. “I don’t have a problem?”

Words evade you so you let out a noise of frustration and stomp away.

“Did I do something wrong?” asks Semi, but you’re already out of earshot.

___

The Problem — as Tendou coined it, prompting Ushijima to ask ‘What problem?’ without fail every time he brings it up to the members uninvolved — has gotten worse lately.

“I’m gonna have to intervene. Tut tut,” he says to no one in particular.

The locker rooms have cleared out for the most part. Kawanishi is playing a game on his phone, clearly not giving a shit, Yamagata is pretending he didn’t hear him, and Shirabu straight up leaves. Ever-reliable Goshiki who would rather eat shit than disappoint any of his upperclassmen salutes and asks, “How?”

“Someone will get a talking to,” Tendou coos.

Goshiki isn’t quite sure what that will entail, but he doesn’t like the sound of it, whatever it is.

___

Discretion isn’t necessary on this mission, but Tendou sneaks up on Semi anyway, because he thinks freaking him out is funny. “Semisemi,” he begins, and Semi visibly startles, and Tendou squints at him for a long while without saying anything, stretching the silence.

“What?” he asks on the off-chance Tendou has something worthwhile to say.

“You’re creepy.”

With utmost offense in his tone and a raise of his eyebrow, Semi parrots, “Creepy?”

“You’re stressing out [L/n],” elaborates Tendou before he stares off into the horizon, pretending to muse. “I mean,” he grins, laughs and squishes Semi’s cheeks together so his lips are puckering, more or less disregarding his response altogether, “this is the kinda pouty face only a mother could love!”

Semi shoves him away like he’s contagious. “What are you on about?”

“Well, a certain someone doesn’t understand your drooling.”

“My drooling?!”

“I know what I said, you don’t need to repeat it every time.” Tendou twirls his finger when he chides him in that annoying voice he makes whenever he’s mocking someone. “Basically, poor little Manager-san doesn’t know why you do that. And thinks you look like you’re trying to start a fight.” A gasp escapes him at the revelation before he bows. “Mic drop. End scene.”

He ignores Tendou’s antics, disconcerted. You think he hates you or something? Sure, he knows he tends to eye you… often, but it’s not a war declaration or anything! Semi doesn’t know what’s so difficult to ‘get.’ He thinks it should be obvious on his face.

Wait.

His face.

His face.

When realization strikes him, he grabs Tendou by the shoulder in a panic and yells, “Tendou, I have resting bitch face syndrome!”

“You don’t say.”

Through this new lens, he reconsiders the past three years like he’s on the brink of dying and his most painful memories are flashing in front of his eyes. He’s always saying no whenever you try to help him with anything because he doesn’t want to inconvenience you since you already have so many other responsibilities. But if you think he hates you, it must look like he’s trying to blow you off.

And… The serving thing. He shudders slightly. Really, he means it in a ‘this is for you babe 😍😍😍😘’ way, as corny as that is, but it probably seems like a threat.

Semi groans and slaps himself. Tendou observes his agony in amusement. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Don’t worry, we can fix it,” he says before he perks up and puts his hands on his hips. “They don’t call me Doctor Love for nothing.”

“No one calls you that.”

Tendou punches him in the stomach for his insolence. If it were almost anyone else on the team, Semi would probably double over in pain, but now all he lets out is a little wheeze. “Here’s what you’re gonna do-”

“Stop trying to insert yourself just because you’re bored.”

“Now, now. Doctor Love knows better than you, as we can all see.”

___

Later, Semi says he didn’t know you even notice his glances enough to be bothered by them. In a sing-song voice, Tendou quips, “Semisemi, anyone would notice a guy with a shitty dye-job giving them the Kubrick stare.”

“My dye-job is not shitty!”

___

Semi has been ominously shuffling around in your general vicinity. At first, you ignored him, but now you’re kind of irritated.

