#IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ANITA

[loudmound]

what in god's name do you mean they trapped the first gay couple in the silent hill franchise in the worst possible "game" ever. what do you mean the other half of this couple is a cop.

[alloftheimaginesblog]

happy new year {peter parker}

part one here

plot: after your ex peter leaves you a card on christmas, you go visit him.

character: peter parker x female character

note: i love emotional, touch starved peter parker

It had been almost a week since Peter had left the card on your fire escape and you'd not reached out in any way shape or form despite Peter's hopes and wishes. He took that as the final nail in the coffin. You had completely moved on so it was time he did too.

He had just finished his second patrol of the day and was coming back to Aunt May's for some lunch when his enhanced hearing could hear muffled voices and laughter coming from Aunt May's home. Someone else was here. Peter frowned. Aunt May hadn't mentioned anyone else coming over today. He shrugged it off, maybe just a neighbour coming to wish her a happy new year.

He pulled the mask off, shoving it into his hoodie's pocket - he liked doing his patrols with a hoodie and sweatpants over it to keep the winter chill of New York away - and opened the door. The voices were louder but still muffled, he couldn't tell who it was.

He dropped his backpack by the door and walked into the kitchen where the voices were coming from. Peter was expecting a neighbour - Mr Jenkins or Anita from across the street - he certainly hadn't been expecting the person who was sitting across the kitchen table from Aunt May.

It was you.

Everything seemed to stop, time slowed right down and all Peter could do was stare at you with an expression with resembled that of seeing a ghost. He was acutely aware of his heartbeat, hammering loudly in his chest, ears ringing as your head rose to look at him. Your smile faltered for the briefest of moments as Aunt May stood, re-introducing the two of you after all this time. Your lips moved but he couldn't hear over the ringing in his ears.

It took a solid ten seconds for Peter to come back to reality. He opened his mouth, closed it and then opened it again. He hadn't prepared for this. He wasn't prepared to encounter you again. He thought that this chapter was done, closed and finished... But you were standing in his Aunt's kitchen.

"Hey, Peter," you said gently. God, he wanted to fall to his knees with the way you said his name. One word, two syllables and he would've killed for you if you asked him to.

Aunt May saw his surprise and half stepped in front of you, almost shielding him from you so that he could regain some form of composure, "(y/n) wasn't sure where your new apartment was, Peter, so she came here. She brought some delicious scones as a new year's gift." Her eyes were aglow with excitement, she had hoped the two of you would find your way back to each other and maybe this was that connection finally happening like it should've stayed.

"Uh," Peter nodded to his Aunt May, silently telling her that was he was okay and she moved out of the way. Peter took a deep breath. You looked perfect. He'd seen you a week ago, Christmas Eve, but right now it was like he was seeing you for the first time. Your hair was loose and bouncy, your cheeks slightly rosy from the winter chill, your eyes wide and smiling at him with a slightly unsure expression, "Hi." All it took was that one word and he saw you visibly relax, saw your shoulders fall and saw a flash of relief on your face.

Aunt May quickly thought of an excuse to leave and left the two of you in the kitchen with so much tension hanging in the air between the two of you, "How-"

"I'm sorry-" you blurted out.

Peter frowned, "What?"

"- for just showing up. I-I went to your apartment - your old apartment - the woman that lives there didn't have a forwarding address for you and she wasn't all very pleasant at all-" Peter smiled slightly at your nervous rambling, "-and I knew where Aunt May lived and I had to talk to you so I just came here. I didn't think to call because- I don't actually know. I-"

"Hey," his voice was so soft and gentle, "it's fine." There was a moment's pause and he continued, "I moved about six months ago. Needed a change." The apartment was full of the ghost of you. "Few blocks away from my old apartment. Nicer. Rent is horrendous though." This made you crack a smile.

Again, silence fell. It was awkward. You had come here prepared to tell him what you needed to tell him and now, standing in front of him... you were too scared. He looked good. Tired but good. He had grown his beard out which was nice, you always loved him with a beard. It suited him. His chocolate eyes were just as warm but there was a sadness surrounding him again, like when you first met him.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked quietly.

You nodded immediately, "Sounds good."

The snow fell slowly, floating down to the ground as you and Peter walked. Neither of you spoke but it was a little more comfortable being out in the open with the sounds of New York around the two of you.

