#I hope you have an excellent fandom life now
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
empressofmankind · 1 year ago
Note
God I hope you don’t mind me dumping that here but your story about you having a crush on kid Buggy when you were at the approximate age just hits me so hard and I don’t have anyone to talk about this with so here goes:
Way back when the anime first got translated in my neck of the world and I was a wee pre-teen, my friends quickly latched onto either Zoro or Sanji as their anime guy crushes. I used to pretend they were both not my type and that I didn’t crush on anyone in the series but that was a lie. A coverup to a truth I felt I couldn’t admit to my 12-13 year old gal pals. I had the most massive fucking kid crush on Usopp. He hit all of my buttons, he was fun, he was a bit of a coward but not to the point he was unlikeable, the episode that show him and Kaya meeting for the first time had him sitting on a tree branch in front of her window like he’s a goddamn Aladin type Disney prince. Just goddamn he did a number on me. But again, back then he felt like the weirdest option to get a crush on so I kept my mouth shut because teen me couldn’t take the teasing.
Some time passes and I haven’t watched OP for a long time, didn’t really care about it that much. I hear about the live action show and apperantly… it’s … good? Interest peaked. Watching it and having a great time. Getting back into the fandom. Find out there are a lot more people like me who not only have Usopp as their favorite but also think he’s super cute. Jacob Romero Gibson playing him helped a lot but, there are also a bunch of posts about people loving his animated form and appreciating him and many of them stating they had wee little babby crushes on him as well, even before timeskip buffed him up too.
And it’s like… it’s mildly emberassing to think back on baby’s first Blorbo ™️, but it’s also just so satisfying to be like “Uh-huh, yeah. This character is great. I know. I Love him!” And People wholeheartedly agreeing. And now I’m slowly making my way trough the series again and it’s just… so good. I am sorry for dumping this all on you on anon but it’s just my way of toasting to you in a very “To us! Us weird adults that used to be weird little kids with even weirder little crushes. We always had the best taste.” Way.
I am so happy you feel good about it now! I loved reading about your experience so don't apologise! It's all good! I like it when people interact with me over fandom. And I feel pretty special rn that you'd tell me this, Anon. I bet it is so recognisable for a lot of us. I can totally understand you keeping that under wraps as a baby, especially surrounded by Sanji and Zoro fanbabies. I apparently told everyone who wanted to hear and plenty who didn't. And, honestly, I still do that, haha. The live action being good had me so shook as well, because live actions have been doing so terribly poorly. But I am down with Ward as Buggy.
1 note · View note
thehauntedetheral · 4 months ago
Note
That, “After all I am just a girl 🎀”, sent me! LOL! It’s such a fat fucking mood I have 24/7
So follow up request, how about a Hyper/Extreme Masculine Man x Hyper/Extreme Feminine Woman Reader
Give me someone who is wholesomely sexist that is so damn fine that the red flags start to look green
Hello! Thank you for your love. Glad that you liked my work. I hope you like my writing. This is my first time writing something like this so please be kind. I hope you love this. Enjoy!
Yandere Sexist X Reader
Requests are open!
Tumblr media
• You and yan dated throughout the college and after graduation he proposed you. You were madly, irrevocably and passionately in love with him.
• Yan Husband who is a toxic sexist who is a excellent manipulator. He tells you after marriage how his parents were a traditional gender role household meaning husband being the bread winner and leader of house while wife being a good pretty house wife. He wants to try it. You were reluctant at first but after enough manipulation and sugar coating you agreed. After all this man is an excellent manipulator.
"Baby please just try it for me. If you don't feel good after doing this for a month we will stop it. You had been working so hard throughout the college. You can relax a bit by this and can also take a break and get the time to do all those hobbies and stuff you were interested in doing but couldn't due to college work. We have just got married why so eager for a job? Settle down have some rest. I have a very good paying job to provide for both baby. Please try this for me love?" He would say while holding your face delicately in his hand and looking at you with his gorgeous hazel eyes.
• You slowly started to delve into it. Baking, cooking meals, taking care of him and house and decorating, doing household chores, gardening vegetables, beautiful flowers and loving it.
• He was slowly brainwashing you into his little pretty house wife without you knowing.
"Baby you don't have to think about anything I will take care of everything. Hmm? You know I love you and will take care of you."
• You were a definition of hyper feminine now. Long forgotten your old ambitious about your career self in college.
• Pretty Ribbons in your long hairs, delicate cute dresses, High heels, make up on, hosting parties for his colleagues, shopping, baking, reading, trying new recipes, doing house chores while waiting for your husband to come home were now part of your daily routine.
• Yan and you you would go out for dinners and if somebody looked at you a little long he would break their bones. After all you were his wife and wouldn't allow a weird creep to stare at you.
• He was the provider and you were his pink pretty princess housewife whom he loves to dead.
• Will shower you with gifts like vacations, jewellery, dresses.
• Yan Husband who is dominant in your married life and in bed.
• Yan Husband who is a toxic manipulator sexist who will make you totally dependent on you to make sure you don't run away from him ever.
"You need me baby as much as I need you. I am your husband I know what is best for us."
"You contribute to the household by taking care of me so good which helps me to do my job properly and soon you will be the mother of our beautiful children, darling."
• Looking at his handsome face with beautiful eyes oozing masculine energy always made you forget everything.
• You know your husband is always right and will take care of you.
Requests are open!
For more yandere reading:
332 notes · View notes
smth-intheway · 2 months ago
Text
I haven't seen anyone talk about it, or maybe someone noticed but didn't said anything...
Tumblr media
Neil and Charlie are connected, not only by the bonds of friendship but also by their shared symbolism of “death”, which is shown at the very end of the movie/book when their seats were empty. They are both key characters and as those who, despite their differences, are very similar.
Let's start with Neil. We all know that Neil is the one who started the dead poets society in 1959, he is the speaker and the leader of the group, as if leading the boys. He is the first to find the album with Keating's photo in it, the first to learn what the society is (yeah boys were near him), the first to read the official opening speech and assign roles to everyone. Who will read and who won’t. He acts as a confident person, his actions are based on a new feeling and finding freedom from the grip of his father. Everyone noticed how he looked at Keating when he gave his famous speech that every person in this fandom knows?
Tumblr media
Yes, you can't help but notice how his eyes shine with hope, that he like a prisoner, will free himself from the shackles and escape from the clutches of his father. By the way, about his dad.
This man plays a very important role in Neil's life, as he does in his, albeit in the most disgusting way. His father sees himself in him only in his youth, he wants to achieve what he could not in the past. He uses Neil to turn back the time and become an ideal version of himself without caring what Neil thinks. Most likely, Mr. Perry was an unsuccessful person and perhaps he did not succeed in many things, proving this with the following phrases: "I sacrificed so much for you to be here" and "you have opportunities that I don’t had��� He kind of puts pressure on Neil shoulders to give him false motivation to do things as he said, setting himself as an example, like... if you don’t do as I say, then the worst will happen to you, because I know better than you and I have lived longer than you. His father makes his son a submissive and obedient boy who is obliged to do and act as he is told, simply because he has no choice, because he is inexperienced and "impressionable" in the opinion of his father and he must definitely listen to the one who knows better in order to avoid the worst outcome. Just lower your head and show obedience like everyone else.
By the way, it is interesting that in the book the first description of Neil, and the first words about his appearance sound like this: "The breast pocket of his Welton blazer was covered with a huge cluster of achievement pins." (page 5, ch.1) Ironic, right? Now try to close your eyes and imagine the same student, without imagining Neil. What impression will you have of him? Right.. smart, successful with a brilliant future. This is what people who don’t know Neil see. He has become someone who is held up as an example. A diligent student and an example of behavior. Even the fact that in the book he wears a pillar with the inscription "excellence" as if hanging a label of idealism and perfection on himself. That is why they gave him this sign, so that he would carry it, introducing himself as the personification of that very perfection that teachers want to have in their students. But is that what he needs? Neil did not know what he wanted, he did not allow himself to go beyond what was permitted, always silently and following the rules. Afraid of getting burned like a moth over a fire. He was suppressed by his father, all the time his desires and dreams were rejected and not accepted, because there is a coordinate system and you cannot move against it. I can even assume that his father pressured him if his academic results did not satisfy him, from which Neil tried to prove that he could do better, because he wants his father to be proud of him and love him for being a good son, perhaps Mr. Perry could punish Neil for disobedience, from which the boy began to fear his father like a nightmare. Remember the scene when his father entered the room at the very beginning of the movie after the ceremony? Neil's behavior changed from before to after. With his friends he was happy, self-confident and the life of the party, but when his father showed up on the doorstep all of these traits were washed away and Neil showed his fear and insecurity.
So he hid himself, his dreams, ambitions and desires including emotions in front of his father. Several times in the book, (the movie didn’t showed it) Neil had the outbursts and slightly hysterical release of his emotions he was holding when his father was around. “Neil held the achievement pin in his hand as he spoke. “The bastard!” he shouted suddenly, jabbing his thumb with the metal point of the pin and drawing blood. Todd winced, but Neil just stared at the blood intently. He pulled the pin out and hurled it against the wall.” (Page 19, Chap3)
“Mr. Perry turned and stalked out. Neil stood still for a long time, then, walking to his desk, he started pounding on it, harder and harder until his fists went numb and tears began rolling down his cheeks.” (Page 119, chap11) Neil isn’t an emotionally stable person because his emotions only show when his father is not around. He is mentally weak because he is afraid to speak his mind around someone who will not listen to him. This is important and worth remembering because Neil has no voice around his father, so he did not tell him what he wanted, so he kept silent because he understood and built a mental reflex that his father's stubborn nature would still make him do what Neil does not want. He already knows what his father will say. Rejection. This is his weak point. He is afraid of rejection and does not want to hear it again, because he has heard it so many times ... over and over again. This Neil is very different from the confident guy he shows himself to be in society.
he did not share his feelings/thoughts with anyone, because he most likely not had close friends except Charlie. Because His entire life was planned and controlled by his authoritarian father, from A to Z. His dad would’ve probably not be happy about his son being friends with the “who the hell knows”.
That's why when he heard Keating's words about enjoying the moment, living here and now while this moment is here because one day it won't be. Carpe diem my friend. You need to look at things in the different way and not be afraid of what others think because what matters is what you think. These words entered Neil's thoughts as a basis for changing his situation, to free himself from the shackles and become who he always wanted. Because if not, this moment will never come. He began to think differently and began to go towards his dream that he wanted to acquire so much. Neil was slowly drowning in his ideal world, living freely and hopelessly, but he misunderstood Keating's words, because he had to change his idea of ​​the world and not himself. Neil did not understand that you cannot change the situation you are in, you can only change your idea and vision of it. He wanted to take control, but he forgot that sucking out the bone marrow, you need to do it so as not to choke on the bone. It is interesting that he was the first to come and recreate the Dead poets society and the first to leave, thus killing this society.
