#I really need to watch the rest of the episodes :o

[mariasont]

hi!! i have a request! (if that’s alright!)

it’s based on that episode in season 4 where there’s the anthrax lightbulb guy and spencer gets infected, i remember at the end derek is beside him when he’s in hospital and derek’s eating jello and i thought it would be cute to imagine it was reader instead of morgan :) the episode is 4x24 if you need it !! (at the end of the episode i believe)

i love your work so so much :D

Green Means Go - S.R

spencer got exposed to anthrax, and you're not taking it well. instead of admitting that, you watch him eat terrible hospital jell-o and make fun of his life choices.

pairings: spencer reid x reader warnings: hospitals, anthrax exposure, mutual pining, pre-relationship, hand holding!!!!!!, cutey banter wc: 1k

“You know, Spencer, most guys just fake a cough when they want attention. You really went all out.”

Your voice comes out lighter than it should, flippant in a way that doesn’t match the stiff knot in your gut. He looks at you like his brain is wading through something thick.

Oh, great.

Either he’s about to pass out, or he thinks you’re funny. One of those should make you feel better, but it really, really doesn’t. His eyes catch the light, drowsy, and you can’t tell if that glint is him laughing at you, barely holding it together, or just riding the high of the meds in his bloodstream.

You turn your hands into loose fists, force your nails into your palms, try to channel that jittery energy into something that doesn’t make you look like you’re falling apart.

Normally, Spencer is your outlet for that. You wouldn’t hesitate to reach out, to grab at his wrist just to feel his pulse under your fingertips, to cram against his side without thinking, without worrying about how pathetic it might look. 

You’re a touchy person — always have been, always will be. And Spencer, despite his usual aversion to casual contact, lets you get away with it. 

He lets you smooth down the collar of his shirt when it’s sitting wrong, nudge his knee under the table when he’s practically vibrating out of his seat, slip an arm through his on bad days.

But right now, with the scratchy hospital gown and the stiff sheets and the way his body still looks too drained, you hesitate.

You don’t know if he’d want that right now. Don’t know if that would feel good or just too much. And the thought of reaching for him only to be turned away, even just a little, it might do more damage than the anthrax ever could

“Yeah, well, I like to commit to the bit.” His voice is raw, like it’s been scraped clean with sandpaper, but at least he still has enough energy to be a little shit about it. “Though, in retrospect, this wasn’t my best plan. Next time, I’ll just… throw myself down the stairs or something. More drama, less biological warfare.”

His fingers twitch once against the sheets, but he doesn’t reach for you, either.

“Spencer. I feel like we need to have a conversation about healthier ways to seek validation.”

He exhales something close to a laugh. You take it as a win.

Satisfied, you shift, resting your elbow against the mattress, chin dropping into your palm as you settle in beside him, studying every small movement like you’re waiting for some proof that he’s really, truly fine.

Your free hand gestures toward his untouched Jell-O. “You planning on eating that?”

Spencer eyes the dessert with mild surprise, then glances at you. “It’s green.”

“It is.”

He stares at it a second longer, weighing the moral implications of hospital gelatin, before murmuring, “That’s my favorite.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“How?”

You tap the side of your temple knowingly. “Psychic abilities.”

He rolls his eyes, but you just smile. Because the real answer is that you notice these things.

He always goes for green if there’s a choice. One time, on a case in Florida, he’d grabbed a green lollipop from a bowl at a witness’s house without thinking. Or the time in Georgina, standing outside some dingy gas station, when you handed him a green apple Hi-Chew and he didn’t even blink before popping it into his mouth.

He never complains about red but never picks it first and he once said artificial grape flavoring tastes like medicine.

You had filed this away with all the other small, inconsequential details that feel a lot less inconsequential when they belong to him. 

So no, not psychic abilities, just years of paying attention. 

The Jell-O makes the most god-awful squelch as Spencer stirs it with his spoon, and you wrinkle your nose. It wobbles violently, catching the light in a way that makes it look more like a science experiment than food, but he doesn’t seem to care. 

By the time he gets to his third bite, he’s looking at you again.

“You tired?”

You don’t answer right away. Mostly because your cheek is smushed against your arm and moving feels like an unnecessary effort. You feel warm, but you can’t tell if it’s the temperature in the room or the fatigue that’s been trailing you since the moment he started coughing. Probably both. Definitely both.

“Not really,” you murmur, but your eyes are already sliding shut, not believing you.

Spencer hums, swirling his spoon through what’s left of the Jell-O. He takes another bite, shifting like he’s making more room for you.

“You’re not really selling it.”

You grumble something — definitely words, probably — into the crook of your arm, making no effort to clarify. If he wants to know, he can learn to speak fluent tired mumble.

“What was that?” Spencer prods, way too entertained. “Couldn’t quite catch that over the sound of you obviously falling asleep on me.”

You grumble again, shifting aimlessly, and before you know it, your head ends up resting against his calf. Not fully, but enough to feel the heat of him through the too-thin hospital blanket. 

You watch his hand move, fingers idly tapping against the now empty Jell-O cup, and your own twitch against the sheets, mirroring the movements before you even realize it.

You really want to touch him.

Spencer notices. He exhales through his nose, then, without a word, grabs your hand, sliding his fingers between yours.

You smile and your thumb brushes over the back of his hand. "You’re so bad at resisting me.”

Spencer’s laugh is soft, fond. “That’s not true.”

It is. But you’re too tired to argue.

Somewhere, you think you hear him murmur something else — something lower, something meant just for you — but your body is already losing the fight against sleep.

It doesn't matter. 

He’s here, and you’re here, and he’s okay. That’s all you need.

💌 masterlist taglist has been disbanned! if you want to get updates about my writings follow and turn notifications on for my account strictly for reblogging my works! @mariasreblogs

[sepublic]

April Fools :P The fic’s still available if you’re interested in that sorta thing

LEAKED CANCELLED OWL HOUSE SCRIPTS?????!?!!?

Again?! AGAIN!!!!

We just got scripts for four cut episodes from S2B leaked you guys! Apparently they were originally part of S2’s plan, but with the shortening the crew realized they had like, zero budget for S3 and as a result they had to divert budget from S2B to S3; Considering it’s four 22-minute scripts, this sacrifice, while tragic, is also the reason why S3 was more than one special.

So it sucks especially given what we got in these canned episodes, because they resolve a couple of plot threads mentioned by the crew and whatnot, but we also get stuff like the Collector and Boscha development and whatnot so like. I get it and ultimately agree because by the end of the day, the ending of a story needs its due depth.

That being said! I’m REALLY mourning what we lost here but also let’s just treat it as canon. And so while it’s not exactly a book or comic or actual episodes, nor even storyboards… Man does it work! I’ll make analysis posts for each of these in a bit, and I don’t wanna spoil, but for those wondering: These seem to be set in between O Titan, Where Art Thou and Clouds on the Horizon, and the titles even fit into the S2 message????

Not really a spoiler but with the canned scripts, it was originally going to spell out SEEK THE KEY FEAR THE LOST LOCK. Honestly, it seems a convenient coincidence that the writers could cut out those four titles and the message would still work, but maybe this is why those four episodes were chosen out of the rest! As for the hidden codes, they’re not spoilers for the scripts themselves: SEETHING SEAS AND PUPPET STRINGS, HE NO LONGER DREAMS OF KING. AS ABOVE RUSH DARKENED SKIES, AS BELOW HIS GUILTY AND ALL SEEING FATHER LIES.

Those four codes really add to the poem because it seems the writers intended to foreshadow back in S2 that the Titan was watching from the in-between, and also that the situation with the Collector being imprisoned hadn’t been just, setting them up as misunderstood? Man. Makes me wonder how our speculation back when the show aired would’ve changed in the buildup to S3…!

[sinnersweets]

DogDay x Reader part 5

<----- part 4, part 6 ——->

A/N: 2k words this time! Enjoy!!

As I laid in bed, I couldn’t seem to get DogDay out of my thoughts. I knew today would be a hard day for him since Darla was leaving Playcare. To him it probably felt like his kid was being taken away from him. The longer I started to think about it the more I thought about myself in his position. Yes, I’ve only been working there for a week but already I have a close connection with Damian. As I thought of Damian, I turned on my phone to see my lock screen. I changed it to the picture I took of his drawing yesterday. I looked at the time and saw that I had extra time before my alarm went off for work. I decided to head to the store and pick out a card for DogDay. 

--------------- 

Sitting in the cable car I started writing a heartfelt message for DogDay until on the TV a cartoon started to play. Odd. Usually music would play but this time I guess they wanted to change it up. “S-M-I-L-E every day!” I watched as the intro to Smiling Critters played out. I haven’t seen any of the episodes, but Damian did tell me about the show. I smiled when DogDay appeared on screen. He looked just like his cartoon version but tall and life like.  

“DogDay says ‘When you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours!’” The screen went black as the cable car came to a stop. That was a cute cartoon. I tucked the card away and stepped out of the cable car and headed to my office. 

--------------- 

I opened my door and saw DogDay was laying down on his bed looking sad until he saw me and sat up with a smile on his face. “Angel!” I shut the door behind me and set my bag down onto my desk. “Morning DogDay. Did you sleep well?” I went over to him and gave him a hug around his neck. He rested his head on my body and sighed. “Not really Angel. Anytime a kid from my group gets adopted I always get so sad.” I moved one of my hands behind one of his ears and started to scratch him there.  

DogDays tail started to wag, and he started thumping his foot. "No need for sorrow, let joy appear, with your Angel near, all troubles disappear." I sang out to him. DogDay pulled away and looked at me with such awe. “Did my Angel just sing for me?” I laughed a little nervously. “Yes?” I was quickly brought into a hug and could see his tail wagging faster. “I can’t believe I had the pleasure of hearing my Angel sing for me! Hearing you sing has made me feel much better.” I hugged him around his neck and laughed. “I’m glad to hear that.” He brought me back down onto the ground but his face was pretty close to mine. “Could you sing for me again Angel?” “Tell you what, anytime you’re feeling down I’ll sing for you okay?” “Okay!”  

--------------- 

Me and DogDay oversaw decorating the outside of Home Sweet Home for Darla, so we started with streamers. I was on the roof while DogDay wrapped some streamers around the railing. “Be careful Angel.” I heard DogDay call out to me. “Relax, I used to climb onto roofs all the time when I was little to see the sunrise; I’m a pro.” I saw him chuckle and shake his head. We both went back to decorating. 

After a while the house was decked out with streamers and balloons. “Looks great Angel! Now come on down so we can head into the Playhouse for today.” DogDay held the ladder steady waiting for me. I started to slide down to the ladder but then heard a notification from my phone. I went to go check my phone but felt that my phone wasn’t in my pocket anymore. I looked around and saw that it was just a few feet in front of me. “Hang on I need to get my phone.” I scooted back up and reached over to my phone. I picked it up and turned it over to see the notification but instead saw a little spider on the screen. “AH!” I dropped my phone so fast and started to scoot backwards as fast as possible. In doing so I scooted all the way to the edge of the roof and slipped off. “I gotcha Angel!” DogDay pushed the ladder away barely catching me in time. The weight of my fall and him not expecting to catch me made him fall onto the ground while I landed right on top of him. 