Anxiously, your fingernails dug into your skin. Just tell him, (y/n). You came all this way to chicken out?! You took a breath but Peter beat you to the chase.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped by coming to your apartment," he said sincerely, "I-I know that's why you're here so scream at me if you want, I just... I deserve it." You frowned, confused, "Aunt May had told me she bumped into you and you were with someone and you were happy... I... I got jealous but I shouldn't have done what I did."

"Pete," you said with a shake of the head, "I mean, yeah, you overstepped the mark. It was completely and wildly inappropriate and almost kind of creepy?" You took a second to pick your words, "But you made me kind of snap out of the auto pilot mode I was in."

It was Peter's turn to be confused.

"Jasper... He was great. He's someone Rachel set me up with a few months ago and yeah, he was fun but..." He wasn't you, "it wasn't going to work out. We wanted different things."

You cleared your throat, refusing to look at him and instead looked away from him watching the snow fall, "Wait... you broke up?" You nodded, again not looking at Peter. Embers of hope began to burn a little brighter in his stomach, "Oh."

"He knew about you, you know," you said quietly and had Peter not had enhanced hearing he wouldn't have heard your next few sentences, "He knew he had no chance competing against you even though you weren't trying until last week. He knew that I still loved you."

Peter's face softened and he slowed down with you. He stretched his hand out to take yours but hesitated and his hand fell. For a moment, the two of you stood - you with your back turned and Peter with the most forlorn expression.

"I really tried to get over you, Pete. I really tried." You sniffed, wiping tears away before they could fall. You turned to him, seeing his own eyes welling with tears, "It wasn't your fault, Peter."

His head fell back onto his shoulders as he closed his eyes, tears mixing with wet snow as he exhaled a long breath. For over a year, he harboured the guilt of your accident. It was because of him; who he was. You got hurt and he hated himself for it.

Your hands clasped his cheeks and Peter gasped. He was so touch starved, he hadn't realised that another person hadn't touched him besides Aunt May in a year. You pulled his head away from the sky to look down at you, "You hear me?" You were crying, "What happened to me, it wasn't your fault. I don't blame you, Peter, I never have and I'm so sorry that I couldn't help you last year. I'm so sorry you've held onto this all this time."

He opened his eyes, staring at you again for what felt like the first time, "I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"I know that," you let out a sob, "Peter, everything you've ever done is to protect me! Had it not been for you, I would've died. You webbed my wounds and took me hospital immediately, you saved me."

"But-"

"You saved me, Peter. None of it was your fault. I do not blame you. Please, please stop blaming yourself."

You pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, pulling him down so you could plant the kiss on him. Then one on his wet nose. Despite the cold, Peter's body was on fire at your touch. This was what he'd been craving for a full year. You.

"You better stop," his voice was thick, "cause if you let me kiss you, I'm never gonna let you go again."

You smiled widely, pressing your foreheads together, "I'm not gonna leave again so by all means..."

He didn't need to be told twice. His lips were on yours in a flash, hot and cold, melding together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. He still tasted the same; chocolate, coffee and peppermint. His hands pulled you in, not hesitant anymore but confident and knowing. He pulled you flush against him as he kissed you, a hand weaving into your hair as the other wrapped around your back. God you missed him. And for a moment, just for a moment, everything in the world was good and everything was right.

What a way to start the year.

[sissylittlefeather]

Your Love's Been a Long Time Coming: The End

A/N: My heart, y'all. I can't believe this is over. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this last chapter for Elvis and Vivian. If there's enough demand, I'll write more of them happily ever after, but otherwise, here it is: the end. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. I love to hear from you!

Need to read the rest? Masterlist here.

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI! Kissing, cussing, fingering, oral sex (m&f receiving), p in v penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie

Word count: ~3k

"Are you?!"

"Yes."

******

Sonny's shoulders slump as he sinks into a chair. Vivian's heart breaks for him, but she just couldn't lie to him anymore. It's not fair to anyone involved for her to keep pretending like there's nothing between her and Elvis.

"I knew it. Jerry told me about the wedding and I just kept hoping it was him being, well, him. But no, this has been going on for a lot longer than just that time, hasn't it?"

"No, we've never really been anything-"

"But that's what you've wanted. You love him and you always have." He pinches the bridge of his nose and Vivian swallows deeply. He's right. "I can't fight him. I won't win. Not if you're in love with him."

