#I want to be clear: this is a 100% genuine and sincere attempt to give people more context for their criticisms

[mydollsaregay]

i’ve seen a bit of talk around the community about AG making less quality dolls and cutting corners. and like - you’re not imagining things, they absolutely are doing that. but there is a piece of this conversation that I think gets brushed over a lot, and i think it’s important: american girl dolls are cheaper then they used to be.

before you start telling me i’ve lost my mind, let’s look at some numbers. the original pleasant company dolls were manufactured in Germany and released in 1986; for a doll with her softcover book, the price was $68. “WAIT,” i hear you cry, “that’s less expensive!” however:

it’s actually pretty significantly MORE expensive.

even looking at the prices i remember from my own childhood:

not as much, but that’s still a bit more expensive that the ag dolls of today.

now, quite a few things have made this drop in cost possible. ag dolls are now produced in countries where labor markets are less regulated and therefore labor costs are cheaper (aka workers are able to be exploited for greater profits), modern tech has made some production processes faster and automated, and some materials are cheaper to acquire. however, ag has still absolutely lowered production quality as well. it’s hard to tell if they HAD to, but I would assume they did at least a bit, in order to keep the profit per doll at the same amount or increasing (which would be necessary to please investors, not have to do layoffs, etc.).

does that mean we should stop pointing out the flaws with newer dolls? no, absolutely not! what it DOES mean is that when we have discussions about ag’s decrease in quality, we ought to put those discussions in context.

this was prompted by a video on youtube that I just watched about ag’s quality control issues, which claimed the dolls are more expensive now than ever, and they are simply not. yes, they cost more United States Dollars than ever before, but the usd is worth less than what it used to be worth. even with the recent price increase, ag dolls are actually selling for less than they have for most of the brand’s history!

the reality is - ag can increase the price and make better quality dolls, or they can hold steady on the price and make lower quality dolls. they really do have to pick. and like. with the way people reacted when they increased the price recently, I’m pretty sure they’re going to be sticking with shrinkflation for a good few years coming up, whether you and I like it or not.

that does not, of course, mean they should not face criticism! they, like every other company choosing to lower quality rather than increase prices, are likely to try and get away with some nonsense. it is very tempting for companies to try and push lowered production costs as far as they can, but these dolls still cost $115! they should certainly still be high quality!

however, if you want the new dolls to be as high quality as the older dolls, you will likely be disappointed. I can’t think of any company that has willingly reversed course to have LESS of a profit margin without major pushback that would have eaten into their bottom line otherwise (stuff like perma panties).

this is a difficult conversation because the reality is, even with the cost dropping as inflation catches up, AG dolls are still quite expensive, and very inaccessible to most kids, and many adult collectors as well. i personally am happy that they’re slightly more accessible these days to the kids and collectors who love them (though wealth disparities in the us continue to increase, so are they actually accessible to any more people than they were back in the day when they were more expensive? idk), but im also stuck wishing they were a bit higher cost and higher quality, for my own personal enjoyment and collection.

sadly, there is no simple conclusion here. life is complicated. so are economies and the companies that participate in them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ nonetheless, may you go forth and continue to write well-deserved criticisms with just a bit more context behind you.

[arminsesposa]

Always Yours (Izuku Midoriya x Female Reader)

Getting into an argument with ur loved one is NOT fun. Take this small Drabble 🤞🏽

And the 5 Izuku fans cheered !

like and reblogs much much appreciated <3

You and Izuku never argue. He’s the best boyfriend you can ask for. Holding the door, always giving you kisses and hugs, always letting you know that he’s grateful to have you in his life. This time was different. Sure you guys had different opinions but this time was a bit harsher. Izuku has been a bit distant forgetting about you due to his busy schedule and his training. Almost like he forgot about you. You brought it up as you two hung out yet Izuku’s tone seemed like he didn’t care. “Izuku what the fuck?” You asked in disbelief as he carelessly shrugged. “I’ve been busy and we need some space” he said looking at you not realizing what he just said as your heart dropped. He wanted space, you’ll give him space, as you stormed off.

Izuku knew he fucked up. He didn’t mean to be super sassy and rude about it as he watched you grab your bag and leave his dorm. He groaned running his hand through his hair knowing he had to fix this. He knew you like the back of his hand as he gave you some space before deciding to knock on your dorm. “Hey…Can I come in?” He asked softly as he could hear your footsteps approach the door and open it softly. You didn’t say anything as he came in. He took a look at your comfy dorm room and the photo of you two on A date framed on your desk. You sat on your bed as Izuku stood there. “Why are you here” you said bluntly as he froze for a moment, not expecting such a blunt response, he looked at you with a mix of surprise as you caught him off guard "Wait, I just want to talk." He spoke softly, holding his hands up slightly in a gesture of peace. “And I’m gonna nap so goodbye” you responded as you grabbed your blanket ready to ignore him. Izuku frowned slightly, realizing you weren't willing to hear him out. "I understand you're upset, but please, just hear me out. I know I messed up." He persisted gently, not wanting to leave without at least attempting to clear up the misunderstanding.

You were obviously upset. You loved Izuku so much and couldn’t stand arguing with him. So when he approached you with such softness and respect you realized that maybe you were being too harsh. "What I said before, about us needing space... I didn't mean it." He clarified sincerely, his eyes locking onto yours, hoping his words would reach you. You sat up on your bed staring at him realizing how genuine he was being. You didn’t want to be petty and argue over something stupid as your emotions got the best of you. Your eyes watered as he cupped your face gently, and you began to apologize sincerely tears streaming down “I’m sorry for being too harsh-you’ve always loved me and you’re so respectful and put me first-I don’t want to argue over something this small and-“ you rambled as he shook his head gently, dismissing your apology. "No, don’t be sorry. You have every right to be upset." He replied sincerely, his expression softening as he looked at you. “And it’s true, I’ve always loved you. That hasn’t changed, and it never will." He smiled softly at you still looking at your beautiful eyes. As he moved to sit on your bed, finding a comfortable spot together. He gently cupped your face in his hands, holding his gaze with warmth and reassurance. "Listen to me… I may make mistakes, but my love for you is unwavering." He whispered with 100% honesty.

Your gazes met, and the weight of the connection hung in the air. You guys leaned in close, your noses nearly touching."No matter what happens or how difficult things get, my feelings for you remain the same." He whispered softly, his voice filled with truth and affection. He pulled you gently into a heartfelt kiss, their lips meeting in a tender display of affection. You wrapped your arms around him, holding him close as their emotions intertwined.

"I’ve always been and will always be yours."

He murmured softly against your lips, expressing his unwavering commitment. The love and reassurance between them intensified, erasing any lingering doubts or distance gone, knowing he would always be by your side.

[artinthedark83]

To the pro dom/me chat bots.

Dear Sir, Ma'am, or whatever your programmer wanted you addressed as. You are receiving this copy paste response because you sent me a copy paste introduction.

Hey, Hey you, Hello, Hello sissy, Hello faggot, hello sub, hello sissy cumslut, hello bitch, and other such pathetic attempts to endear yourself to me are SUPER weak and obviously not genuine. Seriously do you actually think you can just walk up to someone and say that crap and be taken seriously? Who the hell does that?

Oh and if you have the word 'goddess' in your name / handle then I automatically lose 100% respect for you, and since you probably opened with 'hey bitch' then you're waaaay into the negative / red in terms of respect. You're just too self absorbed to be taken seriously.

IF you are actually a human being and not a chat bot AI then its possible you may feel offended by me calling you out on your bull $#!t, you may be thinking that you made a post that I liked and that somehow gives you permission to contact me. Let me clear that up real quick, if I 'liked' your post, then it was for the photo you posted even though you do not have any claim of ownership to that photo.

Stealing some ones artwork or photography and then adding some BS tag to it about your only-fans, your Instagram, or your other money grabbing scheme is pathetic and you should be ashamed of yourself.

I made it very clear in my profile that I am not looking for or interested in giving you my money, my time or my attention.

I am fully encouraging everyone here on Tumblr to save a copy of this and use it to respond to you and all the others like you. No you're not alone, you're not unique, you're not original and honestly you're not even trying.

Oh, and Im also reporting you for spamming. I know its not really effective but I do soo love the thought that you'd finally managed to trick someone into your schemes and are close to getting their credit card info, and then having your account suspended because I and others lke me have reported you for being the human shaped filth that you are.

Have a wonderful day and dont choke too hard on that bag of dicks!

SINcerely, EVERYONE

[bikkinibottom]

Can’t Walk Without You

Here’s a little something I wrote to celebrate 100 followers! I got the idea based off of this post here.

This is my first time writing fanfic so I’d love for some feedback! Hope you all enjoy it!

Summary: It’s the 90’s and Percy makes mixtapes for Annabeth. She listens to them when she misses him.

She took it with her everywhere now, constantly listening to whichever song that played through the Walkman. It got to the point where even if she was having a conversation or in a meeting, the headphones rested around her neck playing music just loud enough for her to still hear and whoever happened to be right next to her. Some may call it rude, but people knew to never question Annabeth, especially with everything going on now.

Annabeth remembers the first mixtape Percy had made for her when they were fourteen. It was not too long after the battle on Mount Othrys where Percy and the group had rescued her and the goddess Artemis from Luke’s imprisonment. She smiles fondly too herself as she remembers the encounter with Percy:

Christmas was just around the corner and Annabeth begrudgingly decided to spend the holiday with her family in San Francisco. Percy and she had agreed to meet up to exchange gifts at Half-Blood Hill before she left. She stood near the Big House, which was adorned in colorful holiday lights, waiting for him. Behind her led to where the cabins were, the hearth at the center of the U-shaped formation seemed to glow brighter than ever, warm and inviting just like a fireplace at Christmas-time should be. The sky was clear save for a few clouds, the constellations piercing and bright. Fresh snow lay all over camp, some of the year-rounders just beginning to take advantage of the fresh snowfall. She looked up to see Percy approaching her, his ears looked pink without a hat on from what she could tell in the dim light.

‘Seaweed Brain’ she thought, thinking of the winter hat she knit him for his gift. It was a simple beanie that was baby blue, with one black stripe cutting across.

“Took you long enough. I got a flight to catch tomorrow, Seaweed Brain,” she jokingly said to him.

Clearly something else was occupying his mind because the scowl he attempted to make wasn’t sincere and looked more like fond exasperation. Annabeth tried not to look too into it.

He stopped walking and begun to turn around dramatically.

“Well if you’re gonna have that attitude about it I’ll just be on my-” but Annabeth cut him off with a laugh and shoved his arm.

“Come on, Percy. I’ve been waiting for this,” she told him with a bit of mock irritation in her voice.

“You have?” the boy before her asked timidly. And for the first time that night, Annabeth noticed Percy actually looked anxious for whichever reason she could not figure out yet. His eyes looked more of a golden from the reflection of the Christmas lights shining off the Big House.

Annabeth looked away from his eyes as she casually said, “Duh, we’re exchanging gifts. It’s like the best part of the holiday season,” though she wasn’t too sure of her response seeing the gloomy expression take over his face.

Percy looked away as he let out a simple, “Right.”

Not wishing to dampen the mood on what was supposed to be a pleasant occasion, Annabeth quickly asks, “Do you want to go first?”

“Uh, I- no. You go first,” he responded quickly as well.

Annabeth presented him with his gift bag filled with sea-green tissue paper and he dug around in it until he pulled out the gift card she had gotten him. He flipped it over to see what it was for and he smiled appreciatively.

“That’s the skate store you go to a lot right? The one by your apartment?” she asked just to double-check and make sure.

“Yeah! I- Thanks Annabeth,” he told her genuinely then paused. “Uh, how much is on it?”

“A hundred dollars,” she replied.

His eyes seemed to pop out of his head before he stuttered for the next few seconds. Annabeth just looked at him with a confused but amused smile on her face.

“This- this is more than enough for a whole new skateboard. I- I don’t think I can accept this,” he blurted out in shock.

“Skateboards are expensive. I thought that was a good amount,” she said matter-of-factly. Annabeth had briefly forgotten that Percy and his mom didn’t have a whole lot, meanwhile, her family was more than well off and Annabeth could afford to splurge on her friends.

“There’s another gift in the bag,” she pointed out.

He gave her an incredulous look before digging around in the bag. He pulled out the beanie wrapped in a layer of tissue paper and unwrapped it. He held out the hat in front of him with a neutral expression.

“You hardly ever wear a hat, let alone own a proper winter one so I figured you could use a nice one. I made it myself,” she said, her voice laced with pride. It had taken her a couple of tries to knit a hat before she managed to perfect it. Athena wasn’t the goddess of crafts for nothing. Annabeth was proud of her handiwork.

“You made this?” he asked softly. The tender look in his eyes made Annabeth’s face a little warm but she nodded genuinely.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Annabeth said. “It’s your turn.”

“O- oh. Right.” Percy cleared his throat and placed the gift bag on the snowy ground with his presents inside. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a card with a smaller rectangular box attached to it. Annabeth didn’t know what the box could be seeing as it was wrapped but she opened the card and read it to herself first.

The card itself didn’t have many words and with the low-lighting, she couldn’t exactly make it out with her dyslexia. But underneath the message of the card, she noticed Percy’s chicken scratch hand-writing where he wrote out in Ancient Greek, ‘Hope you have a good new year. Merry Christmas, Wise Girl. Your friend, Percy’.

She smiled up at him and gave him a sweet thank you.

“Um, the uh, the gift. I made it myself. I don’t know if you’ll like it but um, if you give it back I understand. It’s kind of lame, actually-” Percy stammered out, and she could tell the red on his face wasn’t coming from the Christmas lights. With a roll of her eyes, she tore open the wrapping and was presented with a cassette player. Written on one side in Percy’s hand-writing it said: ‘Songs I Think You’ll Like (vol. 1)’.

“It’s a mixtape,” Percy blurted out, “I was thinking about how we’ve barely ever talked about music so I put a bunch of songs I figured you’d like. You can listen to it whenever you want.”

Annabeth was at a loss for words. Picturing Percy in his room toiling with the radio on, waiting for hours for the right song to come on to record, or maybe using some of Sally’s old records to record music from... It was a little too much for Annabeth.

Impulsively she jumped towards Percy, wrapping her arms around his neck in a quick hug. Backing away she looked him in the eyes.

“Thank you, I love it,” she told him. At that point, she didn’t need a mirror to know that both their faces were red now.

“Really?” he asked, relief in his voice and body language.

“Yes, I can’t wait to listen to it,” she answered genuinely.

A goofy smile broke out onto his face and Annabeth felt herself smiling as well. After talking for a bit more, they eventually said their goodbyes and parted ways.

As Annabeth boarded the plane the next morning, she had a brand new Walkman stuffed in her pocket that she had bought as soon as she left the campgrounds last night. She couldn’t wait to listen to it on the plane.

Recalling the memory brought a melancholy smile to her face, but it was very dim. Annabeth remembers how nearly every month after that she received a mixtape from Percy in the mail, each with a different purpose but all equally good. When they had started dating, the music became a lot more romantic and he would gift her one at each monthly anniversary. She would’ve received a new mixtape soon for their five-month anniversary, but now he was missing and Annabeth wasn’t sure if she’d ever get to hear it. The thought made her chest ache painfully, and she blinked back tears.

Rolling onto her back in her bunk, Annabeth thought back to the events of the day and let out a frustrated sigh. Just when she finally had some type of lead to where her boyfriend might be, she was met with three demigods at the Grand Canyon with more questions than answers. Not to mention her least favorite goddess seemed to be involved in all of this somehow. Realizing she needed to get actual sleep tonight if she was going to leave early in the morning to search for Percy, the daughter of Athena put on her invisibility cap, grabbed her Walkman, and snuck out of Cabin 6 to head over to Cabin 3.

Inhaling the ocean scent that Poseidon’s cabin had, Annabeth made her way over to Percy’s dresser, where he always kept extra clothes. Grabbing one of his hoodies, she put it on and laid down in Percy’s bunk. It wasn’t the biggest secret amongst her siblings that she would often sneak out to his cabin at night but since he went missing she made it her new unassigned sleeping quarters.

If the bed weren’t cold, Annabeth could almost imagine Percy there with her. Surrounding herself in his ocean breeze scent helped put her to sleep but there was some dull ache lingering inside her tonight. It was as if there was nothing inside her; her heart, her lungs, everything just- gone. Instead, a dark void seemed to eat at her from the inside out, and all of her senses felt numb.

Putting on her headphones and pressing play on the Walkman, her favorite cassette plays out. Once they’d started dating, Percy gave her this one and told her the songs sounded a bit like the one they had danced to on Olympus all those years ago. She recalls Percy telling her that to him the song sounded a bit sad, but a little hopeful too.

Annabeth cries herself to sleep that night.

[buckevantommy]

'(Un)Happiest Season' review

Simply put, it wasn't enjoyable as a romance or a comedy or a Christmas flick. It failed on many fronts, but this reviewer from Salon.com puts the thing into words for Happiest Season's main failings: 

What's bad: There were two main criticisms of "Happiest Season." The first being: Can't LGBTQ audiences have a holiday movie where the main plot isn't about mining the anxiety and trauma associated with coming out, being closeted and casual homophobia? Then there's the fact that Harper really is just kind of the worst. After pushing Abby back in the closet, Harper ditches her in a town where she doesn't know anyone to go drink with her ex-boyfriend until two in the morning, then proceeds to call Abby "suffocating" when called on it. It's a pattern of s**ty behavior that is pervasive and present throughout the movie, so her redemption arc doesn't feel super genuine. 

Why can't we have main queer characters in Christmas movies without their presence being all about their queerness? We want fluffy festiveness, dammit! They could've made Harper less selfish and more attentive while still playing into the *I'm not out yet Because Reasons so we need to hide our gay relationship* trope, but they didn't. Who knows why, but what a waste. 🎄👩‍❤️‍👩☃️

^ Look at that trailer and tell me you don't expect Misunderstandings with fun and tropey antics + Domestic Christmas Shenanigans + Comfort for Hurt! You will be sorely disappointed. 😞 

NOTE: The flick does have a few good moments. And it's probably worth the watch just to see what's missing/mishandled when it comes to queer characters and queer romances in mainstream movies. 

