#I’m not being completely serious with this but also. Yeah. Good advice

[angy-grrr]

Note to self for today’s leaks: dont take the summaries too personally or literal. They described how “the boys of the former 2nd year” were all crying over Nejire graduating, implying it’s bc they all had a crush on her/she was really popular, when there was ALSO A GIRL AND THEY IGNORED HER.

[mull3ts]

[ 𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐓 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒; ONE WAY TICKET ]

⚠︎ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 | Smut (18+), Dilf! Aged Up! Friend’s Dad! Mark, Daddy Kink, Blowjobs, Dry Humping, Degradation/Praise Kink

Mark thought he was like you once, shy, timid, unsure. But one singular move proves him completely wrong. 

You were introduced to him as his daughter’s friend, the daughter of the couple next door, swinging by for a few weeks before heading back to campus. He gave you a handshake, a polite smile. He thought you were just a little shy when you could barely hold up a conversation with him, only speaking when he asked you something.

Initially, Mark didn’t think anything of it. 

He knew you were watching a movie with his daughter, so he went back up to his room, tending to whatever business he needed to. That’s when he thought something of it. He thought about how pretty you are, gorgeous even. Sure you were shy, but he’s sure that some people are like that at your age. He knows he was like that at your age. 

Mark’s not blind, he could see right through you from where your eyes subtly darted when he spoke to you. He likes you. Besides being a sight for sore eyes, you’re smart, clever, witty, he sees the way you talk to his daughter. He just wishes that maybe you were a little bolder. 

Mark Lee doesn’t make first moves. 

That’s when you lied between your teeth to your friend saying you needed to use the bathroom. You didn’t really. You didn’t even know why you even told her that. So, you walked upstairs, hunting for the bathroom when you decided to go…left, right, left…right—you decide to go right. As soon as you do, the bedroom door swings open making you stumble back into a wall. You blink a couple of times.

Oh look, it’s Mr. Lee. 

“Holy shit,” he apologizes, his eyes widening in horror. “A-Are you alright? Are you hurt?” 

You’re still rapidly blinking, also in horror. “N-No, sorry, Mr. Lee. I- I didn’t mean to, uhm, yeah.” 

He’s confused for a second. He glances at the bathroom door. “Were you gonna go in there?” 

“Uh-” 

“Because, honestly, the toilet’s just kinda like a little-” 

Screw it. The next thing you know you’re shoving his chest back into his room. He hums a little in surprise, muttering “What the—?” the moment the door clicks behind you. You’re a little surprised you did that.

He’s a little surprised he let that happen. 

You breathe in. “I want to suck your cock.” 

What the fuck. You’ve never done this before. Why did you just tell him that? You're only acquainted with Mr. Lee and, to be completely honest, you don’t even remember his first name—John? Marcus? William? You're sure it starts with an M. You’re also sure it’s probably Mark.

Mr. Lee does a double take. “Did you say…?” 

You nod. “Yes. I wanna get on my knees and gag on your cock.” 

He narrows his eyes down at you. 

“Please.” You add, hoping that maybe it’ll convince him. 

“Y/n, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he trails off like he’s skeptical. “You’re young, I’m like twice your age..and I don’t think maybe you’d wanna mingle around some guy like me, honey. You should go for someone younger, maybe, closer to your age, y'know live your life.” He continues, “Besides, I’m an adult, you’re probably barely an adult, and I just don’t think you should be getting into adult games you should be getting into young adult things.” His hands are on your shoulders at this point. 

Is this man serious? He’s not your dad. “Y’know, Mr. Lee, thank you for the fatherly advice, but, I’d rather you give me life lessons while your cock is in my mouth.” 

One of his eyebrows is cocked up, probably in amusement. “Uh-huh…you sure you wanna…” 

“Suck your cock? Yes.” you answer immediately. “Please.” You add, again. 

“Well,” he shrugs, walking over and sitting in one of his cushioned chairs. “Just tell me if it gets too much for you, honey.” he sighs, pointing for you to sit in-between his thighs—you quickly oblige, getting on your knees in front of him. 

You look up at him as you unfasten his belt, pull down the zipper; your fingers reaching for the waistband of his briefs. His voice interrupts your movements, “You sure my kid’s not gonna wonder where you went?” he pries “Whatcha’ gonna do if she comes in to see her pretty little friend gagging on her dad’s cock, hm?” 

Fuck you for wearing shorts. You could feel your wetness begin to ooze out of you. 

The corner of Mark’s mouth curls up just a little when you don’t respond to him, opting to pull his briefs down lower until his swollen dick slips out, slapped against his stomach. Your lips part in awe, looking at it up and down; your eyes fixate on the white fluid beading at the tip. It’s precum according to Twitter. 

Your stomach is doing somersaults. Why did you think you could do this? Why did you think you could fit all of that in your mouth? You have a gag reflex!

Fingers creep through your hair, almost soothing you, messing your hair just a little. “Go on, baby,” he pushes. “Take it just like you told me you wanted to.” 

You press an unassuming kiss on the base of his cock first, earning a curse from him. 

God you’re such a virgin. 

You stick your tongue out, letting it glide from the base up to the precum where you close your mouth around the tip. His fingers in your hair leave your scalp, the fingers wrap around your hair creating a makeshift ponytail, insinuating he wants to have control over her. Maybe he’s holding back.

Yeah Mark is definitely holding back. 

If it was anyone else like one of his flings, he would’ve already been far into their throat, shoving his dick in as far as allowed. But he’s not. Because you’re different. He likes you. He definitely likes you. If you were just anyone else he would be less…reserved. He doesn’t want to scare you. He’s refraining himself. 

It’s not for long, though. You come to realize that you need more, you want him to teach you about his stupid “adult games”. You use one of your hands to play with his balls and the other to hold onto his calf. You release your hold when you wrap your hand around the base of his cock, a.k.a the part you couldn’t fit in your mouth. He twitches in your mouth, while he cusses again, his grip on your hair tightening. You assume you’re into pain by the way your cunt clenches around nothing at the feeling. 

Mr. Lee clicks his tongue, the “tsk” he gives is just a little condescending. Using his free hand, he grips your jaw to help you out a bit, easing his dick further into your mouth. “Such a pretty girl with a pretty mouth,” he grins. You take another inch of him, trying your best to use your tongue more than your teeth. You conclude sucking dick might be harder than you thought. 

“Look at you, struggling on my dick. Pretty baby’s havin’ a little trouble down there, isn’t she?” he chuckles at the way you glare up at him, all helpless and at his disposal. “Don’t forget to breathe through your nose, baby.” 

You try to breathe in, breathing in his scent as you take him deeper, letting him guide you by your hair. You swirl your tongue around his base, emitting soft groans from him. Gosh your jaw hurts. And he hasn’t even hit your throat yet! 

He groans, loudly. “Fuck, I love your little—shit—You ever had a cock in your mouth, baby?” 

You don’t answer, his hold on your jaw tightens. “Answer me.” 

Tears are forming in your eyes as you shake your head. You pull back a little only to plunge his cock farther, his pubes tickling your nose just a little. 

“Good girl,” he praises, your chest swells with pride. “Such a smart girl, aren’t you?” 

You’re so wet now, you’re desperate. You bob your head, tears becoming more prevalent in your eyes everytime he hits your throat. He smiles, using his thumb to wipe away your tears while still holding your jaw. 

You finally have the courage to look up at him, seeing how large he appears from this angle. He’s got a small smirk on his face, a strand of his greying hair fallen on his forehead. 

“Fuck,” he groans. “Look at how fuckin’ gorgeous you look,” He praises, now rubbing your cheek with his thumb. “You’re such a slut too, beggin’ to suck your friend’s dad’s cock. You love my cock, don’t you?” 

You whine around his dick, gasping when he yanks you by the hair to pull out. He’s looking at you expectantly. A smirk plastered on his face. You bite your lip, nodding your head eagerly. “Yes!” you cry “Yes, sir!”

He’s immediately satisfied, plunging your mouth back straight to his dick. This time, you hollow out your cheeks, sliding your mouth even further and backwards. His hips thrust upwards, clutching your hair harshly as he uses your mouth. “Such a good girl for me, baby, fuck. Baby knows how to use her mouth for some good, huh?” 

His praise makes you hum around his shaft. Though, a part of you feels just a little jealous he’s been with other people. Not to mention the fact that he’s clearly had a wife. 

Mr. Lee’s dick hits the back of your throat making you gag around him. “Thaaat’s my little slut,” he groans out. “Gag on my dick like I know you wanna.” 

You do as you’re told, letting his cock slide into the back of your throat over and over again. You feel him twitch inside you, his hips beginning to stutter. 

He cusses again, “M’gonna cum, baby,” he pants “M’gonna cum down your throat, and you’re gonna fuckin’ take it, aren’t you?” he chuckles. “You’re gonna take it just like you wanted, pretty girl.” 

You whine around his cock. He smiles. 

Mr. Lee is beyond pleased. Good. 

“Fuuuck,” he lets out a long drawl before he shoots his cum straight down your throat. Your eyes nearly roll to the back of your head at the feeling. He yanks you off his dick, a string of saliva connecting your lips to his dick. “Swallow it all.” 

You oblige. Looking up at him when you’ve taken everything. “I’ve never done that before.” you timidly admit. 

He scrunches his nose at you, his eyes still hooded. “Lying is a bad, bad thing to do, little girl.” 

You pout, “I swear!” 

“Then you’re very good at it,” he holds your jaw again, his thumb parting your lips. “You ever been kissed before?” 

“Once or twice.” you murmur, a little ashamed. 

He gives you a little smile, his lips now touching—kissing yours. You whine against him, your hand resting on his thigh. He grins against your lips, reaching down to pick you up and place you on his thigh. You’re pretty sure he can taste his cum now that his tongue made its way inside. 

Something possessed you when you were straddling his thigh, the next thing you knew, you were rubbing your cunt on his leg. 

Mr. Lee chuckles softly, watching you in complete amusement as you humped his thigh. You’re so sensitive from rubbing your thighs together that you’re such a whiny mess on him. Yes, you still need to get back to your friend (his daughter), but yes—you feel too good to do so. 

He keeps you secure, his hand still on your waist as he watches you use his thigh to your heart's content, moaning and whining out just for him. You don’t even care that you’re leaving a damp spot on his stupid trousers. “Get off on my thigh, you poor baby, you need to cum so badly, don’t you?” 

You sob, his hand on your waist comforting you. “Please,” you begin to beg, “J-Just wanna cum, Daddy, please~” 

That’s the exact moment his grasp on your waist tightens, his already dark eyes grow darker. “Good girl,” he praises, his heart swollen from pride by the name you called him. “Such a good girl making yourself cum all over Daddy’s thigh.” 

You cry out, your body shuddering and clinging onto the man for dear life. As if you could get any closer to your orgasm, he continues. 

“That’s why you need me, huh, you need a fuckin’ Daddy.” he groans “None of these boys, lousy little inexperienced college boys. Do they bother you, baby? Is that why you come to me to get off? You come to me to guide you? Why you need your Daddy?”  

A loud moan leaves your lips, “Yes, yes, yes, Daddy! T-That’s why I need you, need y-you so…so bad!” 

“Good baby,” he coos, drawing out the “O” as he lifts your flimsy shirt above your head, pushing your bra out of the way, pinching your nipples. “Cum. Cum for Daddy, sweetheart.” 

Your limbs turn all jelly-like, and the next thing you know you’re like a puddle in Mr. Lee’s arms. Screaming and crying as your body spasms with nothing but pleasure, it’s like you’re seeing stars. You can barely hear him praising you endlessly as you cling onto him. You’re a hundred percent sure you’re sobbing tears. 

He’s got a shit eating grin on his face as he takes you in. His finger dipping in your shorts to find the slick that’s gushed out of you, holding it to his mouth to taste. “Pussy’s so fuckin’ good,” he mumbles to himself as his eyes shoot to your tits then right back at your face. “Pull your shirt down, baby.” The smile never leaves his stupid face. “And fix your cute little bra.” 

Your face is on fire. You glare at him, fixing your bra. This man can’t be real.

You’re both just staring at each other now, not really paying any mind to the time or anything else, really. But, the clock on his wall is like a slap in the face. You sigh. “I- I should really go.” 

Mr. Lee looks at his watch. He sighs, “Guess so, baby.” 

You place a kiss to his cheek and throw him a demure smile when you pull away. “You know where to find me.” 

He rolls his eyes at you before grabbing your face, kissing you right on the lips. He pulls away. “Dunno ‘bout that honey,” he teases. 

“Then maybe open your window later for a little something, Daddy.” you tease back. 

You both realized your rooms’ windows face eachother. 

Perfect. 

“Maybe I will.” 

Your teeth sink into your bottom lip, biting back another smile. “See ya, Mr. Lee.” 

“Later, gorgeous.” 

You leave his room, closing the door behind you with an ear-to-ear grin on your face. Before you know it you’re lying to your friend again about how sick you feel, saying you need to go home. 

On your way up to your room, you’re mouthing “Mark” until you open your window. Your face heats up when his window is already wide open, he’s already there giving you one of his shit-eating grins. 

You beam back at him. Luckily, you managed to get his number from his daughter. You call him. He looks at you questionably, but picks up, amused. 

“Hey there, old man.” you taunt. 

“You really shouldn’t have came into my room, honey.” 

“Really? Why not?” you pout. 

“Being with your friend's dad really isn’t good for you.” 

You narrow your eyes at him. “And how do you know what’s good for me Mr. Mark ‘know it all’ Lee?” 

“Cause' I’m older.” he extends his arms, stretching “Got more life experience.” 

“So,” you prod. “Whatcha’ gonna do about it, hm?” 

“Knock some sense into you.” 

“Uh-huh,” you raise your eyebrows. “How do you plan on doing that, exactly?” 

His eyes never leave yours. “You’ll see.” 

★ Adult Games | A “One Way Ticket” work | wc: 2.6k

★ Taglist | @chitaphrrrr @nctdom @shescharlie @marklexleaf @jenos-bbygirl @the-universe-in-you-jjh @shiningdery @aecu @moonlightjaemin @donutswithjaminthemiddle @f4irycoven @meowniee @jenoxygen @yincotton @luvjeongjaehyun @gyyyyyu @sunshinedhyuck @3ranch @pinkynana @dialosthermind @ishireads @icy-thot @fineapplehoe @sbngcha @chaerincl @lookingforangst @skye-is-here @hyuckypjm @airpodbaekuwu @bellamendoza @miyahhhhh @damiien-haas @imrinana @cyclothimikhh @back2jisung @aintdprian @tacojisung @nana-blair @xuxibelle @billboard-singer @yesohhsehun @w0nuuu @lava1004 @kpoplover-19 @allofuswantgwinam @if-i-like-i-reblog @beautywine @anowamij @beautywine

©earth-to-that-asian/mull3ts, 2023

[fieryjeannearchives]

🃏: Senku-chan, we’re good friends, aren’t we?

🧪: Why are you getting gross all of a sudden?

🃏: So ean-may! I just wanted to ask you for a favor.

🧪: Pff, should have started with that. What do you want me to re-invent this time? Mirinda?

🃏: No, no… It’s about helping me out rather than re-inventing something.

🧪: Okay? So, what is it? Stop beating around the bush and—

🃏: Can you help me choose my fiancée?

🧪: Hah?! Mentalist, I’m a scientist, not a matchmaker.

🃏: I know, I know! It’s just… I got all these requests and I don’t know who to pick! I’d usually go with the prettier one and call it a day but at this point, I really want to settle down, you know? So~, who better than my favorite scientist to help me sort this out?

🧪: You’re insane, ask someone else.

🃏: But Senku-chan! You know I would help you out with it if our roles were reversed.

🧪: That’s completely different. First of all, I have no intention of choosing a fiancée and secondly, if for whatever reason I ever did, I would only ask for your advice because you’re a mentalist… That’s kind of /your/ thing!

🃏: I’m not just asking you this as a scientist, although I’m hoping you have some sciencey way to help me, I’m asking you this as a friend. This is important to me.

🧪: Tsk, you have lots of other friends. Ask Ukyo, for example. I bet he would be much happier to help.

🃏: I did, but I want your opinion as well.

🧪: Fine… Did you print their profiles or…?

🃏, taking out the copies from his bag: Yup~! I wrote down my notes from our interviews along with their basic information. No pictures though, not that you would care about that anyway~.

🧪, taking them and starting to read them: No, not really. Okay, these three, out.

🃏: So fast!

🧪: I don’t want to waste more time than the necessary on this.

🃏: At least read them first!

🧪: I did! This one comes from a rich family, which might be something that interests a superficial man like you, but she’s too greedy. You will probably end up with a headache from dealing with her constant demands for more. Then this one has a similar background to yours, being a former celebrity and all that, but I think you’d be better off with someone with more contact with the real world.