Sonny looks up at her with his eyes glossy and wet. He takes her hand and kisses the back of it.

"Sonny, I-"

"No. It's okay, sugar. I love you too much to keep you miserable. If you want him, you should be with him." She sits on the floor in front of him and leans on his knee.

"I'm not miserable."

"No, but you would be eventually. Especially if his marriage is over. It's cruel for me to make you stay, knowing what I know now."

"Sonny... I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. You can't help who you love. Can I ask one thing, though?"

"Anything." Vivian looks up at him sadly. Some part of her does care for him. Just not enough. Not more than she loves Elvis.

"I'm gonna go for a drive for a few hours. When I get back here, please be gone." She nods slowly.

"Okay. I can do that."

"Thank you." He whispers and then leans forward, kissing her forehead. Then, he stands up and walks towards the door. When he gets there he turns. "I don't want you to feel bad for me. I'll be alright. Just go be happy."

She nods again as he walks through the door. The tears come hot and fast for a while as she sits there in the rubble of her ruined marriage. After a while, she stops, though, and there's only one thing on her mind.

Elvis.

She jumps up and starts to pack.

******

Elvis is sitting in the dark in the TV room. All three TVs are going, but he has no idea what's on any of them. His mind is racing. How did he get here? He's alone, his own wife gone to another man as his heart longs for a married woman. What a mess.

His mind drifts back to the night he met Vivian. She was so beautiful reading the book of French poetry in the corner at his party. He should've whisked her away from Charlie that night. He should've broken up with Anita the second he met her and taken her in his arms to be his forever that afternoon when he found her crying at the cafe.

And all the movie years. How stupid was he to value his string of flings over her? How easy it would've been to leave them all in the dust and marry her in 1962.

And the conversation they started should've finished with them together. Why did he abandon her for Ann? Yes, he loved Ann, but what was she compared to his future with Viv?

And WHY, WHY did he choose Priscilla?! He looks at the corner of the couch where Viv had laid that night they made love for the first time. It's like a movie with the scene of her on his porch, arms full of liquor bottles, a soft smile on her lips. Then it cuts to her gently shaving his face, an ultimate gesture of love and service. And the kiss, his mouth on her body, carrying her upstairs and pulling off clothing. The flashbacks wash over him and he lets himself weep. His tongue pushing into her as she moans, her mouth wrapped around him, him pumping into her overcome with passion and love and a need to be hers forever. The gentle and affectionate touches when they finished and held each other like they'd do it every day until they died.

"Oh God, Vivian." He holds his head in his hands as the tears stream down his face. He should've married her. His heart aches thinking of her coming to see him when he was so hurt and needed her so badly, only to be turned away. How could he have spent all those years angry? How could he let her fall into Sonny's arms?

And now she's gone forever. She'll have a baby soon and then he will have truly lost her. He'll only ever-

There's a knock at the door. Whoever it is can wait. Elvis is too lost in his grief to answer the door right now.

He wraps his arms around himself and lets his shoulders shake with sobs.

Another knock, this time a little more urgent. He listens carefully and realizes it's raining. Briefly, he feels for the person who is soaking wet on his porch, but not enough to get up and answer the door.

He's always taking care of everyone else. In this moment, he needs to just be and feel and nurse his broken heart.

More knocking, almost frantic.

Fine. He gets up off the couch and goes to the door.

******

Vivian sits on the front steps in the rain, crying. She's knocked and knocked, but either he's not here or he doesn't want to see her. She has nowhere else to go and even if she did, this is the only place she wants to be. Why won't he answer?

She gets up to walk back to her car.

******

"Viv?" He says it softly, not believing what he sees in front of him. Then, he realizes she's walking away and runs out to her in the driveway. "Vivian!"

She stops dead and turns to face him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sonny left."

"He did? Why?"

"Because I'm in love with you." His heart skips.

"You... what?"

"I'm in love with you, Elvis. I always have been. I love you with every fiber of my being. It's like you're a part of me that I can't dig out. You're in me. You are me. I love you. God, I love you." She stands there, chest heaving, trying not to be a cliched crying mess in the rain. Elvis's heart has stopped with her words. His hands shake and he wants to pinch himself to make sure he isn't dreaming.

"Am I- am I too late?" She asks, almost panicked. Finally, he finds his voice.