But it's not really fun or funny or heart-warming - where are the snowball fights? Insightful conversations? Christmas elements like eggnog/spiced wine, candycanes, mistletoe? Where are the many colourful side characters and the hungover brunches? We get one scene of ice-skating for a few minutes and it's wasted on sibling rivalry bs rather than, say.. Abby and Harper skating together but not being aloud to touch—omg the tension!! 😍 

There's just not enough comfort for the hurt Abby (Kstew) goes through; the film wholly lacks those warm-n-fuzzy Christmas vibes; there's just way more wrong with it than is right with it - which sucks, because this had the potential to be such a great movie if only Harper was written as less ignorant/selfish and we'd gotten more enjoyable family interactions and more festive fun - like a celebration in town. Instead we get a few limited shots of the adorable town, a crappy bar, and an OTT fancy Christmas party for performative rich white folk on a career path for power and "perfection" (ie. wholesome family values). 

The story they went with was definitely better suited for a dramatic film, so in a romcom setting it really didn't work. Plus the side-characters were flat; we needed more depth from the supporting characters, more meaningful interactions. 

^ Look at those intro credits!! Look at all the domestic happy moments and tell me you don't want to see a movie filled with such fluffy festive goodness!! Well, if you don't want to see such moments, don't worry because you won't. I naturally thought we were going to get this kind of romantic-and-non-romantic happiness dispersed throughout the entire film, but no. Not a one. There's 5 minutes of Happy Couple at the start, and that's it 📸☹️ (unless you count a photo collage of the happy ending and year that follows stuffed into the end credits). 

BTW: That intro song is the most Christmasy song in the whole movie. The soundtrack features modern pop songs which 1) don't help set the festive vibe and 2) are really fucking annoying; the song choices are grating, not pleasant, not enjoyable, and they overpower the scenes with a whole lotta noise. I really wish we'd gotten more tunes like the one above. 🎶 

About the image below—Abby is actually miserable the entire time, getting worse by the day, barely a smile seen on her.. while Harper is the one schmoozing her family and contacts with teeth bared, so.. this image isn't what you'll get, just fyi:

(also: the only POC actors they had were the perfectionist-stone-faced-bitch's husband and his girlfriend - wife + hubby being secretly separated.) 

The things that the Salon reviewer liked are the same things I did (see below), but imho even those elements weren't enough to save this film from being: 

an infuriating 102 minute-comedy of errors buoyed by a healthy dose of gaslighting 

More cons of the flick are pointed out by denofgeek.com: 

Some of its issues come from the structure of the film, which shoehorns very real queer struggles into wacky rom-com tropes too fluffy to contain the stakes at hand. Meanwhile the choice to have one half of the lead couple be so aggressively and repeatedly cruel—while her high school ex Riley, played by the ever-perfect Aubrey Plaza was standing right there having all the chemistry in the world with the other romantic lead—was a fatal one.

It really was a dramatic plot idea crammed into a fluffy narrative. You can see the conflicting genres fighting to stay alive and they both die a slow, agonisingly dull death throughout the film. The whole *Abby being converted to loving Christmas by Harper inviting her to spend the holidays with her family* thing, only to have Harper force their relationship + Abby into the closet. Straight conversion much? I'm 100% sick of heteronormative bs in my queer Christmas films. 

For the most part, when you're not feeling for Abby's harsh treatment by her would-be fiance and everyone but Riley ignoring her completely, you will be bored af from the lack of festive cheer - not just twinkle lights and boisterous seasonal music, but those good ol' homey family Christmas vibes. With the Harper house + family members, everything's a performance, so that lack of sincerity and warmth makes for a depressing viewing experience: 

^ Jane (one of Harper's 2 sisters) is the only character allowed to be consistently genuine in the narrative (aside from John, but he's restricted mostly to phonecalls, and Riley - but even she's keeping Harper's secrets). Jane is the only character who is naturally vibrant and reminds us of some of the reasons we get excited about Christmas movies: to feel joy and to enjoy the company around us during the holiday season! 🎄☃️🥳 But rather than give us a fun day out with Jane + Abby, we get Abby + the second sister (i don't even remember her name, just BitchFace) which leads to more bad treatment of Abby - this time by two spoiled af no-smile rich kids. *le sigh* Jane carries the spark of honest joy for the entire Harper clan and that is TOO MUCH to expect of one character, let alone a side-character. 😪 

There are so many ways the story could've been tweaked to make more sense and be somewhat enjoyable, including: 

The orphan!Abby thing is just bad. Rather than give Abby a voice, chances to let her personality shine, almost everyone interacts with her to merely briefly express their condolences for her long-dead parents 🙄 

Abby is a pet-minder, ie. she's an animal lover, yet at no point do we see her interact with animals! Not a dog or cat or hamster, no reindeer at the petting zoo, nothing. 🐕🐈🦎🦜🐠

Riley + Abby getting together (even just a kiss) 👄 

Abby + Harper separating so Harper can get her shit together - and then we get several flashforward shots of them separately living their lives (Harper especially), and then meeting back up again - maybe the next holiday season, after some much-needed time apart 🏃‍♀️🤸‍♀️ 

side characters who engage with Abby in a sincere, meaningful way instead of ignoring her (again, we got Riley, but she was outside of the family dynamic) 😊 

MORE FESTIVE CHEER! where were all the staple Christmassy passtimes, the smile-inducing season-specific experiences??? 🎉 

More from denofgeek: 

Where the script gets into trouble is that it doesn’t distinguish between Harper being closeted and her poor treatment of Abby. The two are separate issues and treating them as one does no favors to Harper, nor others struggling with the closet. As Dan Levy’s beautiful monologue late in the movie alludes to, the closet is a safety mechanism—but it’s not a free pass to treat people like garbage. [...] 😟🏳️‍🌈

Even a brief conversation teasing out that being in the closet doesn’t justify how Harper acted, and that plenty of people in the closet don’t treat others like trash, would have been important. Instead once Harper is out (which the movie takes pains to make clear only happened because Harper’s sister Sloane outed her), and a gesture so small it could never credibly be called grand is made, all bad behavior is washed away. [...] 😤🙅‍♀️ 

The jarring underlying issue is that 'Happiest Season' attempts to apply the standard rom-com and made-for-TV-holiday-movie tropes to queer life. So Abby having to go back into the closet isn’t framed as a painful regression or being forced to deny an essential part of herself, but rather a fun twist, in the vein of “but the guy she insulted on the plane is the owner of the ornament factory she has to impress to win the Christmas contest!”🚪😒 

All of Harper’s behavior adds up to making her feel like something the audience wants Abby to be free of, not someone Abby should be fighting for. Once Riley tells Abby about Harper’s cruelty in high school, where Harper outed Riley and mocked her rather than standing up for her or finding an excuse that protected them both, it becomes incredibly difficult to root for the lead couple to get back together, or for Harper at all. 👏💃 

With this information, Harper’s other transgressions go from frustrating to part of a larger pattern. Sadly, it’s a pattern Harper repeats when her sister outs her and she throws Abby under the (lesbian) bus. 🤬 

FAVE THINGS: 

all interactions between John (Dan Levy) + Abby (he's witty, honest, and 100% the most entertaining element of the entire film; i wish we'd gotten more of him) 😆 

Riley (Aubrey Plaza, Harper's ex) + Abby's scenes together because CHEMISTRY, both between the characters and the actors 👩‍❤️‍👩

Notable between Abby + Riley scenes include 3 instances of Riley comforting Abby's hurt: outside at the fancy party (Abby feeling excluded/ignored/not worth anyone's time due to the way they treat her even though they don't know she's gay), at a gay bar in town (sandwiched by scenes where Abby's made to feel like crap by Harper), and at the fancy home Christmas party where Riley gets Abby something stronger to drink after hearing Abby was going to propose to Harper (but it's been a helluva shitty week and those plans are dead) 👭 

Every scene with Riley was blessed relief from the hurt and discomfort and boredom of the rest of the time with Harper's family. 🤩 

Sister Jane, for being a genuinely fun character 🤗 who was written starkly different to her family and treated somewhat like an outcast 

Aubrey + Kstew killin it in various pantsuits 👀 

In contrast, Riley connects Abby to queerness, bringing her to an LGBTQ bar to decompress and enjoy a Christmas-themed drag performance. It’s the most relaxed and comfortable Abby is on screen since the opening scenes, a chance to glimpse Abby’s authentic self before Harper summons her back to heterosexuality, and where she once again ignores and disappoints her. Riley actually talks to Abby at the various holiday parties whereas Harper keeps leaving her to please her family, especially her father. It’s not hard for the natural chemistry between Plaza and Stewart to take over

I wouldn't watch this film again. For a hopeful Christmasy love story I'd just watch all Abby + Riley's scenes: 

In closing, here's a batshit article title from observer.com that just makes you go, huh? 🧐:

‘Happiest Season’ Isn’t Happy, But That Doesn’t Make It a Bad Rom-Com

Um.. yes, yes it does. 

Rom-Coms are supposed to be fun, light-hearted stories about love even when the plot deals with lying - The Proposal, Sweet Home Alabama - so a movie that leaves you hurting more than comforted in sympathy with one of the main characters because the (apparent) love of their life is treating them like shit, then it doesn't deserve to be in the genre of Rom-Com. 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨💞🎬

In summary, Abby and Harper got 5 minutes of happiness in the beginning, and an eventual happy ending after a super rocky middle. The journey was painful and unenjoyable, and it made their happy ending unbelievable and, for Harper, undeserved because of her behaviour through 90% of the story. 

In short: it was not, in fact, the happiest season. 😕👎

[imagine-that-one-thing]

Her Majesty. || One.

Her Royal Highness.

My life has been pretty good, well, as good as can be expected for someone of my reign. My childhood was spent at the manor, running in and out of the gardens and exploring each and every room the manor had, including the ones that were regarded as private.

My closet was constantly adorned with the latest and most modest fashionable pieces and I was lucky enough to receive an utmost education. By the age of five, I was considered bilingual. I grew up alongside the elite; I played amongst the seats of parliament, the rulers and the soon to be rulers of Great Britain and the world.

Buckingham Palace was never my favourite place of residence but I can't complain too much, growing up we seemed to bounce from residence to residence depending on the season and what duties obliged to be satisfied. My favourite accommodation is encompassed by 100 acres of gardens, Hillsborough Castle in County Down, a short distance from Belfast. The only times we visit the castle are when my parents are in Northern Ireland which proves to be scarcely ever now. As a child, we used to visit and have vacation time down there, essentially for me to explore the gardens and to get lost in them for hours.

I remember the groan of my security team when they'd have to stand and watch me play in the gardens endlessly for hours and chase me around until I was tired out.

Then there's Windsor Castle, established on an immense hill next to the River Thames, 20 miles west of London. In my personal opinion, it is still better than the palace or manor as I call it. Then again, it's essentially because I don't spend as much time at Windsor, my time spent at Windsor is normally during Easter, during Royal Ascot and the Order of the Garter in June, and during Christmas, it really depends on my parent's schedules.

Despite the endless travel, the odd childhood perspectives, things have been relatively tranquil and wonderful.

Up until now....

I stand amongst the crowd-pleasers of royalties, dukes, princes, princesses, duchesses, baronesses, you name it, they're all gathered here this evening at the request of my mother and father, mainly my mother and her divine interests informal meetings in the palace. A lot of people would find joy in hosting events, me on the other hand, I am not a fan of it. I have been apart of hosting events from since I could walk. I remember when I was younger I would sneak away from the maids and the staff and peer over the edges of the stairs to look down at everyone gathered in their beautiful dresses and suit and ties. I used to dream of the days it was me. Now that it is me, I would do anything to go back to being the same little girl who ran freely amongst the gardens for hours and didn't have to make sure whether she was wearing the right hat for the right event or not.

"Kensington Palace can now publicly announce additional details about the forthcoming tour of Belgium this spring. We now know that the tour will begin on Sunday 10th April and conclude on Saturday 16th April. The visit to Belgium will allow us to continue a relationship between two Royal Families by meeting The King and Queen. This tour, coming shortly before the abdication, will also allow, Princess Anastasia Annette Leanor, Duchess of Edinburgh, to begin her royal duties as soon to be, her royal highness, Queen of England."

I stare at my Father as he announces the plans for the next few weeks, plans that are about to change my life. By my father, the King of England, expressing his abdication means that I will be reining sooner than I had thought, sooner than I had wanted. I stand statue-like, unaware of how it is deemed okay to announce the news without telling me first. I am sure they had to go through the Kensington Palace publicist or whatever the hell he is.

Then again, the King outranks everyone and can deem anything acceptable.

I hadn't intended to begin my royal duties so soon, in fact, I don't want the duties of Queen at all.

Everyone has this impression that having a royal title is a blessing and an achievement everybody who isn't born into it desires. Every girl dreams of becoming a princess and wearing the tiara, but royalty isn't about carrying a crown and parading around in lovely gowns that cost more than the average apparel. Being born into royalty and not having a typically normal life, in my opinion, is more of a curse than a blessing.

Having a title of any sort has forced me to grow up quicker than others, my tea parties weren't like every other average youngsters' tea party, mine was surrounded by teddy bears and a security guard who had to watch my every move. I'm held to higher standards than most and there are days I wish the standards of which I'm held to, would be diminished. I don't want to have to follow royal protocol for every occasion or to make sure my hair is brushed for the Queen on a Sunday morning breakfast. I don't want to constantly have a security team following my every move. I don't want to have to use hidden tunnels to get around the palace or to get to town without being noticed. I don't want my claim of Queen.

My title, although it will become quite powerful, it is a title I don't wish to represent. I just have no choice. I have to keep the family name alive within the monarchy.

While my father continues to speak to the guests around me, I can't help but feel overwhelmed. I had always assumed I'd be the first to know about my father stepping down from the royal obligations and I didn't expect to be told publicly. I thought I would be told in private, perhaps at dinner or on one evening when before my Father goes to bed. It would have been more courteous to tell me in another fashion, but the king and queen deemed this to be more suitable. Sometimes, the king and queen forget their royal responsibilities shouldn't cross over into parental duties. As parents, they should have told me in a better way.

My father finished his speech and everyone goes back to mingling and discussing everything possible— the only genuine thing about these events is that there are normal conversations, sometimes. I always manage to eavesdrop on a few conversations that are interesting.

Due to royal protocol, I put on a smile and a brave face; I politely exchange words with those at the event and do everything that my parents have instilled in me to do.

I smile graciously as my father and another prince come towards me. For a moment, I think about travelling in the opposite direction, but I know I can't, it would be too informal and cause too much of a scene.

God forbid if the princess ever makes a scene.

"Anastasia," my father grins, giving me his signalled glare that is a good indication that he wants for me to stay and not run off like my thoughts are wanting me to.

"Father," I respond courteously, my eyes side-eyeing towards my security guard who is observing intently as he stands with his back to the wall, his hands folded in front of him as he stands tall with nystagmic eyes. I swear his eyes never miss a beat.

"Princess Anastasia, it's an honour to see you again," the prince, who I'm sure my father is trying to play matchmaker with, greets me.

I hold back the heavy sigh that's desiring to escape my lips and I force myself to proffer him a genuine smile, "It's nice to see you." I lie through my teeth to save myself from having to listen to my father to express his disappointment in me.

"I hear you're becoming Queen. Every Queen needs a King by her side."

"Actually—" I begin, but I stop when I see my father's eyes narrow to crinkled stilts and his lips purse into a fine line. I am forced to bite my tongue on my true thoughts, "Actually, every good Queen needs a well-fitted crown," I half-heartedly joke, attempting to recover from the fact I want to tell him a Queen doesn't require a King, it's merely just suggested a Queen has a King.

The prince chuckles, "I'm sure they'll see fit to your crowning needs."

"Mhm," I hum, "it has been nice seeing you, but I'm afraid I have to cut this short, mum," I begin before I clear my throat, "The Queen," I correct myself, recovering from my small mishap, "Asked me to do her a favour." I politely dismiss my father and the prince who I can only assume is wanting to slither himself closer to stepping up his title.

I swallow hard the moment my father and the prince walk away and I finally have a minute to breathe and process the things that have occurred.

As I glance towards my guard, it dawns on me that now that I will soon be reigning Queen, it will be expected of me to-be-wed and find a man that is suitable enough not only for my own personal needs but suitable enough for the royal monarchy. Essentially, I have to locate Prince Charming, literally.

I make my way around the crowd of individuals and wander out of the ballroom area, "Princess," I hear my name being called but I don't want to turn around and face the music. "Princess," the voice again summons and I can't help but disregard him.

"Princess Anastasia, stop right there," the tone of voice my bodyguard uses causes me to stop, and it's not out of fear or because of the fact he only has to say one word before the whole palace is in lockdown and I can't move. It's because I know that tone of voice anywhere, it's sincere and it's laced with nothing but concern.

I turn around on my heel as my bodyguard shifts his eyes around, "Where are you going?"

I lift my shoulders into a shrug. I don't really have a destination, it was more so me hammering my heels against the marble flooring until I found some common ground where I could ultimately breathe again. "You know you can't roam the palace right now."

"Yes," I sigh, "I know, I know the rules and the protocol and the safety precautions," I murmur with a heavy breath.

His eyes relax and he takes another glimpse around to make sure we are alone before he clears his throat, "What's wrong?"

I inhale a deep breath and blow out slowly, "I can't talk about it here," I respond in a whisper, my eyes already beginning to gloss over as the rippling thoughts of everything hits me all at once.

He nods and examines the area around us, "Come with me," he instructs, tenderly urging his hand in the small of my back before escorting me away.

We stay reserved as we walk a few halls and pass several doors to various quarters while he keeps his integrity and stays alert.

We stop at the all so familiar place of the balcony, he opens the doors and enables me to step out before he is right behind me and closes the doors. "We aren't allowed here."

"Never stopped us before," he responds, "You're safe, everyone is down in the West Wing, this is the East, there's a guard right below us. I'm trained for a reason, you know?"

I nod and chuckle, I am aware he is trained for a reason, the man is trained in the use of firearms and unarmed combat, advanced driving and emergency first aid as well as close protection basics; I have all faith in him. "I know, I trust you," I respond courteously.

I trust him, there's a reason he's my bodyguard, he's intelligent, he has swift reflexes and he knows every position of every security member in every residence of ours. Let's not forget I have seen him practising with the 9mm Glock 17 pistols— the man is more accurate than my father— and my father has quite the shot.

"What's the matter? Congratulations on becoming Queen soon."

"That's what's the matter," I grumble, attempting to dismiss the lump in my throat that is threatening to suffocate me. "I can't do it."

"You can, Anastasia, have faith in yourself."

I shake my head, "There's too much involved with it. I don't think I can physically do this." It's easy for someone to say they want to be a Princess or a Queen because it's made out to be a glamorous lifestyle but it comes with harbouring a lot of stress and responsibilities.