DogDay groaned as he sat up and rested his front paws behind him. My face was buried into DogDays chest. Thankfully when he caught me his pendant moved out of the way. “Are you alright Angel? What happened?” I pushed myself off his chest but was still sitting on top of him. “I’m so sosososo sorry! There was a spider on my phone, and I hate spiders- and I freaked out but I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” “I’m fine Angel. Glad that I caught you.”  

“Woah- Am I interrupting something?” Me and DogDay both turned our heads to see KickenChicken grinning down on us. I saw how I was sitting on DogDay and blushed super hard. I quickly got off him and brushed myself off. “Nononono we were just um- putting up decorations for Darla!” DogDay got up after me and stepped in front of me a little. “KC why aren’t you with your group?” DogDay sounded cheerful but also a little annoyed that he was here. “Relax DD. I have extra time to spare and was making my way to the school until a phone out of nowhere smacks me on the head.” In his hand was my phone. “Oh gosh I’m so sorry about that KickenChicken. Thank you for picking it up.” I went to go reach for my phone, but DogDay had taken it from him. 

It was silent for a few seconds before KickenChicken spoke. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your guy’s...uh thing...Welp I’ll go ahead and take my leave.” KickenChicken started to walk away before turning his head back and saying, “See ya later, Angel.” As he walked away, I heard DogDay start to growl. I put my hand on his paw, and he stopped and looked down at me. “Hey what's wrong?” “Hearing him call you Angel...it sounded weird coming from him. I didn’t like that.” Was he jealous? I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Don’t worry, hearing him call me that doesn’t give me the same feeling as when you do it.” I immediately froze up after what just came out of my mouth. 

I saw DogDays ears perk up and he smiled at me. “What did you say Angel?” I know he heard me but I didn’t want to repeat myself. I started feeling my face grow warm. “N-nothing! Come on, let’s go!” DogDay laughed and handed me my phone back. I looked at it and thankfully there wasn’t a crack on the screen. However, when I turned on the screen, I saw that my lockscreen had changed from the drawing to KickenChicken. That motherfu- 

--------------- 

“Alright friends gather around!” DogDay called out to the kids in the Playhouse. “As you all know Darla will be leaving Playcare today and she has requested that we play her favorite game one last time.” I could tell that he was starting to get emotional, so I spoke out for him. “Darla has asked that we play ‘tug of war’ so get into your groups and get ready to play!” The kids all cheered out and went into groups of four.  

The first teams walked up to the rope and got into position. Damian was on one side while Darla was on the other. DogDay lined up the center of the rope and tied a yellow flag to it. “Ready and go!” Both teams started pulling with all their strength. “Come on Darla you got this!” DogDay yelled out. Darla nodded her head and pulled the rope even harder to her side, leading them into victory. Damians team seemed upset but not him. He gave a thumbs up to her and she returned the gesture.  

Everyone soon had a turn, and we were about to clean up until Darla spoke out saying that she wanted one last round; her and DogDay vs me and Damian. DogDay seemed to like this idea and so all four of us headed to the rope and got ourselves situated. DogDay and I were in the back with the rope wrapped around our waists while Darla and Damian were stationed in front. I already knew that me and Damian would lose because DogDay was the strongest one here, but I didn’t want to lose. “Get ready to lose Angel.” DogDay said teasingly. “Ha, like I’d let myself lose to you. Come on Damian, lets win!” 

The children all watched and cheered each of us on as the game had begun. DogDay was just standing there smiling at us. The only time he would pull the rope was when me and Damian got close to winning. The flag was about to cross onto our side when Damian yelled out “Ok now!” Both him and Darla had let go of the rope and jumped away which meant I was about to get yeeted onto DogDays side. DogDay saw this and smirked and pulled the rope hard making me come towards him. I slammed into his stomach. I heard the kids all laugh at this. I looked up at DogDay and he had the biggest grin on his face. “I win Angel.” Click! We both turned and saw that Damian had my phone and took a picture of us.  

--------------- 

I sighed and fell into my chair at my desk. The going away party for Darla had just finished and I was worn out today. I rubbed my eyes for a moment before hearing DogDay outside my door. “Can I come in Angel?” “Yes.” I said while yawning. DogDay entered and shut the door behind him before walking over to his bed and laying down. He had just seen Darla off with her family and I could tell he was sad. I grabbed the card I had gotten for him and made my way over to him. “Mind if I join you?” “Not at all Angel.” I then sat against his side and handed him the card. “Here, for you.” The card read, "To my dear DogDay; As Darla embarks on this new chapter of her life, I understand that her departure leaves a void in your heart. The bond you shared was special and filled with countless cherished moments. But as she finds a loving home and family to call her own, let us take solace in knowing that her journey is one of hope, love, and endless possibilities. While her absence may be felt keenly, remember that the love and friendship you offered her were immeasurable gifts. Your kindness and companionship made her days brighter, and your memories together will forever be etched in her heart. As Darla embraces her new beginnings, may you find comfort in knowing that you played a significant role in her life's journey. And as one door closes, may countless others open, filled with the joy of new friendships and shared adventures yet to come. With love and understanding, Angel.”  

DogDay didn’t say anything, but I knew he was grateful for my card. He then had tears form in the corner of his eyes. “I think I need your singing now Angel.” He said while chuckling. I got up and climbed on top of DogDay and leaned down and started to scratch his ears. DogDay sighed and closed his eyes while his tail slowly wagged. I started to sing a little song for him. After a while I could tell that DogDay had fallen asleep. I stayed on top of him and pulled out my phone. I changed my lockscreen back to Damians drawing and changed my home screen to the picture Damian took of me and DogDay after tug of war. In the picture DogDay had his arms around my waist and had a soft look on his face while smiling at me. I was also smiling back at him with a small blush. I then went to my camera roll and deleted KickenChickens picture.  

A/N: Idk why but it wouldn’t let me color KickenChickens part yellow. Anyways thank you for reading!!

[scribblesofagoonerr]

— What if I'm not good enough, anymore?

pairings: beth mead x reader, vivianne miedema x reader

summary: reader has self doubts that she won't be as good as she was when she makes her return to the pitch.

Warnings: heavy angst, talks of mental health and a minor eating disorder.

Okay, I won't lie. This was, well this was hard to write and there was a lot of tears throughout because its' a little too close to home right now with things going on, but you guys wanted it, so here we go.

Let me know what you think!

"What if I'm not good enough now?" The thoughts spiral through your brain.

It's your number one fear. It's the thing that keeps you up at night, lying awake with those thoughts plaguing your mnd.

You know you shouldn't be thinking about things like that, but your mentality of your injury was overshadowing the physical rehab your still yet to get the greenlight for yet.

Would you be good as you were when you come back?

Sure you've watched each of the girls come back from their injury and make a return to the pitch, some of them a bit more rockier than usual, but now they're striving and you can only hope that your own journey will be as smooth sailing.

Your impatient though, both incredibly and insufferably impatient.

It's a downfall that has come back to bite you in the ass, one too many times previously.

Could you blame your dad for that though?

Growing up, hes' only ever pushed you. Pushed you to push through the pain; Your dad was an impatient man himself, one with a temper and he didn't believe that letting you rest was the best thing sometimes.

The first few months of your recovery after your surgery felt long, all you felt was agitation and more so frustration not being allowed to do things that you once took for granted.

You really did hate depending on those around you, you felt like a constant burden despite that fact that all the girls kept on reassuring you that you weren't, but in the back of your mind, you always thought different about it.

The one thing you never realised would be as hard would be the mentality of it all, the physical pain was tiresome and therefor, your mental health was taking a battering rapadly.

"You okay, kid?" The familiar voice of your team mum speaks up to get your attention.

Your too wrapped up in your thoughts to barely even hear her, "M' fine,"

"You sure? You seem quiet-- What is it, does your knee hurt? Do you want another pillow?" Beth tries to offer her help, assisting you with whatever you need.

"I'm fine, Beth!" You shout loudly.

You hadn't meant to snap at Beth of course, but your emotions got the better of you and your temper has always been your worst enemy, amongst other things.

"O... Okay," Beth is taken back by your sudden burst of anger. "Well, you know I'm just through the kitchen if you need me, okay?" She reassures you.

"Mhm," You barely acknowledge her precense, choosing to stare blankly at old episode of Bones you'd put on to try and disract your mind.

You wanted to retreat to your bedroom, but after the last time where you remembered the staged intervention with a certain blonde english skipper, you thought against the idea of that.

So for now, you'll just sit on the sofa, wallowing in self-pity and get attached to fictional characters whos' deathes are inevitable.

"Have you noticed that Y/N is uh..." Beth whispers, hesistant for you to overhear her from the other room.

"Distant?" Viv guesses straight away.

The blonde furrows her eyebrows and nods in slow motion, "Well, yes, uh and a bit snippy as well. Should we talk to her?" She wonders, trying to figure out the best approach to talk to you.

"It's probably a good idea--" Vivs' agreement is cut off.

"You know I can hear you guys, right?" You make your voice known, of course you knew they would be whispering about you.

After all, your not a complete moron to not hear it.

"Y/N," Viv begins to speak.

"I don't like it when you talk about me like that!" You uneasily stand up on your feet, going to move towards the direction of your bedroom for a bit of peace and quiet.

"At least use your crutches!" Beth shouts aloud, gesturing to the item that is currently the bane of your life.

"Bite me!" You respond, scowling at them as you shuffle slowly past, trying to withhold from wincing at the sudden shooting pain in your knee.

At least you do a good job to hold your tears back until your in the confindments of your own bedroom, comforted with the blanket that you can wrap around you and try to block out the rest of the world.

As soon as you got the go-ahead from the doctors to start your rehab at the training grounds, you were virtually jumping for joy.

At least you was on the outside; Inside on your head, it was a completely different story. You were battling your own inner feelings of doubt.

Of course from the minute you'd been allowed back in the gym, every single of your team mates were more than supportive of this step forward in your recovery.

They all knew you'd been finding it difficult, and sure enough most of them had even got the brunt of your anger.

Starting out with your rehab process, you had to start with light excercises but in your head that didn't feel good enough.

You want to be out there on the pitch already, you hate the fact that the healing process is taking so long.

You didn't feel it was fair at all, why won't your stupid knee just heal already?

"You've got this, Y/N!" One of the pyshios' encourage you to keep going with the current training excercise, something so simple felt so hard to you now.

Viv smiles encouringly as she cheers you on from the sidelines, "You're doing great kid." She states.

"Keep pushing!" Leahs' right there beside her, her voice gentle but still managed to hold a firm tone in a way to keep you going.

"You can do this, kid!" Beth chimes in, trying to keep her own tears of happiness at bay as she watches your journey to recovery step that step forward. "We're so proud of you!"