"Never."

He takes two steps and has her in his arms, his mouth pressed to hers in a desperate kiss. The years of yearning pour out of them into the way their tongues mix in an ardent dance of need. He grabs the back of her thighs and she jumps to wrap her legs around him. Then, he turns and carries her up the steps into the house, slamming the door behind them with his foot.

She moans into his kiss as they make their way up the staircase to the bedroom, her still wrapped around him. In the room, he sets her down gently and begins peeling off her wet clothes, one layer at a time, dropping his lips to every new exposed inch of skin. He makes a trail of hot kisses along her body, finally dragging down her pants and underwear until she's fully naked in front of him. But when he goes to dive face first into her center, she stops him.

"No. I want to feel your skin." She unbuttons his shirt and pushes it off of his shoulders, going to the buttons on his pants next. He kicks off his shoes while she undoes the zipper and pulls, exposing him to her fully. They stand for a second, just taking each other in with nothing in between them, finally.

He caresses the side of her face and steps closer to her so that their bodies touch softly. She looks up at him in anticipation as he runs his thumb over her cheek.

"I have loved you from the moment I saw you. I should've said it then and every day since. It's always been you, Viv." He leans in and kisses her gently again, his hand moving down her body tenderly. When he gets to her lower back, he pulls her in close to press against him and kisses down her neck. She whimpers at the feel of his length pushing into her hip, reaching down to stroke him with her hand. He grunts at the sensation and slowly walks her backwards to the edge of the bed. She sits down, her hand still pumping him, but he stops her and gets on his knees.

"You're the love of my life, Vivian. I want to give you the world." He leans forward and kisses her thigh, pushing her legs open further to get to her center. "Let me give you everything I have, baby."

With that, he lowers his mouth to her and presses his tongue into her slit, dragging it up to the hardened bud, licking over and around it vigorously. She inhales sharply and throws her head back.

"Oh, God, Elvis." She runs her hand in his hair. He groans, but doesn't stop working his mouth on her. He moves his tongue in circles and then in a hard line over the top of her clit, keeping a steady rhythm. Her hips buck forward into his face and he slides a finger into her, tickling the spot that makes her moan out loud.

"Fuck!" Her back arches as her orgasm builds quickly. She feels herself on the edge, ready to spill over into an ocean of pleasure.

"Come on, baby. You're right there. Let go for me." He goes back to licking her with a fervor he's never expressed before. He's never been so invested in a woman's pleasure but he wants to give Vivian more than she's ever experienced. And he does. In that moment the dam breaks and she cries out as the waves of ecstasy crest and break inside her over and over again.

"Yes! Fuck! Yessssss!" She moans with her teeth gritted, her body quaking with the aftershock of the most unbelievable orgasm.

When she finally comes down, she sits up and grabs him, pulling him into a deep kiss, her tongue diving into his mouth feverishly.

"I'm so... in love... with you..." She whispers in between kisses, her hands running down his chest. She stands him up and he looks down at her, cupping her chin in his hand.

"No, baby. I'm in love with you." She smiles and leans forward, holding his cock in one hand, pulling his foreskin back and running her tongue around the tip. He leans back, his lips parted slightly and his eyes closed. "God, that feels good."

She tries not to smile as she pulls him fully into her mouth, letting him hit the back of her throat. She buries her nose in the hair at the base of him, swallowing around him. Then, she begins to move up and down as he thrusts slowly. She puts her hands on his hips and works him gently, moaning. He grunts and takes a handful of her hair.

"Viv, baby, you have to stop. I'm not finished making love to you."

She pulls back off of him and looks up, crawling backwards onto the bed. He climbs on top of her, kissing her neck and chest up to her mouth.

"I am yours, Vivian. Body and soul." He lines his cock up with her dripping entrance and teases her clit for a second. "I want to love you like this forever."

"Please, Elvis. Never stop." He nods and pushes into her.

"I won't, baby." He whispers as he slides in as deep as he'll go, grunting when he feels her tightness around him. "You were made for me."

She whimpers as he fills her, pulling back and pushing into her again. Neither of them will ever get enough of the way it feels to be connected like this. They fit together like a lock and key and the pleasure hits them both at the same time.