His death has a huge influence on the plot as well as on the symbolism itself, because if you look closely, in the book he dies with his crown of flowers as if killing his personality "Puck" through which he embodied the archetype of the deceiver (his father’s deceiver), challenging the established standards of behaviour. The second one is a reference to Jesus that many talk about. So, if you think about it, the crown of branches that he wore is very similar to the one that Jesus had. At first, he looks up, supposedly into the sky, in search of the meaning of life and pondering his decision. He puts on the crown, proclaiming himself his own liberator, just as Jesus was in Christian culture.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
He didn't want to depend on his father or the rotten system anymore, Neil thought he would make his own decision outside of his father's wishes. After all, if there is no freedom in life itself, then why should he live?
Then, he lowers his head as if accepting his fate and knowing that he has chosen the right path for himself.
Tumblr media
Neil showed obedience to himself and not to someone else which made him one step freer before he got freedom completely. He, like Jesus, accepted himself as a sacrifice in the face of freedom intending to be free even if not for others then for himself. Therefore, it was his own "crucifixion".
It is interesting that he lowers his head just like the boy from that very wall painting.
Tumblr media
Okay, but then how does he relate to Charlie? It's simple, Charlie isn't always himself either, and unlike Neil's hidden symbolism, he directly proclaims himself to be another person, namely "Nuwanda". He abandons his boring, past self by forgetting who he was through self-destruction. "I have an announcement. In keeping with the spirit of passionate experimentation of the Dead Poets, I'm giving up the name Charles Dalton. From now on, call me 'Nuwanda.'" (page 89, chap9) In the same way, he added more nuances to his personality, such as his famous phrase "getting red" and when he painted the Indian symbol of virility on his torso supposedly giving himself confidence through the symbol's underlying meaning, which is anchored in the Indian goddess Shiva-Lingam which signifies masculinity, virility and association with fertility due to its sexual significance.
Tumblr media
The same goes for the symbols he drew on his cheek, what's interesting is that in the movie he drew it with lipstick using red again, which usually symbolizes power, passion and life, this colour is used to attract attention. But in the book... he literally scrapes dirt off the wall to draw this symbol on his cheek. (What a cheerful boy fr)
Charlie is a time bomb. He constantly has ideas in his head, at first it may seem empty but there really is a lot of things, plus this “dish” is also seasoned with the guy's self-confidence and huge ego. This is proven by the fact that Charlie literally claimed the cave when he entered it and then used it to bring girls, without worrying about the opinions of others. He kind of stands as an example of the opposite of the Welton school value system, and encourages boys not to be afraid to be more confident. In the film, he was the first to support Neil in the idea of ​​creating a club, standing on his side, and also defending him after Cameron's betrayal at the very end, knowing that he is risking his education in Welton, but he is not afraid to take on such responsibility ... well, because why should he be afraid? He already has a future full of money, knowing that his father will force him to work with his business. By the way, about his father.
Unlike Neil, his relationship with his father is controversial and he can fight back with the confidence that he will be forgiven. In the film, his parents are shown in the background.
Tumblr media
And in the book we only know his mother. I can assume that Charlie is a child from a rich family who lives as an accessory in the hands of his parents. He, like Neil, is the "pride" of his parents and should be an example, only Charlie does not want to follow the coordinate system and enter it instead he moves against it. Like Neil at the end of his path.
We know that Rebellion is already embedded in any ideology at the time of its creation, and rebels only personify rebellion and do not bring it to the established system of values. After all, there will always be those who are against the established system, moving in the opposite direction and trying to find other conclusions, other ideas that will definitely suit a certain type.
Charlie could become a rebel for two reasons, the first: the search for attention. Unlike the hyper-care of Neil's father over his son, his father could be so bogged down in work that he forgot about his own son, perhaps not even his beloved, because then the marriage would be of convenience. His parents did not give him enough attention, pushing him away, rejecting him. He wanted to be noticed by them so that they would give him love, so he tried to achieve it in every possible way and it became a habit. Or the second option: He was tired of living a pretense. Straightforwardness is always a way out when it’s difficult to explain. Just be simple and do not bother to be complex, so the fear of making a mistake disappears. So Charlie did, because as far back as he could remember, he hated being told how he should behave, how he should talk to guests, how he should smile, how he should take utensils for food, and so on. Charlie was tired of seeing people from high society smiling at each other with such hypocrisy, as if a second ago they had not been in deep judgmental discussion. The world of big business disgusted Charlie, because those people were too worried about how they looked in front of others and they ran after status. Charlie was a prisoner of this every day and he didn't want to be like the others, he wanted to create something of his own in his personality, something that the others didn't have and something that would distinguish them from him, or him from them. So he chose the easy way - rebellion. So Keating's words meant something to him in the sense that he would enjoy the moment of rebelling against the school's rules and building his own system. Charlie could relate to his own approaching "death" if life at Welton was not symbolic but real. That is, his expulsion is an actual death. It could be similar to the phrase that Carpe diem oppose - Memento Mori. Carpe diem, in simple terms, says that death is inevitable, but it is unknown when it will come, and therefore it should not be feared, but instead enjoy the moment, which is what Keating taught his students, but there is also memento mori, which says that death is inevitable, but the moment of its onset can be delayed by behaving, so to speak, you should live “correctly” and act rationally for the benefit of your own life. In other words, memento mori means that everything is in your hands and when you die is determined by how you live. And Carpe diem is about the opposite, that nothing depends on you. And therefore you can and should take everything from life here and now. These two terms are closely related to the understanding of Keating's lessons, so each DPS boy had his own end. Tragic or partly happy. Knox and Todd understood that you can't change this system, but you can change your attitude towards it by finding beauty in things and avoiding death, but Neil and Charlie didn't understand him, wanting to change system and putting their lives on the line, so both of their seats are empty at the end.
Tumblr media
If you think about it... Charlie is Neil's desire for suicide. After all, he too is moving towards self-destruction by excluding himself from the system directly through death, while Charlie does it indirectly by going through exclusion.
121 notes · View notes
beatrice-otter · 2 years ago
Text
Why AO3 needs to be accountable for reducing fandom racism in its internal culture and the archive
You've probably seen end-otw-racism in the last few days, trying to get people to support their efforts to get the AO3 to actually DO something about the racism problem that AO3 has admitted that it has. Here's their call to action post, with a brief summary of the problems and what they want people to do about it. Basically, there have been problems with racism at AO3 since the beginning, and they did acknowledge the problems in 2020 and promise to fix them, and haven't actually ... done most of the things they said they would. They have started to implement blocking and muting, which is good, because those are vital tools for fans of color to protect themselves from racist harassment, but they haven't updated their TOS or changed their Abuse policies or hired the diversity consultant they said they were going to. And that's a big problem. Among other things the original head of the Abuse team--the one who set it up and developed the policies and procedures still in use today!--was a noted racist who has since been banned from at least one convention and at least one fanwork exchange for making a lot of fans of color uncomfortable. This is not the only problem with a white supremacist culture in the organization, but it is emblematic of the larger issues with the organization's culture that have not been addressed. (That link is from 2020, but nothing substantial has changed since then, alas.) If you think that the AO3 is fine, and people are overstating things, I really encourage you to go read that post and the links in it. And then go read these tweet threads about what the state of things at AO3 is now. Maybe also go read Stitch's excellent essays on racism in fandom (and remember that people have tried to destroy her life--get her fired and get her on terrorist watch lists--for writing them). What sorts of things does end-otw-racism want? Basic stuff that AO3 should already be doing. For example, people should not be allowed to harass people through AO3 using trolling fanworks, harassing tags, and comments. Yet when people use these parts of AO3 infrastructure to harass people of color and create a hostile environment for them, AO3 Abuse says there's nothing they can do and it doesn't count as harassment under the site's TOS. end-otw-racism is not calling for censorship. They are calling for the OTW to realize that AO3 currently has a Nazi Bar Problem. You cannot have a safe that is safe for both nazis and people of color. If you try, the nazis will harass and drive out the people of color. Tolerance is not a moral principle, it is a peace treaty; if one side does not abide by it, asking the other side to abide by it is asking them to lay down and accept their abuse. And free speech is incredibly important, but it has limits; and those limits are where you are using speech to harass people and incite violence, which some people are using AO3 to do! I hope that you will all support end-otw-racism in calling for the AO3 to fulfill its promises and address the issues in question, and I hope the AO3 will listen. comments Comment? https://ift.tt/4BR98XN
1K notes · View notes
604to647 · 6 months ago
Text
Marine Attraction
4.3K / Detective Tim Rockford x fem!reader
Tumblr media
Summary: When a stakeout at the aquarium does not go as planned, Detective Tim Rockford must interview all the aquarium visitors, including you.
Warnings: Fluff! Meet cute! Maybe a dirty thought or two that reader really should not be having about a (hot) man just trying to do his job 🤭 Made up Merge Mansion lore. One cute nickname because it’s me (won’t spoil).
A/N: This was written for @mermaidgirl30’s Ocean Challenge – thank you for hosting a lovely event.  Please see #Jamie’s Ocean Challenge for all the wonderful works! I’ve noticed that as of late, some of the authors that I look up to and consider mainstays in this community since I started lurking 2+ years ago have wanted to leave, needed to take breaks from the fandom or felt disconnected from the community.  This story is for you, about stepping away when you need to and maybe rediscovering how something old can still bring you joy. Xoxo, love you all.
Fishy dividers by @saradika-graphics 🥰
EDIT: Oops this turned into a series - Masterlist
Tumblr media
You’re not really sure how this happened.
You’ve been feeling a bit off, as of late.  Nothing was wrong, per say - your job is fine, your friends are dear, your life leaves you grateful.  It’s just that you feel… untethered.  Like you should be doing something more?  Work is fulfilling enough – you achieve and excel.  Friends and family make for wonderful company, but your social battery isn’t infinite and as much as enjoy your get-togethers, they can leave you drained.  Even some of your solitary pursuits, cooking, watching tv, scrolling through social media don’t seem to be as satisfying as they used to be – you consume, but you don’t create.
On a whim, you decide to take the day off work (the first in who knows how long?) and go somewhere you’ve always loved: the aquarium.  You’ve been visiting this aquarium since you were a child – something about the gentle hum of the tanks and the darkness that’s illuminated only by the glow of the exhibits has always relaxed you.  You’re going to go specifically to take photos.  Photography used to be a casual hobby of yours; you were even featured on local news blogs and had your photos chosen for a gallery showing once – but as life got busier and your other endeavours required more of your time and energy, it had fallen by the wayside.   It’s been forever since you took a photo walk or even a picture that wasn’t for capturing a moment rather than a snapshot.  You’re actually getting excited about shooting photos again.
It had been a serene couple of hours spent watching your unhurried fish friends and the silent watery dances of the marine plants that shared their abodes.  The aquarium is playing host to a few young families and two eager fieldtrips, but otherwise, you’ve had the place nearly to yourself.  Able to loiter so you can try different lenses and play with the lighting of your shots, or wait as long as you want in order for a mixed rainbow hue of fish to swim into frame, the morning had passed quietly and contently.
But now you sit in the children’s play area, the last of today’s aquarium visitors, waiting for your turn to be questioned by the police. 
---
Detective Tim Rockford is not really sure how this happened.