🃏: The entertainment industry /is/ part of the real world.

🧪: You know what I meant by that. You need someone more grounded… Like this one, who is a lot more calm and mature than the other two. However, she seems a better fit for a friend than a wife. Even in your description, you don’t sound attracted to her at all.

🃏: I could… eventually—

🧪: Or you could waste both of your time.

🧪, taking another profile from the pile: Alright, this one is too impulsive, will also tire you out, and with this one, it sounds like you’re babysitting rather than dating.

🃏: Now you’re just being mean.

🧪: Hey, you asked for my help. Now zip it.

🧪, continues to discard profiles until there’s only one left: In theory, she would be the best option. You both have a fair amount of things in common to bond over, but she has strengths in what you lack, and vice versa.

🃏: Sounds promising~.

🧪: But! She’s either a liar or you made her up. I would have known if there was a scientist with her qualifications… Could have really helped us out at the main lab.

🃏: Maybe she was just recently unpetrified.

🧪: Doubt it.

🃏: Well… Whatever the case might be, if she made it this far, she might still be worth checking out. Who better than a liar for another liar~?

🧪: That’s stupid.

🃏: Well, if you have any better ideas, then I’m all ears, Senku-chan.

🧪: Ugh… if you are that desperate to get married, then fine. I’ll do it.

🃏: Very funny.

🧪: I’m serious. Compared to the other candidates you brought, I’m a much better option.

🃏: Except for the fact that I want an actual marriage, not just signing up some papers and then continuing acting the same as always.

🧪: Yeah, I know. We can definitely do that.

🃏: Wouldn’t that be a lot of wasted time for you though?

🧪: I already choose to spend most of my free time with you anyway. If you think about it, the only thing that would change is how we spend it.

🃏: And you would be fine with that?

🧪, staring at 🃏as if he was an idiot: I wouldn’t be offering it otherwise.

🧪: Anyway— [breaks the pages and throws them to the trash bin]

🃏, scandalized: Senku-chan!!

🧪: What? Haven’t we settled this already?

🃏: But that has to be the worst wedding proposal ever!

🧪: As you didn’t planned this from the beginning.

🧪: They were all made up, weren’t they?

🃏: Maybe~. Honestly, I was surprised when you ended up choosing the one based on you.

🧪: Ah, that makes sense— Wait, who were the others?

🃏: Nobody you need to worry about~.

🧪: 🙂

[wolfjessedragon]

Based on @liliacamethyst Webs of series

Webs of What if Part 2- Webs of Friendship

A few days later…

Sunny: So I took your advice.

Peter BP: And? How’d it go?

Sunny: He wants to be in the picture, even asked me to move in with him.

Peter BP: That’s great! So when am I gonna get to meet this baby daddy?

Sunny: *chuckles* Actually you know him already

Peter BP: Wait… is he another spider?

Sunny: Yes

Peter BP: Wow, oof that’s gonna be a toughie to explain to Miguel if he ever finds out.

Sunny: Well… about that..

Peter BP: No way!

Sunny: Yeah

Peter BP: You and Miguel?! Shut the front door!

Sunny: *chuckles*

Peter BP: Sunny! Girl! I want the deets, I mean how? You're like this embodiment of warmth and kindness and he’s… he’s…

Sunny: Finish your sentence

Peter BP: Kinda the complete opposite, so how?

Sunny: *sighs* Sure most of the time Miguel can be-

Peter BP: A serious stick in the mud and oftentimes downright terrifying.

Sunny: I was gonna say guarded, but I guess yours works okay. But during those times when it was just the two of us, he was sweet, gentle, vulnerable, like him being with me gave him that freedom to take his armor off and be him. That’s as best as I can describe it.

Peter BP: Wow just wow. How long has this been going on?

Sunny: Well at first he made it clear it was just a sex thing, hooking up for the sake of hooking up, stress relief he had called it.

Peter BP: *clenches his fist and teeth* What?

Sunny: Easy brother from another mother, it’s no longer like that now.

Peter BP: Phew thank goodness because if it still was I would have-

Sunny: Gotten annihilated

Peter BP: Hey!

Sunny: *chuckles then alarm goes off* Oh snap, sorry Peter I gotta bounce. *opens portal back to Earth 586*

Peter BP: We’re talking more about this!

Sunny: *leaves through portal*

Peter BP: Sunny and Miguel… I did not see that coming

Somewhere in Nea Yorkey…

Sunny: *sits in a cafe waiting* C'mon dude, where are you?

*A disheveled woman comes in and sits across from Sunny.*

Sunny: You’re late

???: Sorry Spider Sun

Sunny: You’re fine Veronica, is everything okay? Are you taking your medications?

Veronica: Yes ma’am, I’m being sure to stay on top of my medications. Still having trouble finding a place to live though.

Sunny: That’s actually what I’m hoping to talk to you about. *places a large envelope on the table*

Veronica: What is that?

Sunny: The keys to my apartment, some money, and some other documents. They're for you.

Veronica: What?

Sunny: They’re for you.

Veronica: W-W-Why?

Sunny: Let’s just say I’m moving away. I’m not gonna be in Nea Yorkey as often anymore because of personal stuff. The city is going to need a new protector.

Veronica: No it can’t be me, I nearly destroyed this city, everyone hates me.

Sunny: That was the old you, before you got help. Since then you’ve helped me save this city more times than I can count and more than redeemed yourself in the eyes of the citizens. You’re the best person to take the mantle. Besides, you'll have Venom and Eddie backing you up.

Veronica: I don’t know what to say.

Sunny: Say you’ll try.

Veronica: Okay, I’ll try.

Sunny: Thank you, Vulture.

A couple days later on top of Sunny’s apartment building….

Miguel: *exits the portal and is shocked to see Peter B. Parker and his daughter Mayday, he groans*

Peter BP: Well *groan* to you to

Miguel: What are you doing here?

Peter BP: Waiting with Mayday

Miguel: Is Spider Sun here?

Peter BP: If she was I wouldn’t be out here waiting with Mayday. Also no need for the formalities, I know you and Sunny are a thing and you’re her Baby Daddy.

Miguel: I’ll ask again, what are you doing here?

Peter BP: I’m waiting with Mayday for Sunny so I can help her move to your place.

Miguel: Well your assistance is no longer required so you can-

Peter BP: Yeah I ain’t going anywhere. *glares*

Miguel: *a little taken aback, glares back*

*A tense atmosphere surrounded the two men as they glared each other down like two gunslingers at high noon.*

Sunny: *swings in and sees them* Hey guys *dissipating the tension*

Peter BP: Sunny *high fives*

Sunny: Peter, Mayday *tickles making Mayday giggle then steps to Miguel*

Miguel: *smirks* Soleada *kisses Sunny’s lips softly*

Peter BP: *jokingly gags and covers Mayday’s eyes*

In Sunny’s apartment…

Sunny: *Keeps Mayday busy while Miguel and Peter move the few boxes Sunny has back and forth through the portal. There wasn’t much as Sunny was leaving most of the furniture to Veronica since they take up too much space in Miguel’s place. What was in those boxes were… irreplaceable.*

Miguel: *picks up one of the boxes when something falls out, he goes to put it back when he sees it’s a video and photo camera*

Peter BP: Oh no way *web grabs the camera and starts looking* Sunny look what Miguel found

Sunny: *looks at what Peter is holding and blushes beet red* You wouldn’t dare

Peter BP: *grins mischievously* Miguel check it *shows him a video, in which a much younger Sunny costume’s zipper breaks and she’s frantically trying to get out, then laughs his ass off* It’s like one of those dog paper bag vids *continues laughing*

Sunny: *glares at Peter BP* Oh like you haven’t had wardrobe malfunctions before

Miguel: *somewhat curious briefly scrolls through the other pictures and videos, getting an array of reactions from Sunny*

Sunny: That’s when I first met Venom and Eddie, that’s when Veronica got out of the institution, and- *stops as she sees the picture of a giant bridge*

Miguel: *notices* Estás bien amor?

Sunny: *on the verge of tears* Yeah I’m fine just memories and hormones

Miguel: *just hugs Sunny*

Peter BP: *Pats her back* Tell ya what Sunny, how about one last hurrah?

Sunny: Pardon?

Peter BP: How about the four- I mean five of us go down for dinner to that shindig down the street. Ugh I always forget the name.

Sunny: The Milano?

Peter BP: Yeah that’s it!

Sunny: *looks up at Miguel who just nods* Okay..

A while later at The Milano…

*After a very pleasant meal they’re about to pick up the check when “The Dog Days are Over” by Florence + the Machine comes on the radio.*

Sunny: *pauses and grins*

Peter BP: Uh oh

Miguel: What?

Sunny: *gets up from table and holds out hands* Peter, my tiny partner.

Peter BP: Alright *Hands Mayday to Sunny* Don’t go nuts

Sunny: No promises! *chuckles and starts dancing with Mayday in arms*

Miguel: *just watches her wide eyed, seeing her like this is… woah*

Peter BP: *watches* I might be biased because she’s my best friend but that kid the two of you are having is gonna have an awesome pair of parents.

Miguel: …… thank you and thank you.

Peter BP: Miguel, we may never be buddies but we have got to change our attitudes about each other. Because like it or not we’re gonna be more involved in one another’s lives. If not for each others sakes then for the sake of our families. Can we agree on that? *goes for a handshake*

Miguel: *sighs and shakes Peter’s hand*

Peter BP: Oh and uh one more thing

Miguel: Wha- ow!

Peter BP: *squeezes Miguel’s hand hard* Break Sunny’s heart and I will break every bone in your body.

Miguel: *pulls his hand away* Anotado. Maldito sea, que apretón vicioso tienes.

Peter BP: *chuckles*

Miguel: *watches Sunny dancing with Mayday, finishes his drink, gets up, and walks towards them*

Sunny: *notices Miguel approaching*

Miguel: *bends down to Mayday’s level* Disculpe, señorita Mayday, mind if I steal your dance partner?

Mayday: *squeals excitedly and starts waddling back to her daddy*

Miguel: Now fair warning I got two left feet

Sunny: *giggles and takes Miguel’s hands as they “dance” to the second chorus while Peter BP watches with Mayday in the background.*

Later in Miguel’s apartment…

Sunny: *waves bye at Mayday as Peter holds her while going through the portal*

Miguel: *walks up to her and puts a hand along her waist* Had fun?

Sunny: Yeah, thank you by the way.

Miguel: For what?

Sunny: For a lot of things but to keep it simple just… thank you. *her head leans on his shoulder*

Miguel: Well I have to admit I had fun too. *Looks and grins a little flirtatiously*

Sunny: *bites her lip and blushes*

Miguel: *gives her a peck on the lips then crouches down and kisses her abdomen as he wraps his arms around her* Hey baby, fair warning, your mom is salvaje.

Sunny: *scoffs and playfully hits him*

Miguel: *chuckles* But to be fair, so is your dad.

Sunny: *smirks*

Miguel: One more thing baby, cover your ears. *Suddenly picks her up.*

Sunny: *Yelps then giggles as Miguel carries her to the bedroom.*

{Authors Note: Taking a bit of a creative liberty, I decided to make Earth 586’s Vulture a villain turned hero. (In Veronica’s case here’s the summary she was a homeless girl with serious mental issues taken advantage of by 586’s Doc Oc. Doc Oc performed inhumane experiments on Veronica turning her into a harpy like beast that would be known as Vulture. Fast forward a bit and after a particularly fight where Sunny had found out Vulture’s history as Veronica. How like the vultures, everyone had treated her like pest, Sunny chooses to do what few have done for Veronica. Treat her like a person in need of help. In the aftermath of the fight Sunny got most of the charges on Veronica waved and instead of jail got her put in a good rehabilitation center where she also learned how shift between human and harpy forms. Time passes and there were several times when Sunny was in a bind only for Veronica to come bail her out. And when Sunny started working for the Spider Society, Veronica had occasionally taken her place. (Cause TBH one of the things that kinda bugged me about the Spider Society is that the Spiders would leave their native realities for noticeable amounts of time.) Sunny, now moving in with Miguel, is giving the resources she’ll need to be the full time protector.) Taking further liberties I decided to make some other changes that I will happily answer in the comments and in future posts.}

[destinygoldenstar]

I Almost Killed My Heir (How To Save A Sim From An Emotion Death)

Ah, everyone’s making snowmen at the Snow Festival.

Happy-

WAIT. BHEEDA’s?!?!?

CONNIE BHEEDA?!

DEVONTE BHEEDA?!

They have a kid named Courtney Bheeda?! (We found Sun’s enemy)

(For context, we HATE the Bheeda family in this game)

ARE YOU HELPING MAKE THE SNOWMEN?!

Ruby is not accepting this.

She’s punching Connie.

How dare you mess with her neice’s snowman!

And so since it’s a great opportunity, Sun can yell at Devonte and get the rivalry going.

OH GOSH NO

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

IT MADE HIM MORTIFIED?!?!!

NO. NO. NO. NO. DYING IS NOT ALLOWED.

Worst part? The closest mirror was at the vacation house, which was A GOOD WAYS AWAY FROM WHERE WE WERE AT.

You have no idea how HORRIFIED I was at the idea that I’d kill my heir.

I sent him straight to the mirror and did NOT put my attention anywhere else. I didn’t care what else was going on. I refused to cancel that mirror action no matter what. I refused to let him do another thing until he was safe.

AND IT CANCELLED ON ITS OWN! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?

It cancelled on its own cause he so happened to really need to use the bathroom at the same time.

But if I let him go he’d go back to being mortified and he could die.

I did NOT know what to do.

I just had to PRAY to the Sims Lords that I got lucky and one of the embarrassment moodlets wore off in time…

I GOT LUCKY.

😮‍💨

MY HEART MAN.

I WAS SO SCARED.

I BLAME THE BHEEDA’S.

I thought we would’ve lost Sun the first week of him being a young adult.

Yeah I know if he did die there we could just play with him as a ghost. Kelsey did that with her game when her Green Gen Heir died. (She also made the mistake of cancelling the mirror action… and that was it.)

But here’s the thing with that. She had the next gen heir existing. So she COULD salvage her situation.

I DON’T.

I have no one to be the Grey Gen heir yet. And since Sun is an only child, if he dies, THAT’S IT.

My challenge would be completely failed.

I’m at a higher stake with that context.

Plus I just don’t want Sun’s story to go out like that. He was born in an attic, neglected by his family and losing his one loving family member as a kid, got bullied by the kids and adults around him in school, then the first week he goes into adulthood, he DIES?

Nuh uh.

Our boy needs to be protected and loved. 💛

STRONG ADVICE: If you EVER have your Sim enter a state of a lethal emotion (enraged, mortified, hysterical), locate the closest mirror IMMEDIATELY and take your sim there to calm down. Spam that until they’re fine.

If there is NO mirror in your area, find a way to have your sim sleep. They can’t die if they’re asleep. Unless it’s old age.

No matter what, DO NOT cancel that action until the emotion is gone. Don’t care what the situation is or what dumb thing your other sims are doing, the moment you cancel the action for anything, the game can kill your sim at any point. But they DON’T if the action is the next one your sim is taking. (I learned that from my own game experience)

Hopefully this is helpful advice if this ever happens to you.

[goddamnwebcomics]

6 years ago I gave some advice...

Let's see if I still agree with myself.

Write a script in literaturic form before turning it into comic, the script of the comic must be in advance at least three arcs before you start submitting content to the webs.

I still agree with that, but I don't think you need to go out of your way to write a script, you should also have a general plan of how things will go, even after the first three arcs. But a more "literaturic" script would also work, so you don't come up with shit on the fly.

List each planned thing for the future of your comic so you know what to foreshadow, if you lose interest on a thing you can remove it and all references to it from the script before you have published it. This prevents plot points that lead to nothing, and pointless foreshadowing.

Yes I agree with that, but there are more things to hint at future plot points and revelations than foreshadowing.

Even then it's not the biggest crime in the world if some plot point is abandoned in favour of something else, especially if there is some critical backlash or you feel like the idea isn't good enough. There is a rejected plot point in Peter and Company I won't spoil, but am glad was never really followed up on.

Not everything that suddenly comes is needed to be foreshadowed or built up to, but if it’s a huge twist, like character learning a new ability, don’t pull it out of the blue. Try to be as clever as possible but not too subtle.

I agree, but I do think sometimes ass pulls are justified when they're realistic like, I don't know, suddenly some character gets hit by a car and dies. Because that shit happens in real life. Of course it depends on how it's written, like don't make the character into a blatant diebait, and don't include it for the sake of a SHOCK.