"Yes, Elvis..." Her back arches as he continues his sensual rhythm of sliding out and filling her, his hips rolling into her over and over and over. Their sweat begins to mix as their bodies meet in burning kisses, breast to chest, stomach to stomach, hip to hip, and thigh to thigh. His hand runs up and down her, squeezing and pinching softly where it pleases them both until it settles on her hip, holding her in place as his thrusting picks up. He's still moving slowly, pounding her deeply, slamming her with his cock both passionately and lovingly.

"Oh, God, Viv, I love the way you feel." He sets his head on her shoulder, knowing his climax is coming fast. "I don't want this to be over."

She takes his face in her hands and kisses the tip of his nose.

"This will never be over. I'm yours until the end. Let go, baby. I'm not going anywhere." He whimpers softly and peppers her face with kisses as he goes back to pumping into her. His pace increases and her breasts bounce as he moves inside her harder and harder. He feels his orgasm building in his cock and he knows he's ready to explode. He slams into her two more times and then cries out as he shudders.

"Fuck, yes, Viv!" He feels his release wash over him as he cums hard inside her, emptying himself as the tsunami-force ecstasy crashes through him. He's frozen inside her, cock throbbing until he's completely spent. She whines through her own orgasm as he collapses on top of her, careful not to crush her with his weight. He slides out of her gently and lays next to her, pulling her into the crook of his arm where she fits perfectly. She reaches up and pushes his sweaty hair back off of his forehead and then runs her fingertips down the side of his face. He grabs her fingers and kisses them, looking down at her. She smiles up at him and whispers. "Je t'aimes toujours avec tout mon coeur."

"You know I don't speak French, baby." He chuckles.

"It means 'I love you always with all of my heart.' It's something I was saving to say to the man that set me on fire. And it's you. I burn for you, Elvis. I always have and I always will." He smiles, his eyes brimming with tears.

"I will make you mine forever as soon as I can. You are the one who my soul loves. Viv, tell me this is us, from now on."

"Always and forever, Elvis."

"Always and forever."

******

A lot happens for Elvis and Vivian through 1972 and 1973. Vivian moves into Graceland and they christen every room in the house. Then, Elvis films Elvis on Tour in April and Vivian is there. He plays at Madison Square Garden in June and Vivian is there. He goes on tour again and still, Viv is there. Then, he does the Aloha show in Hawaii and she is there for that too. Both of their divorces are finalized in 1973 and they're there for each other. By Thanksgiving, Elvis has a 10-carat ring on her finger and by Christmas they're married.

He records an album at Stax that won't be released until 1975, but there's a song on it that makes him think of Vivian so much he almost cries. He saves it for the right moment, though.

So when she comes to him on New Year's Eve with a note from the doctor confirming her pregnancy, he knows exactly what to do. He pulls her into a warm embrace, kissing the top of her head. Slowly they begin to sway and he sings:

The first time I saw you I knew I was hooked on somebody other than me

And the first time I held you, your soft lips and blue eyes

Were as far as my eyes could see

Yes, here in my arms I knew I had found the reason that I'm livin' for

And I felt the feeling, such a wonderful feeling

That I'd never felt before

Baby, you're love's been a long time comin'

Baby your love's got a hold on me

Baby your love's sure got me hummin'

Baby your love's been a long time comin'

******

Fin

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taglist:

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @tacozebra051 @your-nanas-house @deniseinmn @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows @60svintage @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @louisejoy86 @rjmartin11 @from-memphis-with-love @deltafalax @jhoneybees @everythingelvispresley @returntopresley @atleastpleasetelephone @burnthheparaphilia @cinnamoroll-things

[necrotic-nephilim]

I know you like Young Justice 98 so I have to ask what you think of my favorite problematic girl Greta Hayes.

I LOVE GRETA SO MUCH.

