#I’d love it if I could actually predict this but I doubt

[byrd-nest]

I had another Wild Life dream about tomorrow’s episode, likely brought on by the fact I was watching a Jimmy vod where he gave a small hint to how the session went for him, but I thought I’d share in case this was a premonition but also just for enjoyment

The wild card caused gravity to reverse randomly, starting at the top of the world and slowly working down. Players caught in it were whooped away and died, and so the Bamboozlers, caught on top of their mountain, were stuck in a loop of death, Jimmy losing three lives instantly before grian fixed the issue to prevent him going out

Meanwhile grian told his team “nope get down in the mines we’re not coming up for anything”. Of course once people realized what the wild card was, everyone just ended up meeting down in the massive caves and having tunnel parties, a very similar vibe to the first episode

[inkdrinkerworld]

Cw: brief mention of past childhood abuse/trauma, talk of not being good parents. This is representation for the girlies (gn) that are unsure about being parents/know they don’t want kids! You’re perfect and valid

Sirius Black x fem!reader (one use of girl at the end there)

“I don’t think I’d want to have kids.” You say to Sirius as you lay beside him, your head on his shoulder as he tickles your back.

It’s an abrupt confession seeing as neither of you had been talking about that, but Sirius just hums.

“Any reason why, poppet?” His voice is even. To be truthful, Sirius goes back and forth with the idea too.

You take a while to elaborate; “I think having to help raise my siblings, and then dealing with all of that stress and having to correct my brother’s actions and all of that,” you take a breath. “I think it took it out of me. I also really don’t want to screw up a kid.”

Sirius nods, a kiss to your cheek. He feels you inhale against his hand and waits for you to speak again, “Would that make our relationship harder? Would it be a deal breaker?”

He pulls back to get a good look at you. “Because you don’t want babies?” When you nod, Sirius shakes his head. “No, doll. I don’t think I want kids either, but especially so if you don’t want them.”

“Don’t say that just to agree with me, Siri.” You sigh and Sirius copies you.

“I’m not. I go back and forth with it just as you do. Most days I’m leaning towards it just being me and you.” His voice is too raw and earnest for you to doubt him.

You breathe out long, “I just,” you pause, picking your words. “We’ve both had shitty childhoods, I don’t know if we’d be good parents. No one can be perfect and I don’t want to fuck up a kid that didn’t have the choice of being here; I know that much for certain.”

“I think that’s a good thing to know, babe. We aren’t what happened to us and while we’re better now, we can’t predict how we’ll be despite our best efforts with our own kids, you’re right. I wouldn’t want to fuck them up either.”

They fall when you say, “Does that make me a bad person? That I wouldn’t risk it because raising my siblings was like me having kids already and really don’t want to fuck them up like we were?”

He doesn’t like that this has been troubling you. Sirius knows you better than anyone else on planet earth and he knows for you to cry like this means you’ve thought about this a lot.

He hates that you’ve been tormenting yourself over not wanting kids for so long.

Sirius pulls you closer when your tears turn to sobs, his arms firm weight around your back as he kisses your eyes. Salty tears pass through the seam of his lips.

“That doesn’t make you a bad person, poppet. That makes you a good person actually. We can keep our family just like this. Me, you, the birds you feed in the yard and maybe a dog later down the road.”

“And a cat,” you say all sniffly and Sirius wrinkles his nose.

“If you really want a cat, I’ll get you a cat. Just no more thinking it’s wrong to not want kids.” You nod, content to let Sirius pet you as your cries slow.

“You’ll still love me the most right?” He laughs, tilting your chin up and kissing your lips.

“I love you best, silly girl. Always will, even if we had kids.” You slap his chest and Sirius shrugs. “Maybe that’s how I know I’m not cut out, I don’t think I could put someone over you.” He laughs suddenly. “Fuck that’s sounds horrid.”

You wiggle onto his chest, kissing the constellation he got for you. “Doesn’t sound horrid. Dunno if I could handle not being top of your love list.” You say teasingly and Sirius smiles, all pleased that even with your red nose and slightly puffy eyes you’re okay.

Pride blooms in his chest as it does every time he assuages your worries. “Well, you never have to worry, poppet. Now gimme a kiss and let’s finish this episode of Bake Off.”

[theslushiestnoob]

THE BOY NEXT DOOR (pt2)

Word count: 2k

————————*:･ﾟ✧*:——————————

I need more furniture, I decided. My new flat, while nice, was boringly empty - vast expanses of walls remained unadorned, significant areas of the floor unfurnished. I had the basics - a bed, a kitchen, a chair, but I didn’t love any of them; they didn’t scream ‘me’ like I wanted them to.

I set out with the intention of buying a sofa - something plush and deep which I could collapse onto after a long day. As I swiftly discovered, sofas are expensive, and so my options were limited. I settled on a sage green one, padded with large pillows and a complementary throw blanket - included by the overly nice salesmen who seemed to take a particular interest in my customer satisfaction.

Driving through downtown Toronto with a huge green sofa strapped to the roof of my car was not a situation I’d predicted I would find myself in, but I can’t say that it is hugely out of character for me. Arriving at my place soon after, I placed my hands on my hips as I assessed the situation. Me, a sofa currently on top of my car, and four flights of stairs. Things were feeling awfully like an episode of friends before I was interrupted from my thoughts by a high voice.

‘Do you need some help?’

I turned around to face a small, pretty blonde woman standing in front of a tall dark-haired man. Her hair was held out of her face by a claw clip, her outgrown curtain bangs tucked behind her ears. She had a kind expression - the kind of face which you feel comfortable telling all of your darkest secrets to with no doubt of her loyalty. The man behind her held onto her hand affectionately, looking at the sofa with an intrigued expression.

‘Actually, yes please. I need to bring this up to my flat,’ I explain, smiling gratefully at their generosity.

‘I know I offered, but I think this is a job for you, Martin,’ The woman says, turning to rest her hand reassuringly on Martin’s shoulder. He sighs playfully, shooting her a soft smile before stepping toward my car.

‘Alright, Mandy watch out - let's just lift it onto the sidewalk first,’ He instructs, hooking his hands around the leg of the sofa. I mirror his movement, heaving with effort as we lower it onto the pavement. Martin straightens, shaking out his arms. He attempts to lift the sofa up again, but swiftly places it back down.

‘Honestly, I don't think we can do this alone,’ Martin pauses and gestures toward the complex. ‘Our friend lives in this building - he can help us.’

‘That would be perfect, thank you so much,’ I say, returning the smile Mandy gives me.

She pulls out her phone, rapidly texting who I assume to be their friend.

Less than two minutes later, a figure starts walking toward us; stocky, with golden skin and bouncing curls that I am frustratedly attracted to.

‘Oh, Jesus christ…’ I groaned under my breath as Hamzah approached us, his face contorted in a puckered smile.

‘Hey, y/n, good to see you again,’ He says with a mocking smirk.

‘You two know each other?’ Martin asks, slapping a hand against Hamzah’s back in greeting.

‘Not really,’ I replied, at the exact time Hamzah said ‘Yes’. I shot him an annoyed glance, causing his smile to widen further.

‘We’re neighbours,’ I explain, as Hamzah turns to hug Mandy.

‘Neighbours,’ Hamzah parrots in an amused tone. He turns to face Martin, asking ‘What did you say about a couch?’ 

‘Well, if you look just here there's a sofa, and it's supposed to be in my living room, not the side of the road,’ I explain, my tone mildly sarcastic.

‘Really?’ Hamzah deadpans. ‘But it goes so well with the greenery…’

I roll my eyes, turning away from him as he and Martin plot how they’re going to transport my sofa up to the fourth floor.

*

‘Thank you guys so much, honestly I could not have done it without you,’ I lean against the back of the sofa, now positioned perfectly in my living room.

‘Oh, we know girl,’ Hamzah mutters, and I shoot him a death stare.

‘It was so nice to meet you, too,’ I say to Mandy and Martin, ignoring Hamzah. Mandy steps towards me and hugs me, shocking me for a moment but I swiftly return the embrace.

‘We’ll see you again, I’m sure,’ Mandy says, ‘but here’s my number. You seem cool.’ She grabs my phone from the table, holding it in front of my face to unlock it and entering her number into my contacts. I secretly admire her unwavering assuredness, complete confidence that can only come from a certain kind of person.

The three of them leave my flat soon after, leaving me to plan out the rest of my decorations. I was hit by a wave of inspiration; two organised pin-boards and four shifts of the sofa later it was suddenly late into the evening. Through the paper-thin walls, I had heard the faint chatter coming from Hamzah’s place. As a trio, they seemed so close, so familiar - a great dynamic between them.

*

It was the late evening when I heard the knock - a brief but resounding sound that stirred me from reading on the sofa.

Opening the door, I rolled my eyes.

‘Ah, always so glad to see me,’ Hamzah deadpans, his arms laden with leaves. I looked him up and down, my eyes narrowed in question. He had a potted plant tucked under each arm and another on the floor beside him.