It had been a simple enough stakeout operation.  He and his team had received a tip a few days ago that there would be a handoff taking place at the aquarium today: an exchange of money between one of Grandma Ursula’s henchmen and a mystery player whose identity has eluded Tim for the entirety of this case thus far.  Perhaps it was unreasonable to expect Mr. Pie (so nicknamed by the squad for the Bolton Berry pies he consumed) to show up himself, but Tim held out hope that whomever they nabbed today would provide the break in the case that he so desperately needs.
Only, Grandma’s man had come and gone and none of the six men, Tim included, posted at the various vantage points and exits had seen a damn thing.  At some point between spotting their target enter the aquarium with a briefcase in hand, they had lost track of him and picked up his movements again only when he was already leaving the gift shop, empty handed.  How was it possible they couldn’t account for what happened in the aquarium?  Did the meeting with Mr. Pie occur?  Or was the briefcase stashed somewhere?  Tim presses the heels of his palms to his eyes and grimaces – the operation had been an utter failure. 
Not only did they not get what they came for, but now the remainder of the day was completely shot.  What had followed once the police realized just how out of depth they were, was a complete shut down of the aquarium with all visitors locked in and needing to be interviewed before they could leave.  Even the elementary school trips of thirty children.  Each.  After giving instruction to the additional LAPD support he called in to search the aquarium top to bottom for the missing case, Tim had settled in for a long afternoon of what he expected to be fruitless Q&As.
As he wearily enters the kids play area once again (an officer more considerate than he had suggested that given the number of children being held, it might be the best place to have everyone wait), Tim sees only one witness left to interview: you.  He had noticed you earlier, each time he came in to select another interviewee, in fact – if your pretty features and sweet smile hadn’t caught his attention first, your everlasting patience and kindness would have.  Several times, he spotted you playing patiently with the children – the sound of your melodic voice and gentle laughter floating above the grumblings of the other adults who had also had their days ruined. The sound eased the tense spot in his shoulders where his holster straps had started digging in a little bit.  At first, Tim thought you might be one of the teachers or a field trip chaperone, but then he noticed that you let all the school trips and families with children go ahead of you, and he overheard you tell his fellow officer that you didn’t mind waiting, that it must be much harder for the children.  He was grateful for you and he didn’t even know you.
As Tim approaches, you look up from your phone and shoot him the soft smile that’s been his one bright spot in this disaster of a day, though he thinks it seems a bit more tired than when he first had the pleasure of seeing it earlier this afternoon.
“Is it my turn?” you ask him, still in good spirits despite the circumstances.
“Sorry for the wait, miss.”
“No need to be sorry… Detective?”
“Detective Rockford.  Tim Rockford.  I appreciate that, it’s been… a day.”
You hold out your hand to shake his before repeating his name, then giving him your own.  Tim can’t decide if he likes the way his name rolls off your tongue, or the way your own name floats above the cheer of your voice more. 
“Well, hopefully I can help with… whatever has made it such a day,” you give him a sympathetic smile.
The kind of smile you might offer to him when he comes home after a long hard day.  Damn. He’s in trouble.  Focus, Rockford.
Since you’re his last witness of the day, he offers to conduct the interview right here instead of the stuffy office that the aquarium staff had lent him.  As you acquiesce to his suggestion, you stretch out your arms and legs, arching your back to work out a bit of stiffness from having sat for so long and Tim finds himself admiring your figure in a way that is decidedly not going to help him solve this case.  He tries to cover up his less than professional gaze by stretching himself – it feels good.
After collecting your information and starting with his routine questions, Tim realizes he’s pinning his hopes on you having seen or noticed something today – not only because no one else has, but so he can keep speaking with you.
When it becomes evident that you didn’t, he sighs a heavy sigh of disappointment. 
He hadn’t realized that he’s done so until hears you apologize; quick to reassure you that that you don’t have anything to apologize for, Tim places his large warm hand over yours before he can stop himself.  You gasp softly, you think only to yourself, but Tim hears the sweet noise and smirks a little – it’s nice to know he’s not the only one who’s been affected.  When he notices that you don’t move your hand away,  he lets himself revel in the feel of your soft, small hand under his for a beat longer before he removes it and somewhat begrudgingly starts to wrap up the interview.
---
Fuck. This fucking detective.  Rockford.  Tim Rockford.
Even his name is hot. 
You had noticed him earlier, of course – how could you not?  He was a hulking presence, impossibly broad and tall, and he carried himself with the authority and gravitas of a man in charge.  During the earlier hours of your wait, you had been preoccupied with helping entertain some of the young children in the waiting area who were restless with boredom, not sure why their promised day of aquarium fun had to be ruined by something as trivial as a police matter.
But once you caught sight of Detective Rockford’s handsome profile, it became impossible to not be captivated by the deep richness of his brown eyes or that strong nose that centered his face perfectly.  His grave countenance conveyed the seriousness with which he took his work (that facial scruff screamed he worked too much), but he was quietly calm and his tone gentle with all the witnesses, especially the children.  You couldn’t help but hope it was him every time an officer entered the waiting area. 
Some time between now and the last two times he had come in to call forth witnesses, the detective had lost his suit jacket, strolling in wearing only a gun holster and a white dress shirt that stretched taut over his firm chest and bulging arm muscles; you thought you were going to have to dunk yourself into one of the aquarium tanks to cool off just from the sight of him.
Your heart picks up a little when it’s him who appears when you’re the last one left to be interviewed; silently, you pray to Beyoncé to give you the strength needed to coherently answer the detective’s questions when he asks them in that honey laced baritone of his.
When Tim mirrors your big stretch, you hope you’re discrete enough that he doesn’t catch you staring: his limbs extend fantastically long, arm span wide enough to cast a shadow that reaches across the floor in front of you - he's huge.  After hearing the detective inhale a deep breath, it feels to you as if all of the air has been sucked from the room, leaving you dizzy as you gawk at his hard chest, expanding and pushing up against his crisp dress shirt, held closed only by the strained efforts of a few valiant buttons.
You feel bad that you have to answer in the negative to Detective Rockford’s questions.  Unfortunately, you hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary during your visit, too engrossed in your own photo taking, and you don’t remember seeing the man in the picture that he shows you.  You can tell that Tim tries hard not to show his disappointment and wish very much that you could please him, be the one to wipe the weary look off his face and the release the tension from his hunched-up shoulders.  Maybe please him in other ways, as well.  You have a feeling that praise from one Detective Tim Rockford would have you dripping wet and clenching around nothing embarrassingly quick. 
GIRL. GET IT TOGETHER.  For all you know, a serious crime took place here today!
You apologize.  Outwardly, for your inability to help him with his case, and inwardly, for the dirty thoughts that are wholly inappropriate to have about a complete stranger who is just, very competently, doing his job.
To try and put you at ease, Tim relaxes his handsome face and hopes to reassure you when he gently pats your hand; instead, a jolt of electricity shoots through you and you warm all over from his touch.  Maybe it’s your imagination but Detective Rockford seemingly lets his bear paw of hand linger over yours for a bit longer than he needs to, and you think you spy his plush lips curve up slightly at the corners when you gasp.  You might just melt off this bench right now.
“Oh, one last thing, did you take any pictures at the aquarium today?”
You nod, but are suddenly shy as you anticipate the Detective’s next question.  Tim nods at you matter of fact, “Good.  Could you please show me?  I just need to look through them quickly to see if there’s anything in the background that might be useful.”
He holds his hand out, not really expecting any resistance - you’ve been nothing but perfectly cooperative so far.  But when his hand remains empty, he looks over to find you adorably chewing your bottom lip while gripping your phone tightly with both hands, making no motion to hand it over.  For one ridiculous moment he panics, Are you Mr. Pie?!  He shakes his head slightly to rid himself of that ludicrous thought, and waits patiently for you to tell him what you’re ruminating on.
“It’s just that there are a lot of pictures..,” you start, “… and a lot of them are kind of duplicates…”
You know you’re being deliberately vague – sighing in resignation, you decide it’s best to just rip the band aid off.  Unlocking your phone, you go to your camera roll and filter to today’s library before handing over your phone without meeting the detective’s gaze.  Out of the corner of your eye, you see Tim scroll slowly through hundreds of photos of the aquarium’s exhibits; you attempt to avoid meeting his eye by focusing on how your phone looks inexplicably small in his big, rough hand.
“That’s… a lot,” Tim finally says when he reaches the bottom of the roll.
When you look up, you expect to see maybe a cringed look or even a mocking expression on the detective’s handsome face, but instead you find the massive man looking at you with a gentle curiosity, maybe even holding himself a little smaller in an attempt to not intimidate you.  It doesn’t seem to matter that you don’t really know him, you suddenly feel comfortable enough to tell Detective Tim Rockford this very personal thing about yourself – he might look like he's perfectly cast as the 'bad cop' in interrogations, but you have a feeling he’s got just as good of a track record playing 'good cop'.
“An old hobby of mine was… I guess they call it iPhoneography? Using apps to mimic traditional camera captures?  I used to love it, actually.  Selecting the different lenses and choosing different exposures, then seeing how the images would developed – of course, with the phone, you wouldn’t have to take it in and wait for a week or anything, it would be processed digitally in a matter of seconds.  But… editing apps are so common place nowadays, and most social media platforms have built in filters and effects - iPhoneography has sort of fallen out of favour,” you explain.  Tim is nodding along - he doesn’t really know what you’re talking about, he has three apps on his phone that he uses regularly (Weather, Candy Crush, and the app from the City that reminds him when to put out his garbage bins); the rest of the apps on his phone were preinstalled and he can’t figure out how to delete them.  But he encourages you to go on.
“In fact, I haven’t really gone out to shoot in years.  But lately… I’ve sort of wanted to get back into it?  I came to the aquarium today to fire up the old camera, so to speak.  That’s why there’s so many – a lot of the pictures are just of the same frame but where I was trying out different lenses or exposure options.  I’m not, like, super obsessed with fish or anything,” you finish up quickly, hoping you haven’t made a complete fool of yourself.
Tim hands you back your phone, still open to today’s photos, and smiles, “Why don’t you tell me about what you shot today?”
“Really?” you look up, surprised.
“Really,” Tim tries to convey his genuine interest via his eyes, and is instantly rewarded by a smile on your face that could light up the room.  It’s certainly lighting him up.
And so, you tell Detective Tim Rockford all about the photos you took today.  You swipe through your pictures and show him how the different lenses affect the lighting, exposure, saturation and even colour tinting of the resulting photo.  You proudly tell him about how you had to switch up your technique and settings when shooting the tanks where the marine animals or plants thrived primarily in the dark or relied on bioluminescent light.  You laugh, mainly at yourself, when you tell him about how long you stayed at certain attractions, waiting for a particular school of fish to swim perfectly into frame.
Tim thinks your laughter is the loveliest sound he’s ever heard.
You tell him your favourite sea creatures to photograph are the jelly fish because they’re so weird and they move with such alien grace, unpredictable yet seemingly purposeful, and that’s why there are more pictures of them than any other animal in your camera roll.