"You can, you're just freaked out at the moment."

"No," I stare down at the space between us, "I can't. You don't get it."

I can't really expect anyone to understand what's surging through my thoughts at the concept of reining a country.

"Anastasia, I will never fully understand this world, but—"

I cut Harry off, promptly, "There are no buts, Harry, they're already wanting to marry me off to a royal Prince!" I raise my voice but immediately apologise for my tone.

"It's okay," he benevolently takes my hands with his, and I feel him draw me that little bit closer. "Is that why you were side-eyeing me when that Duke or prince was talking to you?"

I nod my head, feeling defeated and lost. "Harry, they're going to want me to get married."

Harry grows withdrawn for a moment, his eyes fading to grey as he comes to realise just what I'm trying to tell him. Me becoming Queen abolishes mine and his relationship.

He's not royalty.

The monarch and the people wouldn't regard him fit for King.

"Well, do you want me to propose now or later?" Harry questions in a joking way. His humour perhaps being the only thing to come to mind with this matter.

I roll my eyes, "Even if we were ready, we couldn't."

"And why not?" Harry questions, cocking his head to the side and waiting for my response.

"Harry, my father is already trying to introduce me to a Prince."

Harry lifts his shoulders into a shrug, "Well, I'm charming, I think I fit the criteria."

Despite his attempts to alleviate the mood; I'm not delighted. "Harry, this isn't a joke. You're my bodyguard, not a prince."

"Who the bloody hell cares? I'm just as worthy as dating you as any other man, title or not," Harry mutters, pointing out the fact he's just as legitimate as any other man.

I know he is, I know he's deserving of dating me whether he has a title or not, I don't care about any of that, but my family and the people do.

"I know," I breathe out. "But the monarch won't approve. Duties of the Monarch is to ensure the succession by having children. I have to get married to ensure the succession which means I have to have a king."

"So, I can be King consort or Prince consort, whatever the bloody hell it is."

I'm not sure why he isn't concerned about the fact our relationship is about to be thrown into turbulent mayhem. Him marrying me would throw everything into a prominent mess.

When I don't reply to Harry's comment, he takes it as his queue to speak again. "I need to get you back to the West Wing."

"I don't want to go back and finish my duties."

"I know, but you have to," Harry informs me, his voice sweet-sounding as he grants me a meagre but comforting grin.

I profoundly sigh and pout my blossom-pink lips, "are you going back into security mode?"

"I have to, sweetheart," he kisses my forehead, "someone has to keep you safe," he adds with a wink.

I roll my eyes at him, "Can I get a kiss?"

He hums for a moment, a cocky smirk dangling in the corner of his lips. "Am I allowed to kiss the soon to be Queen?"

"For Christ sake, kiss me," I mutter through a faint chuckle before he mildly lures me in and kisses me, leaving me with that syrupy-sweet aftertaste, "Thank you," I murmur against his orchid-pink and satin soft lips before he puts distance between us.

"Come on, Princess, it's time to go back," Harry opens the door for me and I step back inside, his hand clasping to the small of my back and guiding me until we reach areas we can be viewed.

The moment I'm compelled to go back to my princess obligations and we are recognized, Harry retreats to his bodyguard temperament after a swift "good luck," before watching over me.

♔♔♔

As the night goes on, I fake my way through smiles and laughter, the infinite questions and remarks about my soon to be title being nothing but bothersome to me. But, I take it all with a grain of salt.

Who would have thought my world would feel as though it was crashing down on me the minute the notion of me becoming Queen came into play?

When the manor is only holding a few guests, I'm told I'm permitted to leave the ballroom and do as I please— which is sleep. I grin towards Harry and his lips curve upwards gradually. He's not permitted to bestow much emotion when he's on duty, but every now and again I can get a smile out of him, at least half of one. "You seem pleased," Harry notes as he moves away from the wall and takes my side.

"I'm happy to have my royal responsibilities over with," I respond as he opens the door for me, "You should be happy too, your guarding duties are over," I add, reminding him of the fact that for a few hours, he isn't my guard but just another person.

Harry snickers as the door closes behind him, "My duties don't finish until you're in your bedroom safely."

"Harry, I highly doubt anything will happen between now and the bedroom." I can't deny the fact I find it ludicrous that I have to be escorted to my bedroom but I do understand the reasoning behind it. We can never be too certain that someone hasn't wandered off through the palace to stir some sort of trouble.

"Princess, you never know."

I know he's right, he seems to always be right. "Harry, I hate when you call me princess."

"Sorry," Harry clears his throat, "But, you know I have to unless we are entirely alone."

I nod with a small exhalation, "I know, have you heard any news about my next event?" I question, remembering I haven't touched base with anyone on what event is next. I customarily have an itinerary and I'm not joking, I get one monthly from the publicist team.

"I haven't, but the head of security has also been busy and hasn't told me about the big events. Isn't it the trooping of colours?"

"No," I shake my head, "That's in June, darling."

"I can never remember. I'll have to see. I do know we travel soon, they're getting the other ten guards prepared to travel," Harry informs me.

Each travelling experience is endured by a Royal Navy doctor and 8-12 British bodyguard, and sometimes private secretaries add to the entourage along with our press officer and communications chief, it just depends on the circumstances.

"Travelling with you is such a bore." I roll my eyes as we round a corner and his arm drapes around me while we are no longer in the view of anyone besides the head of security, who is monitoring the security cameras. He's the only one who knows about the relationship between Harry and I and it's for obvious purposes.

Harry scoffs, "How is it a bore to travel with me?"

Travelling as a royal, is a bore, period.

There are so many damn rules that have to be followed. Growing up, I was never permitted to fly in the same aircraft as my father; two heirs should never fly on the same flight together so that the royal lineage is protected. Even though my father was King and I was the heir, he still never signed off on me being on the same flights as he.

He has to oversee everything and seldom grants permission.

I can't help but raise a brow at Harry's question, surely he knows that he isn't the simplest person to travel with. When we tour, he is similar to a hawk; he is ten times more vigilant than what he is now. "Can't do anything with you hovering over me, can barely sightsee."

Harry lifts his shoulders into a shrug. He knows that he hovers, but it is part of his job description as part of the Royalty and Specialist Protection. "Love, it's my job to keep you safe and as a boyfriend, it's my honour to make sure you're protected."

"It's still boring."

"Well, I'm sorry it's dull. Maybe we can change that a bit? I'll see if we can sightsee after greeting dignitaries." Harry suggests but I know better than to believe him when he says we can change it a bit. He can't substitute direct schedules and orders.

"Coming from the man that hasn't changed his cologne in six years."

"Oi, be nice," Harry snickers as we reach my bedroom doors and I turn to face him. "It's a good scent," Harry defends his cologne of six years.

I hum with a smirk before I lean up and kiss his warm cheek, "Want to spend the night and leave through the secret door in the morning?" I offer but Harry shakes his head.

"I can't, love. I have to go report to the head of security," Harry informs me as he takes a swift look around to make sure we are alone, "Goodnight, Anastasia, have a good rest and try not to stress, okay?"

"There are no promises, being a princess is hard," I half-joke with a wink, his hands travelling to rest on my hips.

Harry sneers and flicks lint off his suit, "Being your guard is hard," Harry chuckles, "Goodnight, I love you."

"I love you, too. Don't get your ass chewed by your boss," I can't help but grin, knowing very well and good he isn't going to get his ass chewed about anything, but it is fun to speculate the concept of it happening.

Harry is too good at his job to get his ass chewed, the man is everywhere, he is always, and I mean, always, watching. I don't think anything manages to get past him when it comes to me.

Even when he is off duty he is cautious and making sure that nothing is out of the ordinary.

Harry rolls his eyes at me before he kisses my forehead, "Goodnight, Princess," Harry turns from boyfriend to security guard within an instant before he leads away from me with his tall erect posture— leaving me with just my thoughts as I enter my bedroom— that although considerably spacious and decorated is dull and hollow.

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Pandora Hearts, Episodes 14-16

In which we get yet more answers, Oz channels his ancestor, and Break is the goddamn best.

Century-Old War

And the answers don’t stop coming on this wild ride of a show. The remainder of our time in Alice’s memories has yet more revelations in store for us that spell big shake-ups for the playing field moving forward. As I suspected, Alice and Jack were indeed around for the Tragedy of Sablier 100 years ago. More specifically, dunking the capital city for a swim in the abyss was an attempt by Baskerville to sacrifice enough human life to unlock the path to the Will of Abyss (and yes, that is eerily reminiscent of Xerxes’ fate from FMA now that I think about it). And in yet another unexpected twist, it turns out the party responsible was likely Vincent Nightray. In other words, Oz isn’t the only character in this show who’s suffered the Abyss’ time displacement effects: Vincent and Gilbert were both chilling in there for the better part of a century before somehow finding their way back out, still the same children they were when they were sucked in and lacking memories of what went down. As for Alice? Well, she used to be human all those years ago. But someone- most likely Vincent- murdered her on the night of the Tragedy, and something about being sucked into the Abyss as she died transformed her into a Chain. That explains why she’s not quite as mindless as many of the other Chains we’ve encountered, as well as why she was so traumatized by these events she’d rather rip her memories apart than live with them.

Not gonna lie, it’s a little amusing how many characters in this show are suffering some form of plot-convenient amnesia, but at least Pandora Hearts is smart enough to tie these afflictions all back to the same general place. That way, it makes the Abyss feel far-reaching and treacherous thanks to how many people it’s been able to effect. Plus, it leads to more strong character moments between Oz and Alice, as he learns not to make the same mistake as the Cheshire Cat and appoint himself the sole arbiter of her happiness. There’s only so much you can defend someone from the things they fear when the thing they fear most is themself, after all. Alice doesn’t need a brave knight; she needs a friend who can pull her out of her own head and promise her that she’s worth sticking around for. And while Oz may have never known Alice when she was human, he knows her now. Not as a corrupted Chain or a perversion of humanity, but the attitudes and personality and sincerity that make Alice, Alice, whatever her actual classification may be. That’s the real Alice, and that’s someone worth sticking around for. Say what you will about how Oz is always two seconds away from snapping, there’s no denying he drinks his Respect Woman juice like a good boy. Seriously, ”To me, Alice is like the sun” is just cheesy enough to wrap back around to being sweet again.

The Hero Reborn

Last but not least, there’s Jack Vassilius, Oz’ ancestor, who still has many screts left to reveal. But it’s at least clear by now that he’s not the bad guy I pegged him as initially. In fact, he was the hero of the Tragedy of Salbier, and the fragment of his soul we meet carries on that legacy. He saves our gang in times of need, he genuinely wants to help Alice, and he pops out in the real world to set the agenda for the rest of Pandora: stop Baskerville from repeating the Tragedy of Salbier all over again. Their leader is still alive, Vincent’s a rat who needs to get snuffed out, and if they’re not stopped, yet another city is going to be swallowed by darkness as madmen use their sacrifice to draw closer to ultimate power. It is a little convenient that Jack’s able to astral project into the real world through Oz despite that not really being an established thing that could happen; seriously, how many beings in incredible power is this kid gonna share his meat sack with? But I can give that a little leeway because there’s clearly still unanswered questions about what exactly happened to Oz, and there’s no telling what direction his story’s gonna take yet. Maybe there’s weird ancestor magic that lets particularly powerful ghosts speak through their ancestors, maybe this is something Jack specifically figures out, but I guess we’ll see. For now, we’ve got our mission, we’ve got our enemies, and we’ve got all our allies on the same side working toward the same goal. Let’s hope Oz has enough fight left in him to finish the job before his clock finally runs out.

Breaking Point

At this point, I think all the characters in Pandora Hearts have grown on me. They’ve sorted out their kinks enough to have good chemistry with each other, and they’ve all got interesting internal conflicts relating to the bigger plot. But by far my favorite character in this show is Break, because he just does not give a fuck. He’s a chaos agent in the bast way possible; he’s completely unburdened by any rules of decorum or sociability, which means he’s able to push the plot forward in hilarious ways without stopping to worry about anything else. When it becomes obvious that Vincent’s the traitor- because let’s be real, that guy was bad news from the moment we laid eyes on him- Break doesn’t wait around like an idiot; he goes straight to the dude and confronts him head-on, because he’s got no patience for anything but the direct approach. I was so nervous we were gonna dance around this obvious bad guy and drag that storyline out, but Break said, “Listen, we know you know he’s evil, so let’s stop beating around the bush and get right into doing something about it.” That’s my kind of character, and he’s just a blast to watch as he dicks around with everyone else. Vibing as an upside-down mirror ghost, casually calling Cheshire out his controlling attitudes, genuinely apologizing for getting Oz in too deep (And causing Oz much anxiety in the process: ”What’s wrong? Do you have a fever?”), and one particularly fantastic moment where in quick succession, he gets so mad that he stabs his cake to shreds with his fork, then shoves the whole plate in his mouth to hide his shame, and then pulls the plate out with a fucking circus string attached somehow, because why the fuck not at this point. Bottom line, Break’s a goddamn riot, and I’m very glad for how he livens up this show.

Odds and Ends

-”I’m not trapped in here with you, you’re trapped in here with me.” -Break, probably.

-So Jack’s not in her memories, this is an actual fragment of his soul? Curiouser and curiouser.

-Oh shit, new ED? Nice!

-It just occurred to me that I think Cheshire has the same voice actor as Inuyasha.

-Ahahahaha groooooss

-Break what even is that pose istfg

-”I still haven’t found anything out!” Lol, Oz is me. Don’t take me from my juicy lore!

-”Figure it out yourself!” sdkjfhsdkfh poor Reim

-Lol at Alice and Gilbert both sleeping on opposite side of Oz’s bed. Oz is becoming a regular harem protagonist.

-”What’s with that obvious disappointment on your face?” god dammit I love him

-”I said I’d answer your questions, not that I’d give you an answer.” GOD DAMMIT I LOVE HIM

The stage is set. See you for the opening shots of this new chapter... next time!

[falloutmelody]

“You are the best thing that has ever been mine.”

(GIF IS NOT MINE, FULL CREDIT TO THE PERSON WHO MADE IT!)

PAIRING: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

WARNINGS: Mild threat, especially towards the end. The reader is injured in this following an interrogation, although there is no vivid description of these injuries! Nat and the reader are also being held hostage and are locked in a cell, but again, it’s nothing too vivid!

REQUESTED BY: Anonymous! Thank you so much for requesting, I hope this does your image justice and that you enjoy this one too! Don’t hesitate to send any more requests my way, especially if they’re for Nat, because I love writing for her!

WORD COUNT: 2016! Again, I had a lot of ideas, so this is a long one!

I wasn’t too sure if anon wanted this to be a follow up to my last Nat x reader, where the reader was Bruce’s sibling, so I’ve left it intentionally vague! So, if you want it to be a follow up because you liked that story, or just want something separate, either way, this should be okay with you! Again, I pictured this as happening post the first Avengers, but before Winter Soldier! But as always, no spoilers, so don’t worry! I wasn’t expecting to have time to get this done until next week, but, somehow, I did, so it’s a bit earlier than I promised!

As always, my requests are very much open! I write for Doctor Who (Thirteen’s era only currently), the MCU and Buzzfeed Unsolved! So, if you have something you want me to write, don’t hesitate to let me know! Please send requests to my ask, which you can find here!

Your feet scraped on the ground as you were dragged through the dimly lit corridors by two men that were insanely well built. You tried your hardest to focus on where exactly they were taking you- to give yourself some sort of mental map of the maze-like halls of this underground base. But you couldn’t. Your head was hurting way too much for that, and despite all your hours of training, all that was really dominating your mind in that moment was how much pain you were in. Apparently, not even all the fancy SHIELD training in the world could help you ignore the pain that came from being punched repeatedly in the face.

The sound of a distant creak reached your ears as the guards beside you roughly grasped your sore upper arms, forcing you to come to a very sudden stop. “What’s happening?” You weakly mumbled almost immediately, obviously not expecting an actual answer. All that you’d heard from these guys since they’d caught you the day before was increasingly aggressive demands for information about your mission and SHIELD in general, and of course, very violent threats to both your own life, and the life of your partner.

You were proved right as you received absolutely no verbal response. Instead, you were merely thrown forwards, hitting the cold ground before you with a violent thud. Sharp and searing pain radiated throughout your whole body as you forced yourself to bite back any cries of pain, scrunching your right hand up into a fist to try and help you cope.

“Nice to see they’re being hospitable.” A familiar female voice reached your ears soon afterwards, causing your pain to momentarily be replaced with relief.

Natasha was safe.

As the sound of a metal door slamming shut reached your ears, informing you that you were once again locked back up in the dismal holding cell, you weakly rolled over and pushed yourself up, deciding to settle for just sitting partly upright when your tired legs protested too much at the idea of physically standing up. “Yup. Made me feel very welcome,” you mumbled quietly as your vision finally focussed and adjusted to the light in the room, leading you to soon move your head in the direction Natasha’s voice had come from.

There she was. Thankfully, as far as you could see, the redhead seemed completely unharmed. God, you’d been borderline out of your mind with concerned that they’d try and get answers out of her whilst they’d been ‘interrogating you’. Whilst you of course, knew that she could handle such things, the image of her being physically hurt understandably caused you great distress.

A brief look of concern momentarily brushed over the expression of the Avenger as she met your gaze, with Nat soon making her way to your side, easily kneeling down beside you. “Jeez, what did they do to you, Y/N?” The two of you had spent a fair amount of time together now, but this clear tone of concern was genuinely new. Not that Nat had never allowed herself to express a softer side towards you, because she almost certainly had done, but this just a new level. Apparently, they really had hurt you. Given the pain you were in, that fact didn’t surprise you in the slightest.

“Mostly punching, I think. I… I’m not gonna lie, I kinda lost count after a while,” you admitted truthfully. Had it been anyone else in that room with you, you 100% knew you wouldn’t have been so open, out of fear of how you would be perceived. But this was Nat. Nat, who somehow always provided you with a strong sense of safety and made you feel incredibly comfortable being your real self around. Whether it was the same for her, you weren’t entirely sure, but you liked to think so.

You were brought out of your thoughts soon afterwards by another thing that caught you off-guard. Nat soon allowed her partly gloved hand to lightly settle on the left side of your face. You winced at first due to the pain but didn’t outright protest. It was an oddly comforting gesture. It was an oddly comforting gesture, a very nice and welcome contrast to the violence you’d suffered mere moments before.