“Can I help you?” you ask tersely, tone clipped. Things between the two of you have been a little strained ever since your incoherent blow-up, but you’re still the manager and still have… managing… to do.

He blurts out, “Tendou told me to tell a speech-”

“What?”

“-or kabe-don you-”

“What.”

“-but I think he just watches too much anime and convinces himself he knows what he’s talking about. I mean, he was even calling himself Doctor Love and everything. Can you believe that-”

“Semi,” you step on his toe, which grinds his talking to a halt, “you’re rambling.”

“I- Okay, um. I’m sorry. About the staring.”

Oh? Now you’re interested in how kabe-donning ties into all of this, momentarily forgetting about your anger.

“And being rude,” he adds, averting his eyes to the side.

“Uh-huh.”

“I don’t have a problem with you… Or anything like that… You’re just- you make me feel sick in my stomach. Wait, no, I mean! You make me nervous, and I start acting like a dunce. And don’t know how to show it.”

“Don’t know how to show what? Why would I make you nervous?” you ask.

“Come on, you already know what I’m trying to say.”

“Don’t give me an attitude when you’re trying to confess your undying love for me!” With this turn of events, you can kind of see how he looks more shy than murderous, actually. “Anyway, you’re lucky you’re cute, good at a sport, and not an unhinged serial killer-”

It’s Semi’s turn to interrupt. “What?”

“-because I like you too.”

You smile at him. He sighs in relief and puts his hand over his chest. “Oh, thank god. I was about to throw up.”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” you say, pursing your lips. “I really do make you feel sick in the stomach.”

___

“You have to admit I’m a pretty good matchmaker,” Tendou says, preening while he awaits your amazement.

“No, you really aren’t,” you tell him. He falls over, pretending to have fainted. “But I fuck with you for trying.”

[bojackandherb]

Gina

Oh yeah this was from when I told people to ask about my opinions on bjhm characters, right?

Anyway, I liked her :)

The way her dream of singing/theater fell apart made me so sad. But also kinda frustrates me, like, girl, you had one bad audition. The problem I think is she kind of gave up on her dreams too quickly. I think she like. Had always longed to be in theater but didn’t think she could do it. So she went into a different type of acting but like. Sure she sang for fun but I don’t think she ever got voice lessons or anything. So like.

She wasn’t a terrible singer, she has potential, she just could have benefited from more vocal training and such. But the fact she never truly believed she could do it to begin with means she didn’t actually truly work towards it, and when she finally did get an actual opportunity due to Bojack she just. Gave up right away when things didn’t go well on her first try. So it’s very sad but also very frustrating because it’s like nooooo girl it doesn’t have to be this way! Honestly maybe she’s benefit from learning about the growth mindset…

But also like, her giving up so quickly makes sense because like. She had such bad luck in Hollywood for so long that she decided that like. Not caring about stuff and giving up up things quickly and having zero expectations was the way to go to avoid getting hurt. But while those mindsets potentially protected her, they’re also just like, not great mindsets to have overall.

Tbh her and Bojack like, never really seemed like much of a couple to me, it kinda seemed they were both lonely and mainly just needed a friend, and honestly they seemed more just like friends to me for most of their relationship. I like them way better as friends than as a couple, but they did have a few genuinely sweet moments together. Which just makes what happens at the end up of Showstopper all the nore heart wrenching.

Under her cynicism she has a sweet and dorky side that Bojack is surprisingly able to bring out… well, him and the success of the show.

Tbh they never really made sense as a couple to me. Like there’s not really any spark between them, and. The only time they act like an actual couple is the beginning of the showstopper, and like. A lot of the development for their relationship going from “casual friends who tease each other and also bang (but the banging is pretty much just because they’re both lonely and don’t have anything better to do)” to “actual couple” happens offscreen. Like, he accidentally gives Gina the idea that he really does want to date her when he and hollyhock sneak into her house to try to find drugs. And then after he crashes his car she apparently visits him a lot in the hospital and then their relationship actually blossoms into an actual romance I guess. Apparently. But we don’t really see any of it, there’s the time skip and then it’s like “oh they’ve been dating for months now.” Anyway idk how much the show actually wanted us to ship them anyways.