Tim finds himself enchanted watching you get more and more animated and excited as you go through the pictures you took today; while your eyes are peeled to your screen, he admires how they twinkle and the way your mouth slopes upwards, grinning wide even as you talk non-stop about your long-forgotten hobby.  Your pretty face is aglow.  He thinks he could listen to you talk about the things that bring you joy forever.
He lets you talk for an hour.  You don’t even realize until you get to the last photo (a school of clown fish weaving between the tentacles of their anemone home) and glance up at the time at the top of the screen, “…oh my gosh!  I’m so sorry!! I’ve prattled on for so long, I’m sure none of this was helpful at all!”
Tim won’t have any of that, “Don’t be sorry.  You had fun.  I’m glad you had some fun today… before I ruined it by sequestering you here in this waiting area for the entire afternoon.”
You shyly look at his apologetic face, “I’m having fun now.”
Tim can feel his ears warm and is sure they’re pink at the tips.  Darn, you’re sweet.  He distracts himself by flipping to a brand-new page in his notebook, “Me too.”  You feel your heart expand at his soft confession.
“Now, I have some good news and some bad news.”
You look at him expectantly with an innocent, doe-eyed expression that Tim thinks might be one of the most dangerous things he’s ever encountered in all his years on the force, “The good news is that I think you’re a very, very good photographer.  It’s clear you enjoy it and there isn’t a single photo you showed me today that isn’t obviously a labour of love.  I think you should get back into it if you can.  The way you were talking about your photos today, I don’t think I’ve seen that much joy on someone’s face in… I don’t know how long.  I’m grateful you shared that with me.”
You’re speechless.  His words are so, so kind… and exactly what you needed to hear today.  You’re filled with tremendous gratitude and fondness for Detective Tim Rockford.
“… the bad news is, I spotted the reflection of our man in the shadows on the glass in some of your photos, and I’m so very sorry but I’m going to have to confiscate your phone,” Tim could not be more truly sorry.
After the initial shock of being told you’re losing your phone for a few days, you quickly recover and tell Tim that you’re genuinely glad you could help.  You give him your email and use your phone to send off a message to a few of your group chats regarding how you can be reached for the next few days before dropping your phone into the evidence bag Tim produces.  Under different circumstances, you might be upset at this turn of events, but the expression on Detective Tim Rockford's face is more than enough to make the minor inconvenience worth it – he looks invigorated, energized.  Clearly, this is what he loves doing.
Walking you to the aquarium exit, Tim apologizes and thanks you again before seeing you out.  Right before the door closes behind you, you turn and see him already rushing off to brief his team, your plastic covered phone clutched in his hand and an excited grin on his face.  After the kindness and patience the detective has shown you today, you’re glad to have played a small role in putting that smile on his face.
Tumblr media
True to his word, you receive an email from [email protected] just a few days later, letting you know your phone is ready for pick-up.  When Detective Rockford meets you in the precinct lobby, you have to suck in your breath – he’s even more handsome than you remember, and you’ve been spending nearly every waking minute over the past few days picturing his strong jawline, soulful eyes, and that charming facial scruff you’d give anything to run your fingers through.  He’s jacketless again, just another pressed white dress shirt that his broad frame threatens to rip through, bordered by those leather holsters that make you want to swallow your tongue.
As Tim takes you to Evidence so you can sign out your phone, he tries to chat amiably and not cast too many obvious and admiring glances your way; you’re all warmth and serenity in this place that he only ever associates with being loud, bustling and cold.  He simultaneously never wants you to leave and wishes to sweep you far away and keep you only for himself, distanced safely from this place where his every day is synonymous with darkness and mystery.
When you’re once again outside, Tim leans against the frame of the precinct’s front doors and you look up at him from one step down, hopeful, “Did I help?”
Yes.  You help more than you know, Tim thinks, having been unable to get your incandescent smile out of his mind since he last parted from you; finding that it’s become the image that grounds him during his long grueling hours.  Instead, he says, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”
“Oh no – not this again,” you grin.
Tim smiles back, emboldened by your cheery demeanor, “The good news is that a lot of your photos and what the tech guys called… um.. meta data?  A lot of it helped generate some good leads that we’re now following.”
“Oh!  That’s wonderful!  I’m so glad, Detective Rockford!”
“Tim.  Please call me, Tim.”
“I don’t know, I kind of like calling you Detective,” you tease, good naturedly.
Tim should not feel his pants tighten at this, “The bad news is, because your photos had so much useful information, there is a very good chance they will be used as evidence if this case ever goes to trial.  I don’t think you will need to testify, as you yourself didn’t see anything, and that meta data gives us the info on when and where the photos were taken.  But even so… it means I can’t ask you out until the case is over.”
“Oh no,” you’re disappointed, but somewhat mollified that Tim has just basically asked you out without asking you out.  “That is bad news indeed.”
Tim looks around to make sure no one is looking before he reaches out with his hand and gently strokes your cheek with the back of two of his thick fingers just once, whispering, “I’ve never wanted to put a case to bed more.”
You can’t let the joke pass you by, “The case?  The case is what you want to put to bed?”
The booming laugh that shakes Detective Tim Rockford’s entire torso reaches all the way to his eyes, crinkling them in the most adorable way.  It’s staggering the difference it makes – he looks 10 years younger, you think. 
He’s needed this.  A really good laugh.  He’s needed it more than he realized.  He’s needed you.  He looks at your impish grin, so proud of yourself for pulling this sound from him, a sound so rare that it’s become almost foreign to his own ears; Tim hopes he’s able to convey his gratitude for you with the way his eyes have brightened, flecked with gold and mirth. 
He thinks you just might understand him perfectly. 
When you lift up on your toes to brush your lips softly against his scruffy cheek for a goodbye kiss, he whispers low in your ear, “I’ll call you, Shutterbug.” 
A promise.
Tumblr media
7 months later
The Grandma Ursula case has taken the nation by storm.  The TV in your workplace breakroom is permanently dialed to the court case broadcast so no one misses a minute of the scandalous proceedings, a single interview with those involved in the case, or any legal and criminal analysts’ commentary.  For someone who is billed as the Lead Investigator, Tim makes shockingly few appearances onscreen, but you feel a little thrill go through you whenever you catch a glimpse of his striking figure in the background of a news broadcast about the case, or when you see him standing stoically behind the head prosecutor while the latter debriefs the press from the steps of the court house.
You gaze dreamily at his face while the press shouts out what everyone (your friends, colleagues, the public) all want to know:
How many aliases does Grandma Ursula really have?
Can we even call it the Bolton Mansion anymore?
Why that particular number of pies?
You’ll be honest, you’re just as interested in the case as everyone else, but you have one pressing question that you know no one else is asking: Will he call when it’s over?
You’re in a departmental meeting when the verdict is read.  It takes you forever to get back to your desk, caught up in everyone’s excited chatter about the ruling, but when you finally sit down and pull out your phone from your drawer, it’s to the best outcome you could have hoped for from the Grandma Ursula case.  Positively beaming, you reread the text message sent from an unknown number only two minutes after the verdict was announced: Hey Shutterbug, take any good photos lately?
Tumblr media
End note: The iPhoneography aspect of this fic is a bit self indulgent; some might know that this Tumblr used to be a photo blog before it became my writing blog. Just like reader, it's something I used to enjoy a lot but I haven't opened those camera apps in years - maybe I'll get back into it one day! In the meantime, yes - the aquarium photos in the moodboard are by yours truly 🤭
160 notes · View notes
leodette · 4 months ago
Note
Hello! Would it be possible to do 50 for Carlos Sainz?
hello! I'm honored to write this for you, sorry for the delay, real life happened (sadly). hope you like it!
no. 50 - putting a hand over the other’s mouth to shut them up
Not Unhinged or Unhappy | CS55
fandom: Formula 1
pairing: Carlos Sainz x OC (not named)
names/faceclaims: -
summary: don't work too much, darling...
warning: none
requested: yes / no
**********
Summer break was probably the best part of the whole season. At least for her. She and Carlos didn't have a public relationship - private, not secret - and she had to work during most of his racing weekends. That was the tax for having her own business and being stubborn enough to not allow her boyfriend to help her financially.
And so far Carlos didn't mind. He loved that she worked, that she did the same thing as him - her passion as her fulltime job. Yes, it was sometimes a bit sad for her not being able to be there in the garage and watchung him doing rounds, but they managed! And she promised to come to some races at the second half of the year, once she'd be comfortable enough to leave her business in her assistant's hands for a weekend.
Right now, they were "practicing" for that moment. She took 10 days off... and Carlos immediately whisked her away to Mallorca on his yacht, enjoying time together, lounging around, eating delicious seafood and Mediterranean cuisine, drinking crisp white wines and just relaxing. But still she wasn't able to NOT work at least an hour or two every day.
"Princesa, they will manage a day without you," Carlos hugged his girlfriend from behind, putting his chin on her shoulder while she sat by the table after they've finished breakfast, her laptop opened and the order system of her small independent fashion brand filling in. She scoffed a bit and sipped her iced tea before opening the Excel tab.
"Give me an hour mi amor, this needs to be done otherwise the shipment will be late," she gently smiled at him and pressed a sweet peck at his cheek before smoothering the wrinkle on his forehead.
"It's only an hour, Carlos. And don't frown, you'll have wrinkles," she chuckled before turning her attention back to the laptop.
Pinon came to them, carrying his favorite sweet corn stuffy and laying under her feet, looking at Carlos in a way that very clearly said 'do something, I wanna play'. And Carlos would love to, but his workoholic girlfriend wouldn't be disturbed.
"Hi Dida, any problem in the storage?" she picked up her phone, answering the call. Carlos rolled his eyes. Call with Dida would take another at least twenty minutes, and even after that it wouldn't be sure if his girl would allow herself to actually close the laptop and leave the thoughts of any disaster that could happen in the storage to people that actually were there.
His thoughts were interrupted when his lady left out a big breath and rubbed her eyes before shaking her head and opening another tab.
"Yeah I will take a look at it right now, could have it in like two hours ready? Would that be-" she wasn't able to finish because the phone disappeared from her hand and her laptop was closed with a loud clap.
"Hello Dida, Carlos here. Your boss will log out now. She leaves all control in your competent hands. She-" he clapped his hand over her mouth, shutting out her protests with efficiency, "- is on holiday. And holiday is for relaxing. Which as you for sure know she desperately needs. So from now, you will only call her when the storage is on fire, or if the Spanish Queen herself orders from you, okay? It was ncie to hear you, Dida. Thanks for your cooperating, ¡Qué tenga un buen día!"
And with that he pressed the button, ending the call immediately and putting it away from her grasping hands. His girlfriend was looking at him with a pure shock in her eyes, not being able to say anything.
"Mi amor," he took her face in his hands, cradling like the most precious porcelain vase, "you're exhausted. You need to stop thinking about this. I know how important it is for you, but taking time off is important as well."
She huffed and crossed her arms, reminding Carlos of a small child throwing a tantrum when their Mama wouldn't buy them a lolipop in a grocery store. He chuckled weakly.
"Okay, let's do it with force now."