Learn to keep an appropriate distance between comedy and serious stuff, comedy usually lightens serious story if used properly. And if you intend your comedy comic to be comedy, keep it comedy. Don’t transist to seriousness out of nowhere for whatever reason, because it’ll never stop being a comedy despite this. Take my advice.

Yeah.

Avoidfor the love of god taking influences from other webcomics, because those webcomics usually have taken their influence from shit things. Read books, and official printed comics, as well as pick up possible advice books written by masters of creative writing.

Yeah this feels overly elitist. Because just because you're inspired by something written by a great literaturist, doesn't mean your stuff will be good. You can take influence from bad webcomics too, you just have to make it better. Like Gene Catlow has a lot of great concepts, but you have to alter them, like Friendship Island would work well as a villain masquerading as a good entity.

Don’t plagiarize. Just because someone did it cool doesn’t mean you also do it cool. Think this is a school essay and that plagiarizing automatically gives your webcomic F–.

This is pretty useless advice because unless you're SuperSaiyanCrash you always have some awareness that you can't just completely rip something off from a more well-known source.

Not all non-webcomic influences are good though, so avoid using Dragon Ball Z, Lord of The Rings, H.P. Lovecraft’s work and other over-referenced things as influence. Someone’s masterpiece can be your disaster.

I...what? Yeah I probably used to think pop culture references were "influences" or something. And I remember I used to really hate superforms. Otherwise I can't make sense about any of this.

Underrated Creator of Influence is Music, listen to it and form images in your head what atmosphere you want your comic to have.

I agree, go with the mindset that the music you're listening to is like the soundtrack of your comic, and it might help paint a scene.

The most underappreciated influence of them all however, is the real life. I’m not talking putting self-inserts, but rather study nature, learn to use your imagination to make the most boring thing exciting and see fucked up dreams. Avoid doing drugs though, drug-influenced media was only acceptable in 80′s.

Oh you sweet summer child. You didn't know about Peter And Company back then.

This is terrible advice. What can you learn from nature? Unless you're trying to look for backgrounds and doing "pollution bad" story. Nature is something that should be reserved for mindfulness, not creativity.

I think going "HAHAHA WAS THIS MADE ON DRUUUUUUUGS" to anything weird or surreal is cringe, and the last part is not helping that. That and I have some friends whose creativity has been boosted from smoking weed. Just don't overdo it, and don't use dangerous shit like DMT.

There are two important rules regarding this type of story. First, don’t make characters, especially the main one, your mouthpiece or make your opinion or point of view the character’s good opinion, because that leads to Strawmanism, mary sue self-inserts and circlejerk hivemind settings buzzword buzzword.

I am...torn on this. I know that people love to say "every fictional character ever is a selfinsert" which is fucking wrong, but isn't the point of a story you're always trying to make the story's theme, message and whatnot align with how you see the world? Some people do it in more nuanced ways than others. And obviously the protagonist isn't always going to be good or sympathetic. I like a hero with flaws more than a perfect hero. I think my general point here is "the hero should not be a carbon copy of the author, unless you have some justification for it." And no, there is no such thing as "semi-autobiographical".

The Second Important Rule is Five Nos of Webcomic Subjects, five themes you must never insert into your webcomic, especially if you’re not a good writer and add them for “shock” or “drama”. They are environmental messages, political opinions on gun control, using anthropomorphic animals to carry anti-racism messages, miscarriage and rape. Using any of these in serious manner you have gone too far for attention and usually this leads to your comic becoming internet infamous, unless getting publicity one way or another is okay.

Five Nos of Webcomic Subjects is something I wish I had never come up with. Mainly because it feels like policing. That being said I do agree that using rape as a shock factor is terrible. The only way it's justified is if you're writing it to cope with your trauma of being SA'd or raped in the past. Rest of these topics should be handled with the biggest fucking nuance you possibly can. I don't know why I put gun control there, I am not even american!

Aesops are okay, and it’s okay for characters to teach something that you also see as a right method of life, but don’t teach that anyone who opposes it is a villain or such. You’re not George Orwell or Ayn Rand.

Oh for fucks sake. It's literally impossible to depict "side you hate" as not a strawman. I am not going to further touch this topic because the discourse around this topic is so rotten to the point it gives me radiation poisoning.

Never do something for shock value, don’t just avoid stuff that’s listed on the list of Five Nos, but also the murder of a child or an animal most people find adorable. You’re an absolute piece of shit and should stay away from anything creative as far as possible unless you’re intentionally doing this just to trigger people and cause controversy, then you’re just a loser.

This is still true. You heard that, UrbanSPOOK?

Settings that are set on Fantasy World, High School, Space or Superhero-infested universe are overdone, so if you’re using it try to pull an interesting twist to it. If you’re not trying to break any new grounds, just try writing an entertaining story.

Once again this is elitist. It's not cliche to have a story on any of these settings, it's about how you portray it. That being said if you're doing it with "I hate every work set on this genre" mindset, I will make fun of you.

I still agree with the last part though. Not everything needs to be a deconstruction or subvertation of expectations.

For the love of god, AVOID settings where anthropomorphic animals and humans live together in harmony or war. This is never done properly. Ever. Also, if you’re trying to do anthropomorphic animal story, don’t do it to expose your furriness. You can also make an anthro animal story entertaining.

I disagree with all of this. I think it's all bullshit. Sad truth is furries are more dedicated to the craft of writing webcomics than anybody else. Why else would I have SO MANY furry webcomics on the rifflist???

No character in your comic should ever have a superform, moving on.

Female characters are an interesting piece of cake,let’s get this down though, Strong Independent Female Characters are even more blander than stereotypical damsels.They have only one character trait, they‘re women but they fight.Making your female character STRONK and INDEPENDENT isn’t revolutionary, it’s as generic as possible. What you should do is to write female characters like how you see them suiting your story without trying to pander to PC bullshit, because then you just come across as pretentious. 

I still...kinda agree with this aside from the last part. Let's just say, the defining trait of a female character shouldn't be they're a woman. It goes both ways.

I’m not that good talking about diversity

And I still am not.

Villains must have a motivation, other than “i’m evil”, “i want revenge” and “i represent the side of the world author finds uncomfortable and scary”. You know you’ve made a bad villain if you’ve basically created an edgy teenager who might also be a school shooter. Villains need to show sympathy to at least someone and they should also have an excellent fashion sense. I’ve heard someone say Flawed Webcomic Protagonist makes a good villain, so seek on to that.

Flawed Webcomic Protagonist still makes a good villain and Gene Catlow is proof of that.

Once again this feels elitist. We kinda live in post-villain society where a lot of the mainstream stuff is afraid to depict a villain that is evil for the sake of evil. It's funny how villains who have sympathetic backstories became so common when in real life, evil people are evil for the sake of being evil.

But what about a third option, a villain who thinks they are the hero? Someone who acts like everything they do is for the greater good, they've just mastered good PR, therapy speak and logical fallacy accusations to make themselves unquestionable source of virtue? The definition of "Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions".

I used to not understand what they meant by "villain who thinks they're the hero" until I saw what Family of Intelligent Life is. This goes back to Flawed Webcomic Protagonists making good villains.

Fanservice is okay, as long as it doesn’t distract from the plot 

Fanservice is still okay even if it distracts from the plot. Just don't make it Monster Girl Academy please.

Don’t use your fetishes as fanservice, or disguise them to be part of a joke. Please.

Everything is fetish now. So don't write anything. Got it.

But seriously, I feel like "haha is that a fetish" has harmed creativity immensely. We have people overreacting on Twitter to that new Mario game because there's inflations and elephants.

Yes, there are times when writer's overly specifc fetish sticks out like a sore thumb and webcomics are the biggest example of this, but don't act like it's possible to make something with nothing anybody would find kinky. It's only bad when a sicko is making something absolutely disgusting that they get off to under the guise of "commentary" or "horror" (again, looking at you UrbanSPOOK)

I am not the kind of person to be asked about this, because i believe good script makes up for bad art, but good art doesn’t make up for bad script, you heard it Spinnerette.

I STILL stand by this after all these years. That being said, good script can't justify inconsistent artstyles, bad designs or worse redesigns!

I have one thing to say about art, if you want to go with anime-inspired style, it’s okay. Just don’t include chibi faces or other animu art cliches.

I still don't like chibi faces. Oddly enough it's a webcomic specific issue. I don't really have an issue about those in anime and manga because they have the hometown advantage, of course if it's overused or it causes tonal issues I am still going to complain about that.

I don't know what other "animu art cliches" are there, speed lines?

Don’t get your style inspired from so-called “Cal Arts style”, or Steven Universe art style. This website fucking loves that style, and it’s used to make some terrible false-ass diversity shit. Even good script can’t save how simplistic and….ugly that style is.

I stopped using that term the minute I learned John Kricfalusi was the one to create that term, and it didn't originally even apply to Steven Universe style, just any mainstream american style in general. John K's style is not any better.

What people call "Cal Arts style" has been on its way out since the pandemic, and it's just another style that will pass. I think people only hated it because of the Tumblr noses. Like I am willing to admit, I hate the tumblr noses too, but it's odd because Steven Universe almost never features those noses.

I will still raise an eyebrow if I see a webcomic use that style instead of something more unique. But trust me, I've seen bad artstyles that are even worse than the "Cal Arts" style.

Let’s get one thing down, react to critism with neutrality, don’t get angry at people who don’t like your comic. I know there’s a difference between troll saying “this is shit” for cheap reaction and a person in actual real life way disliking your comic, but as person with good guts you should learn to see the difference.

Yes, not sure what critism is, but it's funny how I advocate for neutrality when I also tell you to learn to differentiate between flaming and reviewing.

Listen, flaming, riffing and reviewing are all different levels of criticism. Flaming is destructive, reviewing is constructive and riffing is...in between. Like obviously I am not going to start acting like my blog is all 100% constructive criticism, I like having fun, I like cussing out fictional characters, I like making stupid theories. But if the author of any comic I was riffing came to me, I would be able to present them with genuine critique. And that's why I make separate reviews for webcomics after the riffing is over. I am also open to criticism myself, which is why I am critiquing all this advice!

If people start liking a character audience isn’t supposed to like, don’t kill them off. It just makes you come across as petty douche. Unless you’re trying to be George R.R. Martin, then at least kill them because plot demands them to be killed.

I still agree a lot with the first part. Don't kill a fanfavourite off just because you don't like them.

Killing characters is rather so-and-so, don't do it for the sake of a shock. And also if the character is dead, most of the time they should stay DEAD. Don't pull Marvel or Dragon Ball and resurrect everyone all the time.

And that was me critiquing my old advice. A lot of it is a product of my mindset back then, but there was still a lot of valid advice. And it could've been a lot worse, it could've been Lily Orchard's writing advice. I might look at that another day.

[caffernnn]

Hi! I love your blog 💙 also as a fellow makoharu shipper (I finally watch the Final Stroke) I noticed the parallels of Kiyofumi and Ryuuji vs. Makoto and Haru and they are kind of interesting? Kiyofumi tells Ryuuji that "your swimming makes everyone feel good/happy" similar to Makoto saying that he felt happy seeing Haru swim after his race with Rin (also kind of parallels to episode 9 of season 1, where Makoto tells him he felt happy to swim in the relay with him). Also Hiyofumi saying "Hisashiburi" to Ryuuji, which parallels at the end of the movie with Makoto saying it to Haru. Fans on twitter have said that the Fanbook of Free! The Final Stroke mentioned "Kiyofumi is the indispensable presence of Ryuji Azuma as Makoto for Haru but since he passed away Azuma is alone now and really sad." Sorry for the rambling, I just love the meta 😅

Thanks, friend 💚 and YEAH the setup for Ryuuji to see himself in Haru and for his relationship with Kiyofumi to come back in his mind when he sees Haru with his close bonds (especially Makoto) is definitely an interesting one! I think there are more people out there who have spent more time sitting with Ryuuji’s character to properly understand him (I’m trying to be less of a hater) BUT from what I remember (being several months removed from watching the FS movies now) the few insights we got to see into Kiyofumi/Azuma’s past had me curious as to how it would all play into how Ryuuji reacts to seeing Haru’s spiraling trajectory once he chooses to take his advice and isolate. Imagine your grief manifesting into this idea of “I didn’t have a choice, but if you have one, leave before you can have a chance to lose them,” and then not seeing the flaw in that until this kid you see a lot of yourself in falls into that trap and loses touch with himself completely. If the first season of fr! could’ve been seen as a story of lost lonely former swimmers relearning the importance of connectivity through rebuilding (forming a new team, watching Rei learn from the ground up, building skills and trust in each other and everything else), there was ample setup from s3 to the FS movies for Azuma’s arc to mirror that same discovery process. His loss is different (there’s no getting back Kiyofumi for him :/) but there’s still a chance of rebuilding after, connecting after. Coaching is a shot at rebuilding, and the ways he approaches Haru had potential for rebuilding… but I don’t think we got to see as much of that tbh. Part of my delight/frustration with FS is that there are seeds for so many storylines and relationships to care about at this point, but that overwhelm of potential left a lot of avenues not fully explored. I’m not saying that out of all the fun crumbs introduced that the Ryuuji-Haru mentor/mentee storyline should’ve been top priority or anything, buuuut I would be curious to see that whole parallel setup get a proper follow-through. What do they learn from each other, if anything? Does Ryuuji ever realize he’s too close or invested for reasons not related to helping Haru? Do they have a serious talk during his rehab about a way forward that might not involve the pro world long-term, or that might not involve them moving on together? Could there be more moments between Ryuuji and Makoto as he keeps growing as a coach/trainer, since there’s also something interesting there?? Would be curious to see more takes on this 🥲

[fan-art-ic]

"I’m not joking. Yeah, I’m not sure that I have the qualifications to give people advice about reasons to live. My daily affective state is one of great despair about the incredible destructive forces at work in this world — not only at the level of climate. What has been going on in the Middle East just adds to this feeling of destructive forces completely out of control. The situation in the world, as far as I can tell, is incredibly bleak. So how do we live with what we know about the climate crisis? Sometimes I think that the meaning of life is to not give up, to keep the resistance going even though the forces stacked against you are overwhelmingly strong. This often requires some kind of religious conviction, because sometimes it seems irrational.

I think all you need to do is look at your children. Yes, but I have to admit to some kind of cognitive dissonance, because, rationally, when you think about children and their future, you have to be dismal. Children are fundamentally a source of joy, and psychologically you want to keep them that way. I try to keep my children in the category of the nonapocalyptic. I’m quite happy to go and swim with my son and be in that moment and not think, Ah, 30 years from now he’s going to lie dead on some inundated beach. You know what I mean?

Which of your arguments are you most unsure of? I cannot claim to have a good explanation for what is essentially a mystery, namely that humanity is allowing the climate catastrophe to spiral on. One of my personal intellectual journeys in recent years has been psychoanalysis. Once you start looking into the psychic dimensions of a problem like the climate crisis, you have to open yourself to the fundamental difficulty in understanding what’s happening.

What about you, psychoanalytically speaking? I have my weekly therapy on Thursday.

But what’s your deal? You mean in my private life?

Yeah. On a deeper level, the point for the psychoanalysis is that you go back to your childhood and try to process your relation to your parents and how they have constituted you. Do you really want me to go there?

I asked why you aren’t blowing up pipelines, and you gave this answer about how action has to happen in the context of a community and “Oh, but I have done very serious stuff” — there’s something fishy. You have actually engaged in property destruction? Or are you just scared of somebody calling you a hypocrite? There are things that I have done when it comes to militant activism recently that I, as a matter of principle and political expediency, do not reveal. Part of the whole point of it is to not reveal it. Sure, someone could accuse me of being a hypocrite because I don’t offer evidence that I have done anything militant. But those close to me know. That’s good enough for me.

I also said, “Give me a reason to live.” I will always remember this. No one ever asked me this before."

In “Overshoot,” you write this about the very wealthy: “There is no escaping the conclusion that the worst mass killers in this rapidly warming world are the billionaires, merely by dint of their lifestyles.” That doesn’t feel like a bathetic overstatement when we live in a world of terrorist violence and Putin turning Ukraine into a charnel house? Why is that a useful way of framing the problem? Precisely for the reason I tried to outline previously, which is that spewing CO2 into the atmosphere at an excessive scale — and when it comes to luxury emissions, it is completely excessive — is an act that leads to the death of people. We live in representative democracies where certain liberties are respected. We vote for the policies and the people we want to represent us. And if we don’t get the things we want, it doesn’t give us license to then say, “We’re now engaging in destructive behavior.” Right? Either we’re against political violence or not. We can’t say we’re for it when it’s something we care about and against it when it’s something we think is wrong. Of course we can. Why not? That is moral hypocrisy. I disagree. Why? The idea that if you object to your enemy’s use of a method, you therefore also have to reject your own use of this method would lead to absurd conclusions. The far right is very good at running electoral campaigns. Should we thereby conclude that we shouldn’t run electoral campaigns? This goes for political violence too, unless you’re a pacifist and you reject every form of political violence — that’s a reasonably coherent philosophical position. Slavery was a system of violence. The Haitian revolution was the violent overthrow of that system. It is never the case that you defeat an enemy by renouncing every kind of method that enemy is using.