‘Why are you at my door with several houseplants?’ I ask, meeting his gaze and registering his amused smile.

‘To help you decorate. This place feels like a hospital. Very clinical,’ He replies, looking critically past my head and into the admittedly undecorated flat.

‘Hey! That's so unfair. I’ve lived here for three days - reserve your judgement, please,’ I say, turning around and leading him inside. He follows me to the expansive living room, placing the larger plant beside the sofa.

‘Already such an improvement. Adds some life, and there's just enough sunlight here from the window,’ he says quietly, admiring his own work. I cross my arms across my chest and smirk at him.

‘Didn’t take you for the gardening type,’ I say when he turns to look at me. He scoffs, shaking his head dismissively.

‘It’s calming. I actually just needed to get rid of some plants, so I’m dumping them with you.’

‘Oh, definitely. There was no generosity behind this at all, purely selfish,’ I say sarcastically. Hamzah turns to me, a vaguely pained expression crossing his rugged face as his eyebrows cinched. 

Moving around the apartment, he placed the plants - reciting care instructions to me. Water, light, humidity, nutrients - my head was swimming with all of the information he was feeding me. I was somewhat anxious for the responsibility - my pride would not allow me to let these plants die, I knew he would not let me live it down.

‘That’s pretty much it,’ Hamzah concludes, as if he hadn’t completely overwhelmed me with his vast knowledge of plant-care.

‘Great. And thank you, Hamzah, it was nice of you to give me these, I’m surprised.’ I said with a smile. He is quiet, his jaw flexing in response as a strained smile crossed his face.

He turned toward the door, pacing briskly to the exit. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, I felt compelled to ask him something.

‘Why are you so loud?’

‘What?’

‘You shout, a lot. Like when we first met - I was asking you to be quiet. Is it part of your job or something?’

‘Kinda, actually,’ he says with a laugh.

‘Okay, so you’re a voice actor. No, a horror game tester, or a sports commentator-’

‘I’m a YouTuber,’ He interrupts. There is a pause, and I giggle.

‘No, you’re not,’ I laugh.

‘Yes, I am,’ he affirms, crossing his arms across his chest.

‘You’re kidding, right?’

He scowls at me.

‘Oh, jeez, you’re not kidding. I mean - that’s not a bad thing, it's actually really cool, it's just unexpected. Like who is a successful youtuber, y’know?’

‘Mandy and Martin are, too,’ he adds humorlessly. I feel myself digging a deeper hole with every word I say, stammering as I try to explain myself.

‘I was surprised because that's a crazy freaking job - it’s every kid’s dream, no?’

He cocks an eyebrow, glaring at me wordlessly.

I feel my caution slip away. What do I care if I offend him? 

‘Still not a great excuse to be unnecessarily loud,’ I mutter under my breath.

He grins amusedly, shaking his head gently as he slips out of the door.

*

Food. A fairly important thing in life - one which I was completely lacking. I had an urgent need for a supermarket trip - and a lazy Sunday morning was the perfect time to do so.

I step out of my flat, balancing my cup of coffee and my reusable bags as I fiddle with the lock. 

I hear a faint, mocking laugh from behind me.

‘Just stop,’ Hamzah’s deep voice mutters, sidling beside me and taking the keys from my fumbling hands. For a brief moment, our hands touched - his skin was the darkest colour of honey, its blazing heat eliciting a shock through my body. His dark eyes snapped to mine momentarily, his emotion indiscernible as he locked my door. His hair was tousled and his curls unruly, giving me the expression that he had just woken up. I felt a compulsion to speak, attempting to quell the intensity of the moment.

‘Why are you up so early?’ I ask, eyeing him up and down. I registered the length of his shorts, my stomach involuntarily flipping as my gaze absorbed the expanse of his exposed brown skin from his mid-thigh down to his ankles. Even in his half-asleep state, he was frustratingly handsome - his indifference increasing his attractiveness.

When I met his eyes again, he was smirking, an incredulous expression on his face.

‘Did you just check me out?’ He said amusedly.

I flushed, stammering as I scoffed at the idea.

‘Just answer my question, stop deflecting.’ I say, diverting the topic.

‘We’re filming a podcast episode.’

A wicked smile contorts my face.

‘Now that has to be a joke,’

He frowns.

‘Why don’t you believe a word I say, y/n? Why would I lie about that?’

‘No way you have a podcast. What do you mean by ‘we’?’

‘Martin and I. We do it together, mainly. What’s so wrong with that?’

I laugh, looking up at his face. He wore a genuine expression, defensive and proud.

‘Nothing’s wrong with it, podcaster.’

He sighs, walking toward the staircase.

‘Why do you say it like it’s derogatory?’

*

The supermarket trip was successful - getting back home was the frustrating part. Toronto traffic was almost impenetrable at the best of times, and a local event increased the amount of drivers by tenfold. It took almost an hour to travel the five mile journey from the shop back to the flat - by the end of which I was thoroughly annoyed.

Finally pulling into the car park, I immediately spotted the one vacant space conveniently close to the building’s entrance. I smiled to myself triumphantly, driving toward it intently. Instantaneously, a black car pulled around the corner and swung right into the space.

I instinctively pressed my horn, blaring angrily at the conceited car that stole my spot. I pulled up closer toward it, scowling into the tinted window. It began to roll down, and in the driver's seat sat a beautiful yet infuriating man with a head of dark curls.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ I mutter, rolling down my window.

I lean out of the car, locking eyes with him.

‘You stole my spot, asshole!’ I shout, fixing him with my angry glare.

‘I was here first!’ Hamzah shouts back over the mechanical noises of our running cars. ‘I’ve been parking here for months, girl. You’re the newbie,’ He shrugs.

I hold up a middle finger out of the window as I speed away from him - the noise of his victorious laughter reverberating in my head.

————————*:･ﾟ✧*:——————————

[artpoint420]

Lately I’ve really been wondering what the atrocious thing Jax will do that “no one in the fandom will appreciate.” It will be something that will make him ireedemable.

Well, first, I’m setting some criteria for what constitutes and unforgivable action:

1. the action is unfixable, with no chance of redemption via fixing the mistake

2. The action will have real, permanent consequences and Jax knows this and still willingly does what he wants to do anyway

3. The action will get no real remorse from Jax, perhaps self-loathing, but no actual expression of care for whom he hurt.

4. (By editing me!) It would have to be something inexcusable by any context or backstory or reason Jax has.

So far my best prediction with the most evidence backing it as a theory is this: Jax will bully gangle into abstraction.

We already know Jax and Gangle have a very… concerning relationship. Yes Jax specifically targets all the girls in the cast, but he seems to have a lot more control over Gangle with his reference to Gangle’s figures, which Gangle doesn’t want anyone to know about. We also know Jax gave Gangle her name, also emphasizing the power-bond he has with her. Gangle didn’t choose her name, he did, and probably pushed her into accepting it even if she didn’t like it.

He also is responsible constantly for breaking or losing Gangle’s happy mask, be it more or less intentionally. He just doesn’t care.

If Jax were to reveal Gangle’s secret or even hurt Gangle in a more personal way.. or maybe just be “the straw that broke the camel’s back” Gangle could abstract, and I imagine that Jax will even blame Gangle for this saying it’s just because she’s a baby or something demeaning. (I’ll never forget him calling Gangle “agreeable and submissive.”)

After this he’ll either just not care or fall into self-loathing, not out of care for anyone but because of feeling sorry for himself because no one likes him, and I imagine even Ragatha won’t fain kindness to him if he does this to Gangle. In fact I’d love to see Ragatha fucking snap and try to kill him. (So yes, inexcusable under any context)

Yes, I’m aware of all the fan comics that feature Jax calming Gangle as she starts to abstract, and I truly love them, and I adore the fanon version of Jax to no end. But I sincerely doubt it will make it into canon just because of what we know. It sucks, but we need to allow Gooseworx to create her vision of the show. There’s always fanart and fanon content to fill the void of a “bully with a heart of gold Jax.”

Along with this though, I wonder if Jax played a role in causing Kaufmo to abstract, as there was indication the two were close, probably having formed a bond over a love of pranks, but perhaps got into a fight?

Anyway I made this on my work break so I’m sorry it sounds rushed.

[esotericas-sims]

Chapter Two

“How could Papa have already found a new wife?” Tilly said, tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. We sat the four of us bunched at one end of a pew, limbs tangled together in a mess of girlish affection. The cathedral was ghostly, empty save for ourselves, our father, the priest, and our future stepmother - a lovely woman, Ioanna Basrid. An Italian - a nebulous, foreign thing to sheltered creatures like ourselves, accustomed then only to the walls of our own home, and the gardens beyond. It was, I would later learn, a very rushed wedding. No surprises as to why. My father was predictable in his pleasures.

“She doesn’t even look like Maman,” Ophelie added. She sat slumped against Tilly’s side, head on her thin shoulder. Tilly was distraught, though I recall her tears more being for the drama of it, than out of actual grief. We were all too young then to truly understand our parents’ divorce, and what it would mean for our lives. 