In the end Gina and Bojack’s relationship was just a plot point the writers used to get Bojack to a low enough point that he had no choice but to get help and go to rehab. Now that I think about it the way the show used her might’ve been kinda crappy. But idk

However it was pretty neat how the show explored “people who don’t want to come forward about the abuse/trauma they dealt with in Hollywood and how for some coming forward about it might actually do harm than good” through her.

Her season 6 scenes made me sad… glad she was able to get a part in Kelsey’s movie, though! (Based off of posters we see in the background)

Anyway.

There’s more I could talk about but asjkndkandkwnsman idk how to articulate my thoughts and I’ve already rambled a lot haha

Anyway. Gina is a sweetheart who deserved better

[hekate1308]

Okay Show Me

Prompt: Okay show me

Fandom: Death in Paradise

Pairing: Camille/Richard

Richard had gotten rather used to Camille showing up at his shack to complain about the blind dates her mother had set up for her. Truth be told, he was always a little too happy that she had chosen to see him at the end of the night instead of – but not that this would lead to anything, so he usually just provided her with beer and a glass of wine and made what he hoped were sympathetic noises even if he had never been the best at comforting people.

It seemed like the man of the week (as he had secretly come to call them) had been so full of himself that Camille had scarcely gotten a word in. Now, this was a complaint Richard had heard when it came to himself, as well, but he liked to think that he was always careful to eventually hear people out, and he didn’t think Camille had ever had a problem when it came to speak out when he was talking, anyway.

“I’m just…” she sighed. “The truth is, I’m tired. Some of them are alright, but there’s no spark. So we just sit and talk and pretend we’re having a really good time, which we probably would have if this wasn’t a date, but of course it is, so there are all these expectations holding you back.”

That, at least, Richard could empathize with.

“It’s just – normally, I get the impression that we understand one another, that there’s just nothing, and that we should just have a nice evening. But instead – well – you tell them goodbye and then they expect that they’ll have a good ending for such a date, and honestly, I’m getting tired of explaining myself.”

Richard frowned, being rather unsure what Camille meant. In his admittedly limited experience, dates usually ended rather awkwardly, by him accompanying the lady to her door and wishing her good night. He had no idea what someone like Camille would consider a “good ending” unless – no, no, he knew she was French, but – he really hoped he wasn’t blushing. But no, he liked to consider her a friend (although sometimes – no, he most definitely wouldn’t go there) and she would know better than to make such allusions. She knew his limits. So, whatever she meant, it would be something that was – well, he supposed romantic and swashbuckling and all these kinds of things he simply wasn’t capable of even in his wildest dreams.

So, he supposed he would just have to ask.

“Okay, show me.” It was probably not the most succinct of questions, but he supposed it was enough.

But apparently not. She looked at him. “Sorry?”

“Okay, show me” he repeated, feeling rather impatient. Certainly, considering what they had been talking about, Camille had heard him before but was pretending not to just to annoy him, as she had often done before. “Show me how you would expect a date to end, then.”

“You mean a proper date?” He would probably have noticed something was off, only that her eyes were glittering in that very distracting way once more, and he could feel himself swallow heavily as he told his heart to calm down.

He nodded, being unable to answer in any other way.

And then, just like that, Camille Bordey kissed Richard Poole.

Yes. Camille. Kissed. Him.

And he had no idea what to do.

For a moment or two.

Then he found himself responding – if he had had the time to think about it he would have claimed that it would have been incredibly impolite not to do so, although naturally, at the moment, he was incapable of rational thought – and his arm wrapped around her and –

He didn’t know how much time had passed before she drew back, laughing softly at his expression. “That’s how a good date should end.”