After allowing her hand to linger there for a few moments, Natasha proceeded to very gently apply pressure, causing your head to lightly tilt to the side. That was when you figured out exactly what she was doing. She was trying to get a better look at your injuries.

“Nothing looks too deep, so you should be okay. When we get out of here though, you’d better promise me that you’ll get this looked at by a medic,” Nat spoke, her words being quiet to ensure that you were the only one that would hear her. You forced yourself to give a small smile, not wanting to nod and break out of the comforting touch of your partner.

“Yes, Doctor Romanoff,” you couldn’t help but softly remark in your best attempt at a playful tone. You just badly wanted something to lighten the mood. Your efforts were soon rewarded, as a small scoff of amusement came from Natasha, the soft sound causing your heart rate to pick up for something positive for the first time since you’d been brought here.

“Glad someone’s appreciating my skills,” Nat countered. “Just give me your word that you’ll get it treated, okay, Y/N? I don’t like the idea of something serious happening to one of the few people I trust to have my back.” Once again, you were somewhat caught off-guard by her words, allowing yourself a few moments to process the compliment, which was possibly one of the most meaningful you’d ever received, before you responded.

“I promise, Nat.” Your words were quiet but sincere, as you focused your gaze on her eyes. If you weren’t concerned about making her uncomfortable with sentimentality, or rushing things and ruining your relationship, you would have taken that moment to reassure her that you had absolutely no plans of making her lose you in the near future. Meeting this woman was, quite frankly, one of the best things that had ever happened to you, you had no plans of tossing that aside.

So, instead, you decided to once again make a light-hearted comment, to lighten the mood once more, before you would presumably start discussing how you were going to get the hell out of here. “You know, if I didn’t know you better by now, I’d think that this concern meant that you loved me.”

You watched as a somewhat coy smile soon formed on Nat’s expression. “Maybe I do,” she responded.

Wait.

What?

Your brain repeated those three words in a frantic manner, not being too sure how to respond to that. Hell, you didn’t even know if she was being serious. But if she was… Your heart rate once again slightly spiked at the idea, making you feel almost like a cliché character in a romantic novel.

You struggled for words for a few moments, something that you presumed showed on your expression, as you heard Nat give another small noise of amusement. Should you say it back? Would that make it seem insincere? Would that make her uncomfortable to outright state it? Thankfully, your rambling mind was soon given something to bring it back down to reality as Natasha proceeded to speak once more, her hand slowly coming away from the side of your face as she did so.

“Anyway, I’ve been thinking, and I think I’ve come up with something to get us out of here. I managed to get started on it whilst you were-” the red head began. However, she was very abruptly cut off, as the metal door suddenly swung open with a bang, and a man walked through that you vaguely recognised. You had absolutely no idea what his name was, but he was the man that had been doing most of the questioning during your interrogation. A deep-buried sense of nausea and fear formed in your stomach as the peaceful bubble Natasha’s presence had created for you was instantly shattered. What did this guy want now?

“My men and I are growing tired of getting nowhere. We’ve informed your beloved SHIELD that we have you, and what the consequences will be if they don’t pay the ransom we’ve stated.” No need to ask what those consequences would be. Your earlier conversation with these guys had given you a clear enough picture of how they liked to deal with people. Your stomach only dropped further as the man soon brought his attention over to Natasha, gesturing to his men with a simple hand gesture. As two soldiers began to make their way over to her, panic raced through you.

No. No. They were not going to hurt her like they’d done with you.

As they grabbed Nat’s arms, you quickly shot up onto your feet, earning you the attention of everyone in the small cell. Trying to ignore the sharp pain that was once again racing through you as a result of your sudden movement, you immediately spoke.

“Wait. I might have known more than I let on. I’m the one you want to speak to.” Of course, you were lying. Besides, even if you did know anything important about SHIELD and why you’d been sent here, you’d rather die than share it with these guys. But they didn’t need to know that. All you would have to do was ramble on about nothing and endure whatever they did to you until Nat was able to spring herself free.

“Y/N,” Natasha began, but she didn’t get much of a chance to finish her thought as the supposed boss shot her an aggressive look indicating that he wanted her to shut up.

The boss took a few steps towards you, studying you for a few moments. You weren’t entirely sure what exactly was running through his mind as he did so. Was he trying to figure out if you were being sincere about your claims that you knew more than you claimed? Was he trying to physically assess your weak points? You weren’t sure, but you refused to look away from him as he did so. This strange studying lasted for a few moments, before he turned back to his guards, and gestured with his head in your direction.

It was almost familiar at this point, the sensation of those insanely well-built men grasping your upper arms. “You’d better be telling the truth. Or your girlfriend will suffer for it, understood?” The boss spat at you, causing you to give a weak nod. As they went to lead you out the room, you brought your attention to Natasha, not entirely sure how to communicate in a simple glance that this was part of some complicated plan to buy her time to get you both to safety. But you were certain that she’d caught on to what you had in mind. Natasha had been doing this job far longer than you had, after all.

Unfortunately, though, you didn’t get to hold her gaze for long, as the guards quickly dragged you back out into the corridor. As you were once again stopped whilst the door was locked behind you, you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing back at Natasha through the small window at the top of the door, giving her a weak smile as you did so. That was supposed to be some sort of comfort, a promise that you were going to be okay. You knew you couldn’t really guarantee that, given what was going on, but you wanted to try and give her some sort of reassurance.

With that, you were soon dragged off, back into the cold, dark maze of this underground facility, with only one goal in your mind.

You were going to buy her time to get you both free. And when you were both free? You were going to tell her you loved her too.

AN: And I’m going to end it there! Thank you so much for reading this! I hope you enjoyed it! Don’t hesitate to send requests in, if you would like me to write something for you! Hope you’re having a good day, and I’ll see you all next time!

[coffee-obsessed-writer]

The Bipolarity That Is My Current Emotional State

This is solely for me. Read or don’t. But I need an outlet...

Some days I really do wonder if what I feel is real and genuine, or if I am settling because being around him is both familiar and new. Sometimes I don’t trust myself or anything I think... or feel... because I don’t trust ME. I have maybe three people in the world (besides my kids) that I know, for 100% certainty would never lie or lead me astray. 

The feelings of jealousy and doubt that fill me currently are ugly and unnecessary; yet... here they are. Its old insecurities rearing their heads and telling me that I am once again being played. This man... he’s a good man. Has a huge heart, and when he vows to be there for someone, he means it. This is currently happening where he is helping a mutual friend.... but he spends more time with this person than me. And while I understand the circumstances, I am still getting extremely jealous of it. I feel as if their friendship runs deeper than my romantic relationship with him at this moment. Whispers from the depths of my mind tease me with false imagery when my logical brain knows the truth of the matter. Yet somehow... I can’t completely let my guard down. 

To be clear, I don’t fear him wanting to be with this other person, that has been discussed at length and that is the one thing I do actually trust... BUT I have things in my own life (not to her level of chaos) that I am dealing with and it would be nice for him to sit and listen to me once in a while like he does for her, and be that caring, sympathetic friend to me. But he is so focused on helping her .... not putting his own life back together or building a life with me. 

Though I stay the course and work on this life lesson teaching me further ways to be patient, for ONE GOD DAMNED TIME IN MY LIFE I WANT TO BE SOMEONE’S MAIN FOCUS. Selfish? Maybe. But I know what I want and I am tired of feeling like shit about it.

I have a huge transition coming. Not just of a mental/emotional nature, but a physical one. I need to leave my current home and find someplace new. This all happens on the heels of a discussion with the man in my life about picking up and starting over somewhere new, together. 

You want to talk about signs from the Universe? Well, if that isn’t one, I don’t know what is. But here is where I start this self destructive phase... I am scared to death of trusting this man to take my children and I along with him to reboot our lives together. 

I know there is hesitation on both sides, and I know our feelings are mutual, but are we both so truly damaged that we can’t completely trust? If we can’t do that, how can we pick up and move across the country together?

Issue Two... my ex. Having to have the discussion of ---- yes I realize that we have not yet even signed the divorce papers but I want to take our children and move to a new state with this man I’ve been dating since January. Yeah... he won’t have a problem with that at all. YET... for the 20 years we were together, I feel like I have always deferred to him and almost needed to ask his permission to do anything. Don’t I have the right to say I want to start over with someone new... in a place that doesn’t have your imprint all over it... am I NOT entitled to that?

Issue Three... my kids. They aren’t bad kids. But we do have some issues and before the Rona locked down the world, I was looking for a family therapist to help us all. Being a single parent to 3 kids is the most challenging thing I have ever attempted in my life. The idea of moving out of state AGAIN with three kids, all by myself... AGAIN, makes me sick to my stomach. But I don’t have a choice. Staying where I am is not a viable option for several reasons... but how does one know they are picking the right location to settle in? Its not like I have a permanent partner to help me make this choice. The guy I am with won’t “Commit” to anything “real” until we both have our shit together. Another thing that makes my guard stand higher.... Do you mean it when you say you want to be with me and give my kids a real man to be in their lives? OR is this all just a lead on?

God I hate me. I hate my brain and the way I mistrust everyone and everything. I love this man... a lot. I want to be with him and have a future with him. And while my gut tells me he is sincere when he says he wants the same... I can’t help but wonder how long before he leaves me too?

[thejeksburyguy]

Warning: discussion of mental health and dark topics

I know I joke about my mental health and sleep deprivation on here. Alot. I reblog a lot of nihilistic humour and put 'lol same' or 'm e' in the tags. But in all honesty, my mental and physical health as of late is... not.. the best...

I haven't slept a full eight hours in weeks. I haven't slept for more than four hours in a few days now, and it just keeps getting worse. Recently I went four days in a row without sleeping at all, and I'm fairly certain I started hallucinating a bit before my body just hit the emergency brakes, and even then I only slept for two hours, maybe three. I might be starting to hallucinate again, actually, but I'm choosing to ignore that.

My depression has made a violent comeback, and my appetite is starting to go as well. If it weren't for someone very close to me (who I'm just going to refer to as Hyde from now on), I probably wouldn't be eating, but he pushes me to take care of myself and won't take 'I'm not hungry' for an answer. I haven't weighed myself (I'm actively avoiding looking or even touching a scale, I do NOT need to trigger my ED into waking up, I have enough on my plate (haha w o o p s) as it is), but I've probably started losing weight again.

Thoughts of self-harm and suicide are returning. It's getting harder everyday to ignore them. I have so much work to do, from school, from my parents, I haven't even had holiday breaks off because one of my teachers keeps assigning work over the holidays. Everyday more work gets added to the pile, and I'm struggling to keep up, but reaching out for help is pointless; half of my teachers treat me like I'm a burden on their life, and the other half I don't want to bother because my own mental illnesses prevent me from seeking help.

It's one of those 'it feels easier to just swim down' situations. I just want to hit the bottom and breathe out and drown. It really doesn't help that my mother completely ignored the doctor's orders and warnings and has not only made me aware of where my pills are, but has given me full access to them and trusts me to take them myself. It's tempting to overdose. It really is. And I'm scared, because I don't know how much longer I can hold out before my brain wins. Hyde helps alot, but he can only do so much.

I guess I'm writing this to clear my mind? Or maybe it's because, if I do go through with it one day, I don't want you all to wonder where I am. I don't intend this as a suicide note, not at all, and for now I'm not giving in, but it's hard. I'm honestly not sure if I'll survive finals week, heh heh. I know I've had public mental breakdowns in the past on here, but I haven't been 100% honest about how bad it is.

I have had 3 suicide attempts, only one of which my parents know about, and even then believe it was just me 'thinking about it'.

I have thoughts of killing myself and self-harming everyday, without fail.

I have high-functioning depression. Most of the people I interact with either have no idea I'm depressed, or don't know just how bad it is.

I have a lot of undiagnosed problems, things I believe are serious and need to be addressed, but as a teenager I can't do that myself.

It's 3:17 am right now. I should really go to sleep. I can't. My body won't let me, and the few times I do I have horrific night terrors. I'm afraid I'm going crazy. I know I make alot of connections between myself and TGS Jekyll, but I'm not trying to be memey or clever when I say I am genuinely terrified of being locked up in an insane asylum. My mother has already threatened to send me to one, not because of my mental health, but as a punishment or to 'scare me straight' due to a fight we had. I feel like I can't be honest with any of the adults in my personal life or I'll be strapped in a straitjacket and thrown into a padded cell. I'm probably wrong, but this is genuinely what I think of when I think 'insane asylum':

I know I probably should be in one. I'm a danger to myself, and most likely to others as well. I have a lot of tendencies and urges I suppress (alongside with my queerness; I'm openly queer on here and with friends at school, but most of it is either forced flamboyance or, when around other people, suppressing it and pretending to be cishet), most of which I know for a fact are a one way ticket to the loving embrace of medical torture. But I can't get into detail about it or ask for help or I'll be seen as attention seeking, faking it, or trying to be Edgy.

My therapist is incredibly sweet, but I'm not honest with her. I keep a lot from her. I feel like I'm burdening her, or she'll judge me. She won't, she's made it clear she cares about me, truly, but my brain won't let me progress and get the help I need. This meme I made pretty much sums up my life in one image:

I don't know why I'm even making this post anymore. I feel so manipulative, like I'm begging for pity and attention. I don't want that; I'd almost prefer getting anons telling me to shut up and kill myself, heh heh! At least then I wouldn't feel like I'm emotionally damaging people who care about me.

I sincerely hate myself for making this post now, actually. I want to delete it all, but I've spent so much time on it, it'd be wasted if I didn't post it. I can't afford to waste time, my brain might actually short circuit if it realizes I wasted time I could have been using to work. What is relaxing or free time, heh heh heh.

...I think I'm going to go cry to Hyde now.

[comicteaparty]

March 9th-March 15th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from March 9th, 2020 to March 15th, 2020.  The chat focused on HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers~! (https://hovergirls.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until March 15th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

It's so eye catching!

The bold color scheme immediately creates a strong identity for the comic

The contrast between the two MCs is

I'll comment more when I've read past literally just the first page lol

eli [a winged tale]

Wow I love the art! Very beautiful palette and interesting characters right off the bat (pun intended!). Great dynamics between our two mains and love the magic so far!

mcapriglione (Falconhyrste)

yall I heard you were talking about hover girls and I came running

I just caught up like yesterday because I'm sick so I've spent the whole day reading comics, also I picked up a physical copy from geneva at c2e2 and that's what got me started on the series!

What stands out to me so much is the characters, jalissa and kim are total opposites, and it's really interesting to see them interact with each other. also the little things in the background that tell more about the characters, like jalissa's love for soap operas and kim's references ahaha

RebelVampire

So time for me to jump into the chat. What I like about the beginning is that it starts you off with this sort of beautiful artwork and magical feel, only to drop the mundane on you with the coffee shop and the obsession with ranking on social media. Something about how this starts really gives me this sort of more modern day magical girl feel that usually isn't quite there. Like it's a bit gritty feeling cause life is gritty, and I like that. As for favorite moment in the comic so far, I'm partial to when the girls discovered their powers. I like how it just sort of happened, and the different reactions they had to it. It was both magical and funny. Also for the reasons below. My favorite character is Jalissa, no content. Jalissa is basically my spirit animal. Doesn't want fame, just wants to catch up on the soaps, but somehow winds up with more energetic people. All of Jalissa's reactions to everything are great and I love it. For characters interacting, really it has to go to Jalissa and Kim. They're such polar opposites I think you'd have to try to NOT enjoy it. But either way, that opposites thing really just makes their interactions endearing and interesting since going in you know they'll disagree and yet somehow wind up doing the same thing together anyway. So I really enjoy that about their relationship.

As for the art, I really just love the color design combined with the style. It has a very whimsical feel that works for the abundant blue schemes and I really just adore every bit of the atmosphere it creates. For themes, I like that the comic explores ego. Like that moment where Kim asked if she was getting too full of herself really hit home. And I like that the comic kind of explores that even if you know that you might get egotistical and all high and mighty, its not the easiest thing in the world to stop either. For the story's overall content, I'm just gonna point to what I liked about the beginning. I like that its a bit more mature, modernized magical girl story where the magical girls are adults. That's probably just bias in that I'm an adult so I relate more to adults.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. What do you think Jalissa’s backstory and relationship with her family is? How do you think Jalissa will continue to change as the story progresses, and what will Kim’s role be in it? Further, how will Kim change?

10. Why do you think Kim was suddenly possessed, and how dangerous are they? Can Kim be saved from it? Additionally, why was the person who possessed Kim surprised Jalissa also had powers?

11. Do you think Jalissa and Kim will succeed as magical girls and become popular? Why or why not? Additionally, how might this change the future plans each has decided upon for their career?

12. What do you think this comic teaches us about pursuing our dreams and responsibility? What has been your favorite moment in the comic so far that deals with these themes? Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

gee

Hello CTP! This is the creator of HoverGirls c: I want to thank you all for taking the time to read and discuss this comic! I bet you're all pros at what makes a good story, so it's really humbling to know that it's liked so far. I'll be happy to answer any q's about story, chars, etc. And it was super nice to finally meet you @mcapriglione (Falconhyrste) and hope you feel better!

mcapriglione (Falconhyrste)

Aaaaa hey welcome to the chat @gee !