“I think Papa scared her away,” Tilly said, wrapping an arm around Ophelie. I sat at the edge of the group, largely distant from the pile of tears and elbows. Ophelie, my twin, claimed memories of our mother, I assume out of some desire to take after perfect golden Tilly, but I knew she didn’t remember her any more than I did. I was the only one who professed to like Ioanna. She was an enigmatic, foreign woman - smelling of unusual spices, and wafting around in strange fabrics. I’d heard whispers that her family were Ottomans once - a word I didn’t know, but which felt good on the tongue. I concluded she had to be some sort of royalty. Even dressed in the French fashion, pastels awkward on her tanned skin, Ioanna shone.

I don’t recall the proceeding of the ceremony itself - a minor thing, compared to the whines of my sisters. I do remember that my father was smiling, and my new stepmother was not.

“Maybe Papa killed Maman,” Emelie added. My mother had been beautiful, it was certain; I liked to look up at her portrait on rainy days, when the view out the window was dull, but she was nothing to rival Ioanna. Tilly burst out into tearful, startled laughter. 

“Don’t say that, Em!” 

“That’s awful,” Ophelie added, though the three of them had crumbled from solemn tears into little bursts of laughter.

Emelie settled smugly back in her seat on the pew, looking mightily satisfied with her joke. “Maybe she’ll be nicer than Maman was.” Vague, doubtful murmurs emerged from Ophelie and Tilly. The priest cast a scathing glance towards us, but didn't stop the ceremony to silence our chatter.

The rest of the day fades into the blur of memory, but I will never forget the fearful set to my new stepmother’s face as the priest slid the ring onto her finger.

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[x0401x]

No, but… that was a really good one, actually.

I might as well let this out. A lot of people are still losing their minds over episode 12, and I’m not even gonna try to pretend this isn’t to be expected. It’s not happening only on this side of the fandom—the Japanese one was also torn about it, although I’d argue they were much quicker to understand what KyoAni was going for with it.

Y’all know me. That goddamn studio owns my soul, but I’m not joining the “KyoAni did it again (even when they actually did not)” club in this lifetime or the next. If the changes made during the adaptation ruin the intention of the original work, no matter how good the animation is, a spade is still a spade and I address it at length when people ask my opinion. But that’s not what happened this time.

And guys, hear me out: it’s not as painful as everyone is making it to be. I’m dead-serious about that. Stick with me here.

Firstly, there’s a couple of conversations going on that we need to put to sleep. One of them, the one bothering me the most, is that Reina “chose Taki’s way of doing things over Kumiko”. Or worse, that she “chose winning at the nationals over Kumiko”. The episode itself debunks this in several ways, mainly by showing that flashback of S1. If Reina had chosen Kumiko despite thinking Mayu’s performance was better, Kumiko would’ve known, and it could very well have been the end of their friendship. She would’ve been outraged. In no universe would this scenario ever make her happy. More importantly, the flashback implies that Reina wants to choose Kumiko in spite of everything. What stops her from doing so is the fact that it would mean betraying Kumiko, which is worse than not being able to play with her on national stage one last time. Reina didn’t choose Kumiko… but she did.

None of this was about victory—it truly was a matter of meritocracy. Choosing the best members doesn’t guarantee they would win at the nationals, especially given that Mayu isn’t superior to Kumiko by a wide margin. They’re almost tied. And neither was any of it a Taki vs. Kumiko thing for Reina. She’s abrasive when it comes to defending his policies, but her belief in him isn’t blind. The fandom tends to underestimate Reina a lot because of her romantic feelings and mistakes her faith for stubbornness, even though both the novels and the anime are adamant about her good judgement. It’s not that she trusts him because she’s in love with him—she’s in love with him because he is worth her trust. Then again, this had nothing to do with him. It was all about Kumiko. She was the only thing in Reina’s mind the whole time. Taki wasn’t mentioned even in passing.

The other is that Kumiko’s loss was for shock value because the novel’s outcome was too obvious and KyoAni wanted to surprise the viewers. I’m not gonna lie, this decision was definitely meant to give the anime a so-called “plus alpha” in comparison to the original, but that’s not all there is to it. The main reason is obviously to have it be more grounded and mature, not so much your usual music anime, as well as make the whole debate about fairness actually convincing. The original is not only predictable, it’s also questionable. It’s easy for something to look like Deus Ex Machina even when that’s clearly not the intention, and KyoAni didn’t want Eupho to be that anime. By extension, they shot down every suspicion that could’ve possibly been raised about Kumiko’s win in the original work.

Of course Reina would’ve recognized Kumiko’s sound, so although most readers would know that she wouldn’t choose Kumiko for any reason other than her performance, it still leaves room for doubt. The anime slaps this doubt into outer space by constructing a situation where Reina deemed Mayu’s playing as superior, although by a hair’s breadth. It effectively answers the question of “what would she have done if that was the case?”. With the author having approved of this, it’s safe to say that, yes, that’s what Reina would have done in canon as well. And it would be the right choice, which then means that her choice in the original was also undebatably the right one. That Kumiko earned her win in the novel.

This may or may not have been intended, but either way, the anime has elevated the original work’s outcome by going for that route. After all, the original was predictable, sure, but that doesn’t mean it was unrealistic. These two things are being confused and conflated with one another a lot in many comments that I’ve been seeing out there. Realism doesn’t always have to be negative. Kumiko and Mayu had equal chances of winning. That’s what the audition was all about. The novel portrays what would’ve happened if Kumiko had won, while the anime portrays what would’ve happened if she had lost. Both are valid and the existence of one further validates the other, not the contrary.

What the author wanted to show was that, although Kumiko can’t follow Reina or her more talented senpais, she’s still an excellent player, enough to perform the solo on national competitions, and she wouldn’t let this get the better of her. It also seems like there was an element of “be careful with what you wish” as one of the morals behind Mayu’s arc, where she finally accepts her true feelings through regret rather than joy. Meanwhile, what KyoAni wanted to show is that, even if Kumiko is surpassed, she’s still an exceptional leader and has the makings of a fine teacher. In a way, the anime affirms that both Kumiko and Mayu play a special role in guiding Kitauji through the final tournament. Above all, both routes assert that Reina wouldn’t lie under any circumstances and that Kumiko (as well as Mayu) would indeed accept either result with utmost grace and understanding, no matter how frustrating it might be.

Another thing that the anime elevated is Kumiko and Reina’s bond. In my honest opinion, KumiRei has become the best female relationship in animation and one of the absolute best female relationships in fiction thanks to this episode. It’s transcended friendship, transcended gay, transcended fucking everything.

Alternative endings aren’t dead and they don’t always suck. Eupho continues to be one of the most amazing slice-of-life franchises ever.

[betaphannie]

Do you think dnp hardlaunch is coming ? If so in what way and when?

okay I’m back from work let’s do this you asked for it. 

a huuuge disclaimer ahead: I am NOTORIOUSLY terrible with predicting dan and phil antics. I refuted the idea that they would ever come out for years, I can't predict what video they’re uploading next or the time, and I literally refused to believe the two-flat theory until they confirmed it themselves. do not listen to me to be an actual valid source on understanding what they hell they’re planning ever (I was on tour hill while everyone else was on wedding hill though and I am proud of myself for that).

that being said, my opinion?. only if they got married. long version:

the one question that makes me doubt a hard launch the most is why would they feel the need to do it? ever since they came out, dnp have been very adamant that they do not want their relationship to be public knowledge for people to comment on and speculate about. it’s their private life, and their relationship is so special to them that they’d rather not risk it being negatively affected by outside attention. 

we see now that they are being more open to us and aren’t as hypervigilant about hiding it, and that seems to have made them a lot more relaxed about making videos together. however i wouldn’t say that they are comfortable flat-out confirming their relationship in a way that no one can deny. they know we know, we see it in how they interact with us now, and there is less of a wall between their audience and them. and I think they like it this way.

these past few months, whenever they talk about their audience now, they make it clear that they love the community they cultivated. this time, they aren’t lumped into the group of “british youtubers who are popular right now” and are finally realizing that their fanbase loves them for them. and I feel like where we are now is where they want to be. when dan says they have “no fucks given” anymore, yes you could interpret it as “we don’t care what the world thinks so we’re going to go public” or you could just as easily interpret it as “we don’t care what the world thinks so we don’t have to go public.” I don’t see what making their relationship clearly known to the world would be appealing to them. all the people they care about know they're together, so who cares about these strangers that haven’t cared about them since 2016?

sure, they might be able to use the word “partner” instead of “friend” in videos from time to time (though I’d argue that even that would have people debating if that counts as a hard launch), but honestly as someone who has been closeted for most of their life (yes, I’m projecting on to them again. cry about it.), when I was so used to calling someone my friend even when they were more than that, I didn’t really get that sad about it. being in the closet made me sadder than hiding a relationship, and even when I was open about it, it didn’t really make the relationship more “real” to me. the reality of the relationship is when you’re alone with the person, I always thought. it’s why I always wonder how long a relationship I see online is going to last when the people in it post only about their relationship 24/7. (besides, I don’t think that “friends” is a lesser way of describing what they are to each other. they are friends, and friendship isn’t inherently lesser than romantic aspects of a relationship.)