Tears of frustration were visable, even the simplest of tasks felt so gruelling; There were even times whether you questioned if you wanted to hang your football boots up, but that was an easy way out.

Football is your life and its your passion, you'd be gutted to do that.

You had to push forward, you had to do better. You had to be better!

If only it was that simlpe, right?

Nobody warned you off the setbacks in the journey. You had to figure that one out yourself, even the slighest knock and it was a step backwards.

It always seems to be one step forward, two steps back.

You shouldn't have pushed yourself, you should have known better, but of course, your stubborn streak let you down.

In your own opinion, your recovery wasn't going as quick as you wanted it to. So you took it upon yourself to train extra hard in the gym, sure it was difficult under the watchful eye of the older girls' as they wanted to make sure to not let you overdo it, but you had your ways.

Making excuses and staying late at the training grounds once the team had all gone, pushing yourself to the extreme - Unaware of just how much damage you'd be putting yourself through.

Damn stupid knee injuries.

It works to keep your extra training sessions a secret, at least for a while, until one night when your caught red handed, by no other person that the stern blonde English skipper, so just so happens to have come back to pick something up that she'd forgotten.

"Y/N?" You recognise that all too familiar voice all too well, having been on the recieving end of a few lectures.

You freeze in your spot on the treadmill, which isn't very safe in itself, "Shit-- It's not what it looks like!" Your quick to protest.

"Oh? So your not overworking yourself in the gym then, hm?" Leah quirks, raising an eyebrow.

"No, well, uh yeah. I guess?" You stutter your words, knowing you've definitely been caught out now.

Leah can't help but chuckle amusedly, "You guess?"

"I, uh... Look I know it looks bad, but I needed to do this, Le." If you've been caught out then you're at least going to try and fight your reasoning for it, even if she doesn't believe you.

Judging my her facial expression, the blonde definitely isn't fooled.

"Come on. Lets' go, baby England," Leah motions you to follow her, holding out her hand for you to take.

Furrowing your eyebrows, you shut the whirring treadmill off and gingerly look at her, "Why-- Where are we goin'?" You ask.

"Well first I'm taking you for something to eat and then I'm taking you home, its' already been a long day," Your English Captains' quick to tell you, although before you have chance to protest, she continues to speak. "And you shouldn't be pushing yourself anymore than you already are, alright?" She states.

"But..." You still try and protest against the idea.

"No buts, I know you haven't eaten much, buddy," Leahs' firm voice interjects, still continuing to hold her hand out for you to take. "Come on. Grab your stuff and lets' go,"

You should have known it would only be a matter of time before you were caught out.

How could you be so careless, though?

You didn't think you not eating enough would be that noticeable, but apparently not.

Begrudingly, you step off the treadmill and clutch onto her hand to steady your uneasiness coming off it, "Are you going to tell Beth and Viv about this?" You ask, cautiously.

"I have to," Leah replies in agreement.

"Why?" You fight the urge to whine, even if makes sense for them to know, you wish they didn't have too.

"You can't push yourself, kiddo. You know how serious this injury is!" Leahs' firm voice makes a return, not missing the chance to make it known how much of a bad decision this was for you to make.

You know it looks bad, you do but yet you still couldn't help yourself.

You wanted to get better. You wanted-- No, you needed to do better.

"But I'm so fed up, Le," You grumble, walking in the direction of the changing room to grab your stuff. "Why... Why won't it just fuckin' heal already?" You don't mean to swear, you've never been one to use colourful language, but your frustration is at it's brink right now.

"Whoa, easy on the language there, buddy," Leah jokes, chuckling as she wraps her free arm around your shoulder. "Listen, I know your frustrated, but its' going to take time and you know this. You can't rush it, or you'll make it worse!" She states, firmly.

"Stupid knees' injuries suck," You murmer, gathering your stuff together before you make the exit from the training grounds.

Leah chuckles as she unlocks her car, gesturing for you to climb in the passenger seat, "Yep, yes they do," She agrees with you.

"I just want to be out there on the pitch already," You admit, slumping down into the seat once you have buckled yourself in.

The blonde smiles sympathetically at you, understanding your frustration, "That day will come, but for now, you've just gotta trust the process and let your body heal," She pauses before she continues. "I know you don't like it and all, but you have to just be patient this once, buddy."

"Even if it takes forever?" You resist the urge to groan and throw your head back.

"Even then, because it'll be worth it when you make your return to the game," Leah promises you with a gentle tone of voice.

"Yeah, but, what if..." Your sidetracked from what you are going to say, trying to not spiral into your dark thoughts once again.

"What if?" Leah furrows her eyebrow.

You swallow the lump that forms in your throat, "What... What if I'm not as good as I was before I got injured?" You confess the fear that's been plaguing your mind for god-knows how long.

Leah looks at you concerned, "You don't know how its' gonna be, but what I do know is that whatever happens, we're all behind you," She promises you as she gives you a kind smile and gently squeezes your good knee. "The day you eventually do return to the pitch, you're damn sure we'll all be there cheering as loud as we can," She promises you.

"Even if you're on the pitch as well?" You can't help but giggle.

Leah proudly nods in agreement as she grins, "Hey, I'll personally stop the game just to welcome you on the pitch, baby England." The blonde winks playfully at you from where she sits in the car.

"Your silly sometimes, Le," You mumble, finding it hard to take the blonde serious in this very moment.

"I know you're all up in your head about this, but it's going to be okay," Leah words stick firm in your brain as you smile. "Your not alone in this journey, you're never alone. We've got you." 

© scribblesofagoonerr

[techhiz]

Can I request a ES Bumblebee x femme s/o reader who is a autobot medic where like in the aftermath of episode 18 where bumblebee gets his energon taken with like his s/o worrying after him but also nagging him to be more careful and they just end up cuddling in the end so like a lotta fluffy fluff stuff happening

A Medic's Worry.

Bumblebee groaned softly as he shifted on the repair slab in the medbay. The aftermath of his encounter with Mandroid and his energy being drained had left him utterly spent. His optics dimmed as his systems struggled to regulate themselves. Though the Malto kids and their Terran siblings had done their best to help, the toll on his body was undeniable.

But what really made him feel worse was the look on your face when you saw him like this.

You stormed into the medbay, a mix of worry and frustration written all over your features. Being a medic wasn’t just a job for you—it was your way of protecting those you loved. And seeing Bumblebee, your Bumblebee, in such a state tore at your spark.

"Primus, Bee!" you exclaimed, quickly moving to his side. Your hands hovered over his frame, not wanting to aggravate any unseen damage. "What were you thinking?!"

Bumblebee winced at your tone, his usual bravado nowhere to be found. "Hey, Y/N... good to see you too."

"Don’t you 'good to see you' me," you snapped, though your hands were already working, scanning him for lingering damage. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it was to go up against Mandroid without backup? You could’ve been deactivated! Your energon levels are dangerously low, your systems are barely holding steady, and—"

"Y/N," Bumblebee interrupted gently, reaching out to place a hand over yours. His touch was weak, but it was enough to stop your tirade. "I’m okay."

Your optics narrowed as you glared at him. "You’re not okay, Bumblebee. You’re far from okay."

He sighed, his helm lowering. "I know. I just... I had to protect the kids. They needed me."

Your expression softened at his words. Of course, he’d risk himself for others. It was one of the reasons you loved him, but that didn’t make it any easier to see him hurt.

"You’re always so selfless," you murmured, running a hand gently along the side of his helm. "But you need to take care of yourself too, Bee. What would I do if I lost you?"

Bumblebee’s optics brightened slightly at the emotion in your voice. "You’re not gonna lose me," he promised. "I’ll always come back to you."

You let out a shaky sigh, your spark aching at the thought of almost losing him. "You’d better," you muttered, leaning in to rest your forehead against his. "Because I don’t think I could handle it if you didn’t."

You worked tirelessly, repairing the minor damage and stabilizing his systems. Bumblebee remained still, occasionally glancing at you with a mixture of gratitude and guilt.

"You really don’t need to fuss this much," he said softly as you adjusted a connection.

You shot him a sharp look. "Don’t even start, Bee. I’ll fuss as much as I want. You almost went offline, and I’m not taking any chances."

"Okay, okay," he said with a small chuckle, though it quickly turned into a wince.

"Serves you right," you muttered, though there was no heat in your words.

Despite your stern demeanor, your touch was impossibly gentle as you worked. Bumblebee couldn’t help but watch you, his spark swelling with affection. Even when you were scolding him, he knew it came from a place of love.

Hours later, Bumblebee was finally stable. His systems were functioning normally again, though his energy levels were still lower than you’d like.

You sat beside him, exhaustion evident on your face. "There," you said softly. "That should do it. But you’re going to need rest—and lots of it."

Bumblebee smirked weakly. "Does that mean I get to skip training tomorrow?"

"Training?" You gave him a pointed look. "You’re lucky if I let you out of this medbay for the next week."

He chuckled, the sound low and warm. "Guess I’ll be in your care for a while, then."

"Guess so," you replied, a small smile tugging at your lips.

Bumblebee shifted slightly, making room for you on the slab. "C’mere," he said, patting the space beside him.

You hesitated for a moment before climbing up to sit beside him. He wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close.

"You’re too reckless," you murmured, resting your head against his shoulder.

"And you’re too amazing," he replied, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your helm.

The two of you sat in silence for a while, the medbay filled with the soft hum of his systems. You traced absent patterns on his plating, your touch light and soothing.

"I’m sorry for worrying you," Bumblebee said after a while, his voice barely above a whisper.

You looked up at him, your optics meeting his. "Just promise me you’ll be more careful," you said softly.

"I promise," he said, his tone earnest.

Satisfied, you leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. Bumblebee’s optics flickered, a soft smile spreading across his face.

"I love you, Y/N," he said, his voice full of warmth.

"I love you too, Bee," you replied, your voice just as tender.

As the night went on, the two of you stayed curled up together, finding comfort in each other’s presence. Bumblebee held you close, his grip firm yet gentle, as if he never wanted to let you go.

And for the first time since the ordeal with Mandroid, he felt truly at peace. (sorry if I had some mistakes because its been a long time since I watched ES so I think I'll rewatch it!)

[pix-writes]

what are Ford and Stan love language? O: your analysis of them are really cool

I find it a little difficult to answer, just because everyone always displays some of them at different times, that said though, here are some of the essentials:

Stanford: Quality time/parallel play for definite, he likes even if he's working for someone to be with him l, you don't have to even be doing the same thing or talking that much he just likes being in your presence.

Words of affirmation is one he'll also do a lot to you, acts of service is one he likes, too, especially receiving. Infodumping/research type of acts of service: He'll ramble on about his latest research or hyperfixation and fix something of yours that's broken and upgrade it at the same time. You know how people say that phrase of 'loved to the point of invention'? That's Ford! Will research into solutions for any problems you have to try to help you.