And ignoring her scream when he scooped her up in his arms, he walked to the railing and jumped in the crystal blue waters of Mediterranean Sea, earning an excited bark from their dog. Carlos didn't let her out of his arms, instead hugging her close to him when they both got at the surface, spitting water and wiping their eyes off of salty water.
"Te amo mi Princesa," he murmured when smoothing her wet her from her face and pressing kiss to her lips. She said nothing, merely squeezed her arms around his neck, hugging him tighter.
"I'm sorry for being a workaholic, Charli," she murmured the nickname only she was able to use, earning a chuckle from him.
"Don't aplogize, just promise me - no more work for the reamining time we're here, okay?"
She just nodded and hid her face in his neck, Carlos pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
40 notes · View notes
nemainofthewater · 7 months ago
Text
Best character surnamed [Misc]
This is the last surname poll!! The very last one! In this poll, your humble poll runner has put forward 12 candidates who didn't have enough other characters with the same/similar family name to run their own polls, but who I was sad not to be able to include. This is entirely biased and not at all objective.
Not including this poll, I have run 182 polls over the last three months! The most voted in polls have been the Lan poll with 619 votes, the Wen poll with 512 votes, and the Zhao poll with 436 votes. Shout out to the DMBJ fandom who have coordinated their blorbo's win not once, but several times!
Thank you to everyone who voted, reblogged, added propaganda, and generally had fun with them! It's been ana amazing time <3 I've had so much fun and I hope that you have as well!
By the time this poll goes out, there should still be some surname polls running which can be found here.
I will also be resuming the more normal once a week polls, so keep an eye out for those! We have got some excellent ones coming up if I do say so myself.
And now, without further ado, the final poll!
59 notes · View notes
cosyvelvetorchid · 6 days ago
Text
I finally finished it!
15k+ word, Buck 2.0, Tommy 1.5, smutty with a bit of fluff fic.
To be completely honest, I’m not entirely happy with it—I’ve certainly written better fics. But if I didn’t get it finished and up it would never be posted.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and soothes your little bucktommy broken hearts 🩶
**********
Word count: 15,537
Rated: E
Excerpt:
Buck wasn’t exactly sure of his sexuality. For most of his life he was straight—women were what he wanted. And he wanted them. A lot of them. There was a time where he actually considered that he might be a sex addict.
Really, he was just searching for something. He didn’t know what, or where he would find it, just knew that there was a hole somewhere inside of him that something was supposed to fit within.
And then he met up with some old buddies he’d met in Peru, went to a bar, had way too many drinks, and before he knew it he was in a dark corner with a guys tongue down his throat. It was sloppy and wet and didn’t lead to anything more but suddenly, that thing that Buck had been searching for his whole life; the illusive unknown and unidentifiable something that was missing, was clear as day.
That was three months ago. He hadn’t said a word about it to anybody—not his sister, defiantly not his parents and not the 118 either. He wasn’t ashamed of what had happened, but he needed time to for some introspection—to figure out what it really meant for him; what he wanted. Plus, at the time it happened he was a month shy of finishing his probationary year at the 118 and though he’d come along way from stealing engines to hook up, he still wanted to prove that he was worthy of becoming a fully fledged member of the LAFD and that was his primary focus and what he wanted everyone else to see and not his sexuality.
Thankfully he passed his probation and welcomed into the 118 permanently.
*****
Buck couldn't deny that he found Tommy gorgeous. That is, he couldn't deny it now. Tommy had piqued an interest within him when he'd first joined the 118 fourteen months ago, only he was oblivious as to what it was. For a while he'd thought it was jealousy—Tommy was built a little bigger than himself, and just seemed so effortlessly cool.
It was after his drunken kiss with the guy from the bar that he noticed Tommy. His beautiful big blue eyes, those huge biceps, and yeah that ass that you could sink your teeth into. He wasn't exactly crushing on the guy, but he could admire the beauty.
But his personality was an entirely different matter. Everyone gravitated towards Tommy; wanting his approval, inviting him to games or hang outs. Which buck for the life of him couldn’t figure out why. For as excellent as he was at his job, he was also an asshole. At least to Buck. No matter what Buck did it was never right—Tommy always found some way to criticise him. Hen had told him to give Tommy time to warm up to him; that deep down he was a good guy. Must have be really fucking deep because at Buck could not seem to find that good side no matter how hard he tried to find it.
Buck had assumed once he'd passed his probation the attitude would let up. It did not. He was professional when it came to work matters, but beyond that he either sniped at Buck or ignored him entirely. Buck wasn't sure which he'd prefer.
*
Tommy walked into work in a particularly bad mood. He was short with Buck as usual, but he was also equally hot-tempered with everyone. Sal, his partner, had left a few days prior to take up the Captains spot at the 122, and Tommy was clearly not handling it very well.
He'd snapped at Hen for offering to help him clean the engine, he'd sworn at Chimney for dropping a knife near his foot—which didn't even touch him—in the kitchen. And then Buck made the egregious mistake of turning a corner without looking and bumping into Tommy which send his mug of coffee all down Tommy's shirt.
"What the fuck is wrong with you Buckley?! Are those eyes on your face there for just fucking decoration?!" He shoulder barged Buck as he walked past, aggressively stomping towards the bathroom. Buck followed him into the room, despite that voice in the back of his mind telling him it was a bad idea. Tommy was leaning over the sink, running a wet paper towel over the wet stain on his shirt.
"I-I'm really sorry, Tommy. I wasn’t-"
"You weren't what?!" Tommy interrupted curtly. "You weren't paying attention? Surprise surprise the 118 puppy can't pay attention." He snarled.
Buck had been called a few names during his probie year, but none bothered him like "puppy" did. It was just so fucking infantilising.
"Im not a puppy." Buck told him through gritted teeth. He had been slowly growing tired of Tommy's behaviour towards him. He'd put up with it while he was on probation because he understood that you have to earn the trust of firefighters; prove you're not just capable of the job, but that they can safely put their lives in your hands. That trust takes time, and Buck put in a tremendous amount of effort to prove himself.
Everyone else had accepted him. Everyone else had welcomed him into the family. But not Tommy. Tommy had continued to keep him at arms length and it had began pissing Buck off.
Tommy rolled his eyes and scoffed, something he'd done a thousand times, but this time Buck bit back.
"What the hell is your problem with me, Kinard?" He stepped forward; his pulse beginning to rise.
"Do you want a list?" He replied, continuing to rub at his shirt pointlessly as the stain was not going anywhere. He didn't bother looking at Buck.
Actually, a list would be helpful.
"Seriously, what the hell have I done to you?! A little hazing while I was a probie I get but I passed my probation period two fucking months ago! So why are you still acting like a colossal douchebag?!"
Tommy turned his head quickly and his eyes finally met Bucks. His jaw was tense and lips tightly curled. For a moment Buck thought Tommy was about to hit him.
Without warning he stepped forward, grabbed Buck by the scruff of his shirt and pushed forward, slamming Buck into the wall behind. Between the shock of being pushed and the minor winding of being slammed into the wall, Buck lost his ability to speak.
Tommys face was inches from his. His big blue eyes staring hard into Bucks and his hot and rapid breaths fanning his face. Buck immediately felt his pants tightening. It was so fucking ridiculous that this was what turned him on and yet there was his dick pushing against his zipper.
He knew needed to push him off and get out of the bathroom before Tommy noticed how hard he was and used it as more ammunition to treat him like shit. But before the thought had even finished in his mind, Tommy's hand was on Buck belt unbuckling it. His other hand still had hold of Bucks shirt while he pulled down the zipper.
His eyes didn't leave Bucks as his hand reached into his boxers and oh god!
**********
21 notes · View notes
vindicated-truth · 13 days ago
Text
I've been in online fandom spaces ever since I was 11 or 12—which is really not an age anyone should be left alone in the internet with. In our generation's defense though—as well as our parents' defense—we were the first generation to have online experiences in all its forms, including fandom, and no one really knew how to navigate the new virtual space, least of all our own technologically-challenged parents.
I'm now 35 years old, so it's been about two and a half decades of being a fangirl in varying degrees of fandom participation, but throughout the different fandoms I've been in, a lot of it has been spent both reading and writing fanfiction.
And what I've come to realize now, as I'm in the relatively older range of fandom, is that even the mindset changes.
I can tell now if a story, for example, is written by someone younger. And it's not even about the technical things like grammar or spelling, because a lot of writers have excellent technical writing regardless of age.
But it's in the inherent themes in the stories being written, the underlying philosophies and values that stand out the most to me. Even the perception of life, reality, dreams, and fears, it's all so fascinatingly—different now, when you're older.
And it's fascinating reading these stories written by younger fans, because it's also a stark reminder of how you were, too.
I'd think—oh, I used to be like that, too. I don't, anymore, but it's fascinating that I remember I once was.
It's not even a judgment of whether it's a good thing or not—it's just a statement of fact that even your own perceptions change as you grow older. For better or for worse.
I used to be a lot more idealistic, for one. And it makes me smile sometimes reading stories or statements by younger fans, because sometimes I think—I hope you never lose that. That spark and enthusiasm for life—hold on to that, and cherish that, because it can so easily be snuffed out despite your best efforts to protect it.
At the same time, I'm a lot kinder now. Sometimes I'd read stories and statements and see how angry and unforgiving and bitter some fans are and that would also make me think—someday, you'll understand. Someday, you'll realize that people are inherently flawed and more broken than they deserve to be, and it matters that you extend kindness to them, too.
Because you'll realize that you are just as flawed and broken as them, and you need them to be kind to you, too.
They aren't perfect, but then again—neither are you.
Sometimes I think of fandom history, and how it all started with older women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s back in the days of Star Trek: The Original Series, and how it's these older women who paved the way for younger girls all over the world and all subsequent generations to discover a community and passion that will keep that fire of life in you burning.
And I wonder how these older women think of all succeeding younger women, how the perspectives and values change over time.
I wonder how I'll be, too—ten, twenty, thirty years from now.
And it's why I sometimes find it amusing when younger fans say that older women are "too old" to still be in fandom space, when it's older women who created this space in the first place.
I wonder if these younger fans who are now in fandom realize that you never really grow out of fandom. You just grow in it.
And that's something noteworthy too. Because if anything, fandom is a written history of you, too. How you grow, how you change.
And most importantly, how you learn.
All this to say: do not shame anyone for being in fandom, regardless of age.
This is your story, too.