Greta Hayes is my favorite bbygirl ever. i think her backstory is super interesting and i wish DC had done more with the whole Warder concept, exploring other Warders and what her relationship could've been with them. i just love the like. duality of her? the way she appears pretty shy and timid but has this really deep, explosive anger to her. she's a hot mess and i love her dearly, she can do no wrong in my eyes. the only moment i didn't like with her was when she and Steph fought, but i blame that more on the writers bc "two girls must have a crush on the cool main character and fight over him" just happens a lot in comics.

i lost my shit when Stargirl: Lost Children brought Greta back. i'm so happy she's back around and i think Lost Children was an interesting plot to explain the concept of all of these teenage heroes and sidekicks getting lost to comic book limbo. i wish Anita had also been in Lost Children but, i'm happy for the scraps of Greta we got bc if you'd asked me before if we would ever see her again, i would've said probably not. i hope the New Golden Age stuff does more with her and i'm delusional that we'll see her reunite with Young Justice, or at the very least Bart, since that's who she mentions being friends with in Lost Children.

i do ship her with Tim, i fear. i think her crush on him was really cute and how much faith she had in him. and him being the one who was able to talk out of working with Darkseid? just very cute vibes. i do also like GretaSteph, but GretaTim is rlly fun and i wish we had more content of it. whether it be an unrequited love situation where she has to watch him grow up while she's trapped as her age in this life/death limbo, or them actually trying to make it work. i crave to use her more in fanfic, i just haven't thought of stories to easily slot her into yet.

anyway, i love her, she's a doll, she should've been in Young Justice (2019), begging DC to do something with her now that she's officially back in the continuity. give her a mini or something pls DC my kingdom for content of my dumb angry ghost child.

[tartrazeen]

They should've made the live-action Cruella film a comedy.

It should've been about Cruella and Anita being best friends, and about how every time someone bothered Anita, Cruella swept in to make them disappear. Maybe boyfriends, to stitch in why Cruella hates Roger later.

It could've been some wacky, goofy, Beetlejuice/Agatha-All-Along type of stuff, and let Cruella be a "She's the devil, but she's my devil" character. In the meantime, Anita helps Cruella with fashion projects or whatever.

Cruella gets smothering and Anita tells her to back off. Cruella promises but breaks that promise later. Cue a whole "A tiger never changes its stripes. Or in your case, a zebra." Something, something, black-and-white motif.

Eventually it becomes too much, and Anita confronts Cruella properly, by throwing a bucket of paint or (hell) a bottle bleach onto her, splashing her Two-Face style. Anita apologizes but Cruella stomps off, furious, and forced to have half of her hair covered because the paint/bleach dyed it white. Maybe it was a prank that went badly, prodded on by someone else.

Something, something, Anita eventually goes to apologize after Cruella successfully fails to finish her next project on her own. Anita brings Cruella's black coat back, which is covered in stripes from the same white paint/bleach. And then Eureka, Cruella is inspired to do a massive launch of zebra print, which skyrockets her to the top.

The two make up somehow, and the movie ends with Cruella looking for the next iteration of zebra print. And then she sees a dalmatian.

There you go. Better than what Disney dumped on us.

[eljeebee]

As Priscilla, Anthony, and Mrs. Gould play cards, Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard sat on the bar, which was being tended by Albert.

He moved, thought a little bit sluggish, as he reach for a bottle to pour for the spouses.

"I—We're sorry about earlier, Bertie," Mrs. Hubbard said. "We didn't mean to upset you, sweetheart. This is your dinner party, we should've been sensitive."

Mr. Hubbard spoke, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"You'll forgive Jacob, no? He's becoming forgetful now, I hope you understand," Mrs. Hubbard said, voice soft.

"Baaah," Albert waved a hand. "It's nothing! It's not like I miss my parents and my sister. Nooothing! Yeah, they died, got killed from an incident. Totally not my fault."

He poured a drink for Mr. Hubbard, "Here, Jacob drink up."

Mrs. Hubbard tilted her head. "No, darling, it's not your fault."

Albert smiled. Slurring, he said, "I know, Anita. I know that. Wasn't my fault. Never."

Mrs. Hubbard leaned on the bar. "Bertie, I think you've drink a lot. Maybe you should slow down."

Albert laughed. "Slow down the party? No! Come, let's open up the presents! Like how my family would do for Christmas. Come, come, come."

Uncharacteristically, he swayed side to side as he travelled from the parlor to the living room. Priscilla had stood up, and was about to help Albert when he raised a hand.

"No, I'm fine, kid," he said. "Let's open up your gifts. You come, Anthony. You, too, Lily."

Anthony followed Albert. Priscilla caught Mrs. Gould's disapproving look to her older sister.

previous | next

[veliseraptor]

April Reading Recap

so apparently I read a fuckton in April. I put that on the week off for Passover and also a number of very fast reads last month. here goes

The Spite House by Johnny Compton. Might be the best horror book I'd read in a while, and I did not see the twist coming for a long while. Good and very spooky on the whole, but the "creepy kids as ghosts" thing took some of the luster off it. Still, some good and original ideas here and I'll be watching for more books by this author.