Stanley: Acts of service/support swapping is his big one (remember that episode when he gets the kitchen light and how much stuff he sacrifices for the rest of the family?), need a new part to your car? He'll buy it and fix it. Need someone to take your shift? He'll make sure it'll be covered or if you're not working at the shack, will make the sick call himself. Had a hard day? The bath is already filled with hot water and bubbles when you get home. He'll love it if you do the same for him though, makes your partnership feel like a team and he'll feel less burnt out

Quality time is also one he shows a lot in the show, often something laid back like fishing or watching tv/movies with the family, but also doing more risky/active things like breaking into the golf course 😅 or hosting a party. The one he responds to the most is words of affirmation and the one he does for people he really loves is gift giving (but it's usually the smaller things so more like penguin pebbling).

[asha-mage]

WoT S3, Episode 2 Assorted Thoughts

Camelyn opening? Morgase! Elaida! Toddler Galad! Baby Gawyn! Aughaguha!

"But that war is over now....because I won it." YEAH THAT"S MORGASE ALRIGHT

......Baryn, Asnhar and Caern are...interesting choices for this bit. I know I'm one of like nine people who liked the Succession plot in the books but this means that Morgase is directly responsible for the ascenson of three people who become HUGE headaches for Elayne later- Lir Baryn (who ices his sister here I suspect), Karind Anshar, and maybe most dangerously Naesin Caeren- the senile and unstable old man who is latter killed by his own grand daughter.

If I am remembering correctly Morgase explicitly wishes that she had not needed to pardon those three houses specifically, and all three keyly are the first supporters of House Marne during the succession war. Food for the 'future turning of the wheel' theory for sure.

Awwww yeah Elayne centric episode incomeing.

Ohhhhhh booooy. I have some THOUGHTS about this.

Galad being 'Of House Trakand' but Gawyn being 'First Prince' is some SPICY SHIT.

Everyone's side eye as Elaida waltz in, even her own Red Sisters is G O L D E N.

'Gaberil' being Prince Consort already is...interesting. I wonder if he's Rahvin still, or just a Dark Friend, or just an asshole. In theory his role is one that might be able to be stripped down from it's Forsaken or even Darkfriend parts.

Morgase vs Siuan is so so DELICIOUS.

This is what it must have been like to watch Charlemagne and the Pope get into arguments during the early middle ages.

Oh man I was holding out for Ogier singing to open the gates in the show, but I do appreciate the return of the leaf (and it is a plot point in this bit in TSR).

Ohhhh Galad. That brutal honesty in full swing still I see.

God that they convey without ANY exposition exactly what Gaebril's relationship is to the rest of the family (i.e second husband political match/awkward step dad) is so well done.

And on that note, if Gaebril IS Rahvin, it's going to be way more messed up for the Trakand's to cope with since apparently he has a decent rapport with them this time around.

RYMA YOUR OKAY AND I'M SO GLAD!

Morgase is a character they could have so easily messed up and I'm glad their doing her well. Commanding, strong headed, shrewd- but deeply loving and caring underneath it all.

I do like that their capturing Avi's mixed feelings on Rand so well so early. I'm still not sure how I feel about removing the element of their relationship where she is 'looking after him' for Elayne- as I've talked about before it's one of the load bearing pillars of their relationship. We'll see when we get to the Rings and their aftermath.

Chiad and Bain having more of a friendship with Perrin then Faile to start continues to be such a CHOICE. Man I hope Gaul is hanging around with Faiel so he can be her wingman.

Hi Alanna! You are looking....not to great girlie! And also you don't have your bestie Verin to help this time! Worrying!

Oh boy. Duel time!

I'm glad they found a way to include this scene.

Gawyn you absolute LOSER blowing a kiss to the crowd.

On the one hand, RIP Gawyn and Min's comedy duo set. On the other hand, long live Min and Mat's friendship.

Ohhhhh, no duel scene. Still really good.

God, the paranoia, the suspicion- it's all captured SO WELL

Egwene and Rand's drama continues to delight, as does the extreme pettiness of Lanfear- their really is such a simmer furious rage behind so many of her actions, she tries to cloak it constantly, but it's always their.

Oh man, Gawyn and Galad hoeing it up in the White Tower. Deeply unsafe behavior boys.

Gareth Bryne mention!

God, if Gaebril IS Rahvin, him being a evil mentor to Elayne is actually...kind of weirdly delightful to me? Rahvin is one of the flatter Forsaken in the series to be honest.

Siuan playing Mat like a fiddle is DELIGHTFUL.

"I'm no hero." HE SAID THE THING.

Morgase and Elayne's relationship is so well written, they really capture Elayne's central character conflict so well.

Ohhhhhhh. First proper look at the Wise One costume. I like it. Not quite the classic image I had in mind, but this is VERY MUCH digging this Amys.

[kittydragondraws]

Murder Drones - Trauma and Healing

I was once of the opinion that Murder Drones never really had a theme or message. It was kind of just, watch the funny robots be funny.

But the more I've thought about it the more I've realized, Murder Drones does have a theme. And that theme?

Trauma, how it affects people, and how to heal from it.

In this essay I will go over five of the characters of the show, Uzi, N, V, Doll, and Tessa, and describe their traumas. How it affects their actions, and what they do to heal from them.

Uzi - Lonliness and Acceptance

Uzi grew up with no friends, classmates who either hated or ignored her, an emotionally negligent father, and a dead (*cough* in church *cough*) mother. Truth be told, she had no one. No one to talk to, no one who would listen to her, no one who cared about her.

She was alone and very vulnerable. However, she didn't like that. She didn't want people to see her as vulnerable, she didn't want people to see her as weak. So she developed her edgy, "not like other girls" persona to convince people that she wasn't dying inside. That she took all her pain in stride and was owning it.

However, her coping mechanism of creating her goth girl persona didn't help in the long term as it didn't combat her true problem. She was lonely, lonely and... just wanted someone who cared about her.

And one day, while going out to find the last piece of her railgun she needs to save the world and earn her dad's respect and stuff, she meets N. N, the bloodthirsty drone killer, who was willing to sit down and talk to her.

Sure he was blind and thought she was a fellow Murder Drone, but he didn't immediately push her away as emo. Sure he admittedly was used to much worse treatment from much worse people, and Uzi was probably a saint compared to them (which we'll touch on in his part).

But even afterwards, when he realized she was a Worker, and that he would get in massive trouble with J if he let her go, he willingly spared her life. Saw her father leave her to die, and took pity on her.

Where the two came to develop a connection and eventually, friendship.

Uzi had made her first friend.

N - Self Worth and Free Will

His whole life, N has been used and abused.

While we don't know much about his first life, his life before the Elliots, we can only assume he was still treated as a slave, as much as the rest of the Worker race is.

His life with Tessa and her family, while seemingly happy, he still lived with them as a servant. Tessa may have been a good owner, but she was still an owner. He, J, and V might have been good servants, but they were still servants.

His life as a Disassembly Drone was probably the worst. Not only did he have his entire body forcibly changed against his will, but he now was forced to take innocent lives as he relied on their bodies for sustenance. Not to mention he also had his brain swiss cheesed to hell and back, and didn't even know because well... can't remember things well when those memories are full of holes.

Not to mention, the people he was forced to serve under were awful to him. The most obvious one is J, who was him as a waste of materials and space. She literally wanted N dead, leaving a piece of paper that read "kill yourself" in a dog book that she knew N would read, as a Disassembly Drone telling N that if the company allowed it she would kill him herself, and literally stabbing him with a deadly virus after she saw he had dissented.

However the Solver, the Solver was worse. It killed him several times over, wiped his memories of his past deaths, turned him into a monster, and forced him to kill an unspeakable amount of humans and drones. It could clone him an infinite amount of times. If one clone learned too much or got too rebellious, there were always the next hundred. He was disposable, in episode 7, the solver literally said he had served his purpose. The worst part? There's no way of truly knowing what the Solver did to him or forced him to do. How many clones of N it tortured, killed, and replaced.

But what's even worse than this? He enjoyed it. Well, enjoyed is a strong word. But he saw it as okay. He believed that being treated like trash was normal. He literally thanked J for stepping on his neck. He thanked J for "looking out for him" after getting stabbed with the virus.

When Uzi questioned him about what the "company" would do to him after they were finished with their mission on Copper 9, he didn't know. He was blindly following orders, doing what he was told. With no thought to the consequences. He never considered that JcJenson would view them as a bunch of useless, worthless, disposable robots...

Then he meets Uzi. Sure she's a bit rough around the edges, but she doesn't hurt him or belittle him. She values his opinions and him as a person.

She doesn't see him as a means to an end. She sees him as N.

V - Protection and Attachment

V hid information from and hurt N, yet she did it to protect him. V remembered more than N from the manor. More of the killing, the bloodshed, the forced experimentation, more of the Solver.

She didn't want N to remember. To have the same painful memories she did. So she did her best to keep them hidden from him. Keep him in the dark about the Solver.

How did she do that? Avoid telling him anything she knew, anything that he could use to get closer to the truth. She wanted him to stay in blissful ignorance, something she would love to have.

However, her desire to keep N safe didn't just extend to keeping him safe from the Solver, but keeping him safe from her.

She was afraid of loosing N, and the pain that would bring. So if she developed a deep emotion attatchment to N, like say... reciprocating his crush... it would only hurt if she ever lost him again. And she wasn't ready to deal with that pain.

So she pushed him away. pretended to be mean, pretended to be crass, pretended to not notice, not care, literally pretended to forget his name. No attachment, no pain.

But then, Uzi comes along, and her eye starts glitching to show a Solver symbol. V remembers their orders, kill all the Solver infected drones on the planet. But N, N likes this little drone. he sees her as a friend. He won't let V kill her, becuase he doesn't know what she can do.

It would be so easy for V to go behind N's back and kill her, afterall, N's made friends with rocks before. He'd get over a pathetic Worker, right?

But as time goes on, V starts to understand more about Uzi, about why N likes her. She's smart she's kind, she gives a damn about his opinions. She tells him things... that's more than V ever could've done.

And when V realizes N doesn't need her protection anymore, she's willing to let him go.

Doll - Obsession and Isolation

Doll just wanted to be normal. She just wanted to be free from the Solver's influence and live a normal teenage robot life. But she also wanted revenge, revenge on the drone that took her parents from her, revenge on the drone that set her down this path on the first place, V.

After becoming an orphan, Doll became obsessed with getting her revenge on V, to the point she no longer cared about anyone else. Including who lived and who died. Of course, being Solver infected, she had to drink the oil of the Workers around her, so it's hard to fault her for that.

However, it's hard to tell how many drones she kills out of necessity, and how many she kills for other, less justifiable, reasons. The amount of oil she has in her house? You can't tell me she drinks all of it, at least, not before killing more Workers. The prom girls? That was to lure V into the bunker. Even at prom, She kills two (I think) other Worker Drones, for the crime of getting in her way. Why?

V, everything Doll does, is about V. All of the prom-related deaths she caused, were about V. Doll was obsessed with V, all she cared about was killing V to avenge her parents, not caring about who else she had to hurt to do so. All that mattered, was that V ended up dead.