20 notes · View notes
queenlua · 3 months ago
Note
what would you recommend as a first Fire Emblem game to play? do i just pick up the latest one, or does an older one capture the True Fire Emblem Experience(tm) better? sorta like Super Metroid still being my absolute favorite of that series…
iiiiiinteresting question, huh! it probably depends somewhat on what you think you'll like / care about the most in a Fire Emblem game?
my personal first FE game was Sacred Stones & i think that's still a really good place to start. the spritework is *gorgeous*; i personally think it's the visual peak of the series. it's got the core "old-school" FE gameplay but with lots of nice quality-of-life improvements (as compared to e.g. something like FE4 or FE7), and the story is my second-favorite in the series after the Tellius games—just a good core emotional core with really well-drawn characters and support conversations.
the drawback is that it's on GBA, so if you don't have one of those lying around (or some other handheld to play it on), you're stuck playing it on an emulator on a computer, which i think hampers the enjoyment somewhat—like, i played a lot of that game in "in-between" moments, while on the bus, etc, and it was really excellent for that. also: it's on the easier side! which i didn't mind; i find the FE game loop enjoyable both when i'm just cruising through baddies AND when i'm having to tightly & rigorously strategize every move. but i know a couple people who stopped playing because they found it too easy & got bored
i do think the Gamecube/Wii FEs (Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, aka the Tellius games) hold up really well. obviously i am a little insane about them *stares at fanfiction output* and thus clearly biased, but the character writing is shockingly good & rich (sometimes despite itself, lol), and the gameplay's real fun! reasonably challenging while not making you want to throw your controller across the room (unless you opt into lunatic you mad lad!). i do think they're a little ugly though lol. rip. also, if you like PoR enough to play RD, you'll find RD... uneven. it's uneven in ways that mostly delight me, but like, yeah it's suffering a little from "we're telling like four different storylines with a HUGE cast & jerking you around between them a bit" so it interrupts the usual "smooth progression of your carefully-curated army" gameflow for something more like "wow, hope you're looking forward to saying BYE FELICIA to all your old dudes & putting down a random rebellion in Crimea for exactly five chapters & then doing something else entirely."
those games are my personal faves though and. i will always tell people to start with them. in principle. but you should decide if you trust me lol
a WHOLE lot lot of people got started with Awakening, and the core gameplay in that one is VERY fun. about halfway through, if you're sufficiently clever at assigning abilities, the game becomes a little too easy to "break," but it's an enjoyable ride the whole time. it also introduced a LOT of the quality-of-life improvements people now take for granted in modern FEs (you can choose to disable permadeath; UX is much nicer; etc). so if dealing with some old-school cruft is unpalatable to you, you'll definitely want Awakening or newer.
unfortunately the writing in Awakening is, uh, not great, lol. there's two generations of characters you're playing as, and the first generation is just... not very interesting! very one-note and tropey! storyline is nonsense! the second-generation characters are a little more fun but overall i found the main plot's incoherence + the plethora of dull characters meant that i found the story very forgettable.
i think the writing in Conquest/Birthright is similarly weak but i do have to say, if you want to powergame and optimize stats and get REALLY SWEATY GAMEPLAY NERD about it, Conquest can't be beat. best map design in the series, extremely challenging, etc
and then there's the massive fandom juggernaut known as Three Houses lol. of the "modern" FEs, this game contains the most Stuff I Like About Fire Emblem. the storyline's a lil jankier than e.g. the Tellius storyline, but still has plenty of fun stuff to chew on, and even if you don't some of the 3-4 storylines offered, there's a pretty strong chance you'll resonate with at least one of them. and the gameplay is *fun*, lots of QoL improvements, reasonably snappy...
...but it does have a somewhat bloated, "AAA-gamification" feel. visiting the monastery between EVERY SINGLE FUCKING CHAPTER to do "home base"-y stuff gets old fast. and also, the gameplay starts to drag some as you go along... a campaign takes like 40-50hrs iirc, and near the end, i usually find myself going like "jfc i don't WANT to do these three skirmish battles before i go onto the next one... but i need to because it's the Objectively Optimal Thing To Do... why is this game making playing it so annoying," lol. also, the writing, while reasonably solid... could've been reduced by like 50% and probably been *stronger*? most "old-school" FE games only had 3-5 support conversations per unit, and that was generally enough to give a good sense of the character without Overwhelming With Pointless Chatter. but so many characters in Three Houses have *so much more* text than that and it just starts feeling like.. a chore... to go through... especially when in practice i won't even like all those conversations... so yeah idk
tl;dr if you have slightly old-school sensibilities, get Sacred Stones; if you want a "modern" feel, get Awakening or Three Houses; if you want to make Lua Internetperson happy, personally, you should grab Path of Radiance :P
21 notes · View notes
a-risk-to-take · 10 months ago
Note
….you posted your tattoo (sick) and linked to house of dirk and i read it all and its unfinished. if you hadn’t posted i may have lived my life without getting fanfic blue balled for the first time since 2015. if you have any sympathy for my loss you would give me fanfic recs >:[ /lh
I feel your pain believe me 😭😭 I’m sorry I didn’t warn you at least. I’m low-key hoping the tattoo image gets to imarriedacherub and inspires them to continue the story - obviously not likely but it’s nice to dream!
I got recs for you though! I’ve got hundreds of bookmarks on my ao3 but here’s the HS stuff I love the most:
The epics:
Dayvhe’s Broken Diamond Club and everything by @unda-dsk: DBDC is my personal fave of theirs, and the best treatment of troll culture in any fic ever. If you know HS fic you are probably aware of MC Escher That’s My Favorite MC, and that one is absolutely excellent and completely deserves its status as one of the very best. And then there’s Alternate Universe, which is a perfect and beautiful magic school story. All of these are absolutely top-tier - I cannot stress this enough. They are epic and very long but some of the best stuff I’ve ever read—fanfic or otherwise—and they changed me when I read them. Despite the length, DBDC is very episodic so you can read each chapter as its own story and easily take breaks in between them without losing the flow, so you might want to start there. I promise it’s worth it!!
so we don’t kill the ones we love by @callmearcturus: I’ve never read anyone who can create an atmosphere like Arc can - this one is kind of a John Wick AU but in a really refreshing and elevated way. The characterization is so on point. Lots more I could rave about but I’ll just add that Arc’s Karkats are the hottest and most based out there. Again all his stuff is really good - this one is my favorite, but don’t miss this really cool magic artisan AU also.
The meteorstucks:
Aahhh there’s no way this is gonna be complete because I’ve read like hundreds and I get them confused but these are some that stand out. In case you haven’t notice already this list is gonna be very davekat centric!
Keep It Down by sburbanite - chef’s kiss concept and execution just read it
A Xenological Exploration of Music and Language by superbloom - super fun and well written with neat headcanon - and turned me on to some great music
I’m actually gonna just declare this section unfinished for now - I need to revisit these and remind myself what’s what - stay tuned!
Illustrated
Since you liked HoD you might be looking for more comic-y stuff with art. Definitely check out @chthonicarcher’s amazing davekats! Such as That’s All We Are
Dream a Little Dream of Me by koroke - this is just a little dream bubble comic but it’s simply the loveliest and I’m massively envious of the art style
Gonna Need Some Windex by the End of the Year by magniloquentChanteuse - more artistic storytelling just neat!
More
It’s About Time by @laurasauras - this is a sweet cute lovely little time travel davekat that I actually sent to a friend to read who knew nothing about HS and successfully led them into the fandom. (Followed by AU by Unda). Laurasauras is prolific and there are so many great fics written by them I can’t list them all here but they are one of my absolute favorite authors. Their understanding of the strider psyche is absolutely impeccable
The Worst Goddamn Movies Ever Fucking Made by writerbot - this fic brought me so much hilarity and joy I can’t even tell you. The Karkat voice is perfect and delightful and the social media interludes are so fucking funny and impressive. One of the first fics to show me how creative and funny this fandom can be.
I’m surely going to add to this - there are so many more meteorstucks and other authors I know I’ll think of after I post this - but I don’t want to spend too much longer on this now when you could be reading some of this great stuff! ENJOY!!
55 notes · View notes
acourtofthought · 6 months ago
Note
Is Lucien's feelings for Elain more of a strong feeling of admiration or deep affection? From the small snippets of Lucien's POV and instances of longing, I don't know how deep his feelings for his mate are. I've been reading a boatload of meta about Lucien and the majority of them state that his feelings for Elain are a combination of guilt from Jesminda and a desire to be with Elain. How deep is this desire? (while Isolating it from the feelings brought about by the bond.)
I believe Lucien's feelings for Elain are something that would be difficult for us to put a label on.
I do think that he initially struggled with his guilt over Jesminda, he'd spent centuries believing she was his mate then the first time he officially met Elain he thought her the most beautiful female he'd ever seen. That would mess with anyone's head especially when he knew Elain was in love with someone else at that point. Jesminda had been loyal to him, had lost her life for him yet here he is drawn to someone who wants someone else.
But it's been nearly two years and I do think he's started to come to terms with it. I imagine Sarah will touch upon it in his book just as she had Cassian reflect on his past feelings for Mor in both his bonus and the start of SF but I don't think it's a major factor in his situation with Elain right now, especially after they all nearly died in the war.
As far as what he is feeling for Elain at this point? I'm going to use a few lines from the series I'm currently reading because I've never before seen an author who so eloquently describes a bond snapping into place for two strangers. This author does an excellent job of explaining the bond versus love and how the two characters eventually grow to have both with one another.
This is what is said of the bond snapping between them and I imagine what Lucien and Elain experienced in the Hybern scene:
"Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved."
At last she remembered why the Fey words seemed so familiar. She'd read them before in a slim volume of translated Fey poetry. It was the greeting a Fey man spoke to a woman when recognizing and claiming her as his true mate.
And then, in what is probably similar for Lucien when he first saw Elain in the HOW:
Sariel had joined her life with his, even knowing their souls would never follow where their hearts had led. Then she had died, and he had survived her death. Ah, gods, how he had railed against that. If Sariel had been his truemate, the mate of his soul rather than simply the mate of his heart, nothing could have chained him to life after her death.
Somehow, for some reason beyond his understanding, the gods had granted this slender Celierian girl - scarcely more than a child - the power to save the tairen and the Fey. Somehow, though he did not want it, they had granted her the power to save him.
Though the MMC uses the phrase "your soul calls out, mine answers" his thoughts make it clear he never expected to find a truemate and didn't want anyone after Sariel's death. He feels guilt in exactly the same way Lucien did with Jesminda and says he doesn't want the responsibility of the FMCs safety and happiness. Yet despite all that, despite openly admitting he doesn't want the bond he understands what the bond is and what it means and why his path forward will always be the bond.
But the FMC still has to accept the bond regardless of it instantly snapping. There are multiple threads that need to be forged between them before she fully does. At points she's disappointed because she knows how much he loved his lost lover and feels that what he feels for her cannot compare as he only just met her but his response is:
"We are talking at cross-purposes. You speak of love, while I speak of something far greater. You are my she'tani, the other half of my soul. It is a bonding so deep I could never hope to deny it, even if that was my desire. Feelings of the heart are nothing compared to that."
And this is where I think we in the fandom tend to get tripped up when talking about Lucien's feelings for Elain. Some try to box it in to what we know of love but that's the point of fated mates stories, love is not the ultimate. A mating bond is something we can't understand, that most characters can't understand until it happens to them.
In our lives we meet someone, we get to know them, we start to fall for them and then we fall in actual love. Sometimes it's long lasting and wonderful, sometimes we find that after a few years the person feels like a stranger once again but in each case they are still completely separate from us, an individual with their own goals and desires and we can only hope that the things we want from life remain the same. We only know what they are thinking when they tell us, we don't know if one day they'll decide our love is boring and they want to find someone new.
What Lucien had with Jesminda he could have with someone else. Claiming otherwise would be telling every widow that they can't find love again after their partners death.