essentially, as I said up top, I don’t think they would hard launch their relationship unless they had to, which one of those scenarios would be them getting married, since marriage records are public in the uk. do I think they actually would get married? eh. they spent the majority of the last fifteen years with each other and built a house together, so you could argue that they practically already are. plus, the whole time during dab and evan’s (aka the sims they love projecting onto) wedding they talked about how awful it would be to plan one. obviously, you don’t have to have a wedding if you get married, but even then, it wouldn’t be until they came back from tour at the least. on the other hand, I think with all of phil’s medical emergencies they might lean more toward the idea. dan said himself in the mukbang that all the ER trips had them want to enjoy their lives more without worrying what people thought. I’m not sure how it works in the UK, but being married in the US certainly helps a lot when it comes to medical emergencies since your spouse is the first one they usually contact if you aren’t able to advocate for yourself, and of course the t a x  b e n e f i t s. (i feel like i heard someone say they have a joint bank account anyway, idk where and it was a long time ago and im not sure i believe it but just adding it here for consideration)

when would that realistically happen? you'd have more of an accurate answer if you picked a random date on the calender than asking me. dan and phil operate on a version of time that does not make sense to anyone but them. it could be two years or twenty. with how long its been taking for them to just get a dog I doubt it would be soon though. i don't know. there's been so many wild marriage theories over the years that the idea is almost a meme to me.

so yeah, congrats for spawning this wall of text. I don’t want this to come across as overly pessimistic or anything. by the way things have been going, who knows what dnp will do, especially not me (again, very bad at predicting!!!). I think they’ll continue to be disgustingly sweet toward each other and make me feel lonely as hell but they don’t have to post a kissing pic to do that, they can just as easily wreck me in other ways.

Not to sound like a YouTuber (sorry for using a slur 😔) but feel free to sound off at me if you also have Thots, dear reader. we are philosophers and tumblr is our school of athens.

[njwinterquartz]

I’m gonna make some loosely based predictions or possibilities for next season. I’m not expecting anything to actually happen or any details to be right. It’s just some ideas I’ve had or things I want to see.

(Gerrard is the most straight forward so this part mostly focuses on what the hell i think they could be using him for.) Obviously we know Gerrard is going to be terrible. But like there’s a lot of ways they can go. I think he might try and make them turn on each other, but I really doubt that’d work

We got the still from Tim of Ortiz and Gerrard so definitely a connection there, god I hope whatever plan that woman has backfires because you don’t have to ignore your pain but lashing out in this way has to lead to consequences for her. But this means he might target Hen again with more pointed bigotry and racism because Ortiz might of had a hand in bringing him back. So he might be out for her specifically. Which I’d hate but I wouldn’t put it past him.

Chim and Ravi he’ll obviously be racist and rude towards but the details I don’t really know. Well chim he’ll probably make the cleaning boy again after what Chim said to him at the ceremony. But Ravi being the newest of the bunch from A shift he might haze and treat like a probie and just discredit everything Ravi does.

Buck and Eddie are the interesting ones here. For Buck it’s Tommy. Like they’ve already established a connection between Tommy and Gerrard. So I think Gerrard will be rude and homophobic towards Buck because he’s dating Tommy. I could see him trying to make Buck doubt he knows Tommy and that’ll have Buck and Tommy really sit down and talk about each other and who they are. But I doubt that’ll be anything major because I doubt Buck would let Gerrard make him doubt Tommy.

Also with Buck being the only white man in their group with Bobby being gone, he’s kinda in that spot Tommy was in in the begins episodes. Buck won’t put up with Gerard’s racism and bigotry but still there’s a parallel there.

Eddie I think will be interesting to see the direction they take with him losing Chris for a bit and also him trying to figure out who he is outside of being a firefighter and a parent. And I think Ryan has already talked about Gerrard a bit in connection to where Eddie is at the end of the season. Something about Gerrard kinda being like the man Eddie was raised to be in a way, no emotions macho man, obviously minus the racism and bigotry. So that’ll be something I look forward to them exploring. Like I mean figuring it what Ryan meant not Eddie and Gerrard interacting.

I don’t really know where they’re gonna go with the councilwoman Ortiz plot line so I’m not going to make any guesses on that. And Eddie, I think it’ll be rough for him but I do think this storyline will end with him finally figuring out who he is when he is alone. And Bobby and Athena obviously need a new home, but I can’t predict anything for them it’s just too open. But please give Athena plot lines that don’t center around her being a cop, the season finale was way more than I was comfortable with.

Now on to some happier things I want to see.

I want more Buck and Tommy conversations, dates, and things showing how they’re growing as people and as a couple. And I don’t know why but I’d love to see them go on a date and go stargazing. Like I dunno that would be stupidly cute.

More Mara and Denny, please just more of them. I love how they’re portrayed.

On that train of thought, I want more Henren family time with Mara. I also kinda want to see if Jee will be a part of the Denny, Mara dynamic now that the Hans (Chim and Maddie) are fostering her. More madney and Henren interactions too, I adored how Karen and maddie are being shown with the hen and chim dynamic.

Obviously more Ravi and different Ravi dynamics shown with the cast.

We’ve gotten a tiny bit of Tommy lore from before the begins episodes. But obviously I want more and more of his dynamics with the others. Gimme more Chim, hen and Tommy.

Also I think it would be good to show Eddie and Tommy’s dynamic again. Especially since Eddie is pretty alone right now. I could see Tommy helping Eddie start the process of figuring out who you are. Not saying this as in Eddie realizing he’s not straight, but like figuring out who you are outside of your job, past, and family. With their shared military background I think Tommy could help Eddie with that.

There’s a lot more thoughts to this but my brain is bad at explaining them so this is what I’ve got. Wish I could do more on the predictions and possibilities like more than just what a terrible person Gerrard is going to be. But that’s all way too up in the air for me to make any cohesive thoughts and predictions on.

[presdestigatto]

I doubt Charles and Max ever could be friends. Both are too competitive and I feel like Max would stop being too nice to Charles once things doesn’t go his way. I know everyone believes it’s Charles who would hate Max again if they start to fight for Championship again but for me it’s Max, he already showed annoyance toward Charles in those moments.

Hey anon! Thanks for sending something in, but damn, prickly topic. I have some time on my hands now so I’m going to go extra in depth with my thoughts on this

It’s quite difficult to speculate on the future state of their relationship, because we’re dealing with a lot of hypotheticals and we quite literally only know what they decide to show us, publicly. For all we know, they could secretly be besties who text every night. Though, I do agree with you (or what you implied) that they aren’t friends on a personal level right now. Honestly, I think they don’t have much in common beyond racing, if you look at their friends and their passions outside of motorsport. But then again, racing is and has always been a huge part of who they are, it is pretty much the core of who they are right now, and as drivers, Max&Charles are very similar. So outside of racing I don’t think they interact much, but within racing I see their relationship as two people who vibrate on the same wavelength. And that produces, yk, the Maxsplaining and Leclerifying.

As for whether there will be hatred between them if they have a tense title fight, I tend towards not at all, or not to a level that destroys their relationship as friendly colleagues. First, the stakes going into 2024 are simply not equal. If this were Charles and Max fighting for their first title, and only one of them could get it, I would place my bets on a Lestappen downfall. I do agree with you that both of them are crazily competitive, but Max has already won… trice. I’m not saying that this means he doesn’t want to win anymore, but he quite literally doesn’t have much to prove left. He’s just had the most dominant season in the history of the sport, the next step up would be like a complete win whitewash and I’d actually quit watching f1 forever if that happens. I don’t feel that Max is the sort of driver who’s aiming to break records for WDCs held, and I’m basing this off his comments about retirement and being bored at the front this season. From what I’ve seen, Max is a racing nerd. To him, the thrills are just as important as the accolades and that’s significant because he’s already collected a bucketload of accolades. And so I don’t think a 3 time WDC Max would resent Charles for giving him a close title fight. I also feel that from his comments in interviews about acknowledging that “everyone can be stopped”, his ego isn’t as large as some people make it out to be. But I also can’t really think of any recent instances of Max showing irritation towards Charles apart from on the radio in Vegas 23, and the overall race proved that Max does enjoy Charles taking the challenge to him. It’s probably because I don’t follow Max too closely, so feel free to update me haha.