[americaswritings]

Ghost from the past

Warnings: mentions of a toxic past relationship, an ex who’s an asshole, anxiety, lots of angst (you know me lol), protective Connor, also fluff

Summary: Your toxic ex-boyfriend, who you ran from and hoped would never find you in Chicago, shows up in the ER and Connor notices something is up. He worries about you, but will you be able to tell him the truth?

Words: 5.4k

Pairing: Connor Rhodes x reader

A/N: The summary sucks, but I couldn’t come up with anything better. I also never planned to write this, but the story basically wrote itsself. As always, I hope you enjoy! :)

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Masterlist

"Alright, we’ll run some tests to make sure it’s nothing serious. You’re in good hands here.” You finished your exam on a young woman, offering her a friendly smile. 

“Thanks, but when can I get out of here? I need to get back to work!”, she told you, visibly troubled at the thought to spend the next hours in an ER.

“I assume the stress of overworking is what caused the symptoms in the first place. So I reckon you should take a few days off to destress.”

You saw the woman’s face fall, but she seemed to know you were right. “If that’s what my doctor says, I guess I should listen”, she sighed, and you offered her an encouraging smile. 

“Trust me, I know how easy it can be to get caught up in work, completely forgetting about your own wellbeing in the process. But it’s essential for your body and your mind to get breaks too.”

“Okay, okay. I will take a few days off”, she gave in, and you send her a satisfied smile.

When the woman pulled out her phone to call her boss, you quickly excited the room. You handed April the patient’s record and told her to order the blood work and labs as she passed you another iPad and you hurried to your next patient.

The ER was quite full today and it only seemed to get worse as your shift went on.

“Hey, my name is doctor (Y/L/N)”, you introduced yourself to your next patient. Your eyes were focused on the screen as you quickly scanned it for the information you needed.

“And you must be-”

Your whole body froze in shock as your eyes fell on the patient’s name. You looked up, hoping that it was just a coincidence, but your eyes were met by the same green ones that had haunted you since the day you had decided you couldn’t take it anymore and left.

“Hello (Y/N).” He wore a cocky smile as he enjoyed the reaction he still had to you. When you didn’t say anything, he raised his brows. “That’s rather unprofessional, don’t you think?”

Your heart was racing in your chest and mouth had gone dry “What- what are you doing here?”, you stammered, upset with yourself that he still had that effect on you.

Just his presence was enough to make you feel small and insecure again, a feeling that had accompanied you every day for the past year when the two of you had been dating. 

“Shouldn’t you know that?” He tilted his head to the side, and you knew he was mocking you. “You just read the document they made me fill out, didn’t you?”

“Y-yeah, right.” Your voice was trembling a little and you adverted your eyes, hoping you would regain your composure when you weren’t looking at him. But you could still feel his stare on you, making it impossible to concentrate on the words in front of you.

“Chest pain and shortness of breath”, you read out loud. “And it says the symptoms started a few hours ago. Why did you wait this long to come to the emergency room?”

You could hear him huff. “You want to lecture me, huh? Guess what, I’m not taking advice from someone who just left one day without a word. Someone who ran and then hid, just like the coward you are.”

You looked back up at him. Your uncertainty had vanished a little into anger as he was using every opportunity to tear you down. “Who is being unprofessional now?”, you shot back.

But your words didn’t have the effect you had wished for. Instead, the man in front of you smiled, satisfied that he could get a reaction out of you this easily. He still held power over you and both of you knew it.

“I will page a cardiologist”, you stated, using the opportunity to turn around and take a deep breath. In a few minutes you wouldn’t be alone with this guy anymore and hopefully you wouldn’t have to deal with him again when he was assigned to a different doctor.

You knew you had to listen to his chest until the cardiologist would arrive, but the thought of coming close to him again sickened you.

“Why did you come here, though?”, you asked, buying yourself time. But a small part of you also desperately wanted to know the answer.

After you had made the decision to leave him, you had known that you couldn’t stay in the same town. You didn’t want him to ever find you.

So from one day to the next, you packed your things and left the state, moving to Chicago to start your new job at the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.

But now he had found you. How?

“Oh sweetheart, you really thought I wouldn’t find you?”, he smirked, and you felt bile rise in your throat.

“I knew you would be working in an emergency room somewhere. In the beginning there was no trace of you. But I knew it would only take time for you to seek the attention you so pathetically need. And I was right. Last month your name was published as a guest speaker for an upcoming medical panel.”

You could see how proud he was to tell you all of this and you gulped. He was right, you had been reckless.

When you had first come to Chicago, you had made sure to be extra cautious with everything you did. But eventually you had made friends here, found people that felt like a family to you, and you had let your guard down. 

When you had been offered the chance to be a guest speaker at one of the most important medical panels in the country, you hadn’t thought twice about it. Everyone in the department had celebrated with you and you had felt on top of the world.

But you should have known better. Now you had to face the downfall of your thoughtless actions.

“So you came all the way to Chicago to prove that you found out where I live now?” You couldn’t help the judgement that crept into your voice. “Is your chest pain even real?”

You knew you had gone too far when you saw the anger rise on his face, an expression you had grown to fear. But you needed to know the answer. You were a doctor. You had to do your job after all. You couldn’t waste your time on someone who was making up symptoms, especially not on such a busy day like today.

Besides, how would that make you look like as a doctor, if there was no medical evidence supporting his claims and you hadn’t noticed? If you had been too distracted by your own feelings to make rational decisions that you could stand by and explain if needed.

The man in front of you narrowed his eyes and you saw the storm raging in his eyes. “You want me to report you to your superiors?”, he threatened. “Because I could easily do that. And you know that when it comes down to it, no one would believe you. Or have you forgotten already?”

You flinched at his harsh words and the reminder they carried with them. Of course you hadn’t forgotten how your ‘friends’ had turned their backs on you after you had finally admitted the truth to them. They had taken his side, told you that it was impossible he would even be capable of doing what you accused him of, too blinded by his charm. 

He had fooled everyone, and, in the end, you had been the one to be alone.

You could never risk something like this happen ever again, especially not here in Chicago, where you had finally found people who really cared about you and were important to you.

Your family. You would never risk losing them. You couldn’t give him this satisfaction.

So you stayed silent, like you had grown used to all this time and began your examination. “I need you to unbutton your shirt so I can listen to your heart”, you explained, trying to keep your voice neutral and regain the professional part of you that would handle this guy like any other patient.

His anger had vanished, now that he was back in control, and he smirked. “If you’re asking for it”, he teased, and you felt sick again. But you stayed silent, deciding not to give into his provocations. 

You took a small step into his direction and leaned forward so you could place the stethoscope on his bare chest. “I need you to be quiet now”, you ordered and closed your eyes to fully concentrate on the sounds of his beating heart. You wouldn’t be surprised if you wouldn’t hear anything, considering the man in front of you could not have anything in him resembling a heart.

To your surprise he stayed silent during your examination. You could smell the faint scent of his cologne and your heart stopped for a beat when you realized it was still the same one he had worn when you had been a couple.

The same smell. You would be sick again.

“Enjoying yourself?” His voice snapped you back to reality. It was low, just above a whisper, but your heard it anyway. Because you were close to him, too close.

You jumped away from him the moment you heard the curtain being ripped to the side. 

“What have we got here?”, you heard a deep voice behind you and felt relief wash over you now that you weren’t alone with him anymore. As you took another step back from him, you tried to collect yourself before turning around.

“Dr. Rhodes”, you greeted the man in dark scrubs, hoping the dread you still felt wasn’t visible on your face. 

“Male, 35 years old, no underlying medical conditions and no family history of cardiovascular diseases. He complains about chest pain and shortness of breath. The symptoms have begun a few hours ago, but not worsened over time. I couldn’t hear any abnormality when I listened to his heart.”

Your voice sounded steady and emotionless, despite the raging feelings inside of you. 

Connor listened closely to your words, nodding as you finished. “Alright Mr.-” His eyes flickered to yours since you hadn’t mentioned the name of the patient. “

Wright.” Your voice was quiet as you spoke his name, the name you hated with a passion, but it was loud enough for the two to hear.

“But we go with Daniel, isn’t that right?” Your head shot up as his words registered in your ears and you saw Connor turn back towards you, his brows raised in surprise. Your cheeks burned in shame as you bit your lip to keep a neutral expression. As if his words hadn’t bothered you, while in reality, they had been a punch to the gut. You had thought he would act different now that Connor was around, but he was still trying to get under your skin. And it was working.

“How about we wrap this up quickly? I have other patients waiting for me”, you suggested, desperate to get this encounter over with. You knew you couldn’t just leave, not without raising questions you didn’t want to answer.

Connor’s eyes lingered on you a second longer, trying to read what was going through your head, but he respected your request and redirected his attention back to the patient.

“Alright Mr. Wright”, he began once more. “It doesn’t seem like we are dealing with an urgent condition here. I would like to listen to your heart and run some tests to make sure we don’t overlook anything”, he explained, noticing how his patient’s eyes were focused on something else than him. Or rather someone.

A little annoyed at his patients’ attitude, he pulled out his stethoscope, leaning in to start his examination. 

“Is that really necessary? She did that quite well before you came.” Connor huffed, growing a little impatient. You were right, there was an emergency room packed with people waiting for a doctor and he didn’t want to waste his time debating whether his approach was necessary.

“Am I interrupting something here?”, he asked, looking between the two of you, the tension hanging heavy in the air. “I have to admit, we had quite a lot of fun before you came”, the man smirked, and Connor felt the urge to wipe that smile from his face.

Instead he focused his attention on you, who was watching the interaction from the corner of the room. Your cheeks were red from embarrassment, and he could see that you felt uncomfortable, yet you didn’t say anything. 

He frowned. Usually you weren’t one to stay silent. You had been quiet when he had first gotten to know you, but he had always seen something in you that didn’t fit your behaviour. As if you were imprisoning yourself, choosing to stay quiet when you had so much to say.

Eventually you had warmed up, first to him and later to the others. Now you and Natalie were practically inseparable. Since then he had been impressed by your confidence and courage multiple times.

He knew you as someone who wouldn’t take no as an answer, if it wasn’t in the patient’s best interest and you weren’t afraid to stand up for yourself. What was different now?

He decided to end this as soon as possible, hoping to be able to talk to you about it after stepping outside.

“Well Mr. Wright.” He stood up, reaching for the iPad you were clutching in your hands. It took you a moment to snap out of your thoughts before you handed it to him. It earned you another frown.

“I will order the labs now but expect to spend the next few hours here. You chose a pretty busy day to make a trip to the ER”, he said as he typed it into the iPad.

“As long as she’s taking care of me, I will be fine.” Connor felt his temper flare up. Didn’t the guy have any sense of respect? If he made another suggestive comment that you clearly didn’t appreciate, Connor couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t lose his cool.

“I am afraid I have important things to take care of. But I am sure the nurses will take good care of you”, you finally spoke up, your voice much stronger than you felt. Maybe it was Connor being in the room giving you the security you needed. 

With him being here, the guy you had once called your boyfriend couldn’t become personal. But he had already said too much, and you could see the questions on Connor’s face. Questions you didn’t want to answer.

You exited the room without another word, another thing that was uncommon for you and Connor rushed after you.

“Hey”, he called out, before you could round the corner. You froze, turning around slowly. “You want to tell me what happened in there?”, he asked, worry creeping into his voice.

“I’ve got patients to take care of”, you avoided his question. A second later you had turned around and left. Connor stared at the patient’s chart in his hands. Something about this guy had upset you and he wanted to know what it was.

You could feel the guilt for leaving Connor with such an answer the moment you turned your back on him. He had sensed that something was going on and was only trying to look out for you. But you couldn’t talk to him about it. 

You sprinted to the women’s bathroom, emptying the contents of your stomach into the toilet once you reached it. The sickness left with it, but it was replaced by exhaustion. You had only made it halfway through your shift, yet you felt as drained as after most night shifts. 

You sank down next to the toilet seat, hugging your knees into your chest as you allowed yourself a moment of weakness. 

Seeing him had messed with your head. It had robbed you of all the security you had found in Chicago. He hadn’t just found you here but invaded your workplace. A place you thought of as your second home.

And being here, he was around your friends, your family. He could ruin it all in the blink of an eye. Just a few words from him were enough and the life you had worked so hard to build would crumble to pieces.

You wanted to scream or hit something. Instead you stood up, wrinkled out your clothes and smoothed out your hair. Then you walked over to the sinks and splashed cold water in your face. You had patients to take care of and you wouldn’t allow him to terrorize your mind.

You only had to make it through shift. Maybe you wouldn’t even have to see him again. If Connor was right and his condition wasn’t severe, he might have left before you even saw him again.

But then a horrible thought sank in. He knew were you worked. What if he waited for you after shift? What if he had watched you and found out where you lived too? How could you ever feel safe again, when he could show up unannounced whenever he liked, just to screw with your life.

As another wave of panic seemed to creep in, you willed yourself to stay strong. One step at a time. Right now, it was your priority to make it through your shift. The rest you could figure out later.

“Hey, I would watch out for that one”, Connor mentioned as he handed April the iPad. “Doesn’t know any respect”, he grumbled. 

“Thanks for the warning.” April took her eyes off the screen in front of her for a moment, confusion becoming evident on it as she read the chart. “Oh, that guy?” Her eyes flickered to the room he was set in. “He was actually pretty nice when I set him up. Quite charming if I may say so”, she added with a smile.

Connor frowned. That was definitely not the guy he had met. Nothing he had said to you had been charming. To him it had seemed more like he was too confident and enjoyed the effect he could have with his words. Just another self-absorbed asshole in his eyes. 

“Then we didn’t meet the same person”, he stated, making his way back to the elevator.

As he walked out of the ER, he caught a small glimpse of you. But you had disappeared into a patient’s room before he could do anything. He hoped that he would be able to catch you after shift. Until then he needed to focus.

Easier said than done, as the imagine of your troubled expression was fuelling the worry he felt.

-

You let out a loud exhale as the clock finally indicated that your shift was over. You were beyond exhausted and just wanted to fall into the comfort of your bed. “Tough day, huh?”

Natalie had walked into the room, beginning to put her belongings into her locker. “Yeah. It was a hell of a day”, you sighed as you pulled out your coat. 

“Makes me hope the nightshift will be a little calmer. “ You send her a doubtful gaze. “What? A girl can hope”, she joked, and you chuckled. 

“I will go home now and fall into the comfort of my warm and cosy-” “Okay stop!”, Natalie exclaimed. “You’re being cruel!” But she was smiling at you.

You laughed as you put on your coat, knowing it wouldn’t help with the freezing cold of Chicago’s winter. “Have a good night”, you told her, grabbing your purse. “You too!”

The smile quickly faded from your lips as you saw someone was waiting for you.

It was Connor, wrapped in his own coat and his leather bag hanging over his shoulder. For a moment you considered pretending to have left something and turn back around, but you knew that Connor wouldn’t buy into that. You needed to appear normal, not cause more attention by acting despite yourself.

“Are you waiting for someone?”, you acknowledged him. “The pretty blonde from your station perhaps?” “Her name’s Ava”, Connor commented. “And no, I am not waiting for her. I-” 

“She must be rather disappointed then”, you interrupted before he could speak further. Connor rolled his eyes at your attempt to distract from the obvious topic. “I think she’ll manage.”

You had started walking towards the exit, Connor easily falling into step beside you. “I was waiting for you”, he emphasized, and you pretended to be surprised.

“For me?"

The cold wind hit you the moment you stepped outside, and you pulled your coat closer to your body. It was dark already, not that you had expected anything different at this time of year, but the lights of the hospital were enough to illuminate your surroundings.

Connor sighed audibly, putting a hand on your shoulder to stop you. “Can you please stop this show?” He had moved in front of you, hindering you from walking away and forcing you to face him. 

You were tempted to make a sarcastic remark, but his voice sounded sincere, and you knew his intentions were pure. It wouldn’t be fair of you to make this extra hard for him. You reluctantly met his eyes, your confidence leaving a little under his attentive gaze.

It felt as if he could see right into you, that every little thing you did would reveal something to him you might not want him to see. “Fine”, you sighed, crossing your arms over your chest while waiting for his questions.

“You weren’t acting like yourself today when we were around that patient. What happened? I mean- why did he affect you so much? Did something happen before I came?”