What Elain had with Graysen she could have with someone else. She thought she had it all because she had love but she was shown the harsh reality of love in the real world, that sometimes love isn't enough and it's not lasting. That is a lesson many of us have learned.
Mating bonds though? They don't exist in the real world so when you have a character claiming "your soul calls out to mine and mine answers", it's clearly greater than love because it's not something you can find with multiple people. In fated mates stories you're lucky to find it with even one. Lucien and Elain have a link to one another that is special regardless of love, regardless of whether she accepts their bond and Lucien clearly respects that, he's treating it like the gift it is by declaring he's a mated male and has no interest in female companionship, when he did everything to ensure Elain's health and happiness. Lucien isn't focused on love when it comes to Elain, he's focused on their souls being intertwined and making sure that she has what she needs even if it doesn't include him. That is the greatest, most selfless act of all. Love is a bit surface level when you think of it because love can be fleeting whereas a soul bond is not. When you fall out of love you often stop putting the other person first. Lucien and Elain aren't in love yet but he's already putting her first, can you imagine what he'd do for her if love were to follow?
And that's where the final quote comes in, a quote that occurs in book two after the characters had been married, "My heart has followed where my soul has led." Ke vo san, I love you."
The bond came first for the MMC and FMC and with it denial and guilt because as the characters mention multiple times "no great gift comes without a price." A well written mating bond is not meant to be a freebie, something you get that you don't still have to work for. You still need to acknowledge the gift of the bond, still treat it with respect, still work towards having earned the persons time and attention. Lucien doesn't deserve Elain's attention because they share a bond, he will have earned her attention because of the respect he continually shows her. And that is how love will follow close behind. At the moment Lucien may not be in love with Elain in the way we define romantic love but he is feeling something he could never feel for another and that fact makes what he is feeling something precious.
22 notes · View notes
etoilesombre · 1 month ago
Note
I send you a message asking for fics about 2 weeks ago... i have since read them all and the blacksails brainrot has consumed me. Its not getting better. You were right... 'a month' is not long enough - it will be a decade of me thinking about black sails fulltime at the least.
I have read SO many good fics, honestly this fandom is blessed with great minds and great writers!! Your recommendations were excellent!! (Your fics too)
While going through the flintsilver tag I found a silverflinthamilton fic ('we can lose and call it living') and oh boy did that scratch an itch i didn't know i had!!
So now (after reading silverflint fics for like 2 weeks in all my spare time) I was wondering if you (or you followers!) know any flinthamilton fics. I don't know if that's your jam personally but I would love to read some fics about james and thomas (and possibly miranda) and how their relationship grew!! We see sooo little of it on screen!!
So if you have any recommendations once more, i would appreciate it!!
Hi! really sorry it took me so long to get to this, it has been a hectic week, I hope you see it!! Glad you enjoyed the recs, and I have rounded up some more.
I do read a lot less Flinthamilton(s), but a couple stick out in my mind, and I also crowdsourced some recommendations. I'm going to stick some other miscellaneous pairings on the end as well, in case you feel like further expanding your horizons.
Flintham recs: (most of them are postcanon rather than London era. I too would love more recs for London era.)
The Peaceable Kingdom by kvikindi (~45k words total) A Thomas-at-the-plantation novella length series that is truly beautifully written and engages with some hard, interesting ideas in meaningful ways.
The Sundering Sea by x_art (~140k words) I have not read this one but it comes highly recommended. One thing to note is that it is set post season two and was written in 2015, so BEFORE the ending had aired.
Rip Out All The Epilogues by Thatswherethelightgetsin (~60k words) An AU where both Hamiltons come to Nassau with Flint. This one has a side of Vane/Miranda which is interesting.
A Story Is True/A Story Is Untrue by FletcherHonorama (~210k words) This one is famous and well respected, it's a story told in parallel based on different possible endings, which is a really interesting concept.
Eye of the Beholder by Palebluedot (~2.6k words) Whew, some simple porn to balance out the many thoughtful novels people write for this pairing. They fuck in front of a mirror. It's hot.
5 Times Thomas and James Touched Foreheads Together by daylighthour (~12.5k words) Ok this is my favorite James/Thomas fic of all time, I think about it regularly - and it's rated g, imagine that. It's lovely, and supports my deeply held Autistic Flint headcanon.
NON-Flintham recs:
Ner Tamid by notfelix (~2.7k words) Ok this is technically Silver/Muldoon but it isn't really about that, it's a Jewish John Silver character study complete with cannibalism, oh my. It's great. For ACTUAL Silver/Muldoon I also encourage you to check out the same author's kinkmeme story Taking Care.
Marriage Is For Happy Men by QueerCrusader (~7.5k words) Flintgates, precanon. Flint has to perform a wedding, and has feelings about it. He and his quartermaster spend some quality time together after. This one is SO in character, really makes it work for me.
trust/caution by squidnapped (~5.4k) Also Flintgates. Disaster bottom Flint!! Love of my life!! Just. Just go read it. Trust me. This is one of my favorite fics of all time, also think about it regularly.
theives by ajaxthegreat (~3.7k words) Flintvane after Charles Town. This one is unfinished, but I really love how they talk to each other in it.
like real people do by thegreatblondebalrogslayer (~2k words) Vane is the one who shaves Flint's hair. No porn. You know it's good if I read it and there's no porn.
(If I may be so bold, I wrote Flintvane one time as well, here, try it you might like it)
your legs are the north star by Jaynovz (~3.6k) I can't usually do het at all but it works here. Flintmadi, taking comfort in each other when they're grieving Silver. Love the fealty dynamic, I'm weak for that.
13 notes · View notes
greenconverses · 10 months ago
Note
What's your overall verdict on the show?
Oh, I'm glad you asked because I was def planning on doing a post about it!
Overall, I'm giving the first season a solid B. It was a fairly solid interpretation all around and it nailed the feeling of the books from the very beginning. I had a lot of fun watching it and I'm excited to see where they go from here if they get another season or two (and so help me if the mouse doesn't renew!!!!!) now that the world and characters has been established. It was a big task to properly adapt this, and they did it!
Casting was absolutely stellar and is the main reason why the show succeeds the way it does. The main trio are so very good, especially Walker, who had to be the heart and soul of the show, and he nailed it every episode. I'm excited to see how they all grow as actors in future seasons or with new projects! Also, the supporting cast was fabulous. There were weak spots here and there (LMM) but overall, excellent work by the casting director.
I loved the set design and how they brought the world to life. I'd like to see some more fun with costuming next season (why the same outfits for the whole parts of the quest? give us variety!) and I hope we get to see what they'll do with some of the sets next season.
Areas that need improvement are the script and directing. None of the action scenes really wow'd me and the blocking in some episodes was weird. I complained by story pacing since episode one and that issue never really resolved itself. If they'd gone for a 10 episode season, or extended the shorter episodes by like 5-10 minutes, I think some of these issues would've gotten resolved. There wasn't a lot of time to breathe and sit when big things happened; going from the throne room straight into Luke's betrayal scenes is a recent example where I think the episode could've padded it out some. A lot of the story felt rushed when it didn't need to be.
Unfortunately, by spending so much time with the Sally/Poseidon and Percy backstory, some of the character development and world building for everyone else got sacrificed. BUT I adored those additions, so I'm not mad about it, just disappointed that the rest of the characters didn't get that. (Again, I liked the framing they did with Luke and Percy in the last episode, and showing those scenes gave a little bit more weight to his betrayal... but it could have been more.)
I've already bitched about my other issues with the script (exposition is a scene killer!) and I'm like vaguely annoyed that some of the main beats/themes of the first book were ignored, but they usually replaced it with something better or at least in-line with what had been established in series. Again, I'm not a super stickler to "It has to be 100% accurate!" thinking when it comes to book adaptations, so I didn't mind some of the changes as much as other parts of fandom might've.
So yeah, I'm satisfied. I'm going to miss having something to look forward to on Tuesday nights!
41 notes · View notes
reallylilyreally · 4 months ago
Note
Can we do a series? Answer for the whole thing? I'm giving it a go.
I think about "In the Desert Again' all the time, especially Lewis.
So i already answered this for pt1 (here) so this one focuses on Cannot win this war.
My favorite scene
The moment that I realised I have a Latent OT3 Problem:
Four days after the retrieval, Easy’s moved out of their temporary camp, heading back down to Basrah. It’s a long drive. Nix manages three hours of sitting on the bench before lying on his stomach on the floor of the truck. 
“I had a lot of concerns while being tortured,” he says conversationally to Liebgott, who is closest to his head. “But I didn't ever consider how undignified travel might be in the aftermath.”
Liebgott does an excellent impression of a man who is unsympathetic. “More concerned about your modelling career, sir?”
“Always, Joe.”
By the time they stop to speak to a small army outpost, most of the men are sitting on the floor with him. Dick puts his head round the back of the truck and just about manages not to grin at the sight of them. Nix is asleep, presumably, with Tab and Liebgott by his head and the rest of them sprawled around him. 
“Want to switch places, sir?” Tab asks, voice low. 
Dick shakes his head, even though he'd much rather be here in the back of the truck with Nix than in a seat in the cab, and Tab knows it. “Better not,” he says. “I'm on the hook with Sink half the time and dealing with paperwork the other half. Let me know if he needs anything when he wakes.”
Tab nods, and Dick turns to leave, then pauses. “Put something under his head,” he says, refuses to sound embarrassed by the request, and leaves.
Tab takes his jacket off, folds it neatly and then very, very gently lifts Nix's head and slides the fabric under his cheek. Nix shifts a little and Tab rests his hand in the dark mess of hair, gentle and soothing, until he's sure Nix is properly back to sleep. Liebgott makes a derisive noise in the back of his throat, but he's thankfully quiet about it.
“Not you too,” he says, and rolls his eyes.
Tab gives him a sharp look. “He saved my life,” he whispers. “Twice. He saw the RPG and he yelled bail and I bailed, and then after being blown to fuck with all of about thirty seconds to come up with something, he managed to make it so I didn't die in the sand or spend days being tortured. He was so fucking quick you would not believe, Joe. And he went through hell, you saw the state of him. Forgive me for thinking he might deserve a little softness right now.”
Joe's quiet. “You're forgiven.”
With a strong second place to "Dick Winters hooked up with random men to practice in case he ever got to fuck the love of his life" because that's the most outrageous thing i've ever written.
My favorite chapter (if it's a multichapter)
ch5. It's got everything! Female characters, proposals, people being angry at authority, PTSD nightmares, ambiguous bedroom situations ft Don Malarkey, and ensemble shenanigans.
Hardest scene to write
The ending. I just suck at them!
Favorite character to write in the fic
KITTY WELSH, she who must be adored, always.
Favorite dynamic to write in the fic
This one I think my favourite dynamic is Easy as a whole. I fucking LOVE an ensemble piece, the whole reason i'm in this fandom is for The Squad. I love those moments in the show when the boys are sniping at each other and it feels so Real and authentic and I really hope i captured that a little.
Why I chose that title
Again, Brendan James' Hero's Song. Just... such a powerful and emotive piece of music.