But after Prom, when she had failed to kill V, and ended up getting killed herself. She learned that Uzi had the Solver as well, finally, someone who could understand her pain, someone she could help. But even after learning she and Uzi are in the same boat, she still chooses to go alone.

At every turn she either leaves Uzi to her own, which usually ends in Uzi getting hurt, or she actively antagonizes her, setting back her own progress in terms of investigating the Solver to further her own goals. Even going as far as to sentence Uzi to death by dinesaw after getting to the elevator.

However, in the end, her relcutance to accept help would be her downfall.

Both Uzi and Doll ended up getting confronted by Tessa, whose goal was to have both dead. However, what separated them in those moments was that they had backup. Or at the very least, one did.

When Tessa had been pinned down by Uzi and was about to be stabbed N was there, knife as hand, ready to do whatever it took to save Uzi. He had had enough of Tessa's shadyness, and now only cared about her.

However Doll, Doll was all alone. When she was attacked by Tessa, she had to try to protect herself. She didn't have anyone she could turn to or rely on for help in that moment. So she ended up getting killed by the very monster she was fighting against.

In her last moments, all she could do was find Uzi. And hope that she'd be able to fight back.

Tessa - Love and Compassion (And Getting Skinned Alive By God)

Tessa's parents hated her. Her mom, Louisa, seemed to view her as an embarrassment and while we don't know much about her relationship with her father, James, it can be assumed he was either generally apathetic to his daughter or found her creepy.

Either way, he didn't care much about her, as he was complicit in Lousia's abuse of her, which included chaining her up to her bedpost like she was a misbehaving dog.

Yet, despite her loveless upbringing, when she was given the opportunity to essentially be a mother to the Worker (Zombie) Drones she rescued from the dump, she chose to be the opposite of what her parents were.

While her parents were cruel and demanding, Tessa loved her drones, flaws and all. She was them almost like her children, little ones she had to protect, keep happy and safe. Heck, she probably cared for them more than she should've, considering that they were robots.

However, there was one drone she had found. One who was different than the others, in a way she could never guess. Cyn, little Cyn. She was different than the other Drones Tessa rescued, she was small, had an odd way of walking, and an odd way of talking. But that was okay to Tessa, she was a Worker Drone deserving of a home.

Tessa could've never guessed that by bringing that Worker into her home. She's not only cause the deaths of her parents and countless other fancy rich people, but also her own and lead to the destruction of the entire human race.

The worst part? She couldn't find peace even in death. With her skin being worn by Cyn and used to masquerade as her, tricking her once beloved drones into assisting the very entity they were trying to defeat.

In Tessa's heartfelt attempt to try and break the cycle of abuse, she ended up causing something worse than she could even imagine.

Trauma is a complicated thing to talk about, and an even more complicated thing to get right. However, I do applaud this show for not only tackling the subject but showing such a wide branch of ways the characters cope with it. From finding others to confide in, to harming others in the pursuit of their own interests. And it pains me the fandom can't recognize this.

So many times have I seen people in this fandom either use a character's trauma as an excuse to absolve them of all blame, or ignore it and try to spin them as the second coming of Satan. When these characters are much more complex and fascinating than people give them credit for.

Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you have a good day.

[theblogwithoutfear]

Hoo boy do I have some thoughts

Major DDBA spoilers ahead, proceed with caution

There are some things I'm really loving so far. We've only had a few hints, but I think the Muse arc is going to be incredible. We're getting a slow buildup but I believe it will pay off.

The White Tiger stuff is great so far too. I may be biased because I just read that arc, like, last week. But I'm really excited for that.

The police corruption and violence going on is great, and super timely and relevant--especially now. The politics of it all, the Trump-ness of it, feels really intriguing, and I'm excited to see where they go with it. The fight scene with the cops at the end of episode 2 was great, and felt like the kind of content I loved in the first show. I think it's setting up the Punisher stuff really well.

There were moments that had me screaming, quaking, shaking my brother around with excitement. It was definitely a fun viewing experience.

All that being said, overall... I'm pretty disappointed.

Everything feels really bland so far. The visuals feel undersaturated, and the cinematography feels lazy. We had some beautiful visuals in the original show; but everything here feels bland and a little boring, at least visually. The fogginess (no pun intended) of everything is a little off-putting, and the haze feels like it's just covering up ugly shots.

I also think the dialogue thus far has been really forgettable. The Netflix script was masterful; the dialogue was efficient, effective, and sometimes poetic. The very first episode of the show had monologues that felt like they came out of a stage play. The dialogue felt carefully constructed, and artistic. Here, though--it feels forgettable, boilerplate, and boring. I can't remember a single line that I've heard so far (except for a few that were in the trailers, but that's only because I watched the trailers like 80 times).

The problem I take most issue with is the supporting characters. Why are they alls o underdeveloped??? They threw Kirsten, Heather, and Cherry at us, and are assuming that we already care about them. But the writers have NOT EARNED THAT. It doesn't matter if we like the characters in the comics; this is a different media, and the writers need to put in the work. They have spent no time on the supporting cast, and given us no real reason to connect with or care about them.

I suspect the reason that people love Karen and Foggy so much from the Netflix show, is because the writers put in the WORK to make us care about them. They took up precious screen time that could have been used on plot or action; instead, Netflix writers spent A LOT of time developing them as individual characters, and developing their relationships to Matt. The result was a world that we cared about and characters that felt real and three dimensional. All that led to an emotional weight, and gave the plot emotional stakes.

Born Again, on the other hand, carries very little emotional weight. They killed Foggy like they were throwing away a prop, without even giving him ten minutes of screentime--and they were just banking on us remembering him from the old show. They were relying on the work of the Netflix writers, rather than actually taking the time to make us care about him in this show. The result is that Foggy's death scene felt cheap, unearned, and more frustrating than sad. And the rest of the characters are so forgettable. I just don't care about them at all. Maybe that will change, but not if the writing continues in this same vein.

It's frustrating. It feels like they're throwing around cameos and familiar faces from the Netflix shows, to distract us from the major flaws of this season. They're kind of treating the audience like we're stupid; like we won't notice that everything's underdeveloped, because they're slapping shiny new special effects and cameos over it.

I get that the writers were dealt a rough hand because half the show had already been written and filmed, and Disney wouldn't shell out the money to do an actual meaningful revision. So the writers had to work around that. But they could have done a lot better, imo. The overhaul left some really visible cracks, which has caused some major structural weaknesses in the show thus far.

Really, I think a lot of this boils down to the fact that the show can't decide if it wants to be a reboot and forget the old show entirely, or to be a sequel that relies HEAVILY on the old show--without putting any real emotional work into the new show. And that makes it pretty weak in a lot of areas. The writers should have picked a lane and stuck with it. I'm REALLY hoping that season 2 will be better about this; hopefully it'll be more cohesive, since they won't have to overhaul everything halfway through; and hopefully they will have learned from some of the issues of this season.

And who knows. Maybe the remaining seven episodes will blow me away

It's definitely not a BAD show, by any means. I think it's miles ahead of most Disney Plus MCU shows we've had so far. But compared to the Netflix show, and the quality of most DD comic stories, Born Again is really missing the mark so far.

[galactic-magick]

hmm i was just thinking about milchick x lumon worker who isn’t severed? maybe they also have a management position? they’d both be each others comfort in the workplace whilst also having dancing like the defiant jazz episode + the marching band in s2

OBSESSED WITH THIS IDEA

Honestly Milchick having some sort of co-manager would make so much sense, especially because our man has SO much on his plate

Like imagine if he actually had help with all the shit he had to do between seasons. He had to fire and rehire everyone, make them all pineapple gift baskets, redecorate several rooms on the severed floor, make a propaganda video...need I go on lol like SOMEONE HELP HIM

I'm thinking maybe you and him would split the severed floor management equally, like he'd still be the main floor manager but he'd focus mainly on MDR, O&D, and Mammalian's Nurturable while you manage Choreography and Merriment and a couple other departments

And if you're artsy maybe you're the one who repaints all the murals and composes the music for MDEs or something like that

I literally love the thought of this so much! Anyways so here's a little story about you guys prepping the marching band together :)

You know how stressed Seth has been with Mark taking a couple days off of work, but you're thankful for the extra time, if you're honest.

Coordinating a victory celebration is no joke, you've found out. You want it to be perfect, to appropriately commemorate all you've worked so hard to achieve. Mark is about to complete the file that will change Lumon and the world forever, and you can only hope you'll be able to bask in the success, too. Every note and step must be perfect. Kier will be watching.

"How is their progress?" Milchick enters the room, right as you stop conducting the band practice.

"Oh you know, some of them are still playing off key, and corporate messed up some of the uniforms. How about you?"

He chuckles a bit, "Mark's outie gave me a call and promised to be at work tomorrow. Will they be ready for the historic day?"

A few band members nod, stiffening their posture.

"We'll run it through a few more times to be sure." you say. "The choreography still needs work, though."

"Might I assist?"

"Be my guest."

The band stands up at Milchick's request, and performs the number you've been practicing with them. Seth shakes his head in disappointment, stopping them about halfway through.

"Unacceptable. Where is the merriment?"

"We've been practicing all day, we're tired." one of the members says.

"Kier never complained of such things, and neither should you. Again."

They run it again. And again. And again.

Finally, Milchick decided to lead them himself.

"Let's show them how it's done, shall we?"

He takes your hand and dramatically spins you around, leading you into the first marching steps. Both of your movements are smooth and timed perfectly to the beat, and as you go the rest of the band joins in. After a couple more run-throughs, they're finally ready.

You start dismissing the innies at their staggered times, following Seth back to your offices after they're all gone.

"Seth?" you call his name as you gather your things. Usually you both work long past usual hours, but you need your rest for tomorrow.

"Yes?"

"Things aren't going to be the same after this."

"I..." he glances at his computer screen, the welcome message still unfixed. "I know. But we can live with the knowledge that we helped change the world. Kier's pride in us will be enough."

"But...won't you miss it a little bit? You know, like the parties? The dances? I actually really liked planning and setting those up for them."

"I suppose I will miss the Music Dance Experiences," he agrees. "Would you like to have one last one?"

You smile.

"I would."

He gathers the music and speaks, handing you the list of songs to choose from.

"What'll it be?"

"How about bouncy swing?"

"Wonderful choice."

He turns it on and takes your hands, your feet syncing to the rhythm. You spin each other around, slide from side to side, and laugh at each other's antics. For a moment, you forget all your worries about tomorrow.

For a moment, it's just you and him.

Seth has been your comfort in this job, as you've been for him. As much as you both believe in Lumon's mission, it's an incredibly taxing job. You're both running on empty half the time, spread too thin between a hundred different tasks. Corporate is barely appreciative, giving shitty performance reviews and always demanding better. But you always know Seth thinks you're doing a good job, and that's all that matters to you.

The song ends and you give him a hug, quick enough that he can't protest.

"We'll be okay, right?"

His answer isn't immediate, causing a slight thundering in your heart.

"Only tomorrow will tell."

[shamixlour]

The Newsreader - 2x06

You know I was thinking of the way the last season ended.