You were torn between shutting him down and answering at least partly truthful. Maybe it would help you to be honest with him. And if you denied his perceptions all together, he would be suspicious. You didn’t want Connor investigating the guy nor him being upset with you. 

But you also couldn’t tell him the whole truth. 

You felt too ashamed, too scared of losing him like you had lost your friends back then.

But if he came back for you, you would need to leave Chicago. The thought broke your heart. You didn’t want to leave, having finally felt at home somewhere. But the chances were slim that he wouldn’t show up again after what had happened in the hospital today.

If you had to leave, didn’t Connor deserve an explanation? They all did, but he had been the person you had grown closest too. From the day you had met, Connor had made so many efforts to get to know you, despite you being reserved back then and making it hard for him. He had been a huge part in you opening up more and more.

And during the last months you had felt something growing between the two of you.

It wasn’t just a friendship anymore or a bond between co-workers.

It was something else.

Maybe it was the way he was looking at you when he thought you didn’t notice or how he paid attention to the little things, buying your favorite flowers for your birthday and ordering your lunch without needing to ask what you wanted.

Maybe it was the way he would seek your company during work by coming up with excuses why he would need you to work with him on a particular case. Or the way he made you feel safe, when you had thought that feeling had become unattainable to you.

He made you feel beautiful, smart, funny, and cared for. Something you hadn’t felt in a long time. But the two of you had never addressed any of it, pretending to be oblivious to the change in your relationship.

And now it was too late. You would have to leave Chicago and would never see Connor again.

You realized he was still waiting for an answer and sighed.

“I don’t know how to answer that”, you told him truthfully. A shiver went through your body as the cold wind whipped through the air. Of course Connor noticed. “How about we talk in the car? We can turn on the heating”, he suggested. 

You knew joining him in the car would make it impossible for you to leave as easily, but the coldness was seeping into your bones. So you agreed.

As you had settled into the passenger seat of his car, Connor was looking at you expectantly. You still hadn’t answered his question.

“That guy- I knew him”, you began, casting your gaze to your hands in your lap. Not having to look at Connor, see the disappointment on his face, would make it easier to tell him.

“We were dating once”, you confessed, and you heard Connor exhale in surprise. “At first he was the best boyfriend one could ask for. I even thought he was the one”, you admitted, choking out a bitter laugh. You looked up to meet Connors eyes, curious for his reaction. 

He was watching you, a painful expression on his face. He seemed to guess where this story was going. 

“But eventually things started to change. He got upset over nothing. Everything I did was wrong or not good enough. We were always fighting. He had become so obsessive and controlling-”, you trailed of as memories played back in your mind.

You weren’t in the car any longer. You were back in your apartment, crying yourself to sleep after his hands had finally left your body. You were at a friend’s party, pulling down the hem of a dress he had forced you to wear, one that was too revealing for your comfort. Back at the restaurant where he had been beyond rude to the waitress after you two had another fight to the point he had made her cry. You had never felt so ashamed before.

You could still smell his breath full of alcohol, feel his hands gripping you too tightly for it to be a gesture out of love and hear his manipulative words in your ears.

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me more than you’re comfortable with.” Connor’s voice brought you back to reality and you blinked to take in your surroundings. 

“No, I- I need to say this.”

You had never expected it to feel so freeing to say it out loud. Maybe your relationship with Connor would never be the same again, maybe he would never see you the same way he did before your confession, but in this moment, it didn’t seem to matter. 

This was about freeing yourself from the walls you had built up to guard your heart. It was about telling the truth, hearing it out loud and knowing it wasn’t just a story you had made up to justify leaving the relationship. It was your story and you deserved to tell it and be believed.

“In the end he was everything a boyfriend should not be. Manipulative, aggressive and controlling. Belittling me at every chance he got. But we had met through shared friends and when I finally decided to speak up, they sided with him. He made sure no one believed me. So I packed my things, left the state and started a new life in Chicago.”

Connor slowly reached for your hand, making sure you were okay with the touch. His skin felt soft on yours and filled you with warmth. A simple reminder that you were safe with him.

“I am so sorry (y/n)”, he whispered, his voice so sincere and gentle that it nearly broke your heart. “I wish you didn’t have to go through that. You must have been so alone.”

You nodded, giving him time to process what you had just revealed. “That’s why you were so closed off in the beginning, right?” You nodded once more, and he squeezed your hand a little.

“I have to ask this.” His eyes had grown darker, and you could see the tension in his shoulders, in his jaw. “Did he ever physically hurt you?” You quickly shook your head and saw the tension slip a little from his body as Connor exhaled in relief. “I left before he could”, you stated.

“But he was never supposed to find me.”

You thought back to the moment you had walked into the room, not in the slightest bit prepared for how your life would change the moment you realized who the patient was.

“But he did”, Connor said grimly, and you nodded. “And now I have to leave.”

You saw his eyes widen in shock and he frantically shook his head, his calm demeanour gone the moment he understood that you had a plan. “No, (y/n)! Do you want to spend the rest of your life running from him? That’s not a life, that’s-” “I have to!”, you interrupted him, growing desperate too.

“He knows where I work. He probably knows where I live. You really think he will leave it at that encounter today? You don’t know him. He will make sure that I know he’s still in control of me and make my life a living hell!”

You wished you wouldn’t have to leave. You wanted to stay more than anything, but the thought of him terrorizing you again was too hard to bear.

“If you leave now, you give him that control”, Connor argued. “You have people here that care about you. We won’t let anything happen to you!”

You snorted. “So what? You guys can’t spend every minute of every day by my side making sure he doesn’t show up. That’s impossible and that’s not a life either and you know it!” But Connor wasn’t giving up this quickly. You had to admit you would have been disappointed if he did.

“There are other solutions”, he offered. “Yeah? Like what?”, you challenged. You wished he would win this argument. You wanted to stay, but you needed a good enough solution how it could work.

“Restraining orders for one”, he began, and you sighed in frustration. “I would live in fear of him every day”, you explained, tears clouding your vision. “I can’t do that anymore.” You sounded broken, defeated even. “I won’t let that happen”, Connor promised, reaching for your other hand.

“Why would you do that for me?”, you asked, your voice trembling as a tear ran down your cheek. 

“You know why.”

Connor leaned forward slightly, brushing the tear away with his thumb. It was a simple and gentle gesture, soothing you in a way you hadn’t thought possible. “You are a respected doctor. You have friends here. You build a life in this city. Please, don’t let him take that from you.” You were surprised to hear how torn his voice sounded. How defeated he sounded himself. 

He knew that if he couldn’t convince you now, he would lose you.

“What choice do I have?” Your voice wavered as you searched his eyes for the answer you so desperately needed.

“You have the power to decide what you want to do. But when you decide to stay, know that I will be there with you every step of the way, if you want me to.”

Your heart was beating loudly in your chest, and you couldn’t help but wonder if Connor could hear it. You knew it wasn’t possible, but he was listening to hearts all day after all.

“You trust me?”

“When I met you and we started to spend more time together, I finally felt safe again for the first time. With you I feel safe”, you admitted, nodding your head in answer to his question.

Connors eyes lit up at your words, clearly touched by them. “How about you stay with me for a while? In the morning when he both have a clear head we can come up with a plan, okay? But we should tell the others too, they will be able to help.”

You were torn. The thought of telling your other friends scared you, but then you remembered what Connor had told you.

I will be there with you every step of the way if you want me to.

“Okay”, you breathed, squeezing his hands to show him your gratitude. “Thank you.”

Connor responded with a soft smile, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen into your face behind your ear. “So you will be staying?”, he asked, needing to be sure you had abandoned your plan for good. 

“Yes, I will stay.”

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[paradisetemporarilymisplaced]

So I was being a basic bitch the other day and listening to my true crime podcasts when it occurred to me just how suspicious Nile’s “death” would look to everyone not in the Guard, leading me to a train of thought that, 2200 words later, absolutely got away from me but I can’t let go so I’m inflicting it on all of you!

To set the stage, we know the movie takes place over approximately a week. Here’s what happens to Nile from the military’s point of view:

She dies is very seriously injured

She heals without a scratch

Just before she’s supposed to be shipped out to Germany, she vanishes, leaving two men concussed (and presumably reporting being knocked out by a woman with short hair wearing civilian clothes)

She goes AWOL for several days

They get word from the CIA that she is to be reported killed in action (details unclear)

So, at the beginning of this very weird week, the USMC has to tell Nile’s family of her death critical injury. What her family was told depends on how long she was dead – a Google search tells me that family will be notified in person within 8 hours of a soldier’s death, but we don’t know how long her first death lasted. For an injury, however, they’d get a phone call to notify them and the unit would arrange for them to visit as soon as the soldier is transferred out of a combat zone. Like I remember when I was in high school, a guy from my church who was a Marine was really seriously injured in a helicopter crash in Iraq and from what I could tell, his parents were told immediately and were flown out to Germany to see him, so it stands to reason that Nile’s family would have been informed relatively quickly after her throat was slashed, one way or another.

And then, she goes AWOL. Her family would be notified while the USMC tried to figure out where she went, not least because the military would want to know if she’s contacted them. (And it’s possible that her family may have been on the way to Germany to see her since we know that’s where she was supposed to go!) So for several days:

Nile’s mom and brother have no idea where she is

They know she was seriously injured and most certainly should not have been moving around on her own

They can’t get a hold of her

The military can’t tell them anything

And the next thing they know for sure is that she was “killed in action.” After being injured and vanishing into thin air. And they presumably cannot produce her body or any concrete evidence of her death. In any case, something sketchy is going on, so they’re like. SMELLS LIKE A MILITARY COVERUP.

In a surprise to probably no one, there is a well-documented legacy of mysterious US military deaths, particularly of women of color (TW for sexual assault in these links). The cases of LaVena Johnson and Vanessa Guillenin particular have made national news because of their families’ persistence in seeking justice. Likewise, Nile is a Black woman, and her mom and brother are most certainly hypercognizant of (a) state violence against Black people and (b) these high-profile cases of suspicious military deaths. So her family are seriously side-eyeing the situation, knowing that (a) the military has a serious incentive (and a documented history) of covering up things that make them look bad and (b) nothing about Nile’s disappearance and supposed death are adding up.

And Andy’s right. Nile does come from warriors. And you know who else does? Her brother.

Don’t get me wrong. Nile’s mom would absolutely not back down. She’d know something was up and want to get to the bottom of it. But based on what I know about Gen X parents (mine), they’re not the most technologically savvy. Like they can use the internet, but they didn’t grow up with it the way we young millennials and Gen Z did. So Nile’s brother takes the lead. And what do zillennials do best?

Social media.

Nile’s brother starts going hard on any site he can, trying to get the word out to see if anyone knows what happened to his sister. He starts a Reddit thread. He starts a Facebook group. He reaches out to the media and true crime bloggers and podcasters à la Sarah Turney, getting loud and being a general nuisance in hopes of getting some answers. He gets his friends and Nile’s friends involved. Maybe eventually Dizzy, Jay, and others from Nile’s unit hear about it and reach out, telling him what they saw and how weird it all was. He’s drumming up interest, and soon “Nile Freeman” becomes a household name (at least among the true crime fans).

Copley is, of course, trying his best, but at this point there is just so much that it’s impossible for him to scrub everything. Sure, he can erase new footage of Nile and the Guard, but what can he do about Reddit threads and podcast episodes that are speculating something weird has happened? Maybe he could hack the sites and shut those things down, but honestly, that’s the last thing he’d want to do, because that only adds weight to the theory that Nile’s disappearance is a military coverup. So eventually he has to tell Andy what’s going on.

Andy, obviously, does not take the news well. However, she is also completely computer illiterate, because that’s Booker’s job and he’s the only one who ever bothered to learn what the internet is in any meaningful way. (She probably calls Booker for advice, and for the record, I think Booker would have no qualms about shutting down conspiracy threads, tinhats be damned, but Copley is too concerned about the consequences. He’s ex-CIA for crying out loud, he knows how it’ll look if they scrub every mention of Nile’s name from the internet.) Maybe she confers with Joe and Nicky but, let’s be honest, they’d be equally unhelpful. So at this point, she knows they have to bring in Nile.

But the thing about Nile is that she, too, knows how to use the internet (duh). Aside from her being a young millennial/digital native, we know from the cave scene where she’s giving Booker suggestions on how to track Copley that she clearly is even more computer savvy than the average person. And for that reason she almost definitely took over the day-to-day tech stuff after Booker’s exile. So I think it would be foolish to expect her to be unaware of what’s happening. She’s not contacting her family or posting on the message boards or anything, but she knows what’s up. So Copley and the team probably sit her down to “break the news,” but we know the girl does not have a poker face (see: literally shooting herself in the foot and not being able to play it cool whatsoever) and cracks immediately, telling them she’s seen everything about her case – she’s not interacting with any of it, she certainly didn’t instigate anything, but she knows. (And she is so goddamn proud of her brother.)

At this point, I’d like to pause and consider Nile’s role in the overall narrative of this movie. She’s set up as a foil to Andy, obviously, but she’s also a foil to Booker. Booker, who, like Andy, is a serious pessimist, but who, unlike Andy, still has very fresh memories and trauma associated with being the new kid, which have destroyed him. In his mind (and Andy’s), if Nile communicates with her family, she’ll become just like him in a century or two – bitter, alone, and stuck with her grief and memories of watching her family die and knowing they died resenting her. It’s a small sample size, but this is the only experience they have to go off of.

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

There’s been a lot of discussion of TOG being a fundamentally queer movie – a group of people brought together because of something inherent about themselves that is different, that must be hidden, that causes others to hate, fear, and reject them. Booker’s backstory is the archetypal traumatic “coming out” story – his family learns who he is, hate him for it, and attempt to cast him out of their lives. He’s stuck with his trauma, his pain, his loss, and it consumes him.

But what if Nile’s family would be the opposite? What if her “coming out” to them as immortal is met with acceptance, love, celebration? What if her family is just overjoyed to have her back, and they don’t care what the circumstances are? I'm reminded of this incredible post from @shitty-old-guard-deaths a while back, where Nile’s mother hits Booker with a frying pan because “my baby let me believe she was dead for FIVE YEARS based on your bad advice???” (which may or may not have inspired this whole tangent). Nile takes the advice of someone who did the same thing she wants to do because she doesn’t want to risk her family’s rejection. She wants the good memories with her family and is afraid that showing them her true self will bring her unbearable pain, forever replacing those memories. But, with high risk comes high reward.

Anyway. Nile and the team are trying to come up with a plan for how to handle this whole thing, but she’s not really participating because she’s too afraid to hope. Until finally, quickly, so she doesn’t lose her nerve, she suggests she reach out to them, knowing that, realistically, that’s the only solution before things snowball even further out of control. The team is shocked, but realize that she has a point. They decide that Copley should actually be the first point of contact, posing as a US government official to talk with them and test the waters.

So Copley goes to Nile’s family’s house to talk with her mom and brother. They’re probably distrustful and apprehensive, but nonetheless secretly ecstatic that their work has paid off. They talk and review all of the information that they’ve collected, including testimonials from the people on Nile’s base and recent sightings (along with photos) of Nile (with the same three people) over the last few years that people have sent them but they haven’t posted publicly. At this point, Copley’s like, yeah this is about to blow up, we gotta put our cards on the table. He convinces them to come with him to some safe house/black site/whatever he can get that is technologically impenetrable (I’m picturing them in like, an interrogation room at a police station kind of deal), takes their phones, locks the doors, and brings in Nile.

What follows is the most delightful reunion scene of all time, bringing Joe, Nicky, and even Andy to tears as they watch and listen from outside the room. With Copley’s help, Nile tells her mom and brother about her immortality and what’s been going on since she died (within reason, of course), and they are thrilled. They don’t understand why (because no one does) but they don’t question it and they see it as a gift from God – she’s been resurrected, she will live, and she has a purpose. Her mother and brother are so happy to see her again and are willing to agree with pretty much anything to stay in her life as long as they can.

So. They set up some complicated agreement (they bring in the other three for support/intimidation as needed) setting the terms of their relationship. They swear Nile’s family to secrecy, maybe bringing up the lab to show how high the stakes are, and they readily agree. They come up with some cover story for Nile’s brother to share on the message boards (maybe that the government has opened an investigation but because it’s an open case he has to shut it all down? Tells people to direct their tips somewhere else? Something to that effect). There’s still speculation, of course, but without Nile’s brother at the helm providing the energy, the hype dies down as news stories are wont to do without any movement. And Nile’s family goes to work for the team. The experience has taught them that Copley can’t possibly do everything himself, especially when it comes to social media, so Nile’s brother takes the lead on the day-to-day tracking/social media while Copley and her mom focus on finding jobs and scrubbing their traces afterward.