A fun fact about the fic
I had no plot planned! and it shows! Also i was one strong drink away from making it an OT3. that shows too.
16 notes · View notes
animereviewsbykyranskye · 1 year ago
Text
My current top 15 Anime and why
Because why the fuck not. I'm doing top 15 so that I have some variety behind it. Otherwise I would just be gushing non stop XD
Apparently numbers go big now - AND THEY GO SMALLER IF YOU TRY TO TYPE IN THE SAME LINE AS THEM???
comparison:
15
15 -
DA HECK????
(Edit: I was going to colour all the numbers because I wanted a rainbow. WHY THE FUCK FOR THEY CHANGE TO SMALL WHEN YOU COLOUR THEM??????)
Guess the titles of the anime get a small heading. Anyways. Onto the actual list!
15
Technoroid OVERMIND
Ayo. Starting out with a really random one. So if anyone were to look at my Anilist then they might be a bit confused. I decided I'd keep movies out of here as well as anything I haven't specifically finished. Also takt op. Destiny needs a re evaluation.
Anyways. This premise is so sick and I feel like they managed it really well. The characters were all really fun and the music was fantastic which is honestly the most important thing about Idol shows. I really like idol shows but often struggle with the stupid drama in them that just leads to seasons upon seasons that didn't need to happen or wouldn't actually happen.
In this they're just androids. The fantasy twist works so well for the genre and I honestly don't know why it isn't done more often. This way they can bullshit the drama and it actually makes sense.
Honestly my favourite character was Kite. He was great and his voice always gave me shivers. Especially his piece in the closing. Damn.
I don't want to go into full reviews with this, rather just gushing about things I like and stuff. I really don't think this got the recognition it deserves - probably because of it's deviation from the norm - but it would be cool to get some sort of sequel.
(Edit: There's a manga releasing apparently. Imma check that out.)
14
UniteUp!
Continuing on with the trend of idol animes apparently. UniteUp! was so good. As I mentioned in my Reviews while I watch of the show, it felt so grounded and real that other idol shows just don't seem to capture. These were all real people with real problems dealing with real life.
I also like how we had such a large cast of characters but it never really felt overwhelming as they focused on group dynamics and specific individuals rather than trying to cram every single person into their own arcs.
Once again the music was fantastic and by god was this show pretty gay. Honestly I don't know what the sentiments of others are, but the Anela duo definitely weren't straight and neither were Akira and Daiki. That bath scene says it all.
Anyways. If you want a fun time with a really solid idol anime, please check it out. I saw earlier that we're getting a season two soon. I am so looking forward to it.
13
Trigun Stampede
Damn! I don't even know what to really say about this one. The visuals are absolutely stunning - there is no doubt about that. The score and the characters are excellent. And how dare they leave us on that cliff hanger.
I have absolutely no history with this story and still need to watch and read the originally but I am really looking forward to seeing how the story adapts between the three.
You can ask my partner. I've already said we're watching everything trigun related as soon as we are done with our current show.
I'm really looking forward to season two. And especially seeing how this all pans out. Apparently there will be tears according to the fandom. Concern.
12
Re-main
Damn this show came out of nowhere for me. I watched it quite awhile ago and have been meaning to rewatch it again.
The premise is definitely a sports anime but honestly so different. All because of one thing. The fact that he is an amnesiac is such a fascinating concept to work with - especially with how he was before (trying not to spoil - can't remember when this comes up in the anime)
And then the ending?? Damn. They seriously set up that cliff hanger and I really hope this show gets a sequel.
I really can't say too much about it without giving away some spoilers but damn does it change up the formula and do it so fucking well.
11
Given
Given is great. Such a pure but heartbreaking portrayal of love on one side with such conflicting but also nurturing views on the other. Having the different realtionships throughout this is really well done how they all bounce off of each other. Especially when they entertwine it with the music.
As it is said. That is how they communicate - through the music.
I'm busy catching up with the manga and really hope the anime continues with it.
Also the fucking is just fucking gorgeous. It has no write to hit you that hard.
Also - something else that shouldn't be allowed to hit you that hard. Damn Mafuyu has had a difficult past. We love how he learns to heal and grow with Uenoyama at his side.
Anyways, moving on.
10
Bakuten!!
Okay. Who said a sports anime could be this pretty.
I love the art style and the music throughout all of this. I love the portayal and the evolution of these character - seriously all their arcs are great. The interactions of the team is so tangible and real.
I watch a lot of sports anime and I often struggle with some of the drama used within the sports - it feels like the only thing that ever fuels the story is the matches. Whereas in Bakuten - the character seriously fuel the story. You can understand their motivations much more than just - I want to play this sport and be the best!
I also feel like they really captured everything really well in the movie. The whole concept of wanting to sore is great and really well executed.
I also love the interactions they have with the other team. It's not just a once off competition or practice match that they face each other. We actually get tangible characters for the whole team and see how much they two teams are similar to one another. It's a very healthy rivalry that isn't normally this expanded on in sports anime.
9
Sasaki and Miyano
Yesssssss. These two are just absolutely amazing. Their whole story arc and relationship is just tooth rottingly sweet. They bounce off of each other so well.
And I love the fact of how slow the actual story is. They meet at the start of Miyanos first year (from what I know - I still need to read the novels) and sasaki's second and they only end up confessing just before graduation happens. It really plays out well and is so healthy.
There is no problematic elements like in so many BL stories which is such a breath of fresh air. And the fact that sasaki is very specific about making sure to maintain boundaries to ensure that miyano is comfortable is also excellent.
On a slightly different note - I still need to see the Hirano and Kagiura movie. Been dying to watch it. I've been keeping up to date with both manga and both of these stories are amazing. I love the dichotomy of the two stories and how they are coming to their own realisations of their feelings in honestly very different ways.
I also recently watched the dub of the anime due to some videos on tiktok. Fucking hell it is absolutely hilarious. Kellen Goff as Sasaki has no reason for being that good. Seriously. Damn.
8
Link Click
On a completely different note. Damn this one makes you questions your own morals and reality as you know it.
I really don't want to get into this one much as I do believe watching it blind is the best way to go.
The art style is fantastic and that opening hits like a truck it is so good. The characters just click (pun not intended) and you just understand their motivations and don't know which side to side with most of the time. It brings about such high moral dilemmas that will seriously mess with your brain sometimes and there is one episode that will likely make you cry.
Anyways. Season 2 has just started airing and I am so ready for it.
7
Buddy Daddies
Why did a show about two queer platonic dudes who adopt a child while beings assassins hit so damn hard.
The show jumps between episodes with backstory and episodes with them just being good dads and it is balanced so well. This anime won't end up getting a sequel most likely with how it ended but damn I wouldn't say no to one.
Rei is my favourite character and I relate to him far too much. His interactions with the world are so fascinating and his whole arc with Miri is honestly some of the best media I've seen.
I absolutely loved watching this show weekly and it always brightened up my day when I realised a new episode would be up.
If you would like further thoughts on this one then check the Reviews while I watch on it for more chaos.
6
No Game No Life
So. This was the first ever anime that I ever watched. It was a random recomendation from a friend. Look at where we are today.
This show is honestly just so fun. The characters are silly and the whole plot is just absolute chaos. I really enjoy the games aspect and how it was all incorporated into the world.
I can't even really say much about it. It is just a guilty pleasure of mine and will always hold a special place in my heart.
Also. Please can it just get a second season already.
5
Assassination Classroom
So. Unlike everything else on the list - this one I only finished really recently. My partner and I were watching it together. And to put it out there straight away. I cried. That ending was far too emotional.
I really enjoyed the humour throughout the whole thing as well as the constant underlying dread of the whole situation.
They also really played out Koro-senseis backstory really well. The teasing to it was excellent. I must say though that one of the twists seriously came out of left field. Like damn.
I've just recently bought the boxset and am reading through the manga. Once again. It's absolutely amazing.
Also the openings of them all jumping are absolutely fucking hilarious and you can't tell me otherwise.
If you want to know what officially sold me on the show was just in the first episode. (Note we watched in dub)
Tumblr media
Don't ask me why but I found this to be the most hilarious thing ever. The absurdity and the line delivery was magnificent. I annoy my partner by quoting it atleast once a day.
4
Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan
Speaking of comedies. This show has no right to be this good. The absudist dead pan comedy in the middle of whats meant to be a TV show is such a random premise but just works so well.
Due to the nature of the show, the characters are extremely relateable. I especially love Kumatani and Kikaku.
If your on the same side of anime tiktok that I am then you have definitely seen/heard snippets of the dub.
I think this was the first anime that I originally watched in sub and then tried it in dub and actually enjoyed it. (I often find that whatever I originally watched it in is the only one I can watch it in - it's very difficult for me to change it)
The voice acting on both sides just works perfectly for the show. And that final episode and how they did it was the best thing ever.
Please just give it a try.
3
Angel Beats
Okay. Time for a hard hitter. This comedy like assassintaion classroom is fucking excellent but will make you cry, like damn.
In complete and utter contrast to No game no life, this was the second anime I had ever watched. I had found a video that gave some suggestions and thought I would give this one a try. When I say it destoryed me, I mean it literally. I constantly think about the end of this and I absolutely love revisiting it.
The twist and turns along the way are fascinating and I love how each one alters the characters and the narrative. Each of the characters feel unique - even the lesser developed side characters - with fascinating and complex backstories.
The whole thing just makes you question your own place in life.
2
Moriarty the Patriot
Another one I just randomly tried because I saw a video on tiktok. The first episode immediately pulled me in. I thought it was just going to be some simple detective story (At the time I didn't know much about Sherlock Holmes and who Moriaty was so I didn't have any of that to guide me into this story.) But nope.
I keep saying this but in this one I really mean it. The characters are built so well. The dichotomy between William and Sherlock - as the fandom would probably agree - is just amazing. How they bounce off of each other - i don't even know how to really descirbe it.
Honestly just go watch it.
And if you enjoyed the anime - please go check out the manga too. If the anime was done well - then the manga is done to lamost perfection.
This show was what got me into reading and then eventually buying manga. I now have every single one that is out.
1
Yuri!!! on ICE
Did I make the title gay? Yes.
Okayyyyy. This is just going to be me going on about how much I love this show. Bare with me.
So I was in an anime watching slump just before I picked up this show. I had been seeing some videos popping up talking about it and decided to give it a try (this was in 2020)
I immediately fell in love with this show. Literally everything about it. I ended up rewatching it three times over the course of a week. It got to a point where I was so upset that there wasn't more content for it that I just cried for half a day. (Ask my partner - it was chaos)
This show is the reason I now read fanfiction - all because I found a way to technically have more content for it.
This show holds such an important place in my heart that I sincerely cannot express it properly.
If you've never watched it - go give it a try. It would mean a lot - and hopefully one day we might get a season two.
----
Thanks for reading, if you managed to get to this point. I find it interesting how my explanations managed to slowly get shorter throughout the list as I just started becoming more emotional than factual.
I hope you enjoyed it and maybe grabbed a recommendation or two. If you'd like to know more or hear me ramble on more about anything in particular then please let me know.
85 notes · View notes