As for whether Max would U-turn on his love-peace-Charles agenda if Charles presented a real title fight to him, ignoring my somewhat shallow Max knowledge, I’d point to Bahrain 2022 as an example that Max isn’t that insecure. It was the first race of the season, the Red Bulls DNFed, Charles won, but they were still all smiles and Max even took the initiative to come up to Charles to chat (on live tv). This ties back to the point above, that the stakes for Max aren’t as high anymore so we see less Mad Max. I’d also add that Max has been very consistent in showing that he sincerely admires Charles’ skill as a driver, I’d go as far as to say that Max respects Charles the most in the current grid. I’m pretty sure you can pick any year from 2018-2023 and Max has done at least one interview in which he praises Charles’ talent. And this brings me to what Max said in 2018 predicting that he and Charles will be “like Hamilton and Vettel, fighting for titles in the future”, which aptly illustrates how Max&Charles are, in my opinion, the most prepared to have a tense title fight without developing personal grudges. People like calling them the reverse Brocedes, I can certainly see it. Circling back to the very first point about them not being friends, they have always been rivals first. They’ve had over a decade of experience going into races and championships and seeing the other as “Max/Charles, who I have to beat”. They’re competitors with a healthy amount of hard-earned respect for each other, and I do believe them when they say that they’ve matured beyond petty rivalries. That is basically the tl;dr of this very long thing.

I don’t see why Charles, who is going into 2024 with the awareness that he’ll have to beat Max to win the WDC, would become resentful of Max in the process. Likewise, I don’t think Max, who has already proven himself, would be mad that his childhood rival who he rates very highly, beat him to a title. I think it’s important that they aren’t friends, as you said, because then there are no expectations or trust to betray and their professional relationship can be maintained.

The only scenarios I see happening where they fall out because of the title fight are if 1) either one of them decides to drive dirty and the FIA turns a blind eye (haha.) 2) they magically regress into their 15 year old selves and Charles shoves Max into the marina in Abu Dhabi in Val D’Argenton 2.0

[ethereal-engene]

war with heaven | yuta

pairing: bf!yuta x gn!reader

genre: slice-of-life, angst, and fluff  // warnings: mentions of death (no character death) and drinking 

summary: A small conversation while drinking with Yuta // word count: 544

note: inspired by Keshi’s song War With Heaven. I forgot how much I love this song, enjoy this drabble

Tonight was another one of those nights where it was filled with drinking with Yuta and talking about anything. It was nice to have deep talks with him because hearing his perspective was always enlightening and refreshing.

It was without a doubt that he loved you. From the way, he would take any chance to talk about you to his members when the opportunity came or listening to you talk about your day even when he’s tired. Similarly, anyone could tell from a mile away that you were smitten for him as well. Especially when he was around you, with the way your eyes just shine brighter when you look at him.

It was also the small things like him bringing souvenirs or trinkets because they reminded him of you. Or sending encouraging messages when you were feeling out of it. Neither of you couldn’t imagine your life without each other. It would simply be a tragedy if it were to happen.

For some reason, your buzzed state was curious to hear about if that were ever to happen though. What would Yuta do if you died? It’s a morbid and dark and deep topic, but that doesn’t stop you from asking.

When he hears you ask, his eyes widen but then soften. Actually hearing it from you made his heart ache at the thought of it and sober ups. He walks over to you to hold you in his arms. A long drawn out hum vibrates from him as he lets it out.

“Well, I would hate to think about it but I would wage war with heaven for keepin' me away from you. 'Cause I don't know what else I'd do if I was away from you, so long.” He adamantly states it while looking at you. His eyes tell no lie.

Hearing his answer sobers you up. “Wage war with heaven, huh?” You can’t help but look back at him with love. Out of all the possible answers that he could have answered with, none of them could have predicted that. But then again, we’re talking about the one and only Yuta here.

The man who would go to hell and back for you. The man who doesn’t give up on his dreams even when chasing them hurts sometimes. The man who loves to give love to his members and you whenever and wherever. The man who makes sure you know that you’re loved and cared for. The man who on end would do anything to make you happy and take care of you. The man who always grabs and holds your hand tightly whenever you guys are in public. The man who simply would not let go of you unless you truly ask him to.

“Yes of course, what else would there be to do?” He lands a kiss on your forehead before going in for a kiss on your lips. Hoping that not only does his answer satisfy you but solidify just how seriously in love he is with you. Also as a silent prayer that nothing ever bad happens to you where heaven does take you away from him before he gets to chance to do all the things he wants to do with you in this life.

this was going to be longer but maybe in the future I’ll revisit this, for now I like how it is.

LET THIS BE A REMINDER TO NEVER SETTLE FOR LESS THAN YOU DESERVE !! and also please reblog this with your thoughts/feedback in the tags, or dm or send an ask to me! they mean the world to me :)

take care and signing off with love

- ash

[wh3nturtlesfly]

Hello! I really enjoy a lot of your writing, it’s so good. May I request 9 and D for the prompt event please?

9, D: Confrontation, “Make me”

CW: Slightly Suggestive

“Didn’t anyone ever warn you about touching things that aren’t yours?”

Villain froze with their hand just above the doorknob. Slowly, they turned and in the dimness of the hall they made out the shape of Hero, arms crossed.

“I hardly think a door is anyone’s property.” Villain suppressed a string of curses. Hero wasn’t supposed to be back yet. They were supposed to have another hour at least.

“I’d like to think that anything within my house counts as my property.”

“It’s not my fault your frolicking about the town ended earlier than usual,” a smirk emerged on their face as they watched the Hero’s own expression fall, “What would your precious agency think of your little search for a partner? Seems awfully risky, especially for the city’s top Hero.”

Hero’s fists clenched at their sides, “What I do in my time off shouldn’t matter to them.” They stalked forward, eying Villain’s hand on the doorknob, “Breaking and entering however, is right up their alley.”

It was meant to be a threat, though Villain saw through it clear as glass. They chuckled and marveled at the way it only increased the Hero’s frustration. Revealing Villain’s presence would leave them responsible for explaining why they weren’t at their house in the first place. Though it would be perfectly within Villain’s conscience to lie, they knew their nemesis could never fall to the same moral prey.

With a smile they gripped the doorknob tighter, turning it just slightly if only to see the Hero’s shoulders tense. “I call your bluff.”

Panic swarmed the Hero’s mind, but they quickly halted it. There was a simple solution to all of this. One of which left a sly smile creeping across the Hero’s face. “Fine then. I suppose I’ll have to take care of you myself.”

There was a flicker of worry in the Villain’s eyes. They hadn’t expected such a turn, not from the Hero of all people. They flinched as a hand closed around their own. Villain barely had the chance to think, much less jerk away, before Hero’s hand turned the doorknob and they both toppled inside.

The two landed in a huff, the hardwood floor painful against Villain’s spine. They blinked in a daze and took in the room. It had been just as their plans had predicted. The main living space, where they had landed in, held a couch, television, bookshelf, and small coffee table. To the right was the kitchen that housed an array of cabinets and to the left was a closed off room. Hero’s bedroom no doubt. It was much smaller than Villain had thought, though that was the least of their problems at the moment.

Hero loomed over them, determination in their eyes, “What? The apartment’s not to your liking?”

“Oh no, I actually find it to be quite lovely,” Villain quipped. They shifted their weight to the side, enough to roll out of the Hero’s grasp. As they stood their eyes swept over the Hero’s form, “It’s fun sized, just like you.”

The jest was elementary at most, more of a distraction than anything, but it was enough to leave the Hero’s face red. They sputtered, though as expected couldn’t come up with a rebuttal. Villain took the opportunity to slink sideways, closer to the room in the corner. Hero’s room.

The movement didn’t go unnoticed. One glance indicated that both knew what lay inside. Secrets.

Villain’s hand froze above the doorknob but this time they were anything but worried. Hero had been a fool to let them in. Now, they were but moments away from accessing all they sought. One by one, their fingers closed around the brass knob, turning, turning, turning.

Just as the closet clicked open, the Hero lunged forward. The door was forced shut and Villain was slammed up against it, nearly too shocked to react. Hands bracketed either side of their hips and this close- Villain never realized how much taller they were in comparison to their nemesis.

“You can’t go in there.” Hero was clearly out of breath. They avoided Villain’s eyes, and yet their grip didn’t shift.

Villain offered a smile. “And why is that?”

“You wouldn’t be breaking into my house if you didn’t know why.”

“You were the fool who decided to let me in.”

Hero huffed, “I figured I could handle it.”

That drew a chuckle from the Villain and with their hands free one drifted to clutch the Hero’s chin. Their breath hitched while their gaze was drawn upwards. “Well, aren’t you just so brave-”

“Shut up,” Hero glared.

A flicker of amusement shone in Villain’s eyes. “Make me.”

They waited for the Hero to startle, to jerk away when their thumb brushed teasingly across their cheek. Instead Hero was silent. There wasn’t so much as a warning- not until the Hero’s fingers wrapped around Villain’s collar and dragged them downward.

Their lips met for a second at most, though when the Hero pulled away it was clear their idea had worked. Villain was a mess of sputtered syllables and pinkish cheeks. Hero didn’t wait for their head to clear, nor did they justify their reasoning. They leaned close whilst the Villain was still bent to their eye level and whispered, “Like I said, you can’t go in there. Not unless…”

Villain raised a brow, “Unless?”