So there you have it: Nile gets to integrate her biological family into her found family and spend the rest of their lives with them as it should be, Copley gets some badly needed help managing the reality of social media, the team finally has a positive narrative surrounding outsiders Knowing About Them AND about interacting with people from their previous life, and the audience gets the happy ending to this very lovely and very queer story to counteract the pain associated with Booker’s family.

Plus, you know, I’m a sucker for both a good government conspiracy theory and for Nile getting every good thing she deserves.

[scribble-brain-aced]

most coherent thing i’ve ever read.

but also yes!!! exactly!!! Vox literally told pentious to kill himself and yet, in It Starts With Starts, he definitely looks sad, but like… cartoonishly sad. not genuine “my idol hates me and i’m a useless failure” sad. just..

okay i can’t find it, but this gif actually helps make my point. he looks dramatic, which, yeah it fits, but again, COMEDICALLY, CARTOONISHLY dramatic. they couldn’t have make the movement feel more listless or sad?

and also the assault scene. i genuinely like the delivery, and the joke could work, BUT the implications.. definitely bad. i think it would work better if he wasn’t dragged into the room. you would see him in the background, fighting everyone off. he’s canonically a terrible fighter, but maybe show him hypnotizing them so he can explain that “WAIT, no, i just said something really stupid, i dont actually want this.” the club being called ‘Consent,’ it WOULD work, so that the audience is completely 100% sure that yes, he is fine, and maybe even see one of the club people giving him advice! better than dragging him into a room and leaving members of the audience worried.

and his death. ugh. alastor’s injury was treated more seriously! he’s not even dead! at the VERY LEAST, take out Adam’s line, but if i could have any say in the production, i would say to prolong the “blast of holy light” to maybe a couple seconds, maybe even record a cut-off scream of pain. then cut to the crew reacting to his death, and let them cry. weep. sob. they’ve known the guy for 6 months, they’re not just gonna say “you did good, buddy” and go off to kill adam immediately.

Charlie, Cherri, and Angel especially, i think should be affected. you can’t tell me that charlie and pentious aren’t friends, or at least close. cherri and angel dust fought him a lot, but after being able to actually TALK and get to know him, they’ve gotta be frienemies at LEAST. Angel-Dust-and-Pentious friendship!! Cherri genuinely loving Pentious back but not knowing what to do so she pushes him away until he’s just a rival on her mind! and then they see him die. and they don’t know how to feel. and then the grief hits them. and they’re CRYING. WHERE WAS THAT IN THE EPISODE.

also random scene idea!! pentious is treated as a joke. i think it would be cool if we had gotten an episode where he realizes that nobody is taking him seriously. he says a stupid thing or two, and he doesn’t know WHY people are looking at him like he just told a joke. he was being serious. please just pay attention. is he really that much a joke? and the throughout the episode, he just gets slowly fed up until he snaps and starts ranting, and nobody knows what to do, until they realize that oh, he actually ISNT joking. he’s not trying to be funny or pathetic, he’s genuinely trying and nobody is seeing that. and then cue the therapy

i have so many fucking thoughts, this guy could have had SO MANY ISSUES AND TRAUMA TO WORK THROUGH. the victorian era sucked, he’s been in hell longer than EVERYONE at the hotel except for Charlie, his idol thinks he’s useless, his only friends for god-knows-how-long were the egg boiz!! his own inventions!! THE MAN HAS ISSUES AND ITS JUST TREATED AS “haha, yeah, he’s like that! :)”

HE WAS FULLY PREPARED TO KILL NIFFTY IN EPISODE 3. END HER FUCKING LIFE.

aaaauuuggghhh there’s so much potential!!!!!! they better use it in season two

Sir Pentious feels like he's barely anything more than comic relief and he's honestly treated as too incompetent andinnocent despite him being an inventor and probably very clever.

In my opinion, I hoped he'd be more villainous, even if still slightly goofy -- like he'd be like a loner shunned by society mad inventor when he was alive kind of guy and desperately tries to fit in Hell by being all "evil" but ends up coming off as sort of goofy, like Master Frown from UniKitty but can be truly evil/bad at times. Even if he was bad at trying to fit, in he's still done shit to get into Hell if you know what I mean.

I wish his trust issues were more fleshed out and taken more seriously. I wish his death wasn't treated like a joke, that he wasn't treated like a joke.

I don't like how he ended up in the show, he definitely could've been more, especially if the show got more runtime. Sir Pentious was my favourite character in the pilot, so Niffty is literally me when I saw how he turned out to be.

To be honest, I wished that Hazbin Hotel focused more on the characters backstory and the actual process of how they improve themselves in the hotel. We didn't get much of that.

This might not be very coherent. I'm running on rice cakes and four hours of sleep.

[miekasa]

Mie, I’m begging for some Jean college au bf hcs - im literally so down bad for this man and the way you write men is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Absolutely, not a problem 😌 I saved this ask as a draft a while ago when you sent it, sorry for just now getting to it. Anyway, I love Jean with my whole heart, best boy, best boyfriend <33

King of forehead kisses, and not even just because of his height in comparison to yours; he just likes it. He likes the feeling of pressing his lips against your skin, and making you feel safe.

Brings you tea or coffee however you like it every day without fail. If he can get it to you in the morning before work/school then he’ll do that, if not he’ll meet you some time in the middle of the day to drop it off. Your own personal courier just for drinks.

He… has a thing for long(er) nails. He loves the feeling of them against his skin, even if you’re not scratching to apply pressure—just you holding his hand them grazing his skin is enough for him.

That being said, he will pay for you to get your nails done. Actually, he’ll pay for… almost anything you want, but the nails benefit him as much as they do you so feel free to ball out.

He never blowdries his hair because he doesn’t... know how to do the back of it. You did it for him once and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since, but he’s also too embarrassed to ask you to do/style it again.

On the subject of hair, he does do his best to style it and take care of it, but he’s a sucker whenever you play with it. Sometimes he feigns like you’re messing up all his hard work, but he’ll literally crane his head into your touch. He loves it. 

The first time he lays on top of you and you run your hands through his hair... top 10 most euphoric moments of his life. He tries to fight off the sleep threatening to take over him, but it’s futile. Give it 15 minutes at most before he’s knocked out like a baby. 

Dogs love him. Anytime you’re in a park or just taking a walk and there’s a dog around, it’ll come up to him and he looks adorable leaning down to pet it. He loves dogs, too! So he’s always happy to stop and pet them. He’d be a 10/10 dog dad. 

Has your name saved in his phone with two hearts at the end. Do not point it out.

Loves taking pictures together and if you guys are on a date, he’ll ask someone to get a picture for him. He just likes having them to look back on (and to send to his mom, later).

He doesn’t mind painting classes or videos or tutorials, but he hates paint by numbers kits. He claims that they have no sense of color theory and that it takes the originality and fun out of painting. Not to mention the quality of the paints isn’t great to begin with; all of which he takes very seriously.

It’s pretty cute actually, to see him get worked up over the paint kits. He claims that painting and drawing isn’t even something he takes “that seriously,” it’s just a hobby for him (one he’s insanely good at); but in moments like these, you can tell that he’s way more into art and art theory and history than he lets on. 

Huge movie guy, from animated movies to martial arts movies, Jean is usually willingly to give anything a watch at least once. When he’s high, he can go on about his favorite directors and art styles and movie details for hours if you don’t stop him. It’s super cute. Just don’t bring up Moana, because he’ll start crying. 

Arm around the shoulder kind of boyfriend for sure. It’s a casual way of keeping you near him and letting everyone know that you guys are together. Plus it allows for him to easily pull you into him for a quick forehead kiss when needed.

Listen. If you hug his arm, he’s on cloud nine. He tries to be nonchalant about it but he’s about three seconds away from his eyes rolling back in his head it feels that good to him. Bonus if you lean your head on his bicep a little—then he’s a goner.

He takes his bagels very seriously and believes that both you and him deserve nothing but the best quality bagels. He’ll grumble if a bakery gives you guys a less than favorable one and make a note that taking the long route to get to his favorite place is much more worth it.

Always makes you walk on the side furthest from the cars. If he notices you’re not, he’ll just shuffle behind you until he’s shouldering the street and you’re on the inside. 

He grew up on a kind of modern ranch situation; not exactly all the way in the countryside, but not isolate from the city, either. Because of this, he knows how to ride horses, take care of smaller farm animals, tend to plants, and yes he knows how to use a lasso. You wouldn’t know any of that though, because he never ever talks about it. The only way you find out is when he takes you to visit his mom’s house for the first time, and she asks him for a hand around the place. 

(He’s got a cowboy hat, too, but refuses to put it on. He got it when he was, like, nine, okay, leave him alone). 

When he thinks you look tired, he’ll wrap his arms around your shoulders to hug you. It’s usually followed up with a kiss to your head, and a promise that you guys will go home soon and get food on the way. 

He’s a really good cook. He just understands and flavors and pairings really well, so he doesn’t need a recipe to make something that tastes good; he just kind of knows what to add to get the balance he’s looking for. 

Naturally, he’ll cook for you. Especially if he finds out that you haven’t eaten all day/in a long time. He doesn’t care if it’s 11pm and it might seem excessive to make steak and potatoes with a side salad at this hour, he’s gonna do it to make sure you eat, and you are going to sit there and watch. 

He also bakes pretty well, though he isn’t as experimental with his baking as he is with his cooking. He usually sticks to what he knows, and it’s not cupcakes and brownies and cakes; he’s better at croissants, and cheesecakes, and canelés. 

Dating Jean means getting along with his friends. If you guys didn’t know each other before you started dating, be prepared to be ambushed by Connie and Sasha (after Jean stops hiding you away and gives them the green light lmfao). Neither of them waste time with the small talk and formalities; straight into mini golfing and beer pong. They make you feel welcome right away.

Sasha always teases that you’re too good for Jean, and that she might just steal you away for herself some day. Sasha is also Jean’s main confidant, so she really knows just how much he loves you, and yeah, she teases him for being lovesick, but really she’s happy for Jean. And proud of him for facing his feelings like this. 

Connie adores you, and you know he trusts you when he starts going to you for advice/help. Could be anything from schoolwork, to what color he should get his new shoes in. He’s also the one who, surprisingly, you have the sentimental talks with about your relationship with Jean. It’s easy to overlook, but Connie loves Jean, and he’s come to love you too; he just wants you both to be happy, so he’s there to listen when you need it. 

Jean waits outside of your classroom after you’ve had a test or presentation, usually with a drink or a snack, or the promise of taking you out as a treat. Always tells you he’s proud of you, and is there to comfort you if you think you didn’t do too well. 

He does not shut up about whatever major you’re in. It could be the same as his; it could be the complete opposite as his. He thinks it’s so sick that you’re doing it, you make it look cooler, you make it look better, and he’s certain you’re the smartest person in your program. 

He’s pretty serious about his studies, too, so he’s always down to study with you in the library whenever you’re both free. More often than not, he shows up after you, usually with food or extra chargers. He greets you with a kiss on the forehead, and asks you how you are while massaging your shoulders gently. If it’s been a while since you took a break, that’s the first item on the list, after that, he gets to work and stays with you until you’re ready to go, even if he doesn’t have as much work to do. 

He always sits across from you. This goes for when you’re in the library, or out to eat at a restaurant; Jean loves sitting across from you. He gets to see your face the best that way, and he adores looking into your eyes when you talk. 

He’s not... not a morning person. He’s not up at 6am ready to grind, but he wakes up before noon; let’s say 10am is his happy medium. That being said, if you wake up before him, regardless of the time, there’s a 9/10 chance he’ll lay on your back and tell you to hush so you guys can sleep for 10 more minutes. 

If you’re (close) friends with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, Jean is... happy you’ve got people to rely on, but, “Of all people on the planet, you put your trust in Jaeger?” He acts so bitter (because he is), but deep down inside, he’s glad you have Eren to rely on if you need to. 

(Also, you have to humble him and remind him that he and Eren aren’t all that different. If you like him, why wouldn’t you get along with Eren, bye). 

Turns out though, that it’s not Eren who threatens to beat him up if he breaks your heart. It’s not even Mikasa, although, her threat goes without saying; it’s Armin he’s terrified of.

The last time Armin hated someone, it was this guy in your program, who happened to share a few mutual classes with him, too. Jean never knew the full story, just that he’s pretty sure that kid dropped out the following semester. 

If you have a job on campus, Jean usually doesn’t show up while you’re working (knowing how embarrassed he would be if you did that to him), unless you work the night shift and it’s dead. Connie, however, does show up; usually in some kind of crisis (“Please help me, I don’t know what the fuck APA formatting is and this is due tonight, please, please, please!!”). Your coworkers actually thought Connie was your boyfriend for a minute. That’s when Jean starts showing up more lmfao.

He makes it a point to go on a scheduled, night out, kind of date at least twice a month. He knows life gets busy with school and work and midterms, but he always makes sure you both set side a time to take a well-deserved break and be with each other. 

He’s the romantic type, so these dates are pretty swoon worthy, too. Drive-in movies, nice dinners, classy art exhibits, Jean plans it all. On that note, he really likes planning dates; he just doesn’t like talking about them with his friends beforehand. 

All in all, very romantic, very precious boyfriend. He’s always thinking about you, what you need, and how he can help you out. You’re one of his main priorities, and he just wants to treat you right. 

[buckybarnesdiaries]

white wolf: “the story of a first date”

first part — second part — third part — fourth part (soon)

© @capsgrantrogers

bucky barnes x reader. ⎢ masterlist.

Sam helps Bucky to ask you out for a date and it's a disaster, but he gets it.

word count: 3.147 words. (not sorry, it worth it, i promise!!!)

warnings/tags: none. bucky being the cutest gentleman in the whole wide world, and sam keeping an eye on him.

author notes: as it happened with the first part, i'm not really happy with the result but i had so much fun writing it and i think that that made this writing perfect, so i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed it. none of my stories contain reader’s body descriptions to be inclusive.

Join the tag list here.

The car stopped because of a red light, a moment where Sam took the advantage to turn at his copilot, glancing at Bucky from top to bottom in complete silence. Analyzing him. The soldier tilted his head raising an eyebrow, showing his curiosity about what the hell he was doing.

“What are you gonna wear, uh?” Sam asked then, maintaining a serious gesture on his face.

“Clothes”. Unworriedly, he put back his eyes to the front window.

“You probably look good naked, but that’s not what I’m talking ‘bout”.

“Just… some jeans, a shirt, and a jacket”.

“And shoes, I guess”.

Bucky turned on his seat towards his friend, squinting confused for the interrogatory. “Who cares?”

“About the shoe—”

“About the clothes”.

“Man, it’s a date! Do you wan’her to remember this night as the night Bucky Barnes shown up as a Russian bum?”

“I’m from Brookl—”.

“Yeah, but you look like mother Russia just spat you to the world”.

Sam rolled his eyes as a sigh escaped his mouth. Shaking his head, he took the next corner to the fifth avenue changing the planes they had in mind. A good outfit meant a good date. A good date meant happy soldier. Happy soldier meant no trouble. See the point? So the Falcon would take care of the Winter Soldier today. If only Steve could see them. He’d feel proud, that was for sure. They visited a couple of shops, finally letting Sam take control over the situation and pick the clothes he would wear for you. He had good taste, everybody knew that, and Bucky couldn’t complain about his choices.

Even less when the distinctive black suit dressed his anatomy to perfection. Spinning around in front of the mirror, he felt different. He looked different. He looked good, but not as he’d like. Holding the bucket of flowers once he was ready, Bucky left his apartment straight to the garage under the building. He was nervous, he couldn’t lie. But he had that sensation inside him that made him believe everything would be okay for the first time since he woke up.

The road didn’t take him more than ten minutes, not really worried about the time given that he had planned to arrive a little sooner than accorded. Life seemed like it was smiling at him, finding a parking lot in the same entrance. Landing his blue eyes on the rearview mirror, Bucky took a last view at his reflection, brushing back his hair as he used to do in the forties. He grabbed then the flowers he bought for you and stepped out of the car, trying to remember the advice Sam gave him. Resting his back against the copilot's door, he waited impatiently for you.

“Hey, you”.

His heart stopped for a second, raising his orbs to the man coming closer. Before he could react, the man in question tucked a hand beneath Bucky's jacket. Patting him down.

“What the hell are you doing, Sam?” He questioned irritatedly, slapping his hands and causing him to laugh.

“Just checking you didn't bring the notecards again”.

“Yeah, very funny…”

“Man, look at you! Should be illegal to look this good, uh?” Sam helped him to put on the jacket again, receiving another slap from his friend.