These whole sequence is quite upsetting, at least for me, although I utterly enjoyed season 2 and ofc, its ending as well, which made me very excited for what is coming next. Grab something to drink, to eat because this is going to be a long one. 

~

First, just for some context.

2x06.

We’re back to a full circle moment, with Helen asking Dale to marry her as she cannot function without him, as she is willing to bear his secret and this time Dale is refusing. He doesn’t forget to tell he loves her but they can’t do that. Helen expresses then how she does not know what to do but Dale tells her something, he tells her that she just needs to do her job. 

Cut to Donna Gillies, the very noisy interviewer in Helen’s home with Dale and something happens, something that made chills run down my spine. Dale is doing his job, he’s doing something I did not expect him to do or rather felt very overwhelmed seeing him do. Dale is doing something that would help him keep his job, for a very long time. I’ll develop more later but we can see him expose to Donna that Helen left, that Geoff is stepping off, that all of his opponents are gone and he is now the only milking cow available, the only one left and how if she remains quiet regarding Dale’s sexuality, regarding Tim, she could have not only one big editorial, one selling story but multiples and throughout long years, even for the rest of Donna’s life because a great newsreader is forever. He is offering her everything she wants, a long thread of years full of exclusive coverage of the future events of his life. 

We can reason that Donna accepted the proposition because we suddenly see Helen at the airport. We can hear Dale's voice and then we see her looking at Dale through TV and the tears flood her eyes. She wants to cry as she watches him deliver the news on TV to the entire nation. I read her looks as very mixed emotions bumping into e/o. She’s sad. Helen is proud too. She is devastated because she knows the loneliness of it, the chaos behind and the devotion. She’s happy because Dale is where he wants to be. She is stunned as well because he is just really good. He’s THE newsreader.  

We can see him say : I’m Dale Jennings. Welcome to News at Six and then it cuts. I made a music analysis of this as I think it is a genius sequence.

 

Now that the context is established, I really want to get into details and share some of my interpretation and understanding of that ending + some of what I expect for the coming episodes, especially what might be coming in terms of personal affairs for Dale as we know this is the finale season of the series. 

When it comes to his personal life, I am a bit blank and lost but also, I cannot seem to dissociate it from his professional life as well. Will he be with Helen at the end? Will he be with Tim? Tbh, I don’t think Dale is going to end the series with either one of them. I don’t see the story heading there at all and I am not saying Dale does not deserve love. It’s quite the opposite actually. He deserves every ounce of love like anyone else but the thing is Dale does not love himself and I’m not necessarily a ‘you have to love yourself to be loved’ thruther but in this case, I think it goes even beyond that. In fact, I do not think who he ends up with matters that much, I don’t think his relationship with Helen is just that, meaning a romantic relationship or the one he has with Tim, just a fling, a gut wrenching crush.

I think both relationships go beyond that and mean much more than what they outwardly portray and imho, lie in there the entirety of the story, or most of it at least. 

Dale despises such a big part of who he is that it eats him alive from within, that it doesn't allow him to thrive, to live, to breathe. He hates himself for it, for these feelings he thought would disappear, for this way of loving that does not seem to fit anywhere, for however hard he tries, it never seems to be enough, it is always not normal. Dales hates it. He really does and I think that is why, deep down, he runs after a certain form of recognition, through TV, through the entire nation of Australia, through his colleagues at the News office, through his mom, through Helen.

I mean we are speaking of the man that took speech classes for his voice because it wasn’t good enough for the rest of the world, of the man that instantly changed his hairstyle the moment Helen tells him he looks better like that, more appropriate for TV. These events seem quite futile and silly almost but imho, they hold greater meanings and enlighten in a horrendous beam the deep and profound trauma and ache, the dreadful desire to please and be accepted, loved and respected. He runs after reassurance from Helen and finds it for a while. Dale also runs after a horrible sense of normality, of something common and ordinary and finds it again until it all crumbles down because he is not normal, because he does not fit anywhere, because he is broken. Just to be clear, Dale loves Helen, I never doubted that. I think he truly does but I believe he loves the idea of what she represents too, the safety she embodies if she is affiliated to him in society, in the 80s, as a public figure. He loves her for the confident newsreader in her, for how she manages to maintain the persona, how she holds it in despite being on the verge of tumbling down. Dale loves her as she, deep down, cares for him, loves him unconditionally (not necessarily romantically but as human to human, as a person to another one) and that regardless of the fights and despite the refusals. He knows they love each other and this is precisely why Dale does what he does. 

At the end of the season, I almost saw a bit of early-day Helen in him. He grew cold, he maintained that perfect facade for the press, for the world. Just like he promised it to Donna, to himself in a way and it reminded me of when they were shooting their supposedly lovely candid shots in their home and Dale was not comfortable as everything was too much and planned and fake and Helen told him that this is how it was supposed to be, that they had to reflect to the public that perfect picture because they were the newsreaders, the perfect ever lasting couple. 

Dale accepts and fall into that at the end. He has a goal, the desk and does anything to get to it, is willing to hide himself even deeper in the trenches to match that polished version of himself. 

The newsreader. The perfect face, the one you trust to deliver news to the world, forever. 

That, again, genuinely made chills run down my spine because, first of all it echoes the ending of season 1 where we can see a happy Dale and Helen on the desk, with Tim in the back, smiling at the vision of it because Dale finally did it. But also bcs as we got a full circle moment with the proposal, I felt like we had a full circle moment with that too and it broke my heart as I know the desk has always been a dream of his, as far as his childhood but at what cost. 

This is what season 3 will develop imo, or at least I hope so. It is going to be sad for sure and I know he is going to be hated, I know he is going to crumble down at some point and I expect Tim to reappear too and threatens that fake stability Dale seems to engulf himself within. I know they’re going to be opponents with Helen and I wonder how he will manage that too, the tension of it all. I expect him to be even more cold and hard, to lose himself furthermore up to the point he snaps and because I hope for a happy ending, I want to see Dale find himself again and love himself for it. I want to see the newsreader if it still is what he wants to do, although I can see him doing documentaries or on site live newsflashes. 

Essentially, I hope to see Dale realise that he can be forever, that he can be the face that can be trusted, that he is the face all while accepting himself, all while being at peace with who he truly is. I see him having a lovely relationship with Helen and not necessarily romantic. I think their souls are linked in ways that are hard to explain and I wish to see them as good friends, colleagues or at least as a joyful warm memory in e/o’s life. I hope he makes things right with Tim too.

Either way, it is going to be sad, hard to watch but I just know they will deliver.

Anyway, I am going to end this here before it gets too long. If you read all of this, thank you very much and please do not hesitate to hop into the conversation ^v^

[askror]

Alright that's it, the lot of y'all need a day off! Mandatory vacation day starts now, what's the game plan?

"But I c-"

Lanolin's vision filled entirely with the face of Director Jewel's, the normally sunny-demeanored beetle looking dead serious for a change.

"No can'ts. No buts. You have three-hundred-fifty-two hours of paid leave saved up. Tangle and Whisper have already agreed. Kit has already agreed. You. Are. Taking. A. Day. Off."

The way Jewel's wide eyes wobbled and flickered as they stare into her own like twin abysses instilled a deep and primal terror in the sheep, who was immediately twitching and shifting nervously as she started to nod: "O-Okay. Okay! I'll go! Just, I don't know what I'm going to be doing yet, so." Like a switch had been flipped, Jewel's demeanor changes entirely back to the easygoing little office lady, beaming at Lanolin: "Oh, that's already been decided." Lanolin, cautiously: "It, uh... it has?" "You guys are going to have a beach episode!"

---

Emerald Coast was generally pretty placid as far as beaches go. A relatively gentle, easygoing tide rocked Tangle the Lemur as she floated on her back, adrift just a little off of shore. Lanolin watched her, terribly sweaty. The heat of beaches didn't really sit well with Lanolin. Too much wool, plus unrestrained sun and hot sand, plus the coastline humidity? She'd tied most of it up and back even more than usual, and traded out her very functional clothes for a two piece swimsuit that she'd bought a couple years back and never had any real reason to use, and even then she was feeling the heat. But she had to admit, the place was gorgeous. The water was so blue! "Why are you two being so boring? The water's nice and relaxing today!" Tangle called out to her from a distance. It was the... Sixth? Time she'd done so since Whisper wandered off to go find them some chili dogs, and left the hyperactive girl without a playmate. "I'll come out there in a bit, Tangle. Lemme stretch out and relax a little!" She called, finally giving in to the demand but putting it off just a little longer. Water and wool didn't mix well, but she'd worry about that later. She glanced over to her side at Kit, who had of course not responded. The fennec was dealing with the heat admirably in comparison to her; he looked entirely at home lying on a beach towel in those baggy swim trunks she'd bought him on the way here, hands behind his head with cool shades over his eyes (She had no idea where he'd gotten those, to be fair). "Sure you don't want to go out there and play?" "I don't really like swimming. " Although it was the usual turning down of fun and excitement, he didn't sound dull or unhappy. Actually, he sounded remarkably relaxed. Like he belonged by the sea. She could tell he liked it despite his attempts to the contrary. Maybe he was just hot-natured? She could only imagine how miserable staying in Winterburg must have been for him. She was about to interrogate him further, but Tangle interrupted her with another call.

"If y'all don't wanna come out in the water... I'm gonna bring the water to you!" The lemur had gotten out of the water far enough to be standing not far from them. It was close enough for Lanolin to see what she was doing and react with horror as she watched the lemur shift her thick tail to rest beside her and then PUSH! The sproingly appendage raked across the surface of the water and then burst out of it, and with it came an enormous mass of sea water in a huge crescent, directly at them. "TANGLE, YOU-!" She put her hands up, but the inevitable drenching never came. After a few seconds she closed her eyes, and they widened with surprise: the huge splash had turned into a big globe, hovering in midair above them. Kit had one of his arms extended, still completely neutral-faced in those sunglasses as he drew lazy patterns in the air with his fingers. Inevitably, that giant mass of water began to levitate towards the awestruck lemur now standing on the shoreline watching it with her mouth open. "Ah! K-Kit! Buddy, old pal! Can't we talk about this?" She stammered, slowly beginning to take step backwards as the huge mass followed her. "No talking. Now is Lemur Destruction Time," he said with a yawn. Tangle began to sprint down the beach away from them, wailing, her impending doom hovering behind her faster and faster. "Food's here. I'll, um. Hold onto Tangle's for now." A quiet voice came from behind them. Lanolin and Kit turned to find a familiar wolf in a sporty blue swimsuit behind them, smiling with a small platter of chili dogs. Somewhere off in the distance, there was a massive splash sound and a vocalization that sounded something like "blrrrrghbblglglglbl".

"Thank you," Lanolin said with a little smile, accepting a veggie dog and an Icee from the wolf. She handed over a teriyaki-jalapeno dog to Kit not long after, the fennec immediately beginning to dig in. Neither of them mentioned the strange faces he was making as he was eating it, as they understood why he got it well enough.