“Unless I get to take you on a proper date first.”

“Whatever happened to not touching things that aren’t yours?” they looked at Hero’s hands, one still locked around their collar.

“You’ve never had an issue with breaking the rules before.” Hero’s gaze turned dark and they spun away before the Villain could question them more. In five steps they had crossed the room and held the front door open with a grin, “Goodbye Villain.”

Their nemesis lingered a second, a mix of confusion and interest swirling in their features, though in another moment they had gone.

Hero allowed their door to swing shut. They sunk to the floor though not before beginning to laugh, something so filled with conflict they couldn’t seem to stop. What had they just done? All the rules they must have broken-

Somehow they didn’t regret it. Hero brought the feeling of Villain’s lips to their memory. It sure had been better than any small talk they had thrown together on the countless dinner dates. Such a flip of personality, even now it was a shock to Hero themselves, yet they didn’t feel guilty, nor did they hesitate to answer the next time they heard a knock upon their door.

[oh-shtars]

Reach for the Stars! AU QnA:

(Part 2)

Part 1

May I give a reward to @wings-of-sapphire for completely being the cause of Part 2?

LMAO, thanks so much Sapphire! You’re the best ✨🥰

Onto the questions!!

1.) Are there any other ships you’re going to add? (Other than the given Ashueño and royal couple?)

Ashueño and the royal couple (Magnaya? Amnifico? Idk) are definitely there.

Other ships? Well, there is one but you’re going to have to wait and see to find out.

If you’re thinking Halzeema, no not really. Sorry guys 😅

They’re close friends and really fond of each other, but I’d like to put some QPR representation in the back too. As an ace person, I feel like these kinds of relationships need more recognition. :))

…….

2.) Are you adding any new characters in the story? Like for example, I’m adding Evangeline.

Not really?? I guess there would be some random citizens and maybe some mentions of the 7 teens parents, but they don’t really play a major part.

The already existing characters do play very different roles than they did in the canon movie. (For example, Sabino not being Asha’s paternal grandfather and is instead a close friend of Tomás during his time working in the castle.)

But other than that, there’s really nothing new that I know of.

………..

3.) If you could use one word to describe each of the characters of RFTS, what would they be?

Asha = Compassionate

Sueño = Fun-loving

Magnifico = Vengeful

Amaya = Ambitious

Valentino = Bold. Sometimes too bold for his own good.

……..

4.) How long do you predict your story to be? Have you plotted it all out yet or are you more of a “see where it takes you” writer?

Hmmmm, I don’t actually know. Looking at my outline, it looks like it’s going to be quite a long story. Maybe even novel-length. Plus, all the unplanned in-between scenes would add more to it.

Though, I doubt you’ll get bored reading it. I think-

Hopefully not. 😓

When writing, I prefer to really outline my planning because I would HATE to write myself in a corner and not know what happens next. Imagine restarting and rewriting your work T_T.

With a defined plan, I’d be confident enough to just write because I have a guide to follow right next to me :D

But dammit, the middle of the story and what happens in there is killing me.

I DON’T KNOW. AHHHHH HELP-

……..

5.) Is there a certain scene you’re super excited to write? What about one you’re dreading?

There is like one scene where Sueño really loses his sht and me, as the lovely author~, get to have the fun and satisfaction of knocking Mag’s pride down.

Muahahahaha-

I’m also pretty excited to write the “At All Costs” scene and the final battle because DAMN, something possessed me to make up pretty good ideas for them. But I’m also really looking forward to writing character dynamics and how fun it would be for them to interact with each other.

For scenes that I’m dreading to write?

The middle of everything. And.

The Middle.

Did I mention I’m stuck in the middle?

KCNEICJEOFKDKSKS THE FREAKING MIDDLE-

……

6.) How are you going to show the songs/lyrics changes to said songs?

I’ve actually already answered this same question with chillwildwave.

I’m writing them out similar to Anny’s, I guess. I’m no animator, so I can’t really show them visually. I would use gifs and my own drawings to visually show what’s going on though.

I would be either tweaking the lyrics of some of the canon songs or in some certain scenes, pretend there’s a song being sung there and just describe what’s going on.

I might also be using some already pre-existing Disney songs to set the vibe and reference what I’m going for.

Yeaaaaah, sorry I can’t write songs even if my life depends on it. 😭

………

7.) Do you have any sneak peaks you can give us?

Sneak peaks huh?

Hmmmmmmmmmm…..

Okay, maybe some screenshots of my outline and some quotes I wrote down.

Enjoy these random moments of Asha interacting with her family: ☺️

………..

8.) Do you have any voice actors chosen yet?

Actually, I’m pretty fine with the canon voice actors we have now. So they’ll just be voiced by the same people.

(Chris Pine and Ariana were good in their role, change my mind.)

Though I was thinking about this very fun thought on what Sueño might sound like if he could speak. Imagine that! :D

So far, I’ve really just headcanon Sueño’s voice similar to Adam Young, aka Owl City. I love listening to his songs and it’s funny, because I can REALLY envision Sueño singing these songs because it just…fits. ^^

“Shine Your Way” is a pretty cool duet that really fits Starsha in my opinion too. ✨✨

……..

9.) How are you exploring the world building of Rosas?

I’m not entirely sure what you mean with this question. I guess through the use of songs, dialogue and bits of flashbacks and examples of magic?

Sorry if I didn’t answer this right. 😅

………

10.) How much research do you do for your storyline?

*Remembers how I’ve spent around an hour to find a name for Sueño and how I’ve spent ages to find inspiration for the magic rules of this world and a monarch system that isn’t completely historically accurate but enough to make a bit of sense*

…..A normal amount. Why do you ask?

………

*holds hands up*

OKAY OKAY! I’M DRINKING! I’M DRINKING!! 🏃‍♂️💨

………

@annymation @gracebethartacc @emillyverse @uva124 @chillwildwave @tumblingdownthefoxden @spectator-zee @mythartist21

I’m still open to having a Part 3 if you guys are interested :))

[freneticfloetry]

911 Lone Star Fandom Edition! Thanks to @tellmegoodbye and @ladytessa74 for the tags.

When did you first start watching Lone Star? Who or what introduced you to the show?

I started with the pilot airing! I’m a day one fan. I’d watched OG 9-1-1 since near the end of season one, and a spinoff with Liv Tyler (a longtime fave) and firefighting Chris Traeger was a no-brainer for me. (How ironic that Michelle would end up being my least-favorite character on the show.)

Which season is your favorite?

Season 3 is perfection. The arcs, the calls, the Breakup Era… honestly, I doubt they’ll ever top it.

Who is your favorite character? (Bonus: If you answered TK or Carlos, who is your favorite besides them?)

Shocking exactly no one: it’s Carlos. TK and Grace are pretty much tied for my number two spot.

Top five episodes. Go!

This is like being forced to choose a favorite child. Oof. Kinda sorta mostly in order:

Push

In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency

Riddle of the Sphynx

Saving Grace

Either The Big Heat or A Bright and Cloudless Morning (I won’t choose, you can’t make me)

If you could pick any character to be given a "begins" episode, who would it be and what would that episode look like?

Carlos. Again, shocker. And outside of the Carlos Begins fic I wrote, I’ve actually detailed my perfect episode here!

What is a scenario or storyline that you would like to see in season 5?

I want Gabriel to have faked his death, tbh. Like, I want it all to have been some elaborate sting that involved having to go underground for his own protection, and that of his family’s. I want Carlos to make detective, and for him to be the one who solves his dad’s “murder.” (More realistically: I want a Nancy-centric episode, dammit.)

What do you think is going on in this still?

Between Carlos’ expression, TK’s background body language, and a few of the Rafa Cameos going around… I think it’s a call that something’s happened to Enzo, and the boys will end up getting Jonah in the end.

We all know about the elusive 5x05 spicy scene that has been teased, so what is your prediction for how it could possibly top 1x02?

PLEASE GODS, LET IT BE SHOWER SEX. I would pay good American money that folds.

Where was the Tarlos honeymoon in your mind?

Mexico. I sent them to Cabo in to build a home, just because I love the Baja peninsula, but I’d love it to be somewhere picturesque and a little laid back, somewhere that isn’t super Spring Break-ish touristy (so no Cancún or Playa del Carmen, etc.) — Acapulco, Ensenada, maybe Guadalajara (where my abuela is from).

Shoutout one of your favorite fan creations.

Just one?! This fandom is full of such talented folks, but as we prepare to enter the Husbands Era, I can’t not put a spotlight on one of my favorite pieces from one of my favorite people: @ambiguouspenny’s gorgeous wedding set, Being Alive.

Tagging in @liminalmemories21 @never-blooms @paperstorm @lemonlyman-dotcom @reyesstrand @rmd-writes @heartstringsduet @walkinginland @carlos-in-glasses @herefortarlos and @welcometololaland.