“Don't touch me”. Scowling, he fixed the flowers in his left hand, wanting them to be perfect. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Watch you till (Y/N) comes. Lemme take a picture, I feel like a proud father on his son's prom day”.

“You're not m— Get the hell outta here, Sam”.

“Fighting again, kids? Should I call your mama?”

As Bucky heard you scoff, his soul abandoned. His pupils dilated. His legs trembled. And he could swear that everything disappeared around him when he watched you going downstairs, swinging your hips unconsciously sensual, with a black dress fitting you like a glove. If this morning Bucky wanted to marry you, now he wanted to spend the rest of his life by your side. Your makeup was on point, just like your hair, not being too formal but enough to run him out of words.

“Steve is off-duty, so, what 'you gonna do, soldier?” Sam mocked, an instant before noticing how pale Bucky was. He couldn't help but slap the back of his neck to bring him back to reality.

“I, uh… flowers… I bought you…”

“You're not Yoda”. Sam whispered as the other offered you the present.

“C'mon, stop messing with him”. You clicked your tongue, right before you drew an adorable smile on your lips, leaning to kiss Bucky's cheek. “Thank you”.

“You're welcome”. He just answered, responding to your same gesture while opening the door for you.

“Such a gentleman…” His playful murmur made Bucky frown and nudge him, trying to stop him from saying anything else and ruin the occasion.

“I'll bring him back at ten”. You joked palming his chest.

“The point is to not bring him back to me”. Sam cackled, shaking his head and taking a step back.

Once in the car turning on the engine, James joined the road after checking you were good. Never in his life he had driven with so much care as if he was carrying a bomb by his side. He set on the radio, not really knowing how to start a conversation, watching you through the corners of his eyes caressing the flowers over your lap. No one had bought you them before, thinking it was a thing that only happened in movies. But then, you met Bucky. An old-fashioned man, making yourself wonder how he was the same the news used to say he was a cold-blood assassin.

“What have you thought?”

“Uh?”

“About the date”.

“Sam told me about a rest—”.

“Okay, okay, Bucky. Pull over”. You couldn't help but burst into laughter, as his face was pale again thinking you were about to step out and end the date.

“Sorry, did I…?”

You swiveled at him on your seat, kissing your teeth and squinting inevitably. Studying his face you knew how afraid he was, and it was the most adorable reaction ever. You could have kissed at that precise instant, but it'd have been a little awkward.

“Where do you wanna go?”

The question didn't take him by surprise, actually. He was still getting used to doing the things he desired and not what other people asked him to do. The restaurant was a fancy place with a distinguished menu according to what his friend explained to him, but it wasn't the kind of site that he'd normally go, or that represented him.

“When I, uh… came back, I discovered that my favorite burger joint in Brooklyn was still standing”. Bucky told you, facing you after finishing the sentence. “They prepare the best burgers of the whole New York and you can decide what ingredients add, and the bread, and the kind of meat. And it still having the original decoration”.

You reclined on your seat, just staring at him talking with that kind of burning passion about something he loved. Puckering your lips, you nodded your chin. The fact that not only he wanted to take you to a different place, but a place that he used to go to when he was young made butterflies flutter within your belly. Bucky wanted to make you part of his future, but also his past. That made the difference.

“Sounds good to me”.

“Really?” He inquired funnily confused, wrinkling his nose and forehead.

“Really”.

The shine that appeared within his eyes made you place a hand on his cheek to urge him to turn his head and drive again. An innocent gesture that provoked him a lively giggle. If that man knew all the things he caused you, he'd have taken the step months ago.

As the night went on and Bucky was losing his shyness, he talked to you about the good old times. Before HYDRA, before the winter, before the war. When he was a kid with no worries more than keeping Steven safe from the bullies. It was nice to disconnect from the present, from the gazes around the two of you, from the back talks, only enjoying your dinner and your conversation. You talked to Bucky about how was to be raised on a farm, surrounded by open fields and animals, to join the army years later. Without going into details that could make him remember the old bad times, you told him about what you used to do, your missions, and how you were wounded in combat after being shot and fell from a helicopter.

Bucky felt confident enough to compare it with how everything started. Falling from a wagon to the snow. But as soon as his voice became lower, you couldn't help but hold his gloved left hand and intertwine your fingers with his. And you could swear you felt him shaking for a brief moment because of your touch.

“So, what, uh? It was a forties trend to jump into the void?” You tried to joke, wanting to feel relaxed.

“Yeah, seems like”. He mumbled curling up his lips. “Listen… I really want to… open up, and I know it’s easier with you because… y’know, you work doing this”.

“Hold on, Bucky”. You laughed waving your free hand, shaking your chin as you closed your eyes for a second. “That has sounded really bad”.

“Wait, wh— Oh, shit, no, no, no”.

For the first time since you walked into the small restaurant, his laughter was lively, unworriedly, honest.

“Take it easy, just kidding��. You grinned, nailing your elbow on the table to rest your cheek on your palm. “But… this isn’t work. We’re not doing therapy, we’re… knowing each other. And I don’t want to pressure you to talk about something you don’t feel prepared to, okay?”

“I know”.

Bucky couldn’t believe how much you seemed to empathize with him, not judging his acts nor his past, not deciding that the date wasn't a good idea nor running away. He couldn’t believe the less importance you were giving to his arm made of vibranium; usually, people used to freak out, to feel frightened somehow about the things it could do. But you were there, fingers playing with the others as if it was the most common and natural act in the world. And, for you, it was. That was you in all your best. Considerate, smart, patient, lovingly. The rainbow after a stormy life. Everything that Bucky needed in his life to start from scratch and be his better version. A shoulder to lean on and a reason to come back home.

“Was afraid of asking you out”. He confessed after some seconds admiring each other. Any person closer would say you had been dating for a long, long time by the way you had to keep silent and not feel uncomfortable.

“Why?”

“You came from war and made your world a place to live. I’m still stuck there”.

“I have my own red flags”. Clicking your tongue, you rolled your eyes.

“Oh, really? Please, surprise me”. Bucky teased you sitting up on his chair, not loosening the gentle grip around your left hand.

“I put the milk before cereals”.

“Oh… Oh, God”. He let out, pretending to be horrified and running a hand on his face. “Goddammit… you’re a monster, ma’am. I don’ think this is going to work”.

“Excuse me?” You chuckled, parting your lips in a breath while leaning over the table to palm his right shoulder. “It wasn’t me who added lettuce to the burger”.

“What? What’s the matter with that, uh?”

“Lettuce kills the savor!”

“Y’know what kills the savor? Ketchup. Today, people use ketchup literally with everything… And that’s disgusting”.

“Okay! Next time, no lettuce, and… no ketchup”.

“That’s a big challenge”. Bucky scoffed tenderly squeezing your hand between his cold fingers.

“I’ll live, Sergeant Barnes”. You narrowed your eyes and crinkled your nose at the same time.

“I was talking about a second date, not about your issue with ketchup”.

“So was I”.

A goofy smirk appeared on Bucky’s face, biting his inner cheek as he assented with his head. Seeing you again, knowing that you wanted it —that you wanted him—, made him trust Dr. Raynor’s words. He was having a second chance to do the right thing. To live and to be.

You wanted to add something else when the clock in his wrist started to beep. Curious, you raised an eyebrow. “We have to leave”.

“Why?”

“Sam told me you work tomorrow at eight, which means you’ll get up at six and a half… maybe seven. While I pay, take you home, all that stuff… I don’ want you to be tired in the morning”.

Bucky would never stop to amaze you, looking up to him in silence to contemplate how he called the bartender and beckoned his free hand to ask for the bill.

“What…? What are you doing?” He chuckled embarrassed, taking his beer to sip.

You cleared your throat when you realized how stupid you should look right now, shaking your head as you freed his cold hand from yours to find unlock your phone as soon as the guy brought the dataphone.

“Hey, no, no. I asked you out, I pay”. Bucky began to fight with you, provoking some laughs on the table as you tried to put your screen above the tpv.

“Well, welcome to the twenty-first century”. You hummed as the operation was confirmed.

“I’ll pay next time”. He declared licking his incisors, prior to his lips.

You wished the ride back home to last forever, not wanting to end the date. But the car reached your neighborhood in a blink of eyes. You couldn't help but sigh barely appreciably for your companion, gazing through the window until double parking in front of your apartment. You turned towards him, hearing the engine shut off. Bucky seemed disappointed like you, not being able to remember when was the last time he had a break, he had fun. The date was nicer than he expected but the idea of not knowing exactly when he was going to see you again was killing him from the inside.

“I'll accompany you”. He declared undoing his seat belt as you did to step out.

You reacted with a delicate smile, holding the bucket of flowers against your abdomen while walking to the front door of the building. That moment was a little uncomfortable, not being sure about how to say goodbye, just looking like two teens in love.

“Thank you for tonight, Bucky”. You uttered without thinking about it. “It's been the best night I've ever had”.

“Next will be better, I promise”.

“That's a big challenge”. You chuckled repeating his words a while ago in the restaurant.

“I'll live”. He nodded convinced, glancing at you bowing down your interest to the red roses between your hands.

How could you tell him that you were dying to be together again? That you wouldn't mind waking up sooner and having breakfast? You bit your inner upper lip, trying to find the correct words to say, without sounding like you were feeling something else to a physical attraction. Bucky was hot as hell, that wasn't up to debate, but he was the kindest and charmingest man you had known. He was sensible and strong at the same time. You both complemented the other like the pieces of a puzzle and you never thought something like that could happen to you. To find your other half and having it so clear you didn't want anyone else.

“I am, uh… free tomorrow”.

His words pushed you out of your thoughts, putting up your attention to a Bucky almost flushing, stroking the back of his head, and having the impression that he could scare you.

“Got a break for lunch, if you want”. You proposed without hesitation.

His eyes sparkled with happiness, holding your left hand with his to bring it to his mouth, placing a fond kiss on the back. Such a gentleman, like Sam said, inducing your cheeks to burn. And then, you saw him doubting about taking another step. You wanted it too to happen, tho, leaning forward to press your lips together. Your eyes snapped closed at that precise instant, not having any rush, tasting each other's and shortening the distance between both of you by his free arm getting wrapped around your waist. The kiss was innocent but passionate. It was warm, intimate, trying to transmit all the chemistry you woke up within the other with only one look, with only one smile. Breaking it —much to your regret— when you needed air to breathe. And even so, Bucky rested his forehead against yours freeing your hand to place it on the right side of his neck.

Neither of the two of you opened your eyes, extending the moment as much as you could. You felt he craved to spend the night with you, and you desired it too, but you also felt that he needed some time to get used to this new world he was living in. It wasn't easy. You thought back to the months after the war, the recovery, the loneliness you forced yourself to be in. You were in Afghanistan for three months. He had been fighting since nineteen forty. And he didn't want to ruin what you were building together.

“I should leave”. Bucky murmured against his wishes.

“See you tomorrow”.

At the moment you opened your eyes to meet the pale blue ones, your whole body felt weak. You saw the brightness in them after letting him know that the second date was going to happen and that it wasn't just a formality before disappearing, wiping out any minimal doubt by kissing him again. The last kiss. A good night, I'll dream with you kiss.

“I'm gonna play this on your wedding day, definitely”.

You screamed because of the unexpected metallic voice coming closer, clinging to Bucky's neck as his heart raced too. Redwing was suspended in the air some steps away from you, being controlled by Sam. Who else is not him, uh?

“I'm starting to think you have separation anxiety”. The soldier growled trying to hit the flying device with his flesh hand, hearing you laughing against his chest.

“Good night, kids”. You chuckled separating from Bucky.

“No kiss for me, soldier?”

“I'm not gonna kiss that thing, Samuel”.

“What about a howl, White wolf? Would be very appro—”.

“White wo—”.

“Please, don't. Don't ask”. Bucky begged you, licking his bottom lip while rubbing the back of his head, clearly ashamed.

“Hope you show me one day what it means…”

“Oh, he will… Just wait till the full moon”.

“Sam!” Bucky and you yelled in unison, you playfully, he annoyed.

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[kyuuppi]

“You lie to your best friend/crush that you have an OnlyFans just to see their reaction”

Ft. Sugawara; Nishinoya; Tsukishima; Oikawa; Kenma

Pt. 2

A/N: My bias is so obvious here LOL

KARASUNO

↳ Sugawara

➣  You are over at his house, the two of you idly watching a sitcom while browsing your phones and chatting in between; it’s comfortable, as times with Sugawara usually are.

➣  Every time Suga leans in to show you a funny meme on his phone or throws his head back in laughter at a joke from the show, you find your heart skipping a beat.

➣  He is beautiful, basically an angel in your eyes, but he is also your best friend and you don’t think he has any interest in you like that. Not in the way you do. 

➣  That’s how you get the idea to test his feelings. 

➣  Being the troublemaker you are (how else would you and Suga get along so well?) you decide to shake things up by casually mentioning you’re interested in starting an OnlyFans and asking if he thinks its a good idea. 

➣  You expect either of two reactions: either he’ll be as supportive as usual, possibly advising you to be cautious with strangers online like the mother hen he is, proving he only sees you as a friend—or he’ll tell you not to, possible evidence that likes you.

➣  The response you receive is not quite what you were expecting...

➣  Once the words leave your lips his head immediately whips around in your direction, light brown eyes looking at you with a serious expression on his face, something you’d never really seen before. It makes you uncomfortable and you begin to regret all of your life decisions.

➣  Suddenly though, he is leaning into you, his arms coming up to trap you against the couch as you try to back away. Your eyes are as wide as saucers and face completely flushed as he continues to stare you down before speaking.

➣  “Even though I’m your best friend, I’m still a man, you know. You’re being awfully cruel right now.”

➣ You audibly gulp, suddenly feeling light-headed but he keeps speaking, close enough that you can feel his hot breath fan across your cheeks.

➣ “Asking me to watch the person I like show off in front of thousands of other men? Even I have my limits.”

➣ And that marks the day of you and Sugawara’s first kiss. ♡

↳ Nishinoya

➣  Your best friend, Nishinoya Yuu, is notoriously unabashed with his affections. 

➣ The two of you have an interesting relationship—Noya has no qualms with expressing how pretty he thinks you are, borderline flirting with you at times, and you frequently return the favor. 

➣  But you don’t take any of it seriously, of course, regardless of how much you secretly wish it were real. Everyone at Karasuno knows about Noya’s undying dedication to the volleyball club manager, Shimizu Kiyoko, and he confesses his love to her at least twice a day. 

➣ Unbeknownst to you those professions became less and less frequent after he met you and now most of Karasuno thinks the two of you are basically dating

➣ The two of you are at the mall, a frequent hang out place where Noya can look at volleyball gear and you can browse manga at the bookstore, when you get the idea to prank your friend.

➣ “Hey, Noya? I’ve been thinking about finding a way to make more money but I don’t have time for a part-time job so I decided to make an OnlyFans—I already have a few subscribers.”

➣ Nishinoya nearly trips and falls flat on his face. You would have laughed if it weren’t for how he immediately grabs at your shoulders, staring at you with a mix of anger and fear. 

➣ “Absolutely not! No one should be allowed to see your beautiful body like that but me!”

➣ You immediately fluster at his loud declaration, acutely aware of how other customers in the mall are giving the two of your strange looks as they walk by. 

➣ “B-but Noya, we aren’t even dating—”

➣ “Then let’s start dating!” 

➣ And what are you gonna do? Say no?

↳ Tsukishima

➣ Being friends with Tsukishima could be frustrating at times—a sentiment you and Yamaguchi frequently discuss when the blond isn’t around. 

➣ Tsukishima likes to think most things are beneath him and he’s too cool to find enjoyment in activities most other friends enjoy, ranging from mini golf to video games. The man seems content to waste his life away studying and listening to music if it weren’t for you and Yamaguchi forcing him out of his room. 

➣ Naturally, something like a prank war would be something Tsukishima would want no part of—not that that has ever stopped you. 

➣ Usually, your pranks are failures. Either Tsukishima easily figures out what you’re doing before it can happen or he doesn’t give you the satisfaction of a reaction, chastising you for wasting your time pulling pranks when you have a failing grade in mathematics you’ll later beg him to help you study for.

➣ He still helps you though, he’s whipped

➣ Your newest prank however, you feel exceptionally confident in. Not only is it simple to pull off, only relying on your acting kills, but it also might answer your curiosity on whether you have a chance in getting your dearest Tsukki to see you as more than just a friend.

➣ The day you decide to do it the three of you are hanging out in Tsukishima’s bedroom as usual, you working on the math homework Tsukishima forced you to study while he reads a book and Yamaguchi sits in the corner reading a book.

➣ You had already discussed your plans with Yama beforehand, to which his expression looked suspiciously devious, like he knew something you didn’t know, as he proclaimed his support. 