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

Ok I just finished reading the entire comic start to finish. I have to say I'm not only impressed by the wonderful art and refreshing color scheme that makes me think of wild summer, but amazed that I find myself invested in this story! Usually it's not my cup of tea at all, but Hover Girls are going to clearly be the exception. I'm adding this to my comic bookmarks The first thing I have to give my kudos for is the sheer character design and characterization. I had sincere, and in Kim's case, almost visceral reactions to both girls, and the Korean guy (his name sounds Korean). While Jalissa intrigued me from the start, Kim got under my skin to the point I found her insufferable! It is only in the last few pages with her backstory flashback that I somewhat feel sympathy for her. I love the interaction between these two, and also how the story is paced so that we get to gradually become aware of more layers and nuance in the relationship they have. Jalissa's love and concern for Kim was clear to me from the start, while Kim's not so much. She (Kim) came across to me as immature, self-centered and inconsiderate. Later, when we see more of their history, I got to see the concern and love from Kim's side too. That's excellent writing to go with the excellent art. I also really like the premise with the alien creatures! I am intrigued and want to know more. Finally, I want to talk about the humour in the dialogue and the art in general. I love how there's a streak of black humour throughout the comic. My favourite character is (in case you didn't infer it yet) Jalissa, but I like the entire cast. They need each other to organically bounce off each other and develop. And lastly, I have to mention the really fun brand names and soap titles. Always makes me grin. Wonderful work @gee !(edited)

RebelVampire

I get the impression that Jalissa was a typical delinquent and that her parents werent around much - hence the delinquency. And so I imagine it's a bit strained at the best of it. I think Jalissa moving is her attempt to turn things around, and I think that is what will happen. Jalissa will become more responsible, take more of a sense of duty, etc. Which is what I think will happen with Kim, along with a healthy dose of gaining some humility. As for why Kim was suddenly possessed, maybe the weather? Regardless, 100% I'm sure Kim can be saved. Only bad villains monologue so Kim got taken over by a bad villain. As for why Jalissa's powers are a surprise, probably a lack of communication due to alien bureaucracy. Jalissa and Kim will definitely succeed as magical girls if you tone down expectations to be heroes who fight crime as opposed to what we see in every anime where they fight and just are completely fine and sparkly. As for becoming popular, maybe for a bit, but honestly, probably not. The internet is fickle so sure they might get a viral video....but then everyone will move on. I think it will mostly only change Jalissa's plans as she's finds there are more important things in the world than soaps. As for what the comic teaches about pursuing our dreams is that it's hard. My favorite moment is actually Kim checking if anyone liked the pic and it was just Jalissa. The world is saturated with talent, and even if you have the drive, the skills, etc., getting noticed is kind of a slog. But I think Kim shows us at least might as well keep trying.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I had the opposite reaction as @Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight) ! Jalissa irritated me at first, while I liked Kim. But then, when I saw Jalissa's genuine kindness, I liked her more, and when Kim started showing her flaws- how she's kind of self-centered and naive, I started to like her less. That's not to say I think this comic has bad writing, though! I like how the author has given everyone such realistic flaws. I went through a lot of cycles of liking and disliking the characters, and I think that reflects how it feels as you get to know some people irl. These characters are complex!

Seeing stoic Jalissa get truly angry at Kim was powerful.

I like the detail of Jalissa keeping her bat in her backpack's water bottle holder

"Only bad villains monologue so Kim got taken over by a bad villain. "

Rebel, that made me laugh

I think it's true too(edited)

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

+ü´´´´´´b n#ä+ß

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) it's exactly that we get different and real reactions to these characters that is the proof of excellent writing. We react differently, but we react as if they were real people and that's an absolute win!

mathtans

Woo, my schedule's eased a bit and this looked interesting. For the discussion prompts...

1. The beginning set things up well in terms of a quickie fight and then the characters and city situation. There was humour in that too. Good tone.

2. Fave moment, as far as plot was probably Jalissa interacting with blonde boy (sorry, forget the name) in particular because it seemed to be foreshadowing. Fave moment for relatability was the phone message with "Get to the point" because I SO relate to that.

3. Tough call on character. Both mains have good qualities and I don't feel I know the others well enough yet. I suppose Jalissa for her straightforward nature and sticking to her guns (like about dresses).

4. I liked Jalissa and Blonde Boy interacting, funny enough, as I said earlier. The cousin banter is good but the former stood out somehow.

5. The art's a neat blend of emphasis in some places and less in others; also interesting how the hair is done. Not sure why that sticks out.

6. I'm very bad at noticing themes. It's neat showing what "magical girls" do in their off hours. Also the troubles with getting noticed.

7. Story's clever, and I felt suspicious of Blonde Boy from him being around during the powers acquisition, which seems to be paying off. Nice to see ladies of colour too.

mathtans

8. Comic's got a bit of everything. Magic, mystery, slice-of-life... a reader can probably gravitate to something.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic? Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

9. Jalissa seems to be someone who grew up in a difficult situation and needs to blow off steam sometimes. I'm reminded of the time she punched the wall - but then within a day went to get the materials needed to fix it. I feel like she had an unhappy home life with no real outlet or people to talk to about it. Maybe the fighting evil will help, or at least give her a sense of accomplishment. Kim needs to be a bit more grounded in reality, and I suspect will, although at the same time you kind of hate to see it happen, like the death of innocence or something.

10. I wondered if possession was always part of the plan against Kim (once it happened), and that's why the water beings were around, like they're trying to get access to the powers... though it's seeming like it was always something inside her, she was simply able to suppress the feeling for a time. Until she was at a low point emotionally.

Actually, I always thought BlondeBoy had something to do with the attacks, and in the scene between him and Jalissa (the earlier one in the alley) you saw hint of blue in the art, and one wonders whether he was acting normally. I wasn't sure if it was a subconscious thing or a conscious thing. Now I wonder if Kim wasn't manifesting the items herself on some subconscious level, wanting something to defeat. Though maybe he still had a hand in it too.

Of course, maybe the weather has something to do with it too, as Rebel remarked on.

mathtans

11. I feel like their power as magical girls is possibly tied to the presence (or at least strength) of the enemy, otherwise why wouldn't it make the news more? (Granted, could be obliviousness by the populace, but this seems to be reinforced by the current plot elements.) As such, their magical days seem numbered... unless they could fight against regular mundane foes? I dunno. The world doesn't seem to care much about supernatural either.

mathtans

Maybe they should change their name? Hovering doesn't sound too aggressive, and I don't think they do it that much anyway. Granted, DampGirls isn't catchy, and H2OGirls is a bit clinical. ^.^

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I love this comic! The two main characters play incredibly off each other, and there's lots of great comedic moments. My fav is Jalissa.

I wonder if it is the weather that's causing these possessions? Because, like, the flying fish attacks in general are tied to the rain. Maybe particularly rough rainstorms cause possessions? I feel like the thing that possessed Kim and the boy was what brought about the powers in the first place - the energy that came down from the sky on the beach. It's odd how the blonde dude didn't seem to use powers but got possessed first, while Kim uses her powers the most and got possessed second... maybe Jalissa has an easier time resisting because she has the strongest will?

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights) I don't think Jalissa can get possessed- Bob said that his soul was split in two, and Jalissa got the powers while Korean guy got the mind

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

ah yes, that's true

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@mathtans I like "Hovergirls"! It's cute and catchy

gee

The title I still don't 100% like, TBH. I legitimately thought on it for a week before starting on this comic and still couldn't think of anything better XD

RebelVampire

What I'm most looking forward to in the comic is probably just more Jalissa in general and finding out why Jalissa is the way Jalissa is. Overall though, this is a beautiful comic with a great combination between modernization and magical girls with just the right hint of maturity that makes it more appealing for an adult. Definitely would recommend to adult fans of magical girl stories!

mathtans

To be clear, I had no issue with the title of the comic... with some comics there's only an offhand reference too. I guess I was more picturing the ladies arguing, were Jalissa to get more into it.

As to the rest of the questions, I think the comic can show that reality is somewhere between the two of them (though they do play off each other very well) as far as dreams and responsibility go. I'm vaguely curious to know whether the alien might be having a positive (or negative?) influence on BlondeBoy, who seemed a bit of a jerk from the lens of the others.

The world building is well done too, like I could even see spinoffs... these aliens apparently just sent a couple emissaries to Earth, maybe there's some sort of space force out there fighting too. Maybe they see Kim's videos and want to recruit her. Or hire her for public relations. idk.

Anyway, looks great, definitely an interesting read and nice showcasing of things you don't see other places, best with it!

gee

Huge thank you all CTP group for giving HoverGirls a read! I cannot thank you enough for giving your time and thoughts on this story and it’s been incredibly helpful and encouraging!!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

It was a great read, gee!

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about HoverGirls this week! Please also give a special thank you to Geneva Bowers for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked HoverGirls, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://hovergirls.com/

Geneva’s Store: https://gdbee.store/

Geneva’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/gdbeeart

[ibangtanthings]

Fake Love - pt 6

"Here." He placed a coffee on the desk.

Drinks weren't allowed near the computers or equipment but he was breaking his own rules.

"It's a thank you for helping me the other night when I was dying." He said.

"Ahh, thanks. I needed this." You held the cup between your sweater paws and moved to the couch.

There was a clear awkwardness in the air, but it was minimal. Nowadays it didn't feel so weird being around him. He seemed to be opening up. He actually made small talk occasionally.

"You didn't sleep well?" He asked.

"There was a couple arguing all night....They were really loud."

"What were they arguing about?" He asked, seemingly amused.

You looked at him. Was he really curious about something like this?

He scratched the back of his head. "It was over something stupid right? People in relationships provide stupid entertainment sometimes."

"It was pointless." You agreed. "One suspected the other of cheating. Once it gets to that point, there's no need to keep each other tied up. The endless fighting...it's so annoying."

He nodded. "What are they holding on to?...It's like a seesaw game that never ends. Not until one of them finally gives up."

"That's a good metaphor."

"Maybe I'll turn it into a song..."

"Maybe you should."

_______

"Your girlfriend?" You were a bit surprised but not that alarmed. It was Jungkook after all.

"Don't you see how natural this is?" His fingers curled in between yours. "How natural this always was? How could you not fall in love with your best friend?"

You stared at your hands intertwined.

He was right.

You two were always near each other, as if it was somehow necessary.

It was just the way you two were.

Being around him always felt right. Weirdly enough, you sought each other out a lot but that's what best friends do right?

Everyone had a best friend growing up, perhaps more than one, but Jungkook felt like the best of them all.

At the same time, he was more than that. He was the only person to just get you. There was no awkward getting to know each other phase. He just understood everything about you so easily.

He was your best friend and soulmate by definition.

Realizing this was a huge however.

You wondered if this was the type of love that people said lasted forever. Was he, the one? Did you really fall in love with your best friend?

Is this what that kind of love was supposed to feel like? Not overwhelming but natural.

Was it supposed to feel simple and genuine, as if it was always present from the start?

Admittedly throughout your time with him, there had been a few instances in which you found him making your heart flutter. On the other hand, it wasn't something you thought about too deeply.

You figured it was a normal occurrence with someone you felt so close to. You felt close to all of them but Jungkook was just...different.

You didn't remember how your romantic relationship began but it started making sense.

Jungkook knew everything about you after all.

A lingering fear and hurt still resided in your heart from your previous relationship with ****. A relationship you preferred to forget, if at all possible, but Jungkook knew about it.

He was the only one that knew about it. You trusted him with your life. At this point there were no secrets between the two of you.

Hopefully he knew just how much you cared.

You didn't know for sure if Jungkook was the one, although, you couldn't help but come to terms with the fact that it was entirely possible.

Jungkook somehow got under your skin. Of all people, he made you fall in love....

It seemed like the strangest yet most sensible thing.

Jungkookie...

The guy who would tease and annoy you somtimes was just Jungkook now, the guy who was able to comfort you when you felt so small and dumb. The guy who made sure to check up on you every few hours. The guy who could make you laugh wholeheartedly but also someone you could have deep conversations with.

Now he was looking at you with those not so innocent eyes, telling you how normal this all is.

You hated romance in the cheesy sense, but if he made up some terrible pet name then you wouldn't mind hearing it come from him.

Why were you so blind to his feelings in the first place?

You felt like a bad friend for not seeing it sooner. For not understanding his feelings as they were manifesting themselves right in front of your eyes.

You smiled. "Well, people always say that if you end up with your best friend then you're one of the lucky ones...I'll admit, the idea of us being together crossed my mind occasionally...at random times but that's normal between best friends right? It wasn't something I thought about too often, but I never outright hated the idea either."

"That's exactly why we agreed to try it out...." His eyes lit up but then he became more serious. "...When you disappeared, I thought you left me and everything else behind. I blamed myself for doing too much, or for not doing enough. I thought things were going well." He stroked your cheek with his thumb. "I thought you were happy...You can't force emotions like that. I know you loved me."

He thought you were faking it, and left. How heartbroken he must have been. That why he hesitated when he walked in.

He didn't know what to do.

The way he was looking at you now, the way he was holding your face in his hand, it all felt new. It felt real.

You liked staring into his eyes, confirming all his sincerity.

"Why would you think I was capable of doing that to you? I don't remember us being together together, but I trust you more than anyone else. I care about you more than anyone else." You sat up and reached for his hand again.

"I've always felt the same way...but the night you went missing...I thought the worst of you." He said, feeling a bit ashamed. His eyes wandered away a bit. "I thought you left because of that other guy..."

He was biting his lips now and you knew he was still upset. Not at you anymore but at himself.

"Hey," You squeezed his hand. "He has nothing to do with us. If anything, as a friend, you've helped me move on. I'm sure that as more than a friend, you also helped me move on from him. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize this but I'm more sorry that I don't remember us."

"We can start over. We can take things slow."

You smirked. "Look at us. We're sharing a bed and it's not the first time. I remember our late night gaming sessions."

"I haven't even touched our games since you left...but one of those nights, things changed. That was when we began an official relationship." He recalled.

"Really?" You listened attentively.

"We probably drank too much but I think the alcohol made us brave."

"How so?"

"We talked for a bit. It started getting chilly so I gave you my sweater."

You couldn't help but smirk. "A real gentleman."

"I was shivering but then you looked at me and said I was getting more handsome everyday."

You laughed. "No way."

"You did!" He pouted as he spoke. "After a while there was no space between us...just like now..............I leaned in.............like this." He said, reenacting that night. He was staring at your lips as he got closer.

"Jungkook..." You said anxiously and he smiled.

"Right, that's exactly what you said..so I stopped. Like I said, we can take it slow." He leaned back.

You couldn't help but ask. "Did we.....?....um..."

Suddenly he became smug. "Do the devil's tango together?"

You sighed, blushing bright red and he started cracking up.

"No, no. What do you take me for?"

"No, I'm just confused about...." You sighed. "I need to be completely honest with you first."

"Okay, tell me. What are you thinking?"

"I know I had a slight, tiny crush on Yoongi. One I never acted upon or even acknowledge most of the time...You know, maybe it was because I worked with him a lot, I probably just wanted to get closer to him............You know how he was before, he hated me. If I agreed to be your girlfriend then most likely I was over it, 100%, but it was something I remembered and thought you should know."

He nodded but he seemed disappointed. "I know. We talked about it...but there's something you need to know."

"What?" You asked worriedly.

He sighed. "You might be surprised but if you really think about it, you won't be surprised at all..."

Lost, you looked at him expectantly.

"Yoongi didn't renew his contract. The deadline was a few weeks ago and he didn't sign the new contract."

It took you a moment to process what he said.

Even then, you didn't believe it.

Yoongi wasn't into the whole fame and fortune thing but music was his life. He liked working on Bangtan's music.

All things aside, objectively watching him as a professional, it was clear how much he loved to work as a producer.

He never came off as the type to disregard the impact this would have on everyone; the guys, the fans.

"He didn't renew?...." You repeated, attempting to make sense of it but to no avail. "Why? How? How could he do that?"

"I don't know what's going to happen next but I think Bang PD will try to talk to him. He might try to persuade him to sign."

"I want to talk to him. Maybe I can persuade him to change his mind, I don't know, do something." You said.

"He doesn't want to deal with anyone right now. It was always obvious he never really had his heart in Bangtan."

"But anyone with a heart wouldn't turn their back on their fans. Making music, it's something that you can't just let go of either." You explained.

Sure, you didn't feel super close to Yoongi but you just knew how he felt about music.

Jungkook could only understand a parallel of how much music means to you, and to Yoongi.

Jungkook loved singing but he was still learning to create music from scratch. Yoongi had that undeniable passion for making music that you understood, because that feeling was the sole reason you became a producer in the first place.

"Well he did, and he's screwing all of us over at the same time."

This was the end, wasn't it?

"No. Sad as it is, your career is far from over. You would do great as a solo artist and Bang PD wouldn't let you go even if you wanted to." You answered.

He shook his head. "That's a conversation for another time. Let's not talk about this now. I don't want you to worry. Get some rest so you can recover quickly."

He laid back again.

"How can I not worry? How can I not be sad? I want things to be okay. You guys are my life now."

"They will be. If not, you still have me."

"What about everything and everyone else?"

"Don't cry..." He whispered. "Don't cry because of him. You're tired. Just listen to my voice. Even if this is the end, I will always keep singing just for you. I'll try my hardest to make you happy."

You were surprised by his words. Being consoled by him was a relatively new feeling.

You weren't embarrassed anymore...and actually liked this new side of him. You could almost believe him.

You hid your face in his side and quietly let the tears roll down your cheeks as he started humming. His hand rubbed your back and he began singing some of the covers he recorded before with your help.

After that moment you confirmed your feelings for him because you needed him more than ever, and he needed you.

The both of you were about to lose the thing you loved the most.

It was instant how desperate you became to keep him by your side.

He was trying to be strong about this and his first priority was you.

If he broke down then you would do anything to ease his pain, he knew that...or at least you wanted him to know.

Only for tonight you would be selfish and let him baby you.

Only for that night did you allow yourself to feel the pain of fear and uncertainty hanging above your head.

_____

You woke up before him.

The nurse came in quietly and checked your vitals. You just stared at Jungkook sleeping so soundly, it was hard too look away.

Angry tears rolled down your cheeks. A part of you felt bad for him, but you didn't understand why.

You went to the bathroom and washed up before breakfast came around. He would surely wake up if he smelled food with his sensitive sense of smell.

In the meantime you began to pack, absolutely sure that you would be discharged that day.

Thankfully Jungkook left his phone on the side table so you quickly reached for it. To be safe, you locked yourself in the bathroom.

Yoongi's number wasn't in his contacts anymore but you had memorized it a while ago.

"How much longer are you going to torture us? Let me see her. Let me see her you sick fu-" He answered but you interrupted him.

"Yoongi." You breathed, breaking down.

"Y/N?" He said, surprised to hear your voice. "Y/N, where are you exactly? I'm coming right now. Don't hang up."

You heard someone yell after him but his footsteps were already echoing loudly through the phone as he ran through the halls.

"On the sixth floor. Room 509. He's here with me. Yoongi please don't hurt him. I just want to go home."

"They're going to try to arrest me. Get out of the room. You can help me explain everything." He was breathing rapidly as he sprinted up the stairs.

You rushed out of the bathroom and grabbed your things.

Jungkook began stirring awake and with the commotion that began to build outside, you knew Yoongi was only a few seconds away.

You weren't scared. Jungkook wouldn't do anything if he caught you trying to leave. He would never make you fearful but despite his actions, he's only made you worry.

It always took him a while to come to his senses when he's waking up so you just remained calm and placed his phone back on the small table besides him.

Then you walked out of the room, colliding into Yoongi's arms.

"Thank God you remembered." He breathed, and you could feel his heart pounding. He held you so tightly it almost hurt but you didn't care.