The day would proceed rather swimmingly; and not just because more swimming followed once they finally got Tangle toweled off! Food by the beach, a stop at the arcade where Kit blew them all away clearing Golden Axe with a single credit, some shopping in Station Square... All in all, a very relaxing day. You need one of those now and then, or you'll start going crazy.

[gotinterest]

I Want To Watch Kamen Rider, Which Season Do I Pick?

I'm going to focus on Heisei Era shows because those are the easiest to access and the ones most fans have watched so it's easy to find people to talk to about them. Every season of Kamen Rider is a different story with a different cast and vibe, so determining which season you should start on is largely dependent upon your personal taste. This list is based mostly on the shows I have watched or know a lot about, so it's not exhaustive. Some shows will be listed under more than one category, just depending upon what might be most important to you. Guide is located under the read more!

DO NOT START HERE: Kamen Rider Decade, Kamen Rider Zi-O, Kamen Rider Gaim. Decade and Zi-O are anniversary shows that lean HEAVILY upon Rider lore and referencing past seasons. You don't need to watch those seasons to understand the story, BUT you may get spoiled on key plot points from past seasons by watching them. Gaim is on here because it is almost universally hated and thought of as a terrible show.

WARNINGS FOR THE SHOWS RECOMMENDED HERE: Kamen Rider Blade is heavy in the flashing lights department and the opening in particular is known to bother photosensitive folks! All the seasons have flashing lights, but Blade is the one that people have straight up said they couldn't watch through because of how many flashing lights there are.

Kamen Rider Kuuga has a pretty gross transmisogynistic caricature in two of the episodes.

Kamen Rider OOO has a cafe that is nicknamed the "cultural appropriation cafe" by fans because the servers are frequently made to dress up in outfits from other cultures and it can be a bit offensive from time to time. It's not the worst I've seen in terms of "people dressing up as other cultures" and there isn't any black face or brown face but I still felt it worth mentioning since the cafe is a major part of the show.

Kamen Rider Faiz has a black character in it for a few episodes who is written in a way that gives "big dangerous strong black guy" stereotype. It's uncomfortable to watch.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

I don't really like kid's shows and I'd prefer something a little more mature: Kamen Rider Kuuga, Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider Hibiki (eps. 1-29 only). If you are looking for a show that feels more mature, these are where you should start. The pacing of these shows is a bit slower and more thoughtful. Kuuga and Ryuki are both HIGHLY beloved. Kuuga is good if you really like monster of the week shows, Ryuki is more for you "overarching story driven" types. Ryuki is a bit more silly in places than Kuuga, but largely maintains a serious tone. Hibiki is very creative and experimental, but it doesn't really give you an accurate picture of what most Kamen Rider seasons are like because it is very different. BUT if you can't stand musicals do not watch Hibiki. ALSO stop watching Hibiki on ep. 29. After that there was a show runner change and the end of the show sucks. Ep.29 is largely considered a satisfying enough end to the show.

I like mature themes and concepts, but I'm fine with kids show silliness: Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider Build, Kamen Rider W. If you constantly feel guilty for wanting things and taking up space, watch OOO. If you had a rough childhood and complicated feelings about your family watch W. If you want to watch a show about war, watch Build.

I love kid's shows give me silliness and fun!: Everything recommended in the second category + Kamen Rider Den-O, Kamen Rider Fourze. Den-O is a time travel story that is heavy on slapstick humor and has a lot of heart. You may have seen a a red horned guy named Momotaros dramatically swing his leg up to rest it on the bench of a booth- that's from this show. Fourze is a high school story about friendship and space!

I like to watch things that are bad but also good: Kamen Rider Blade. You can basically ignore almost the entire lore built up in the first half of the show. The writers certainly do. If you've seen people memeing on a guy named Tachibana... this is that show. This show is very easy to post about. Deeply funny but not on purpose in many places.

I want to watch one of the ones that are especially known for homoeroticism: Kamen Rider Kuuga, Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider Blade, Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider Build, Kamen Rider Faiz. Blade isn't initially very homoerotic until it very much is. Kuuga is for you if you want a more sweet and sincere vibe. OOO, Ryuki, and Build are more for if you like watching men bicker with each other homoerotically. Ryuki also contains a couple of side characters who read very much as a domestic couple (if you are big into the "loyal dog" type dynamic you will enjoy these two). Faiz is for you star-crossed lovers enjoyers that can also tolerate a stunning amount of heterosexual love drama (Blade is also a bit star-crossed). Watch Blade if you want to have a very personal grudge against a bench for the rest of your life. Kuuga and OOO are the most homoerotic.

I like weird shows where I don't know what the fuck is going on: Kamen Rider Kabuto, Kamen Rider Blade. If you watched Hannibal and were really into the way they talked and made a bunch of food, watch Kabuto.

I want something that leans more into horror: Kamen Rider Kuuga, Kamen Rider Agito. Kuuga can lean pretty hard into horror in places. Agito is a bit lighter, but still has more of a horror vibe to it.

I like mystery stories: Kamen Rider Kuuga, Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider Agito, Kamen Rider Build, Kamen Rider W. There are other seasons with elements of mystery, but these are the ones where the mystery really takes more of a front seat. W in particular is actually a noir-inspired.

I want to watch the one with that blond curly haired Ankh guy that I keep seeing on my dash: Kamen Rider OOO

I want something that's a bit artsy and I also like or don't mind musical numbers: Kamen Rider Hibiki (eps. 1-29 only). The only Kamen Rider season where characters regularly break out into song. The sound track, editing style, and aesthetic of the show are so unique. Really strongly written. Do not watch past ep. 29 because of studio mandated changes ruining everything that made it worth watching.

I want to get a good intro to Kamen Rider: Kamen Rider W, Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider Build, Kamen Rider Agito. Kamen Rider W and Kamen Rider OOO are considered great starter seasons. They give you a pretty good feel for Kamen Rider's formula while overall being pretty solid shows. Build gives you a good vibe for how Kamen Rider seasons with bigger casts feel while giving a good balance of serious and silly. It also gives you a bit of a better feel for what some more recent Kamen Rider seasons are like stylistically. Kamen Rider Agito is just a solid early Heisei show that gives you a feel for the tone of a lot of early Heisei shows WHILE also being a good starter show for you to dip your toes into the works of the infamous Toshiki Inoue. Inoue is a prolific writer of tokusatsu shows that most fans have a love/hate relationship with. He is the main writer for several Kamen Rider seasons, specials, and movies and has written several episodes even in shows that he wasn't the main writer for.

WHERE TO WATCH:

Legally: Ryuki and Kuuga (along with the original Kamen Rider from the 70's which is good cheesy fun) can be streamed on Tubi (at least in the US). If you understand Japanese and have a VPN (or are in Japan) I believe most of the seasons are on Hulu.

*I actually wouldn't recommend watching Kuuga FOR THE FIRST TIME on Tubi because the Grongi subtitles are baked in and you can't turn them off. I strongly believe that a key part of the first watch experience is not being able to understand the Grongi, as was the original intention of the show's creators. You can buy the blu-rays for Kuuga and toggle the Grongi subtitles if you really think its worth it to spend the money*

Alternative: You can watch them on most illegal streaming sites, lol. The only season I've seen where that has been an issue so far is Den-O, with the uploads being kinda wonky and partially missing.

There is... another source but I shan't link to it directly here (loose lips sink ships!) Please reach out to your nearest Kamen Rider blogger for the goods.

[natimiles]

Not fair! (Leviathan x reader)

Summary: Alone in your room, you use a quiet afternoon to do some personal errands. It’s a lot faster when there aren't demons trying to get your attention. So you go to Levi’s room for some quality time.

Words: 1207

Tags: teasing, but sfw. Romance, fluffy, established relationship; no pronouns for reader.

Crossposted on AO3.

You’re alone in your room and the house is strangely quiet for a Saturday. It’s usually so noisy that you can't even hear your own thoughts, but not this time. You know Lucifer’s at the castle, probably working again; Satan should be reading at that new cat cafe; the twins are at Purgatory Hall, because Beel overheard Luke saying that he wanted to bake a new recipe and invited himself to taste test — and Belphie tagged along because he said the sofa there is really comfy for afternoon naps; and Mammon and Asmo had a photoshoot together. Levi’s the only demon in his room, probably busy watching anime or playing that new game he bought. 

So you decide to use all that free and silent time to do some personal errands, like organize the closet and do homework. But it’s a lot faster to do everything you want when there aren't demons trying to get your attention or fighting each other in the hallway or breaking into your room to hide from a very angry Lucifer — who punished you as an accomplice for hiding the fugitive, even though you had no idea what was happening.

“And now what?” you think loudly while scanning your room. 

Sighing, you throw yourself on your bed and reach for you D.D.D. on the nightstand. There’s a notification from Devilflix that catches your attention: the premiere of the final season of your favorite series! You made Levi watch every episode with you a while ago and he kinda liked it. He even said that he wants to watch it with you when the new season is released. You check your messages but there’s nothing new. If he hasn’t texted you, it means he hasn’t even seen the notification yet. 

You head to the kitchen, grab a few snacks and make a beeline to Levi’s room. 

"Leeevi! Open up, please!” His door is always locked, so he made up this special secret knock just for you. It also serves as a password: whenever you needed to go there, you just had to knock at the rhythm he taught you, and the door would unlock. At first, he was startled every time you did it, but now he was so used to you entering his room whenever you wanted that he couldn’t help but frown in confusion when he heard a series of bangs on his door and your voice calling out for him. “My hands are full and, apparently, my feet can’t knock.”

"Oh!" he exclaims and, with a flick of his wrist, he opens the door. "Why didn’t you text me or something?"

“Sorry, I didn’t really think…” You kick the door closed and place the snacks by the beanbags beside him. Levi’s playing a video game and is trying to look at you, but looks like he’s in a very important part of the game. You bite your lip nervously. “Are you too busy right now?”

“No, no! It’s just that I could help you with all that if you texted me.” He senses you're a bit agitated but can't quite pin down the reason. His guts tell him that something's off, but at the same time, he's aware it might just be his own anxiety acting up. “Is everything ok?”

"All good." You kneel down behind him and place your hands on his shoulders. "Finished up all my errands and needed to come see you. Is that alright?”

"O-of course…" He’s been your boyfriend for a while now, but he still blushes when you’re close. It’s endearing.

You smirk and bring your face closer, resting your chin on his left shoulder. He can feel your breath, and it's making him nervous, but he's almost done with this phase and can't risk losing all his progress. He glances at you from the corner of his eye and almost dies when he realizes that you aren't watching him play; you’re staring at him.

“W-what is it?”

“Nothing.” You smile. Oh, you little devil. He senses your gaze tracing over him. His hands tremble, and he has to be careful not to press the wrong button. “I just wanted to come here. Like really wanted.” You move your hands down his elbows, applying just the right amount of pressure, then up his shoulder again, and he feels goosebumps all over his body.

“Ok…” He manages to say after a few seconds of silence. “I’m… I’m almost done here.”