➣ You hear Tsukishima turning a page and decide to speak up. 

➣ “Hey, Tsukki, have you heard of OnlyFans?”

➣ You hold back a snicker as you see Tsukishima visibly tense, his eyes widening behind his glasses for a moment before he relaxes. From the corner of your eyes you can see Yamaguchi smirking behind his comic, watching the blond closely. 

➣ “...yeah, I’ve heard of it,” Tsukishima simply replies. 

➣ “I’ve been thinking about making more money but I don’t have time for a part-time job so my friend suggested it. She said I could make over ten thousand yen a month.”

➣ “I think only the really attractive ones make that much.”

➣ You gasp, thoroughly offended, and Yamaguchi looks mildly annoyed by his friend’s response, already opening his mouth to chastise him for being so mean—but before he can say anything, Tsukishima is speaking again, still looking down at the book in his lap. 

➣ “Don’t do it though.” 

➣ “Why not?” You pout, refusing to look up at him when you speak. 

➣ “...I don’t want the person I like to do those types of things.” 

➣ You nearly choke on your own saliva, head darting up to stare at him in disbelief. Yamaguchi, for some reason, only smiles softly, looking unsurprised by the admission. 

➣ “W-what? You...like me?”

➣ “Oi, shouldn’t you be studying? One more F and you’re gonna flunk out of the class, dummy.”

➣ You’re slightly disappointed by the change of subject but when you notice the soft pink on Tsukishima’s cheeks you can’t help but to smile the whole time you finish your homework.

AOBA JOUSAI

↳ Oikawa

➣ Oikawa is a busy guy.

➣ You were well aware of that before the two of you happened to be paired up for an assignment and got to know each other, eventually becoming close friends. 

➣ Between volleyball practices, tournaments, magazine interviews, and appeasing a passionate fan club, Oikawa rarely has time for himself, let alone another person. 

➣ Despite all of that, you could tell he always made sure to spend time with you, dedicating a few weekends a month to hanging out, just the two of you, and constantly texting you in the times the two of you couldn’t physically be together. 

➣ From an outsider’s perspective, it was almost like the two of you were dating. 

➣ But alas, you know the sad reality is that Oikawa is most certainly not your boyfriend and you have no idea if he has any interest in your like that…

➣ ...Which is why you decide to try to make him jealous one day to push him towards confessing his feelings, if they exist. 

➣ The two of you are at a café, sipping lattes and gossiping about other students when you bring it up. 

➣ “Y’know...I’ve been thinking of making an OnlyFans.”

➣ To your surprise, Oikawa’s eyes seem to light up, his lips curving into a smile of excitement. 

➣ “Wow, really? Maybe I should make one too!”

➣ Oikawa immediately pulls out his cell phone and the color drains from your face as you realize your plan has completely backfired. 

➣ “My fans are going to love this—hey do you think we can do a collab? The two of us in one pic would make us top creators for sure.”

➣ You can only nod numbly with a fake smile at Oikawa’s enthusiasm.

➣ Oh god, you’ve created a monster…

NEKOMA

↳ Kozume

➣ Unless you’re Kuroo, becoming friends with Kenma is a nearly impossible feat. Actually making him want to spend time with you alone, even more so. 

➣ But somehow, you managed to work your way into Kenma’s tightly knit social circle more like a two point line segment of him and Kuroo and your evenings after his volleyball practice are usually spent in one of your bedrooms, playing Splatoon and Animal Crossing until your Switches die or your parents force you to come home for dinner—whichever comes first. 

➣ You love spending time with Kenma, his quiet presence somehow making you feel comfortable—but over time those feelings of ease have shifted into something more akin to nervousness and excitement as you’ve come to develop a crush on the setter.

➣ Every moment with him, watching the small smiles tug at his lips when he wins a match or his cute, frustrated pout when he can’t figure out how to defeat a boss makes your heart flutter and it’s becoming more and more painful to idly sit by without expressing your feelings.

➣ A direct confession, especially to a boy with nearly 0 social skills, is scary, so you want to be sure your feelings are returned before you even attempt to share them. 

➣ Thus, you’ve decided to take Kuroo’s advice.

➣ “Push him into a corner. Kenma will only act when he thinks he has to.” 

➣ You take a deep breath to steel your nerves before you speak, eying him sneakily from behind your Switch. 

➣ “Gamer girls and boys are kind of trendy these days; I’m thinking about starting an OnlyFans to make money to buy more games.”

➣ The only visible response you receive is a slow blink as Kenma continues to play his game, fingers tapping furiously on the keys. 

➣ “Ah...I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

➣ “Why not?”

➣ There are a few moments of silence between you two, the room only filled with the SFX of your games as Kenma seems to finish his round. You recognize the victory music as Kenma pauses to finally raise his gaze to meet your own. 

➣ “It's your body so I can’t tell you what to do but...I would feel really jealous of all your subscribers.”

➣ And just like that, Kenma returns his attention to the video game, unpausing and starting a new match, blissfully unaware of you struggling to calm your racing heart and flushed cheeks. 

[mimymomo]

ALL OF THIS!!!

Sorry OP but I genuinely don’t think you understand Gina as a character (or EJ really but I have a whole separate post for that because no one in this fandom seems to understand what EJ’s actual arc is and how it was season 2 that actually ruined his character but again I’ll save that for later)

You think Gina was out of character for getting mad at EJ for lying to her? Gina Porter? The girl who threw punch on the guys head back in s1 because he kept asking too many questions and wasn’t trusting her? The girl who blew up and Ricky and refused to speak to home for half a season which was months canon wise (rightfully so!!) because he asked for advice about Nini one too many times? You think it was uncharacteristic for HER to be upset that her boyfriend straight up avoided telling her crucial information that would heavily impact their relationship going forward? And continued to break promises to her despite her forgiving him and trying to make amends and adjustments to her own plans multiple times??

The Gina Porter, who’s mother upends her life and moves her around the country on a routine basis which has left her struggling to make friends and connections to the point where she’s not only had never been to camp before but never had a boyfriend or even been invited to a sleepover until her 10th grade year of high school??

THAT GINA PORTER??

Yeah. No. Gina was completely in character and in her right to be mad.

Also:

the rushed Cash subplot is due to (once again) season two — since they didn’t give that subplot a proper ending there (thanks portwell! It literally your fault!!) they had to force it in here

EJ was a senior in seasons 1-2. Why would be at ehs during s4?! He graduated!! Him not being there during s4 for the majority of the season wasn’t them sidelining him, he just wouldn’t be there because he’s not in high school anymore! That’s literally why his appearances in s4 are so important and impactful!

Why would portwell ever be given the same amount of weight as rini? Rini was a relationship that spanned in total nearly a year and a half and was between 2 childhood friends and Ricky’s whole character arc is about change which is almost entirely shown through his relationships (especially the romantic ones). Portwell was a at most a 2 month relationship that by their own definition barely got a chance to start and that was the whole point! Doesn’t help that EJ was essentially a rebound again…

Finally idk why or what more you thought portwell was gonna discuss in s4 but they did have an entire serious conversation about their relationship! Gina literally apologized to EJ for thinking he didn’t trust her and was actively trying to ruin her summer by lying/ditching her. And EJ (barely) apologized to her as well (again barely he couldn’t even mutter the words I’m sorry. EJ I will toss you into a piranha infested lake istg…). What more did you need?? She was never gonna get back together with the guy. And if you’re mad that Gina mentioned they didn’t get risotto (something they literally showed that they didn’t do due to EJ’s stupidity in s2 and the whole “I don’t get things right the first time” line in her goodbye speech then that’s on you for being upset about Gina making a joke to prove her and EJ are on good terms idk what to tell you

It's 2024 and I'm still thinking about how Portwell got done SO dirty by the time crunch of the final two seasons and Tim's laser focus on Rina.

Because while I doubt Rini fans ever wanted a breakup there, at least it was a pretty well-written break-up. It was slow, steady, progressed logically from their character traits, and was treated with a significant amount of weight by the narrative when they did break up, with both of them given scenes to process and unpack.

Portwell by contrast...its fans had to watch as Gina uncharacteristically blew up at EJ for not being flawlessly transparent and then they broke up near the end of the season before there was even a proper ATTEMPT to talk about their struggles. And then neither got any screentime to process the relationship's end because Gina had to immediately switch gears with the 45 minutes left before Rina canon, and the writers cared so little about EJ that they "resolved" his Cash subplot and then banished him from the show for several episodes.

And when they finally brought him back AND made it seem like they were going to talk about Portwell? It was just more effort to hastily finish Rina's storyline because they were out of time. The two didn't even get to have a proper conversation until the SERIES FINALE, and they tried to turn it into a joke at Portwell's expense.

Like...I don't even go here. I'm Caswen trash, through and through, but even I'm offended for Portwell fans who at least deserved to have their couple's breakup treated with gravitas and consequence!

[gra-sonas]

Any actor’s directorial debut is daunting. But for “Roswell, New Mexico” star Michael Trevino, things were significantly easier thanks to his leading lady, Jeanine Mason, who apparently was “saving” him on the daily.

In Monday night’s episode, directed by Trevino, we meet Outlaw Liz (Mason). She’s a parallel version of the Liz Ortecho we’ve come to know and love, who acts on her darker impulses. Thanks to the chemical compound she inhaled, Liz is trapped in her mindscape, battling for dominance. That mindscape, of course, is an old western town, in which Liz is the sheriff, haunted by Outlaw Liz.

Mason took on double duty for the week and according to Trevino, needed very little direction from him.

“I literally was just behind the monitor, because I know how talented she is,” Trevino recalled to TheWrap. “And then I see her play this completely different character, making complete opposite choices, and they’re believable, and she’s making it look easy. And I know it’s hard, but she’s making it look so easy. I was so, so thankful for — I remember everyday just being like, ‘thank you’ because she’s saving me!”

Of course, a little advice from a seasoned vet didn’t hurt either. Because for Trevino, this directorial debut has been a long time coming — he shadowed his old “Vampire Diaries” friend Julie Plec way back on the “Roswell, New Mexico” pilot. So he made sure to pick her brain on some key aspects. But more on that shortly.

For now, Trevino is just basking in the excitement of his episode finally being out in the world.

“It’s never easy. But when it’s all said and done and you get to that final day, it all comes together? There’s no better feeling,” he said.

You can check out TheWrap’s full conversation with Michael Trevino below.

Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Michael, I always like to begin my interviews the big question. So, tell me what it’s like directing your character as a horse?

(laughs) You know, working with animals can prove to be difficult. But I will say, working with Kyle the horse, like myself, just the utmost professionalism on set, ever. Greatest horse ever. And the performances were all there. It was easy. Very easy.

More seriously though, this is your directing debut. This is huge for you. Is it something that has been in the works for a while, that you’ve wanted and you waited for?

It is something that I’ve been working so for a while. I have, since our pilot episode — I shadowed Julie Plec when she directed our pilot. And since the pilot episode, I communicated to the powers that be, and made it very clear that if this show were to go for a few seasons, I would like an opportunity to direct. And they said, “OK, we’ll see.” And I said, OK, well, I’m going to stick around video village, and I’m going to be around on days when I’m not working, filming. And I’m going to learn.

So I did that for the four seasons. But to prove that much more that I was that serious, I shot a short film after season three in Albuquerque with some of our crew that we use on “Roswell.” And I think after that, they saw how serious I was and they gave me an opportunity in season four here to finally get behind the camera. It is, you’re absolutely right, it is a big deal. I don’t take it lightly. I’m just so grateful and happy that it finally happened, that people are going to see this episode. And now hopefully, this leads to more opportunities from another TV show.

I really like your approach of, “I’m just going to be present. I’m just going to be next to you until you decide to give me a shot.” Because that’s how I approach things as well, and it’s good to know that it works.

Yeah, I’m telling you! It’s like, you don’t have to ask — show people, right? Actions speak louder than words. And so like, there were days where they’d just look around and be like, “Oh, he’s still here!” Even crew was like, “What are you doing?” I’m like “Shadowing,” and they’re like “Huh!” So it’s also that level of respect that you get. So when I finally got my shot, I truly believe it was earned. And I had the crew’s respect and support when you get up there.

Absolutely. And I mean, shadowing Julie Plec, what a terrible way to start right? I mean, if only they’d given you someone more experienced… Come on, that’s amazing!

Yeah! I mean, if you’re gonna shadow anybody, Julie Plec’s a good person to shadow to let her know how serious you are about directing.

Well, tell me about shadowing her. What was the biggest thing that you picked up from her? Because that’s not an experience everyone gets, to be next to her as she’s doing these things. So what’s the one thing that stuck with you?

You know, I’ve known Julie Plec for so many years here now. We go back to Vampire Diaries, and she wasn’t directing then, but now she is. And I do remember on the pilot, you know, it is about story for her. But also, it’s about these relationships. So when there is the romance or that connection, we really want to see those beats, and moments very, very clear. And we want to fall in love with this couple. So when they fall out of love, we’re just as hurt and damaged because of it. So those moments, they need to be very clear.

And on top of that, transitions. And what I mean by that is going from one scene to the next scene, make it as seamless and cohesive as possible. But also let your frames and your shots be beautiful. So just let the transition, so the episode flows as neatly and tightly as possible. Work on those transitions to go from scene to scene. If we’re leaving this scene, and this is what we’re ending with, what are we coming into in the next scene? She is a stickler for those and so you got to really be on top of that.

And you get a really fun setting to do those transitions in. You get to direct an episode with the wild, wild west mind scape. What were your thoughts upon finding out that part?

Well, it was mixed feelings. It was the feelings of joy and excitement that like, “Wow, this is a huge episode, and this landed on 4×09, which was my episode.” And then just as much of it feeling daunting, and me a bit terrified of like, “How the hell am I going to shoot this? What am I doing?” And so you just go to work. You get that week of prep, and you use every minute of your life to plan out each scene as best as you can. And you have a plan in place to do the coverage and to tell your story.

So, yes, I’m very lucky. I don’t know if that was a gift, or I just got lucky with 4×09 being a big episode. Or maybe because I’m a member of the family, as a director for the first time, they were like, we’re going to give you a big episode. And they trusted me with that, which I’m still to this day, extremely thankful for it. But it is a big episode.

Well let’s talk about being a member of the family. Because not only do you get to direct the rest of your Roswell family that you’ve been working with for four seasons, but you’re also directing some new friends, because you’ve got new characters this season. So some of these people, you know their ticks, but then the others are a little bit newer. How did that stretch you?

I do. I do. And for me, I just was very transparent with the cast, who are my friends, but also with them saying, like, “Whatever you need from me, let me know. Or if I’m coming at you in a way that doesn’t work for you, let me know. Let’s get ahead of it here.” And everybody was just very supportive and helped me out. If there was ever any moments of me struggling to give a note or to find a moment or beat in the scene, we were all on top of it. Just super, super collaborative.

And you know, our newcomers to this season are just such professionals and awesome, and it’s been a joy to work with them this season. But I would say we have a very special guest star for this episode in Shiri Appleby.

I was going to say! She’s a legend.

Yeah, who has been the OG member of the Roswell family. And what’s more amazing is, you know, we all know she’s directed a few episodes for us already. But this is the first time with her in front of the camera, in our world, playing in the sandbox with us. And so that was just such a special moment and super thankful for her for making it out, being a part of the show for us. But it is a big moment where we have our two female leads in Shiri Appleby and Jeanine Mason, and I think it’s very special.

Yes, let’s talk about Jeanine Mason. She’s incredible. And you get to introduce dark Liz in this episode, which I think is an actor’s dream to play an evil version of themselves.

Yes.

But from your directing standpoint, is there pressure to introduce this villainous version of our hero, who people have come to love over four seasons? Was there was there any apprehension there?

No, Jeanine was super excited. Because like you said, you play a character for at this point, four seasons, four years. And now you’re able to play the same person, but like, complete opposite? She was incredible in this episode.

Because I have to tell you — man, I mean, being number one on the call sheet and working day in and day out, it’s tough enough already. And for you to play two characters on top of that, doing scenes opposite yourself, you’re learning the lines of two separate characters who are totally different from one another. It is incredibly difficult. And she did an amazing job. I literally was just behind the monitor, because I know how talented she is.

And then I see her play this completely different character, making complete opposite choices, and they’re believable, and she’s making it look easy. And I know it’s hard, but she’s making it look so easy. I was so, so thankful for — I remember everyday just being like, “thank you” because she’s saving me! You know, it’s my first time directing an episode. I gotta make sure not only is this story being told through the lens, are these performances being told? And she came in so prepared. Which isn’t a surprise, but you just, you see it on a different level of her playing two characters, playing Liz and then having to go change, put on different makeup, change and become Outlaw Liz. And just knock it out of the park.