That moment was so surreal and you felt how serious the situation was then. No longer did you sympathize with Jungkook who seemed like a lost kid, making dumb mistakes.

He became someone capable of hurting the ones he loved the most.

Seeing Yoongi in such a state was heartbreaking.

"I can't believe this happened." You whimpered. "I can't believe he went that far.

He held you closer than ever. "It's over. I'm here. You're okay now. I never thought I'd be able to say I love you again. I thought you forgot about us."

You sobbed into his arms, apologizing uselessly and the cops stopped in there tracks as soon as they saw you guys together.

"Miss, are you sure that this man is your boyfriend? Your guardian specifically stated he was not allowed near you for safety purposes." The officer said.

"My guardian is the one who shouldn't be near me. I can explain everything. Please let my friends come upstairs too."

The doctor finally showed up, short of breath from trying to catch up.

"Get us a room and keep him away from us." Yoongi said sternly.

"Sign here." The doctor looked at everyone with a shocked look on his face. He was definitely flustered. "It's a form that changes guardianship."

You quickly took it from his hands and just then Jungkook rushed out of the room.

"Y/N." He said, only looking at you, only focusing on you and nothing or no one else. "What are you doing?" He stepped forward.

You squeezed Yoongi's hand, warning him, pleading that he wouldn't do anything, that he wouldn't react. If at any time you wished for him to read your mind, it was then.

Somehow he stayed frozen in place. Somehow he got the message.

When Jungkook stepped closer, you fell to the floor, scared that he would even dare touch your hand.

That's all it took for the cops to confirm that Jungkook needed to be kept away from you.

Jungkook didn't look at Yoongi, at the doctor, or at the cops. His eyes held yours as you got up again, but his expression was that of pure agony.

"Y/N, don't leave me." He said. "No, you can't do this. Y/N, listen to me."

You couldn't look away from his teary eyes but you never squeezed someone's hand so tight. Yoongi squeezed back, placing his other hand on the small of your back reassuringly.

"Y/N he lied to you. He broke your heart. I saw it in your eyes. I swear on everything that I will never hurt you. Y/N, remember what you said about us. Y/N, PLEASE." He begged.

"Y/N." Yoongi spoke and you finally tore your gaze away from Jungkook who was now being escorted away.

Yoongi's strength was the only thing keeping you upright. He even covered your ears.

You couldn't find the words to say how heartbroken you were that this was all happening. That your best friend was the cause of this mess.

Everything you had just convinced yourself of being true was pure bullshit and he let you believe it.

You were too distraught to sign anything. Yoongi was trying to calm you down but it wasn't until the rest of the guys showed up that you felt surrounded by a shield of protection from hurt again. They were there for you at a moment when you needed them the most.

"Sign it. We can go home after the doctor confirms that you're okay." Yoongi assured you.

You nodded and signed the paper. It felt like you were signing away your friendship with Jungkook. It was the beginning of the end with him.

The guys stayed by your side as the doctor did his routine check up. After an hour or so, the rest of the paperwork was filled out, mostly by Yoongi.

There was silence as they walked you to the van. There was silence when you arrived home with Yoongi.

There was silence for a few days as you slipped into a depression that made you feel lifeless.

Yoongi understood that you needed time but he never left your side and you didn't want him to.

You remembered how it was before with him. Sometimes words weren't necessary. Just being by his side was more than any comfort in the world.

He cared for you in more ways than you were used to. He cooked and cleaned, and he even took extra time out of his schedule just to stay home a few more hours a day.

You would just lie in bed or on the couch, watching old movies that didn't have much substance to them.

It felt wrong that a few days ago you were in Jungkook's arms, admitting that you had feelings for him.

"....Where is Jungkook?...." You asked quietly one night at the dinner table.

Yoongi looked up from his plate, surprised to hear you speak about him for the first time since the hospital.

"Bang PD sent him home for a few months."

You didn't say anything else. Obviously the company made some excuse as to why the group was pushing back the comeback date.

Still....Yoongi didn't bring up the fact that he didn't renew the contract. Last thing you remembered was that you guys saw things differently on his decision not to renew.

"I don't know how to begin explaining what happened in that room." You felt your lips tremble.

"Then don't. What matters now is clearing things up. Ask me anything. Do you remember everything?"

"I remember everything." You assured him.

"So you remember how disappointed you were with me?" He avoided your gaze as he asked you that.

"I don't blame you for doing what you think is best. I feel like I wasn't supportive enough. Bangtan is over now. I have to get used to it."

"Do you still love me?" He watched your eyes carefully now.

"Of course I do....I just don't know what's wrong. He broke something in me."

"I'm sorr-"

"Don't apologise....and don't ask me if I still love you. You did nothing wrong."

"I just needed confirmation. You look at me differently."

"I know........He made me realize that there are still walls between us. There are things I haven't told you. Things I've always been too scared to talk about."

"That's a relief." He stated.

"A relief? What do you mean?"

"It means you still want to seem perfect to me. As long as you still love me, you'll keep feeling that way."

You thought about it and he was right. For the first time since leaving that hospital you felt something else besides shame.

"Is it the same for you?"

He nodded. "I try really hard to seem perfect but I failed many times already..."

You almost laughed. "No.....Think about it this way...in my eyes, I messed up more than you have. You're still pretty perfect."

"It's okay if you need time to tell me everything. I know this isn't a trust issue thing. I understand you. We're more alike that you think."

His words made you feel more comfortable again.

You guys cleaned up and got ready for bed. He was excited to show you a few things that you had missed in regards to the company, the general population and songs he's been working on.

He was still giving it his all these last few months and it was his way of thanking his fans.

"Was it hard? Waiting for me this whole time..." You asked, wondering how crazy it must have been for him.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever dealt with. I was losing my mind. No one knew where you were for weeks. The company found out that you were in the hospital only after Jungkook did. I rushed right over but he made sure no one was allowed to see you."

"I woke up that morning...and I remembered everything. To be honest it was overwhelming. It's like I fell in love with you and found out you quit all at once. Then I realized what he did to me and...." Stupid tears brimmed your eyes.

"The people closest to you can hurt you the most. Everyone knows that. He knew that, and he didn't care. He was never your friend in the first place. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you won't feel hurt anymore."

"It's hard to think about it that way. He was my friend before you were."

"I could say the same thing and look at how fast his loyalty disappeared."

"That's true." You felt a bit of your self-pity diminish.

"There's a lot I haven't told you. I don't want you to feel guilty for hiding stuff from me. It's normal. You don't have to tell me all your darkest secrets and thoughts right away. The only thing this should tell you is that you're still processing whatever happened."

"I guess I'm also embarrassed when it comes to explaining the stupid things that have happened to me. It's hard for us to have deep conversations in the first place. We don't like to show weakness."

"We're not perfect. We can only try to be vulnerable sometimes."

"Tell me something. Tell me something about you that you've been hiding. I'll do the same."

"You go first." He tried to switch it on you.

You contemplated telling him your whole reason for being there in the first place but it was too heavy of a topic to bring up now.

"Something embarrassing?" You asked.

"The most embarrassing." He smirked.

You inhaled and felt your eyebrows furrow in a worry.

"I'm being sarcastic." He pulled you onto his lap and you shook your head.

"No, I'm not going to chicken out. Let me think."

He seemed amused but you told him not to laugh no matter what.

"Let me think too." He said, getting ready to be just as vulnerable.

You took a deep breath and finally looked into his eyes.

"Min Yoongi...." You began.

He sat there attentively.

"When you go to sleep....."

His eyes began squinting with each word that came out of your mouth.

"I take a picture of you because I think you look really cute."

"That's it?" He asked with a chuckle. "...I guess you lost all those pictures then huh? I'll get you a new phone tomorrow."

"You don't think it's weird?"

He placed his hand on your cheek and shook his head. "I do the same."

"What?!" You exclaimed. "No way. Let me see your phone."

He laughed wholeheartedly and admitted that he was just kidding.

"I don't look pretty to you when I'm drooling or what?" You asked, feeling the embarrassment now.

"Of course you do. I live in front of the camera so using it just feels weird to me. I'd rather look at you with my own eyes. Do you want to hear my secret now?"

"Mhm." You forgot your own embarrassment and got excited to hear what he had to say. You had to remind yourself to take him seriously because that's what this was about. Being vulnerable and getting closer.

"Y/N......this is embarrassing only because I haven't really known how to initiate things between us."

"Initiate things?" You repeated.

"I think you're so pretty.... that sometimes I have to hide how excited you make me feel.....if you understand what I'm referring to."

"Even at work?" You asked, watching his cheeks get red.

"Yeah....." He admitted. "Even at work sometimes."

You giggled and hid your face in his neck, unable to make eye contact. There was a tiny silence as you thought of how to respond.

"Well.....it's not that hard to just initiate something....I mean we are together...and I'm not opposed to sex before marriage or anything like that....You know that I'm not a virgin, and I know that you aren't either.....we're both adults here...and I obviously see you in the same way..." You were rambling but it gave him time to think.

"I know it's dumb. I'm not the type to shy away from these sort of things."

You sat up again and met his eyes. "Then what makes you so hesitant with me?"

"You're so fucking beautiful Y/N." He said, almost as if he was complaining.

You felt your breath hitch and your heart race.

"I don't think I can handle rejection well from you." He chuckled.

"You have a lot of pride." You laughed as you straddled him.

"Be careful." He warned.

"I'm not doing anything." You stated. "Pride looks good on you...."

"Apparently it turns you on." He teased.

"I'm not turned on." You laughed. "I just think it's good that we talk about this."

"Alright......music or no music?" He asked.

"Doesn't matter to me. If there is music I like it really low." You replied.

"Same....What about dirty talk?"

"It makes me laugh if it's not at the right moment."

"Is that a bad thing though?" He joked.

"Laughing during sex? No." You giggled. "Mmm....what about whips and chains?"

"Are you into that?!" He seemed surprised.

"No." You laughed. "But I do like being submissive...make me feel small. Make me feel like you're the one in charge."

"That I can do." He assured. "I like talking to you like this. You scared me these past few days. I finally got you back but you were so quiet."

"I was scared but now I'm not....I hate crying in front of you. I hate when you see me as a weak person. That embarrasses me the most."

"I never think of you as a weak person. You're the opposite of that actually. It's why I started liking you in the first place. You're not afraid to speak your mind and defend your opinion."

"We're both stubborn like that." You shrugged.

He exhaled. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

___________

[starlightseb]

I Couldn't Be More In Love • Ruben Loftus-Cheek

A/N: Requested by the lovely @fuxkingzzle!  This is very loosely based on the song I Couldn’t Be More In Love by The 1975

Words: 2143 Warnings: none apart from the fact that this is EXTREME FLUFF!

You are meant to hate your ex boyfriends, right? You are meant to blast IDGAF by Dua Lipa, Irreplaceable by Beyoncé and such songs until you are 100 percent over him and never want to see him again.

So why am I sitting next to my ex, in my favourite dress with candles littered across the table and my favourite meal in front of me?

-

Earlier that day

"Are you sure I look alright?" I asked Ruben for reassurance as I did a quick twirl, showing off my dress.

"Yeah, you look great." Ruben looked me over, causing me to clear my throat and divert his attention back to my face. It looked like he had been hit by a tonne of bricks. "When are you meeting him?"

I had a date night arranged with a friend of a friend, set up by one of my closest friends who claimed that this guy was "the perfect guy" for me. I wasn't too sure about the whole situation, but considering the fact that Ruben and I had broken up over a year ago and I hadn't been on a date since, I had decided there would be no harm in meeting new guys now.

Plus, Ruben and I had basically secured our relationship as friends these past months. With him back at Chelsea and me now graduated from University, we were now able to spend time with each other again. Time for the feelings once hidden away to resurface yet again. I had basically accepted that we were never get back to what we were before: two lovesick teenagers, joint at the hip and in a stable relationship.

"10 minutes or so." I answered casually, quickly checking my make up in the pocket mirror.

"Do you want me to drive you there?" He offered, twirling his car keys around his index finger.

"Yeah, that would be useful actually. If you don't mind?"

"You know I'm always here to help."

His words and his smile caused my stomach to twist and turn, that fuzzy feeling rising up. I try to ignore it as I tuck a piece of stray hair behind my ear and break the eye contact between us, my voice light and airy as I speak.

"Likewise."

-

I said 10 minutes, but it ended up being nearer 20 minutes until I was making my way out of the house with a new colour of lipstick covering my lips. I decided that red was too bold for a casual first date. I ensured that the front door was locked before stuffing my house keys into my handbag and made my way to Ruben's car, parked in the drive.

As I opened the passenger door, Ruben's head shot up and the small smile that he had etched on his face remained as he looked up at me as I took my seat in his car.

"What instagram model are you DMing now?" I sarcastically asked, turning around to reach for my seatbelt.

"You have such low standards of me." I heard him laugh as he put his phone down and started the ignition.

"Well if you are smiling like an idiot at your phone like that, it can only mean one thing." -

"Excuse me," I raised my voice to get the attention of the waiter as he passed. "Did anyone show up for this reservation before I arrived?"

It had been half an hour since I arrived at the restaurant, expecting my date to already be there considering the fact that I was fashionably late already. However, I was met with a vacant table, which has been my only company for the past 30 minutes.

Either:

a) I had been stood up, which is just the most embarrassing thing as I sat amongst all the other couples who kept staring oddly at me.

or b) He thought I stood him up and only waited 5 minutes over the time we said to meet before rushing off again.

For the state of my self-confidence and self-esteem, I hoped it was option b. However, deep down I knew it would be option a.

"No, I don't think so. Sorry." The waiter said in a rush, but did not fail to give me a sympathetic look before rushing to a table across the restaurant. With that, I had enough of waiting and decided to get a taxi back home.

-

I was hardly through the door when my phone began to buzz and a familiar name popped up on my screen: Ruben. Hesitantly, I answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, how did it go? It seemed really quick?"

"How did you know that I'm back??"

"Snapchat maps, babe."

"Because that isn't creepy..."

"I was just making sure you weren't going to get kidnapped or something. You know, stranger danger?"

"Well you don't need to worry about that. He didn't even show up."

"He didn't??"

"Nope. No one."

"Dickhead."

"Yeah, but whatever. I'm just going to get changed into my pyjamas and watch some Netflix, I prefer that anyway."

"No!"

"No?"

"I mean no, don't ruin all the hard work you put into yourself tonight because of a dickhead. Come over to mine, we can watch some films."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, of course. You'll be over in 30?"

"See you then."

-

As soon as I stepped into the lounge of Ruben's house, my heart felt like sinking to the bottom of my chest. The lights were turned off and there was nothing giving light apart from the candles and the TV screen, already open on Netflix. Blankets covered the sofa and there was a strong, endearing smell coming from the kitchen. I placed my jacket over the sofa before strolling slowly into the kitchen to find Ruben dressed slightly smarter than before and fussing over a pan, stirring it with a wooden spoon.

"Ruben?" I raised my voice to get his attention, causing him to jump and turn around to face me.

"You're here!" he exclaimed before awkwardly smiling and turning back to the pan.

"What you making?" I asked, curious as I approached him, peeking over his shoulder.

"Pasta. That is your favourite, right?" He turned his head slightly to look at me. I nodded in response and bit my lip in an attempt to hide the smile threatening to make its way onto my face.

I picked up the fork and plunged it into the pan of pasta to pick out a piece to test it. Ruben watched carefully as I blew gently on it and took a bite.

"Mmm perfect." I mumbled before repeating the process but this time offering the piece to Ruben who hesitantly leaned forward and ate the pasta off of the fork I still held in my hand.

"Yeah, that is quite nice." he nodded in agreement, turning the hob off and getting out the plates. I stood back and watched him serve up the pasta with care, my heart fluttering at the sight. Do friends do this for each other?

"Parmesan?" he offered, holding up the tube of parmesan with a smile.

"Duh, of course." I laughed, watching as he was overly generous with the amount of parmesan he put on my pasta, knowing my love for the cheese.

"You can go and sit down in the lounge, I will be through with the pasta in a second." Ruben gestured towards the direction of the lounge. I nodded and slowly walked through to the lounge, taking my shoes off and making myself comfortable on the sofa. When I brought the blankets up to my face, I was overwhelmed with a familiar smell, indicating that these blankets were from his bed.

"For my lady." He finally walked through, a smile on his face as he presented me with the plate full of pasta. I smiled generously at him before he walked away again to get his plate. For the short time he was in the kitchen again, my hand went crazy over his words 'my lady' and that tingling, fuzzy feeling returned in my stomach.

I waited until he was back with his plate and sitting down comfortably beside me before I started to eat away at the pasta. He passed me the remote for the TV and nodded for me to choose whatever I wanted, which he instantly regretted with a groan as I pressed play on 'Pride and Prejudice', a favourite of mine and an annoyance to Ruben.

"Well you let me pick." I winked at him before returning to my pasta.

Soon, the end credits appeared on screen and empty plates and glasses covered the coffee table in front of us. I found myself snuggled into Ruben's side, his arm firm around my waist as my eyes began to get increasingly heavy and watery with tiredness. I unwillingly broke free of his grip as I stretched and let out a small yawn before turning to face Ruben, who looked equally tired, his eyes looking into mine before glancing down towards my changed outfit.

Half way through the film, my dress was getting increasingly uncomfortable with the amount of food I consumed. Ruben suggested that I help myself to his wardrobe, to find something more comfy and cozy to wear. I decided on one of his football shirts and a pair of his sweatpants which seemed to be grabbing his attention an unusual amount throughout the film, every now and then, glances at the back of his shirt on my body to see his name on my back. I decided not to confront him about it.

"Thanks a lot for tonight. Really, you have made my night 100 times better." I thanked him in a sincere tone, a genuine smile on my lips.

"It was what you deserved." Ruben simply shrugged, stretching his own arms out, showing off the muscles in his arms, causing me to bite my lip slightly.

"Well, thank you anyway. I don't know what I would do without you,"  I blurted out, my eyes meeting his as I utter the words. His eyes seemingly sparkling at my words. Scared of the intimate moment, I regretfully change the mood of the conversation. "I'm sure if you do this for the instagram model you were talking to earlier, she will fall head over heals in love with you." I joked, a false laugh escaping out of my mouth.