You hum in agreement in his ear and his entire face blushes. You adore seeing Levi like this; sometimes, he flushes all the way up his ears, and it's such a lovely sight.

“Just be as quick as possible.” You begin massaging him, just the way you know he loves. You feel his body tense up and then melt beneath your fingers. “I need you.” You whisper in his ear and he’s tense again.

"I… I…" He's trying to say something while attempting to finish this stupid game soon. Why is this part so long? It feels like decades!

"Like a miracle, the 'save' message appears on the screen, signaling that it’s safe to turn off the game.

"Finally!" You move to his right side, letting your hands slide down his body. You bring your face closer and plant a quick kiss on his cheek, enough to make Levi feel like his whole body is set on fire.

"M-MC..." He takes a deep, shaky breath.

"We can finally do what I planned..." You lean over Levi and place your right hand on the floor in front of his body. He can feel his heartbeat in his ears, holding his breath. But as swiftly as your body approaches, it begins to move away, leaving him utterly confused. You raise your hand and reveal the TV remote you picked up from the floor, a smile spreading across your face. "The last season of my favorite series premiered a few hours ago. You said you wanted to watch it with me!"

"Wait, what?" He's astonished, to say the least. You're already searching for the series on Devilflix, wearing the worst evil smile on your face. He hates it when you tease him. "Did you... Was it..."

“I’m sorry, Levi, but you are soooo much fun to tease.” You laugh and he pouts.

"It's not fair, MC! I-it's not fair at all!" He grimaces and crosses his arms, though he's clearly not mad, just embarrassed.

"I'll make it up to you. Come here." You pat your lap invitingly.

“You bet you will.” He falls backward into your lap, resting his head on your thighs. “You’re so unfair sometimes.”

He's still mumbling his complaints when the series starts, and you silence him by running your fingers through his hair. You notice he's still looking at you, so you lean down and plant a chaste kiss on his lips.

“I’ll do more for you after we watch at least this episode. I promise.”

He huffs and turns to his side, watching the TV — or at least trying. But he's acutely aware of your fingers still stroking his head and your soft thighs beneath his cheek. He'll have a hard time trying to focus, so you better keep your promise.

Masterlists

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Weekly Recap | March 11th-17th 2024

That premiere guys!!!!! Was so good!!!!! I'm so excited to be FINALLY be a part of the fandom while the show is actually airing! 😃 Can't wait to read all the amazing fics that are gonna be spawned from season 7!

Speaking of that, I would like to encourage everyone to use the relevant Ao3 tags when writing fics based on S7 content! Not everyone can watch the episodes as they air, so tags are really essential for people who don't want to get spoiled! (I could even make a separate post about it? a sort-of "how to tag" post?). In case you want to block some tumblr tags, my main tags for S7 are #911 season 7, #911 on abc, or #911 spoilers.

(Posting this one day early cause I don't feel like waiting until tomorrow! Enjoy! 😆)

Complete

i find peace in your smile by goforeddie/@iltrpls (A/B/O AU | 1K | General): They’ve been courting for a few months now. It’s agonizingly slow, but it’s still the best time they’ve ever had. You might think that after six years of walking on eggshells around each other, half a decade of “will-they-won’t-they” they wouldn’t be taking such a slow time with courting, but it's precisely everything that they’ve been through that makes them appreciate things a little better.

Birthday Flowers by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Pre-Buddie | 2K | General): OR: Buck gets Eddie flowers for his birthday. 

🔥 if i need to rearrange my particles — i will for you. by dylaesthetics (Post-S6, Identity Porn | 45K | Teen): OR Buck joins a support app for first responders and matches with a firefighter who has PTSD and a kid who likes giraffes, apparently.

Lime Jell-O by rainbow_nerds/ @rainbow-nerdss (S7E01: Abandon 'Ships | 3K | Teen): Eddie Diaz didn't panic. Or, well... Maybe he did. Sometimes. But he was working on it.

take the bed warmed by the body by lecornergirl/ @clusterbuck (Getting Together | 2K | Teen): It’s three parts bravado and one part reminder. He thinks about it, sometimes, his first shift at the 118—he doesn’t think either of them quite knew how much they’d meant it when they’d promised to have each other’s backs. He definitely hadn’t known, then, that he’d wake up one day and wonder why Buck isn’t in his bed. Because that’s what’s missing. He has a vague memory of falling asleep with his head resting against Buck’s shoulder, their legs tangled together.

Taken Space by Wildgirl93/ @wildlife4life (S7E01 Coda | 1K | General): Eddie and Marisol talk about the space that has already been taken.

Feel Like I Landed On The Moon by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Canon Divergent | 1K | General): OR: Eddie is pining for Buck while in Texas.

Fractals from the Lightning Bolt by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (One Shots Collection | 98K | Not Rated): A collection of oneshots, some originally posted on tumblr. Each chapter is individually rated.

53. A Dream You've Had Before (Explicit) 54. We're Definitely All Sluts Here (Explicit)

if you love someone by chronicallystendan (Pre-Buddie | 1K | General): Buck and Eddie both internally panic when a song comes on the radio that seems to be talking directly to them.

adventures of firehose and eightpack by brewrosemilk/ @gayhoediaz (Social Media fic | 1,5K | Mature): Or: Eddie stumbles upon Buck's old twitter account.

Two, Three Times in a Row by Leslie_Knope (PWP | 6K | Explicit): “We could’ve gone again.” Eddie snorts. “I’m old. You expect me to get it up twice?” “Yes,” Buck says, like it’s a given, like duh. “I could get you to do it right now.” The entire world pauses, and Eddie actually feels it, the bolt of arousal slinking down his spine all the way to his toes. He wets his lips. “Right now?”

WIP

🔥 miracles under your sighs and moans by napricot (Sex Pollen, PWP | 1/2 | 13K | Explicit): When Eddie gets exposed to an experimental aphrodisiac on a call, he realizes there’s only one person he trusts to help him get through it: Buck.

🔥 because we'll all arrive in heaven alive by callmenewbie/ @puppyboybuckley (Post-S6, Disaster Fic | 9/10 | 63K | Explicit): During a search and rescue, Eddie disappears without a trace, leaving Buck to grapple with the sudden possibility of a life without him.

~

if you know anyone that is not tagged, please tag them in the comments!

[variousxreader]

I DUNNO IF THIS WAS THE RIGHT INBOX OR NOT AAAAA

CAPTAIN KOBY HEADCANONS MY BELOVED

(Haven’t watched that far into One Piece, I’m at like episode 500 so sorry if these are ooc at all)

General

- Doesn’t like coffee, no matter how much sugar or creamer he puts in it’s always not quite right or to his liking, he’s the same way with some teas.

- Keeps a pocket sketchbook or some sort of small notebook hand, sketches or writes about things he sees or thinks about.

- Favorite animal would be otters, I feel like he would see them frequently while sailing and overall likes them for their smarts, such as using rocks to open shells. Though, he absolutely adores how they hold hands or hold their kin while they sleep or float to not get lost.

- Morning person, definitely. Almost always the first one up and awake, walking around and already doing things while everyone else is still in bed.

- While he has grown up and became stronger, he’s still an easy crier. He gets emotional over things and while he can shove down the need to cry, he finds some place private to let his emotions go. He doesn’t like it when people see him cry publically, he feels like that wouldn’t make him “strong” to anyone anymore, especially with everything he has to go through.

- Struggles with anxiety, and I mean this man is brimming with it. His habit of overthinking can lead him to peril, while he has been scolded for “not doing anything and risking lives” due to it, some of his decisions after that could seem reckless, as he wouldn’t even give a second thought to the first thing that comes to mind.

- Definitely sleeps hugging a pillow, cannot sleep without hugging or holding something.

- Personal headcanon (I don’t know if we ever learn about his family or not) I think that while yes he truly did mistake the Alvida pirate’s boat for a fishing boat, he really was trying to sail away for good that day. People in his life would always tell him that he cries too easily or was too skittish about literally everything, overall bringing him down for years of his life. Yes, it was ok when he was younger, but while this behavior continued, people yelled at him more about how he needed to “not be such a crybaby” and not be so afraid of everything. Even now, he has issues dealing with people yelling or raising their voice at him.

- Another personal headcanon, this fella is so trans masc coded to me. When he found Luffy he was scared at first of course, some random ass stranger popped out of a barrel. But what really sold him is that Luffy didn’t question him at all about how he sounded or looked different, but to be quite frank, Luffy doesn’t seem like the type of person to bring that up anyway. Yes, Luffy saved him and he’s happy about that, but he also saw how he was? How he actually wanted to be? AND inspired his dreams?? The boost of confidence he got from that still fuels him to this day as a captain, that’s why he still looks back to that day, the first day someone saw him for who he actually was and didn’t question him. Still questions to this day if he’s valid or even passing for that matter, but that memory always helps him with dysphoria.

S/O

- Loves spooning, he doesn’t care if he's big or little spoon, he’s perfectly content either being held or him holding you. Though, he does have the habit of being mostly big spoon since he wants to protect you and keep you safe.

- His love language would definitely be quality time, especially with how long he has to be gone for sometimes. When he comes back after whatever duties he had, all he wants to do is spend some time with you doing whatever. Could be something as little as just sitting and holding each other in silence, or something more like going shopping or on a date. Though, his favorite thing to do would probably be being able to snuggle up with the person he cares the most about and rest without having to worry.

- Love hugging his s/o from behind and resting his head on their back or shoulder, depending on his height.

- This man is all green flags, will absolutely pamper his s/o if they’re feeling under the weather and sooth them if they’re not feeling 100%.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes btw :3€

AAAAA GOD TIER HEADCANONS!!!! I love them all!!!!!!

Don't you worry, im crawling through Impel Down, dreading 482 and what comes after 🙃 Ace girl things™️

But AAAAA no SADS JUST KOBY

This man has abused golden retriever energy, like rescued and bounced back and is the healthiest boy now.

He is a literal cinnamon roll!!!!!

God he'd cry over every animal he sees because its so cute. Like "S/O! Look!!!!! At them!!! Can we adopt them?!" Its so hard to say no

I loveeeeeeee the idea of him falling for a Pirate. Man is so upset about it too at first, like he is so in denial about it. Till a silly fanfic esq situation gets them alone and he can't deny the attraction, physical and emotional anymore?! Chefs kiss the drama!

I also love the idea for Trans masc Koby, that Garp is just like Luffy in his acceptance, like hes so confused as to why people would be upset that Koby identifies as a man. "You say you're a man so you're a man. " simple as that.

Also, forehead kisses on his scar!!!!!

Steal his bandana to tie up your own hair, the mans heart nearly stops and he clutches his chest.

Also i love the idea of his S/O trolling Alvida in subtle ways. As petty revenge on Koby's behalf. Like just any chance they get, they fuck with her. Steals her hat or something just goofy shit that you know would drive the unhinged woman mad.

Koby would 10/10 write little love poems in that notepad/ sketch book for his s/o or crush. Not that he'd be brave enough to share. He could be convinced. Lol

Hes a precious little Peony