[narcissisticpdcultureis]

NPD culture is everything is a competition, and I must always win, and then I will shove it in other people’s faces to make them regret having ever doubted me. I am constantly comparing myself to others because I don’t know what else to compare myself to. I have no other way of knowing/understanding myself, let alone making goals and motivations without a “reference”. Of course I’ll act like I wasn’t trying if I come short of perfection in a competition though. I’m always told something “isn’t a competition”, but how do they know that? The prize isn’t tangible, so they wouldn’t understand. They don’t understand what it’s like to have to earn love and respect, to work for affection and to be seen as “equal”. No matter how hard I worked it was never enough, so now that has been ingrained into my psyche. I will compete with anyone—strangers, friends, family. I cannot maintain relationships when I am so focused on proving my worth and searching for perceived attacks and insults, when I already assume the other person is out to get me and sees me as inferior, when I don’t even know what love and acceptance is supposed to look like. You get so used to dysfunctional relationships that a healthy one feels foreign and intimidating, because you can’t predict what will happen. Genuine compassion feels like a personal attack or like they’re secretly trying to degrade me; they could genuinely mean it, but I have been conditioned to assume that everything is a threat. Maybe it’s because it makes me feel vulnerable; if people praise my persona I’ve made, then I feel empty, but if people praise the real me, I feel aggressive and humiliated. I can’t stand anyone seeing who I actually am, even if they are willing to extend praise and acceptance; I have not come to love and accept myself, so why should they? I try to be vulnerable, but it feels like my brain physically holds me back sometimes, like it’s trying to protect me from the humiliation and pain I went through. It feels like no matter what I do the praise I receive feels empty and disingenuous. Everything I do is compensation for the fact that I hate myself.

Of course, as a disclaimer, these are just thoughts I have and I don’t say these out loud:

Exhibit A: Oh, you make art? So do I, here are all the mistakes I found as well as reasons why I’m better and more skilled.

Exhibit B: You dressed up today? Well, here are all the things you did incorrectly—not me being nit-picky, just thought I’d let you know (because I have so much knowledge).

Exhibit C: Those are your headcanons of a character (that I also happen to like)? Here are all the reasons they are wrong and would never happen and mine are better because I have such an amazing understanding and connection to this character. (Hiss hiss my territory back off).

.

[itsprjc]

One thing about TDI Reloaded that I loved after finishing was that by the end of Season 1, almost everyone felt like they could go somewhere in Season 2:

-Priya coming to the conclusion that her parents’ ideas for her may not be the best. So she starts to lose interest in the game, and her team would take notice.

-Damien becoming more and more crafty with his problem-solving. He could also slowly become slightly cocky at winning the million if he makes it far.

-This probably won’t happen this way, but my personal hope for Millie is that she makes a new book, but it’s about getting to know the others more. While I doubt she’ll get too far again, I’d just want to see her use this knowledge on her fellow players to make at least one good social play.

-Zee just being Zee. His story arc is just being Zee. It’s all he needs.

-Ripper potentially showing his friendlier side, while trying to keep his alfalpha persona.

-Nichelle’s in the same boat as Damien where she’s predicted to make a huge comeback. I personally hope she does get to use her acting or even something that she may have learned from Jerry, albeit probably out of spite. Many see Axel training her, but it could be Priya too. Heck, maybe her strengths are less her brawn and more her smarts.

-Raj and Bowie having to balance their relationship with the game.

-If Wayne and Raj make the merge again, hopefully they can have at least one time where they become competitive with each other for a challenge. Just want to see their more rougher and competitive sides.

-Emma’s obvious thread is what becomes of her and Chase, but what about Chase himself? Will he actually become a better person or double down on his….being himself thing?

-MK is an easy antagonist pick for many (me included), but she’d probably have to play carefully since her team probably won’t trust her from the get-go. And she can’t just do the cam trick again. Does she have another trick that can at least make the merge?

-Caleb and Axel just getting screen-time. They can do whatever they want, just give them more time.

-Julia either doubling down on her mean girl image or having akin to World Tour Heather. Really, more Julia is a plus.

Being honest, I have less worries of characters getting de-railed like some of TDA’s cast tended to be. Not a guarantee that these things will happen, but it does give me excitement for Season 2!

[happilysmythe]

❥ 𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪

matt poitras.

word count: 3.0k

no warnings

"if you'll have me, i want you" — stephen sanchez

A/N: this fic was anonymously requested! thank you so much! i love mattyp and i was super excited because i got to rewrite an old fic that i wrote about him that i hated...happy reading!

- - -

MATT

“Congrats on the goal, Beech.”

I wrapped an arm around Johnny’s shoulder, giving him a brief pat on the back as I made my way to my stall.

“Thanks, Pots,” he chuckled. “I thought it was a pretty good shot, too. Definitely one of my better goals, anyway.”

“Given that I haven’t exactly seen your other ones, I’ll just have to take your word for it,” I laughed, stepping past him to sit down. I removed my jersey and hung it up, then lifted my padding from my shoulders and above my head. “Doesn’t it feel, like, really good?”

“Feels awesome,” he confirmed with a smile. “I feel like I’ve had so many missed scoring chances. Felt great to actually capitalize on one, y’know?”

“I know. I still can’t believe you missed that shot a few weeks ago,” I nudged his shoulder. “It was practically an open net, dude.”

“I know, I know. But hey, I made up for it, right?”

“Sure did.”

I leaned over and untied my skates, then pulled them off and stowed them away. It wasn’t long before the padding on my knees was on the seat beside me. As I stood up to pack everything away, a familiar face came into view. I extended my hand out to pat his shoulder.

“Congrats, man.”

“Thanks,” Mason smiled, then continued forward.

I picked up the skates and covered the blades, then stored them in my bag, afterward grabbing a towel to wipe my face and hair. Johnny turned to face me again as he removed the laces from his skates.

“You talked to Emery at all?”

Emery.

I met her back in 9th grade. We had a few classes together. A lot of people told us that our friendship seemed to come out of nowhere, but we always used to say it was because of how fast we clicked. We got close fast.

She was always my biggest fan, through and through. Especially when nobody else seemed to be. Through each year of high school, she stuck by my side even when she wasn’t obligated to, and I was always grateful for that. She never doubted me. She was, in complete honesty, one of the reasons I became the player I turned out to be.

When I got drafted, she was over the moon. She even baked a cake that said Future NHL Bruin on it, which I was later told that she decorated herself. Told me she had to teach herself, which resulted in three failed cakes and almost an entire day lost. The thing is, I never could’ve predicted just how soon I’d be playing in the NHL when I was initially drafted. 

I’ve missed her.

Leaving was the hardest part. Because I would now be based in Boston, I knew that saying goodbye to her would be difficult to do. Though it wasn’t going to be forever, it would be a long time before I could visit home to see her again. I would be moving countries and completely uprooting my life for a larger chunk of time than I would’ve liked to think about. Even in the times that I was able to visit home, it was never for long. At least, not long enough.

I lived in a hotel for the beginning of the season, but the Bruins recently made the decision to keep me, so they worked out somewhere for me to stay long-term. That’s when Johnny and I began living together in the North End in Boston. The day that Don Sweeney called me in to tell me that I’d be staying lifted a massive weight off of my shoulders; one that I’d been carrying since the pre-season. Although I’d been kept, it didn’t mean that I wasn’t still trying to make the team.

I remember receiving a text from Emery that day.

hey, matty. i heard you’re staying with the bruins! that’s great. i’m so happy for you. i hope you can visit home soon so i can see you. i miss you.

I’ve kept it in the back of my mind, since. And it wasn’t just because I missed my friend.

It was because I’d grown to feel for her in more ways than one. We started off platonically, but it wasn’t long before I began to notice myself admiring her, feeling comforted by her presence…how, no matter the case, I seemed to always be happy with her. Not to mention the growing urge to kiss her whenever I got as little as a few inches away from her.

So, as anyone could imagine, leaving her was one of the hardest things I had to do.

“Uh, no,” I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts as I turned to face Johnny. “No, I haven’t talked to her.”

Having taken the hint, he nodded and faced forward again, then silently continued to undress.

- - -

EMERY

The simple term “miss” was nothing but an understatement.

I first felt disconnected from Matt when he started playing for the Guelph Storm. Although I saw him less, he was still based close to home, so I couldn’t complain all that much. But this?

This was ten times worse.

Though I refused to let anyone see it, I was hurting. I knew he was happy—I would never and could never take that away from him. And on top of that, I was beyond proud of him, regardless of how disappointed I might have felt. All I’ve ever wanted for him is for him to be successful in doing what he loves, and since he was doing just that, all I could be was happy. 

Still, it didn’t eradicate the pain.

As I sat on my couch, I pulled out my phone, deciding to open and scroll through Twitter mindlessly in the quiet of my living room. Since I’ve ironically loved hockey my whole life, my timeline was filled with it. Notably that night, someone reposted a video from a game that landed about 2 months ago.

Matt’s first NHL goal.