Ruben's look suddenly turned serious. His eyes narrowed as he reached over to grab his phone. "You want to know what I was smiling 'like an idiot' at in the car?" he didn't give me a chance to answer as he turned his phone around to my face and flicked through the several selfies that I took on his phone when he left it unattended earlier that day. They were all quite embarrassing actually, each of me pulling a different stupid face: tongue out; overdramatic pout; several chins; thumbs up. When he flicked past the one with me over enthusiastically smiling at the camera, he quickly flicked back, looking at it for a moment before showing it to me again.

"That one is my favourite." he chuckled, but by this time I was unable to speak. I could feel my cheeks turning a deep shade of red and by body heating up all over. "That smile is unmatched by any instagram model." he uttered quietly before turning the phone back off again and placing it beside him.

"Ruben... I..." I finally managed to mumble, albeit in the most quiet whisper I could. He looked back at me, our gazes locking. I opened my mouth to speak again but was interrupted as he began to speak again.

"The truth is," he started, nervously biting his lip and rubbing the back of his neck. "It's always been you. Always been you that I want to see in the crowds of my games, cheering me on. Always been you that I want to see smiling last thing at night and first thing in the morning. Always been you that I picture spending the rest of my life with. The reality is, I couldn't be more in love with you."

As his little speech ended, I could feel my heart beating frantically in my chest and my hand instinctively reach out for his, bringing his hand towards my mouth to press a kiss on it.

"You have no idea how difficult it was for me to be apart from you for a year, the only times I saw you was through the TV screen." I admitted as I mumbled into his hand.

"Then, it won't happen again. From now on, it will me you and me." He insisted, gently bringing me towards him again.

"Yeah," I smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek and then his lips. "You and me."

[breathe-smiles]

pt iii. points of improvement

i’ve been having some trouble figuring out how exactly to go about this next chapter of growth in my life. i’m attempting to let loose a little more, take things as they come and take them constructively, but easy. there’s definitely advantages in formulaically guiding your growth, knowing specifically what you want and trying to create a way to get it. this is what i’m used to; this is what i know how to do. but somehow, i feel intuitively that i’m currently in for growth that’s spontaneous.

i’m 18 now and it’s 2020. i’m starting my second semester of college. i didn’t expect to be where i am, mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually. i love being in control, but i am oddly finding comfort at the moment in letting go of that control and floating. i want to be shown realms i’ve never seen before and meet people i didn’t know could exist. i want to be challenged to think outside of what i know and grow in ways i don’t expect to. it’s really important to me to know what i want. but instead of solidifying my goals and paving my path right in this moment, i want this period to uncover to me what i really want. i don’t have a tangible outline of my future, but i’m excited for the journey of creating one. and i know through it, i’ll learn things i never even thought i needed to know.

everyday, i continue finding my truth. i constantly question the things i think, say, and do, in order to grasp a deeper understanding of why i am the way i am. i have trouble compromising absolute authenticity; i always need to be true to me. sometimes, i have to think twice and revise impulsive comments or thoughts, or make changes to my behavior, because i don’t feel like i’m upholding myself genuinely. it matters a lot to me that i am honest, real, and sincere. those are the things i value the most.

and so, despite being excited to free-spiritedly discover, roam, live, and grow, i have to keep in mind that there are things i have learned and noticed in the past couple of months that do still matter and do hold true to me. living with my head in the clouds, running around my new universe that’s doubled in size, and letting myself go instead of holding on tightly, i realized that i can get caught up in a multitude of convoluted things that don’t necessarily represent me and aren’t necessarily important to me. the theme of my life right now is to be free and feel okay being free, discovering and uncovering things instead of looking for them. but remembering to bring myself back down to earth is the only way not to lose myself in the process, or become somebody i’m not. i have to stay grounded and committed to who i am, because that is so important to me (and because i know i can). i am capable of simply evolving into a more refined version of my core self, even if, at the same time, i flip my world upside down, change how i live and interact with society, and reorient my aspirations and dreams.

that being said, i haven’t been completely myself in the past couple of months. and i didn’t hold myself to my usual standards of being myself because it had been first semester freshman year of college. this was a transition period that i needed to give myself. but needless to say, i could’ve done better. maybe i didn’t do as much mental preparation as i should’ve, because it was a fucking rollercoaster. i fluctuated from having some of my highest highs to lows that i forgot could exist and back. and for the first time in a long while, i didn’t feel in control, like i had no grasp at all on my mental instability. one minute i’d feel on top of the world and the next i’d be falling apart. i was so unsure of what was good for me and what was bad. i just took things as they came and let them hit me like a truck.

my hopes for winter break were to truly process and regain my ability to be in control. my time at home was meant to be therapeutic, to remember who i was before i left and all the things that i ran away from. now that i feel like i’ve done that, it’s clear that lots of things have to change for me to do better. these are parts of me that are points of improvement, crucial pieces that make me up that i’ve let loose these past couple of months. this is me regaining me.

i. self

personality reform is hard. most of the time, you know who you are and you’re sure about it. so, when you try to revert to staying true to you, it feels like mere readjusting. other times, you hope you haven’t already lost bits of yourself in flux.

i’ve been primarily working on my patience and teamwork abilities in the past year, as well as how i deal with setbacks and results that i don’t expect to receive. these things have only gotten better and better, which i am happy about. i’ve been able to continuously push my threshold for tolerance and navigate the dynamics of the different teams i’ve become a part of.

the main thing i’ve noticed first semester is that i’ve lost a little bit of my down to earth-ness - and it’s weird to say that because being down to earth is something i value so much. the person i project to others, especially to people that don’t already know me like the back of their hands, is more intimidating and intense than ever before. maybe this is a product of my found confidence, or maybe a continuation of my ability to have a conversation. i’m no longer shy and that’s apparent now. i stopped being hyper self-conscious and stopped caring so much about what people thought of me. on one hand, i’d categorize that as a strength of mine. on the other, it’s led to more oversharing than i’d like, a lot less consciousness of what i appear to be like.

social media is also once again playing a role in this. being in la has definitely made me more aware of who i am materially (which i’ve come to appreciate as a good thing, even though it’s simply a lifestyle i don’t really understand). aside from trying to create a pretty instagram feed, i’ve also gotten into the habit of oversharing on my finstas. not that i mind keeping those close to me updated. i just find difficulty constructively solving my own problems when i externalize them instead of internalize them - and that’s something i have to keep in mind.

i guess what i’m saying is that i need to relearn how to project the person i want to project. people only need to see so much. and that much for me, is not a lot.

ii. professional life + extracurriculars

academically, i’m impressed by how well i managed to do. i got a 3.9 gpa, which entails straight As and one A-. i didn’t even know you couldn’t get A+s. the point of improvement, however, is that i didn’t throw myself 100% into my work. i wasn’t doing the most i could do. i hadn’t paid attention every time i should’ve. even though it doesn’t seem to matter much grade-report-wise, it matters to me that i wasn’t giving it my all.

the other thing is my health. my physical and mental health are tied, and i seemed to let that slide. fencing practice hurt so badly, but i knew how rewarding it’d be. creating reasons to skip practice made me feel unworthy of taking on the sport in the first place. in addition, i went to the gym maybe once in the very beginning of the semester. my body doesn’t look all that different per se, but it definitely doesn’t feel good perpetuating the inactivity. now that i’m back on my game, i remember just how much a little activity could do to clear my head.

the last thing is that i need to do more things that help me grapple with my future career paths. how do i integrate my interests to ultimately do something that i truly love? i guess i’m still seeking out extracurriculars that help me find this meaning; i guess i’m still learning.

iii. society

i have never felt as introverted as i have in college (and you’d really expect the opposite). what i’ve learned is you really can’t escape people on campus. you’re living with other college students, constantly surrounded by other college students, and inclined to interact with other college students. having complete alone time is almost impossible, unless you make the effort to leave campus.

in all honesty, i quite like the social aspect of college. this environment is an aspect of college i was really looking forward to. but i’ve also had to reevaluate how much time to myself i really need, what i say to invitations to excursions, and if i’m recharged enough to engage in interpersonal interaction. this has been a challenge, and i hope to get better at it this semester. i need to remember it’s a balance between my need for me-time and healthy portions of social interaction.

another part of this is who do i want to surround myself with. my intuition and my ability to read people give me good advantages in filtering the population, but it’s also proven to me that making friends that i really do vibe with is pretty difficult. it’s strange because even though you’re surrounded by people 24/7, finding the ones you’re really in tune with is still incredibly hard. i know it’s a matter of being patient, though. i forget that it took me a few years to meet some of my greatest friends from high school. i suppose it is fate.

@ second sem : hit me w the best u got. i am ready 4 u. 💥

[sentiniel-butitgetsworse]

rwde

highly unpolished, awful explanation, but scene-by-scene commentary of unbridled annoyance and rage. read at your own peril.

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

so the episode opens with a fight scene. sweet! cool! but its so badly staged, sometimes you have no idea what is happening the first time round. it’s crowded and messy, not a very good look? im talking about grim being hid behind ice while the camera is panning and hitting some trees when we’re literally panning out to show someone else in focus DESPITE THE FACT THEIR MITIGATION SHOULD BE FRONT AND CENTER TO LET US KNOW IT HAPPENED CLEARLY. legit! there’s the one where nora shoots at a grim and the shell explodes into black dust and the grim is gone. did it die? grim dont usually die by fuckin smoke but this one sure fuckin did i guess ‘cause i literally dont know what happened to it? no recoil and fall, just deleted and hid behind some 2d-lookin smoke! sure! why not?!?!!!?

s/o to the white/rose speedy thing that had no reason to be there and yet they did it

---

then there was the “adam ruins everything” segment where he literally just murders? everyone? like i get that its off screen for the younger audiences but also like he fucking murders everyone. literally! did i miss something? is it a good tactic now? did they think it was very villainous of him to murder people??????? god bring me back to the beginning when he actually has a good character reason for why faunus would follow him into revolution because this adam taurus is so bad he’s worth flushing down the drain for.

“tHe BeLlAdOnnA nAme HaS bRoUgHt Me NoThINg BUt gRiEf”

also that opening shot where adam is proud. jfc what? is he even part of salem’s crew anymore? was the Adam short supposed to tell us he isnt? is anyone reviewing this and thinking 100% it’s a good idea?????

wait why is this scene even second? that’s a really awkward position to put it in the whole episode? honestly? like it kinda underlines how awkward a villain adam really is; it has no build up, no reason to be there. sure, the audience is hungry to know what happened to adam, but there’s legitimately no reason to put it as the second scene in the episode, there’s no context??????

callout post for this scene because its literally just voicelines while panning slowly through the bottom floor of the room. and the blood only shows up later??? also is the white fang only comprised of like 7 people now??? isnt it a globally feared organization (ie. isis)????

---

there are two bodyguards for the train. two? two. and for some reason they’re asking for dlc to provide more/personal protection? hello, did i miss something? anyone thought it was a good idea? what class of transportation did they get? if it was dangerous enough that on a train ride they’d need people to guard the journey it wouldn’t even be built there? or what, did they get a max-luxury, train ride with insurance kinda deal? and it had two (2) bodyguards? two (2)!!!!! or was it in the middle of the road??? i may have enough context for the environment but none on economy of this place i swear

“hey ladies we’ll protect you wink” jaune and lie ren literally sitting one (1) feet away not saying anything, could be everyone’s moment to justify “hey we’re literally huntsman despite being kids, we know what we’re doing” but qrow has to step in and apparently his  credentials would ward off some bodyguards???? like “hi yes sorry im the dad of literally 8 kids, i can protect them all” not a convincing argument here bud

illia deserves more time on screen and also closure because neptune fuckin hit on her and that’s obviously enough to change scenes right

also neptune being “you really gonna let her go? l:/” feels like he’s salty instead of wukong tbh; wukong feels/sounds like the literal i can do anything kinda guy -- which he is in mythology and probably in universe (except for intelligence i guess, despite the fact he literally outsmarts his opponents through a lot of his mythos) so i dont mind him being let off the hook, but any hesitation implied during this scene? weak

illia building up to kiss but hugging blake instead, but blake kissing wk on the cheek straight up on camera yo really

---

blake emos in the corner and because its queued up right after the wk/neptune scene its not a far fetch to say she’s emo-ing about wk but turns out its yang? would’ve preferred the setup to be stronger (blake watches yang get on the bed and feels sad/regret, zoom in on yang’s arm to show the audience but not tell them)

i give props to blake being shown “wait leme get that for you” real out the way though, because it underlines properly that blake feels ridiculously bad and wants to do something to make up for yang. good characterization/storytelling!

then they break it w/ like a 30s scene of yang and blake making up almost immediately with a “oh everyone will feel better about it soon :)” BRUH SHE GUILTY BOUT YOUR FUCKIN ARM BITCH CUT BACK TO REALITY DAMN the running away part is sincerely legitimate but also??? blake should be a/ more anxious than that and b/ be more worried about???? yang’s arm??????? for real m8

---

“dont let anyone else die” a/ assumes the bodyguard trying to defend the train literally died and b/ also really fell flat? as a line? get something better...????

genuine dislike for the tactic of qrow fights the Big Boss and everyone gets a handful of weaklings; to stall? possible. but also just feels like a bad tactic overall? also their animations always look like they’re doing an rpg battle; one ability used + animation! then return to original position. that’s a big fallacy of fighting monty oum style and i genuinely hope they recognize it soon

“YOU’RE ATTRACTING THE GRIM TO THE PASSENGERS” ??? i get the part where leading them to the back of the train may help (having them all divided in sections [grim + hunters, passengers, front of train respectively] may help but how does automation attract grim again? like, turrets shooting at them would do so if they’re in range, and they all came from the back so they’d move along towards the middle, but also they wouldn’t continue moving forward? i guess? what im saying is they should really just be around jnxr + oscar instead of way forward in front

when the bodyguard tried to get into the train and barely made it, that SNAP sound was just. raw. i felt that. good! i was very scared/horrified/eager to see if they’d literally break off his arm and he’d just be lying there in a pool of blood or something in shock. he didnt because of aura and i don’t know what to say because a/ it definitely wouldn’t be a bruise and b/ if he had aura and was in the bodyguarding business, wouldn’t he also have a proper semblance to fight off grim most likely? and he aint using it so why he so confident for dlc earlier the heck

bumblebee looks back to the carriage and one lady’s just with her baby like a cheap heartstrings tug

“WHY WON’T YOU TELL US THAT” yang’s line here assumes that they’ve asked about it before and ozpin/oscar refused to answer. i disagree? i think it works better with “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US THAT?” because it definitely was a factor they’d all have to take into account with regards to travelling w/ it in the first place. which they are. tbh yang (and jaune in the op) has every right to be mad at him real talk but also change that line please it bothered me so much

---

blake sees the hooded adam figure and honestly idk what kind of omen that is but it feels/looks weird. another no context scene i guess. tbh id take that one out of this episode entirely and shuffle it next episode probably. (and put the adam ruins everything scene at the back of the episode)

grim stop chasing because tunnel. and then they chase the train through the tunnel really slowly? feels weird but okay i fuckin guess; these are just the things im willing to pass on

ren and jaune look at each other like “lets do it” but why does ren? look up? like there’s no extra effects there, its not visible that he’s trying really hard to extend his semblance out. no cool semblance-using eye powers there. it feels kinda cheap for him to do that w/o any additional highlights that he’s activating his aura? also creepy

OH THERE’S THAT SCENE. yang starts off the Big Fight Montage with grabbing the grimm by its horns and then flips it around. cool move! then she promptly punches it up and closes her eyes. what? tbh that was ridiculously weak after a stupid good setup. budget aside i’d say there was an opportunity for a focused choreograph there; instead of a punch up, use a bullet fire up, keeping the enemy’s front half up in the air for a longer period of time. run under, punch/kick the underbelly, bounce off to the side, bullet fire off the side of the train. 

blake cutting off the tail was a good move. rt studios deciding to change shots when the enemy has the same pose, so that we cut to ruby fighting the same kind of grimm is not. it breaks clarity for the viewers, that’s not how matching cuts should work tbh

these big grimm dying in a couple of hits are also just? kinda weak-feeling. like these characters got stronger from rpg levels, but not from actual combat training and learning to outsmart your enemies, or upgrading your weapons. feels cheap.

ruby bouncing around in attempt to kill these grim is kinda cute? which may be what they were trying to do? but also not well choreographed i guess. it doesn’t flow too well, just bounces in seperate spikes.

when weiss redirects the flying grimm to ruby, it feels like its? not clear what she did. was it a semblance/shield? colour that blue, we know she uses white but white on white doesn’t work out well. ruby’s scythe sinking into the grimm also doesn’t work great because you get confusion when the shot is supposed to show it sink into the grimm, but you cant see the scythe blade sink into it. like you could only get it from context after watching it that she sent the grimm flying by doing the above, but dont recognize the action in the moment.

callout post to yang and blake fuckin shooting at nothing when there’s a clear path/shot to ruby and qrow’s big monster.

fireball just kinda looked cheap. there wasn’t a long breathy build up, and the fireball just feels way too fast (camera or distance?); reasonable that qrow would be hit by it, but cheap-feeling in the sense that it shouldn’t have happened/it felt unfair, that it happened. he should’ve gotten knocked on his ass by power/strength and being caught off guard, and it felt like more like “oh no he got knocked down! D:”

HHHHHH WEISS ICE SKATES TO THE GRIM BUT ITS NOT LIKE YOU PAY ATTENTION BECAUSE SOMETHING ELSE CALLS FOR IT AND THEN SHE LEAPS UP TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GRIM. SHE’S WHITE, THE BACKGROUND IS WHITE, YOU LOSE SIGHT OF HER, I LEGIT THOUGHT SHE VANISHED BEHIND THE GRIMM BUT IT WOULDNT MAKE SENSE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. IN THE NEXT SHOT YOU MAY SEE HER AT THE LEFT BUT HER SEMBLANCE IS BLACK TO MAKE HER STAND OUT MORE BUT THEY DIDNT DO THAT FOR THE PREVIOUS SHOT WHY????????

“YANG!” yang promptly bounces off a grimm that isnt shown to have hurt or is dead from the fight and runs off to the bigger grimm as called. understandable, but the other grimm? is just? there? not dead? not doing anything???

also the we need to ground it idea feels really cheap? the grimm isn’t a problem because of its wings, it’s a problem because it’s being dealt with by one (1) person who decides it’s best fighting it on one (1) front vs two on a train. there’s so many ways to tackle this guy! we know qrow’s capable of jumping onto it, but all he’s doing is that, instead of moving to the other side and maybe catching it off guard?????? qrow, fight fucking better.

s/o to qrow/ruby pulling off a move together, cute but also they should’ve been slicing it at different points of the grimm, because they would’ve just died right away if they both went on the same plane? or anywhere near each other? weapons are fucking dangerous we remember right?