“I – I – I see” he stuttered. “So –“

“So now you owe me a date” she said matter-of-factly.

“What?” he blinked.

“You already got the ending to a good date, so now you owe me one. That’s just logical.”

For the life of him, he couldn’t see how.

But she suddenly grew self-conscious – a very strange sight – and then quietly said, “You don’t have to, of course. I just thought… well, when you… reacted… I….”

“Camille, I would love to take you out on a date.” He had no idea how he had managed to say it out loud, but thankfully, he head.

“You would?”

“Yes. I just was not aware that was an option…”

She laughed. “Richard, we have been flirting for the past year at least.”

He was about to protest that they had very much not, which she prevented by kissing him again, therefore putting him back two dates already.

Not that he minded.

[sketchy-saram]

Okay! Day 1, Introduce your HoF! I wish I had more time--maybe I'll reblog this with some art later, if I can. But my Canon HoF is Bronwyn Aeducan! She is a fierce warrior whose first love is battle, and she'd rather solve her problems by beheading them, if possible. She and Gorim were together romantically, but honestly probably more from proximity and being companions in arms than being compatible.

She was extremely proud and determined to prove herself as a commander. She never wanted the throne--she probably would have been happy killing Darkspawn till she died, if her brother hadn't betrayed her. The sight of her coming out of the tunnels, covered in gore, feral and absolutely alight with murdering, must have been something for Duncan and the other Wardens to behold, when she found them.

She took to the whole thing like a fish to water. Especially when Alistair acquiesced to her leadership--after all, that was basically the role she had been preparing for her whole life. Fit like a pair of Dalish gloves. At first, she didn't know quite what to make of so many mages and humans and whatnot, but she gradually grew to enjoy the freedom from strict Dwarven caste expectations that had never let her relationship with Gorim be anything more. She actually made friends, which she had never had, since as an Aeducan everyone was either trying to kill or manipulate her. She definitely related to Alistair a lot on that level. (Her best friends were Shale and Sten, but she also had a soft spot for Wynne and Alistair.) She was genuinely pleased to see Gorim alive in Denerim, and happy he had found someone. It never even occurred to her to be jealous. (Although she was baffled that he could give up fighting to be a merchant of all things, LOL)

She helped Harrowmont ABSOLUTELY out of spite, and took so much satisfaction out of murdering her piece of shit brother. At least, she thought she would. It all made her feel pretty hollow. She swore to never go back to Orzammar after they finished there--it was dead to her, like she'd been to it.

After all the worries about being knifed in the back, then, it was so surprising when she found herself so charmed by Zevran; an Elf sent to kill her....who didn't even do a good job of it. He flummoxed her, confused her, and even affronted her, just on a technical level. It took her a looooooong time to believe any of his flattery. But his affability, his easy-going nature even in the face of everything he had suffered, and his hedonism eventually wormed their way under her skin. The first time she took him to bed, she told herself it was just scratching an itch for both of them, and that she would fight better after getting it out of her system.

Well, let's just say Zev was more than enthusiastic to take pointers in other areas than just fighting, and apparently the itch was a rash, because it kept happening. Bronwyn's worst nightmare was the hot few seconds after Taliesen offered to take Zev back to the Crows. She was already preparing to be betrayed again... one that, she was shocked to find, would have been more obvious, and yet about as brutal as losing her whole life had been. And then he turned them down, and she knew she'd keep that silly Elf twink safe forever.

(Now they are the Thedas couple that hang out in the bar and entice hotties into an unforgettable threesome 😉 When she isn't busy keeping order or killing more Darkspawn, anyway.)

She wasn't about to let either of them die if there was something as simple as sex to save them, so she bullied Alistair into sleeping with Morrigan for the ritual. Sooooo they all lived happily ever after. (She let Anora rule, because honestly, she was better suited. Bronwyn would know.) And for me personally, if anyone could find a way to beat the Calling, it would be Bronwyn. So I'm sure she has ❤️