He looked so happy. God, he was. The short clip pushed the memory of him calling me that night to the front of my mind, bringing a disheartened smile to my face as I watched it replay on my screen. I only wished that I didn’t have to see him through a screen as much as I now did, to receive a hug from him just to hold me over. But I couldn’t.

I placed my phone on the couch next to me as I laid back on the cushions, then looked out into the darkness of my living room. My eyes fixated on the entryway as my mind retraced the day that he showed up at my door before he left.

I shot up from the couch as the knock sounded at my door--the noise I’d been anticipating worriedly all day. As the door swung open Matthew came into view, his expression devoid of happiness.

“Hi,” he spoke, lips slightly downturned.

“Hi, Matty.” Stepping away, I motioned my head off to the side. “Come in.”

He walked in and I carefully shut the door, then turned to face my saddened best friend behind me. “I don’t have much time.”

“I know, Matt…I know.” I tightened my lips into a flat line, swallowing the lump that formed before sighing deeply. “How long will you be gone for…?”

“I don’t know. Could be weeks, could be months…Honestly, Em, I really don’t,” he spoke once again, a frown contorting his lips. “I can only say that it’ll be a while.”

A silent nod was all I could muster up, words deciding not to come as easily to me as normal. I sniffed, trying my best to stay strong in what could’ve been the last time I’d see him for the unforeseeable future. If I started to cry, even just slightly, I knew that I wouldn’t stop. So I kept it in, deciding to hold it for just a little while longer until he was gone. “How long until you have to leave?”

“A few minutes, max,” he shrugged. “I just had to say goodbye.”

Unsure of how long it would be until I could do it again, I took a step forward and threw my arms around him, draping them over his shoulders as I pulled him in tightly. He responded instantly, wrapping his around my midsection to do the same. 

“I’m gonna miss you so much,” I breathed, words muffled by his shoulder.

Though my body tried its best to resist, a tear shed, sliding down my cheek and onto the fabric of his shirt. It was bound to happen considering how long I’d been holding it. Keeping it bottled in no longer seemed to be an option. The person that made me happiest was leaving—it wasn’t surprising that I let myself go.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Matt.”

“It’s okay,” he reassured me softly. “But I have to go.”

“I know,” I croaked out, pulling away. “I know.”

I sniffed, then let out a shaky breath as I fronted a weak smile. I used the back of my hand to wipe the few tears that had fallen against my wishes, then took another breath in an attempt to steady myself momentarily.

“I’m going to call you, and I’m going to text you,” he spoke sincerely, gaze aligning with mine, “and I’m going to make sure that we stay in touch, okay?”

“Okay,” I repeated back to him. “Goodbye, Matt. I’ll miss—”

“Don’t,” he shook his head, hands moving down to take mine and hold them tightly for just a moment. “I’ll see you soon.”

With one final squeeze of my hands, he stepped back and let go, then started for the door. He opened it slowly and stopped for a moment, looking over his shoulder, just enough to see me. He remained silent, displaying a soft expression on his face; a look laced with affection and sadness, but one that brought me as little as an ounce of comfort knowing that he felt the same as I did. 

“I’ll miss you, too,” he whispered, then turned back and walked out, closing the door behind him.

And finally, I broke down.

The same sensation of tears staining my cheeks returned as I snapped back into the present, wiping my cheeks dry with my sleeve before picking up my phone once more. Before I could stop myself, I opened my messages and scrolled down to Matthew’s contact, opening it up and reading over the last message that he’d sent to me. It was at the end of a conversation from the day after he was chosen to stay with the team.

I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon. I miss you

I left the app open, silently holding my phone in front of my face as I continued to read the text over again. I’ll talk to you soon, he said. It’s been almost two months since that day. How far away do you have to stretch from a day to pass soon?

I miss you.

I decided to head off to bed, standing up and making my way to my bedroom. I climbed into bed, then turned on my side and focused my attention on the clock that sat atop the bedside table in front of me. 11 o’clock.

In an attempt to fall asleep, I closed my eyes, but it didn’t work out as I had planned. Something within me was uneasy. I wanted to talk to him.

So I reached over and grabbed my phone, then searched for his contact and called him. It rang once, twice, three times…a few more before the inevitable voicemail played. Dejectedly, I hung up, placing my phone back down in its spot and silently staring at the time once more. For the first time in weeks, I struggled to blink back my tears.

I missed hearing him talk, seeing him. I missed his voice, his smile, his laugh. His corny little jokes that nobody would laugh at and how easily he’d get shy in public. I missed how his hair would blow around when he skated. I missed the way I could talk to him about anything—how he’d listen, comfort me, hold me when I was upset…I missed everything. Every last bit of it.

Because he wasn’t just my best friend; he’d become so much more to me than that. If only I had realized it sooner. Before he left so that I had the chance to tell him. But I didn’t.

So I closed my eyes, a tear softly running down my cheek as I slowly began to drift off.

- - -

When I woke up the next morning, a voicemail had been left for me. Matt called me after I’d already gone to sleep. I took a breath, then reluctantly pressed play.

“Hey, Em. You called before but the game wasn’t over yet. I know it’s too late there now and you’re probably asleep, so I’ll talk to you soon. Miss you.”

As relieving as it was to hear his voice again, the hurt that I felt didn’t subside. Tears pricked at my eyes again as I replayed the voicemail, now clinging on to that silver of communication I had with him.

But it wasn’t enough.

I’d come to realize that the problem wasn’t that we weren’t talking as much—I, as well as he, was prepared for that aspect. The problem was that, regardless of how hard we tried, we simply couldn’t find the time for each other anymore.

That’s what terrified me the most. My relationship with him was slowly fading away, and there weren’t many options left.

- - -

MATT

Another day, another game finished.

Tonight, we played in Toronto. As far as I’ve learned, it’s become common for us to beat them, which admittedly uplifted my mood after we won.

We were close to home, but we wouldn’t be spending enough time there to be able to stray off. Unfortunately, that ruled out any chances of my being able to visit my family or Emery. Aside from that, I was exhausted, so the only place I wanted to be was in bed.

As I took my equipment off, some of the guys did their media, and the locker room slowly began to clear out. Just as I was about to head out, Mason tapped me on the shoulder, prompting my head to turn and shift my attention to him.

“What’s up?”

“They told me to tell you to go next door,” he spoke, head jerking in the direction of the conference room next to us. “Said someone’s waiting for ya.”

“Oh, thanks, man.”

He nodded and walked by as I placed my bag back down in front of my stall, then headed out and towards the room he mentioned. I knocked softly, but there was no response. Although it remained silent, I cracked the door open anyway, deciding to step in and make a check just in case before going back.

When I rounded the corner, I was brought to a halt as my eyes caught sight of the person waiting for me.

Emery.

“Oh, my God.”

My feet carried me toward her, and before I knew it my arms were around her, pulling her in closer. The familiar scent of her perfume clouded my senses, bringing a sense of comfort that I’d been lacking for longer than I would’ve admitted. Tears welled in my eyes, but I blinked them back, not paying them much mind as she finally pulled away to look up at me.

“Hi, Matty,” she smiled brightly.

“What…what are you doing here? I thought—”

“Your parents got me some help,” she laughed. “And your coach…He’s real nice, by the way.”

I laughed back in response, eyes trailing down to the jersey that she was wearing. When she noticed, her body turned to the side, revealing the numbers on her arms.

51.

“Oh, you didn’t,” I marveled, lips parting in a smile as my thumb ran across the lettering on her arm.

“Of course, I did,” she confirmed, turning back forward. “I had to.”

“God, I could kiss you right now,” the words slipped out before I could think, and my eyes widened slightly at the realization.

“Then do it.”

So before I could second guess it, I leaned down and kissed her, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her gently against me. She reciprocated, smiling softly as her arms found their place around my neck. My lips matched her smile as one hand rose up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

She raised to her toes, tilting her head slightly to deepen the kiss before slowly pulling away, looking up with a soft expression. “Matt,” she whispered, eyes beginning to become glassy.

“Hm?” I hummed, reaching for her hand and thumbing the soft skin on the back of it.

“I should’ve just told you before, but I,” she breathed, brows knit together tightly. She took a pause as if she were contemplating whether to continue or not, but ultimately opened her mouth to speak softly again.

“I love you, Matt.”

The initial shock forced my eyebrows to raise, my lips parting as I took her words in. But didn’t take long to wear off before I was smiling down at her just as I was before, basking in the relief that I felt. I knew now that there was more than enough reason to try things with her, just as I’d wanted to do before leaving. If she felt the same, then what was the use in denying it further?

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering for a moment to savor the scent again before pulling back.

“I love you, too.”

Her arms were thrown around me once more in response and I hugged her back, resting my chin on her forehead, hand rubbing circles on her back. “We’re not losing touch again this time, okay?” I reassured her softly. “We’ll make it work.”

I swallowed thickly and swayed back and forth gently, bringing her along with the slow movements. “I’m not letting that happen again. Ever.”

“Okay,” she nodded, a faint laughter falling from her lips before she pulled away and aligned her gaze with mine. “Promise?”

“Promise.”