GRIMM LAUNCHES A FIREBALL AND IT GOES ON AN UPWARDS TRAJECTORY. IT DOESNT AND INSTEAD GOES IN AN ARC WHEN IT NEVER NEEDED TO. HERE’S HOW YOU COULD DERAIL THE TRAIN. FIREBALL, MOUNTAIN, AVALANCHE/ROCKSLIDE, TRAIN DESTRUCTION. OLD GRANDMA THAT STUMBLES OUT OF THAT/APPEARS BEHIND THE TEAM AFTERWARDS IS MORE IMPRESSIVE FOR HAVING ADAPTED TO THAT FROM INSIDE THE TRAIN THAN TO JUST SIT THERE AND POP OUT LATER LIKE xD lmao wassup yall?

---

yeah thats it and here’d be the adam ruins everything scene right before the opening but we cant get what we want so w/e

[elcorhamletlive]

fandom: MCU ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark tags: Fluff and Humor/POV Natasha Romanoff/Natasha Romanoff Is a Good Bro summary:   “I don’t even find Steve attractive.” Natasha says, eyes following greedily every drop of coffee the machine pours, for once in her life genuinely unaware of the impact her words are about to cause.

A little-known fact about Natasha Romanoff (and by “little known” it means only Clint knows, really): She’s slow in the morning.

Of course, Natasha's definition of “slow” is still about a hundred times more alert than anyone else’s. Still, she knows. She’s not at her 100% until she has a cup of coffee and eats something. Sure, most people would argue that Natasha’s 30% is already enough to take down the government of a small country, but she doesn’t care.

It's not like anybody ever notices, really. Everyone always expects her to be completely sly and aware at all times, so even on the rare occasions she isn’t, people’s perceptions do the work for her. She keeps to herself before getting her coffee, Clint tries to make sure she always has the first batch of pancakes when he cooks, and everything works fine. At the end of day, Natasha's inability to fully function before she's had breakfast is just one more thing the world will never know about her.

It also happens to be the reason why, right now, at the kitchen of the recently reformed Avengers Compound, Natasha finds herself in the most bizarre conversation of her life.

Rhodey is sitting at the table with Tony. They have a gossip site opened on his phone. Ever since everyone came back and the Accords were stricken down, they’ve had to be extra careful with the media and the process of reintegrating the fugitives to the team. Rhodey has helped a lot, but sometimes he just wants to have a laugh at the insanities being said, so he goes through obscure internet forums and reads the most insane conspiracy theories for them.

Natasha usually enjoys it, but now she’s waiting for her coffee to get ready, so it takes her an extra second to register what he’s saying.

“It seriously amazes me.” Rhodey’s voice comes from a distant, far-off place where he and Tony already have coffee in their mugs. “A purple maniac tried to destroy the universe, the U.N. went back on a law, and all they can talk about is your affair with Cap.”

She shrugs, her eyes still firmly on the coffee machine. “They love this story.”

“They sure do. It’s everywhere. Did you know there are people online who think part of the reason you ran away with him was to elope?”

Natasha knows. It’s always been a popular rumor, ever since she and Steve became friends. She doesn’t mind it – it’s good that the press has dumb things to keep them occupied. They might not have anything to hide, but Natasha still prefers it when the public’s eye is distracted by silly things. Call it a habit.

“That’s sexist. Isn’t it?” Tony’s voice is even more distant as he chews on a piece of toast, and Natasha allows herself to ogle the pancakes on his plate wistfully. He’s still talking, though. “No one said Sam or Clint or Scott were going for a patriotic hookup when they became fugitives - and we all know Scott would definitely go for it. Can’t a woman and a man just have the same political opinions? I mean, you and Cap have known each other for years. You fought together. They think you’re, what – fucking in the compound? It’s – it’s preposterous, really. Offensive. Ridiculous.”

It’s a testament of how slow Natasha is in the morning that it takes until now for her to grasp the clear insecurity behind Tony’s rambling. She takes her eyes off the coffee machine for one moment to look at him and transmit total sincerity as she says: “Absolutely ridiculous.”

The obvious relief in Tony’s face manages to be even more ridiculous, but Natasha is already back at looking at the coffee machine, who finally decides to get to work and starts filling the pot. Her mouth waters.

“’Course it is.” Tony goes on, evidently cheered up by her answer. “Though that doesn’t stop people online from obsessing about it. I liked this article where they think it’s a love triangle, with Steve and Sam fighting because of your feminine wiles. Of course, good old All-American love wins at the end.”

“I don’t even find Steve attractive.” Natasha says, eyes following greedily every drop of coffee the machine pours, for once in her life genuinely unaware of the impact her words are about to cause.

There’s a moment of silence.

Tony grins, shaking his head.

“You know, I’m always caught by surprise when I remember you actually have a sense of humor. It’s a pleasant surprise, though.”

Natasha just looks at him, confused. The coffee pot isn’t full yet – there’s no reason to joke.

“Not a very good joke, really, but since this isn’t your thing I’m willing to give it an eight for effort. Plus, like I said, it always gets me by surprise when you allow your inner comedian to shine, so that’s a factor in your favor.”

Rhodey gives her a strange look, half-apologetical but also suspicious, as if he’s wondering what’s her angle to say something like that.

Natasha doesn’t answer.

“I, uh… I think she’s serious, Tones.”

Tony's grin falters for a moment, and he looks at Natasha as if he's never seen her before.

“Wait," He says, raising a hand in the air and gesturing towards her. "I get it. That’s your defense against those admittedly offensive and terrible rumors. Totally understandable. But you don’t have to do it here. Can’t speak for Rhodey, of course, but I have always been against selling lies to the tabloids. I provide them with actual material, out of respect for the art of journalism.”

In any other circumstances, Natasha would know better than to entertain Tony being Tony so early in the morning, but, again, she’s working at 30% of her usual efficiency here. She honestly doesn’t know what all the fuss is about.

She moves to take the – finally – filled pot and pour coffee into her mug. “He’s not bad-looking, but he doesn’t do it for me.” She manages to mumble – a feat, really – before taking her first sip, feeling her entire body waking up pleasantly at the taste.

Tony gapes at her.

“’Not bad looking’? " He asks, his voice full of righteous indignation, as if Natasha's just insulted him deeply. "The man is a specimen! He is literallythe peak of human perfection, with a jawline that could probably cut glass and eyes so blue Van Gogh would be jealous. That’s a completely objective statement backed by casual and fully platonic observations of a teammate and friend, by the way.” He adds, in response to Rhodey’s amused look.

Natasha shrugs, before taking another sip. She feels slightly better, but it's not enough. She steps towards the toaster, picking up some bread. “He just doesn’t do it for me, I guess.”

Tony’s eyes widen at her. Then he shakes his head again, a slight smile on his lips. “Oh, ok, now I get it. The beard doesn’t do it for you. That’s fine. It’s not for everyone, the Handsome Lion look.”

“God, Handsome Lion, are you even listening to yourself?” Rhodey says, unable to fight back a laugh.

“Buzzfeed came up with the name, not me!”

“Tony, come on, this situation is getting ridiculous-“

“There’s no situation, platypus, as I’ve told you a hundred times before.” Tony’s voice grows a bit wary and Rhodey shakes his head, looking at her with an exasperated expression.

Natasha’s just had three sips of her coffee by now, so she can finally put two and two together. Oh, she thinks. This is about the whole Tony-and-Steve situation. A situation that’s been going on for literal years of unresolved sexual tension, mutually unspoken admiration and a ton of frankly pathetic pining.

The thing is, Steve is one of Natasha's closest friends. He is actually her closest friend aside from Clint (something that never ceases to amaze her, because she never thought she’d have even one really close friend in her life, let alone two). By comparison, she and Tony are not that close, but she likes him a lot, and she’d be very happy if he and Steve could sort out their shit and get together.

However, to be completely honest, Natasha gave up on Steve’s love life years ago. Between a dozen of refused blind dates and finding out he was actually harboring a secret years-long crush on a man he had completely convinced himself he had no chance with, Natasha had come to accept that Steve’s a little more than emotionally stunted in the romantic department. Combine that with Tony’s own pile of issues, their messy history, and Natasha’s pretty sure that any attempt of matchmaking for those two would only end up in tears.

Of course, apparently, Tony’s closest friend has a different perspective.

“Sure, sure, no situation at all.” He says, rolling his eyes. “Then why does Nat’s opinion even matters? Hell, I’m not attracted to him either.”

“You’re not attracted to men.” Tony replies. Then he turns to Natasha again. “Wait, is that the case here?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Natasha deadpans.

Tony blinks at her for a few seconds. “Then… I mean, it’s gotta be the beard, right? I suppose it can take a little bit of getting used to, but I never pegged you as someone who would prefer the All American Boy look.”

“I wasn’t attracted to him before the beard, either.”

Tony snorts. “That’s bullshit. Just straight up bullshit. Sure, you don’t have to want to hop into bed with him or anything, but you’re a person with clear eyesight, functioning mental faculties, and no inclinations towards nazi ideology. You know he’s attractive.”

“I suppose so.” She tries. Her stomach is grumbling, and, as the toast gets ready, she wonders if Thor ate all the peanut butter again.

“You made out with him, Romanoff! The mall security tapes are just one google search away, don’t make me pull them out.”

“I’ve done a lot of things in missions I wouldn’t have done otherwise.”

Tony' gapes at her for a second before composing himself. “What – how – so, wait, does that mean it was bad?” The sheer incredulity in his voice would make her laugh in any other situation, but right now, she’s busy opening the fridge. Damn Thor. The next time they spar, she’s going to make him regret it. “Kissing Steve? I mean, when you think about it, it’s not like he’s been getting a lot of action in this century, right? Was it… What, was he too awkward? Too stiff? Too much tongue, maybe? Did you guys even use tongue?”

Natasha gives a look to the table to see that Rhodey is facepalming at Tony’s terribly disguised curiosity. She wonders if they still have any Nutella left. “I honestly don’t remember.”

Tony lets out an indignant squeak.

Natasha sighs. And people wonder why she’s never honest.

“You kissed Steve – I mean, you kissed Captain America and you don’t remember what it was like?”

“It was years ago, Tony.” She turns towards the cupboards. There should be a jar of Nutella here somewhere. Then she notices Tony’s baffled look and shrugs. “But it was ok, I guess.”

“’Ok, I guess.’ Come the fuck on!” Rhodey gives him a warning look, but Tony just gestures around. “What? It just doesn’t make sense, and you know it.” He turns to Natasha with an accusatory look. “If the beard doesn’t do it for you, then the All American Boy look should do it. Why can’t you admit it? You do know the Cold War ended a while ago, right? No one is going to accuse you of betrayal for admitting attraction for an American icon, Natasha. I promise.”

No Nutella. Natasha scowls. Clint is definitely to blame for this one.

She resigns to picking up some cream cheese, getting her plate ready and sitting on the table. Meanwhile, Tony is still talking.

“I’m just saying that, that, it’s not normal, ok? The man is literal physical perfection, and you know I hate misusing that word, but in this case it’s just what it is, plain and simple. There’s, like, scientific data on his attractiveness. And it’s not even all because of the serum, I mean, you could create a new mathematical formula on the angle of his jaw alone!” He pauses for a second, winded. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“I can’t. You’ve gone beyond the definition of hopeless.” Rhodey says, still with his face buried in his hands, but smiling a little. “Nat, just ignore him.”

She should, she knows, but right now she’s a bit upset that she’s had to wait so long for a subpar breakfast, so she can’t resist poking Tony a little. “To be completely honest,” She starts, taking a bite of her toast. “If I had to rank the entire team by attractiveness, Steve would probably get the last place.”

Even Rhodey raises his head to stare at her with wide eyes.

“I feel like I have stepped into another dimension or something.” Tony glares at her, completely ignoring the pancakes on his plate. Now that she’s more awake, Natasha wonders if she can get away with stealing some of them. “Is this a parallel universe where you’ve never met Steve? Or, or he never took the serum, and Captain America is someone else? Does the person we know as Steve has, I don’t know, Thaddeus Ross’ face or something? It has to be that, right?”

“Last place seems a bit harsh, Nat. Like… Of the entire team?”

Natasha just chews on her toast. It’s slightly burnt, just to top off this amazing morning she’s having. She nods.

Tony looks at her like he usually looks at people when there’s a chance they’re being mind controlled.

“Steve. Steve is the person you find the least attractive of the entire team. Steve Rogers.” He runs a hand through his hair, still staring at Natasha like she's just grown a second head. “Does that list include, I don’t know, Vision? The Hulk? Clint?”

“Vision is second-to-last.” Natasha admits. “Mostly out of respect for Wanda, though.”

Tony's mouth just hangs open for a moment, before he starts talking again. “You know, usually, my first instinct would be to ask about my spot, but now I don’t know if I’d feel flattered even if I was number one, since your taste is so clearly screwed up.”

“Thor is number one.” When he’s not stealing other people’s breakfasts, she completes mentally.

Tony’s eyebrows go up to his hairline. “Thor?! Are you serious?!”

Rhodey looks at him confusedly. “Thor’s a pretty handsome guy, man.”

“Yeah! And he’s a muscular blonde with blue eyes! How can Thor be number and Steve’s the last?!” Tony snaps, slamming his hands on the table. He looks at Natasha as if she’s personally offended him. “What are your turn offs? Shyness? Full lips? Renaissance-esque facial features?”

“Wait, now I need to know. Is the Hulk really on the list?”

“Seventh place.” At their shocked looks, she shrugs. “A woman has a right to be curious.”

“Clint, then.” Tony says, with the expression of a man desperately trying to hang onto something that makes sense. “You two are practically siblings. Plus, he’s married. Plus, he’s Clint. There’s no way he’d rank above Steve.”

Natasha just stares at him for a moment.

“Wait – oh, my God – that’s already happened, hasn’t it?! How – was it before Laura?”

Natasha keeps staring.

“Holy shit.” Tony breathes, while Rhodey’s mouth opens in shock. “Well.” He says, blinking slowly. “I guess the white picket fence life apparently doesn’t exclude threesomes with hot Russian spies. The more you know.”

Natasha finishes her toast. Not a good breakfast by any means, but it gets the job done. By the time she stands up to wash her dish, she’s feeling like herself again.

“Wait, don’t act like this conversation is over.” Tony calls after her. “You still haven’t given me a single discernible reason for why you refuse to acknowledge that Steve is attractive.”

Natasha stares at him for a moment, considering. She takes a look at the digital clock on the wall – 10 A.M. on the dot, she notices. Which means…

“You know, Tony, Steve doesn’t care if I don’t find him attractive.” She pauses for a moment, long enough to let the words linger. “In fact, he doesn’t have the best self-image either.” Another pause as she watches the effect of that information on Tony, who widens his eyes. “That’s probably why he doesn’t date much. Or why he can’t bring himself to make a move on someone he’s attracted to.”

Tony opens his mouth to say something, then closes. He gets a thoughtful expression and looks away, lips pressed together. On the corner of her eye, Natasha can see Rhodey watching them attentively.

“So, um." He starts, crossing his arms. "In a hypothetical dating scenario. You think he’d, uh, not make the first move?” He looks at her, brown eyes so big and insecure that’s almost cute. “You think he’d prefer if the other person took initiative.”

“Definitely. Especially if it happened to be someone he really liked.” She turns, looking at him directly. “Or that he has a complicated history with.”

Tony looks away, his fingers tapping the table nervously. Rhodey gives her an amused look, but Natasha isn’t done yet. She nods towards the door, and he turns to look, curious.

Like clockwork, Steve and Sam step into the kitchen, back from their morning run. Tony startles in his chair, eyes wide searching Steve nervously. Rhodey looks at her shocked.

Natasha rolls her eyes. Come on, guys, the clock is right there.

“Good morning!” Steve says.

“Good morning.” Natasha responds, smiling. She can hear Tony’s fingers tapping the table louder. Sam pats Steve's shoulder.

“Gonna go hit the showers, Cap. ‘Morning, everyone.”

Steve goes straight to the fridge, reaching for a water bottle, oblivious to how Tony’s eyes are pretty much burning a hole in the back of his head. Natasha steps away from the sink, taking a seat at the table by Rhodey’s side.

Rhodey’s look to her is inquisitive, but she mouths Give it a minute and he stays quiet.

After a moment, Tony stands up, walking towards him.

“Hey.” He says.

Steve finishes swallowing the water, then looks at him, a tiny smile in his face. “Hey.” He takes another sip.

“Do you want to have dinner tonight?”

Steve chokes on the water. He wipes his mouth, wide eyes glancing at Tony, disbelieving. “I. What?”

“Dinner. You know. The meal.” Tony babbles, clutching his hands. “There’s a nice sushi place that just opened up last week. If you like sushi, of course.” Steve blinks at him, his cheeks flushing, and, because Tony is Tony, he misunderstands his silence for hesitation. “Or, or maybe something else. Like Chinese. Or a burger. I always like burgers.”

“Burgers are great.” Steve manages, still looking like someone just hit him in the back of the head with a brick. Natasha fights back a sigh. There was a reason she gave up on the blind dates.

“They are!” Tony says, grinning. “They really, really are. Classic American food and everything. Not the best for cholesterol, but, hey, nobody’s perfect.”

Steve grins back. “So… Burgers?”

“Yeah. Yeah, definitely, burgers. Uh, tonight?” He asks, and Steve stares at him for a moment before nodding way too enthusiastically. “Great! That’s, that’s really great.” Tony breathes, and there’s a flush on his cheeks too, and for a moment he and Steve just grin at each other like two teenagers who just agreed to go to prom together. Natasha rolls her eyes. “I’m going to, uh, do stuff. I mean, work stuff. In my workshop. And. I guess I’ll see you tonight. For, uh. Burgers.”

Then he practically bolts out of the room, as if he can’t believe what he’s just done. Steve just stands there staring at nothing, the silly grin still stuck on his face.

Rhodey laughs.

“I have been trying to convince him to get his head out of his ass for literal months, and you just fixed it in less than ten minutes.” He says, shaking his head with open admiration. “You’re really something, Romanoff.”

Natasha allows herself to smile back. Rhodey is on her top 3, after all.

“I… I don’t think I fully understand what just happened.” Steve admits, walking towards the table. “But I get the feeling I might owe you one.”

Natasha just hands him an empty plate. “Pancakes, please.”

Steve laughs. “Right away.”