The Nine Eyes of Lucien by Madeleine Roux. Not very good writing and a good third of the book was rehashing the events of the end of Campaign 2, which I just watched. It was fine, I guess? But I didn't find it added much.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I've had this one on my list for literal years - it's a retelling of the Biblical story of Dinah, Jacob's one daughter. I kind of wish I'd read it sooner, when (a) I was less burned out on retellings/reinterpretations of familiar stories, and (b) when I would've been less bothered by the flavor of gender essentialism of the text and could have appreciated other things about it without getting stuck in feeling iffy about that. I am trying to work out why it bothers me so much that Diamant chose to change the reading of the text from (an implied) rape to a consensual love affair, and I'm not quite sure I can explain that.

It's an interesting book and I'm glad I read it but I don't think I'd recommend it without disclaimers; I think in some ways it's more interesting as an artifact of the cultural movement it comes out of than anything else. Would analyze in a class about Jewish feminist responses to stories in Tanakh (or Talmud, tbh).

Six Myths of Our Time: Little Angels, Little Monsters, Beautiful Beasts and More by Marina Warner. Fascinating collection of short essays originally given as lectures on the BBC, apparently - the one essay about the way the West conceptualizes the simultaneous purity/monstrosity of children was particularly interesting to me. Interesting piece of work I picked up totally by happenstance because it was short and looked interesting and it lived up to both qualities.

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates. Good spooky horror recommended by @cigaretteburnslikefairylights and actually legit scared me in places, which doesn't happen all that often to me anymore when I'm reading horror. (I'm still a weenie watching it.) I actually...liked this one start to resolution and am going to be looking up more of Darcy Coates' writing, because if it's not, you know, doing something super ~innovative~ it is good spooky reading and that's really what I've been craving.

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester. Reading this book was a weird experience. I went into it just thinking "ooh, book about an interesting natural disaster, I love volcanoes" and came out of it going "whoa, surprise Islamophobia," checked the publication date, and learned it was 2003, whereupon I was miserably unsurprised. I don't know why the author felt like he needed to make colonial apologetics and blame the post-eruption upheaval on Islamic fundamentalists manipulating the natives into uprising against their Dutch masters but apparently he did. (I'm exaggerating. But not that much.)

The geology stuff was interesting. Mr. Winchester should've stuck with that and the reportage of the eruption itself and left politics out of it.

Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation ed. by Kavita Bhanot & Jeremy Tiang. This might be my favorite book I read in April, honestly. It's a really good collection of essays about the concept of decolonizing translation, and what that means, and whether it's possible, and the uneasy and uncomfortable relationship between translation and imperialism. I didn't agree with all the essays in here, and they didn't necessarily all agree with each other, but all of them at least had something interesting to say. I would recommend this one to people who can find it - it's by a small press - who are interested in translation or who frequently read in translation. The writers have a lot to say that I think is worth thinking about.

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thahn Tran. I think I just need to give up reading YA books with the realization they're generally not for me, though this one almost had me. It's something about the...I know there's a range of styles, I can't generalize style across the genre, but there is a texture to YA writing that doesn't quite work for me.

I love the concept - diaspora horror, colonialist horror, some really fucked up body horror stuff that got surprisingly gruesome - and would love to read a slightly different book about it, but alas, that book wasn't this one.

American Midnight: Democracy's Forgotten Crisis, 1917-1921 by Adam Hochschild. Another contender for favorite book I read this month though I think this one loses out to Violent Phenomena and possibly Gallows Hill, though comparing horror fiction to historical nonfiction feels kind of unfair. Anyway, I knew some of what this book was digging into - the Sedition Act and the intensely violent repression that was going on in the United States during World War I - but I learned a lot more here.

The depressing thing about reading this, though, was watching (so to speak) the brutal crushing of a once fairly robust American Socialist Party such that it never recovered. Not to mention the grinding down of the labor movement, which I think was at its most powerful during this period of time and hasn't been as strong since.

Just looking at that and wondering what might've been if Woodrow Wilson wasn't such a fucking dick.

Elektra by Jennifer Saint. I feel so funny about this book. I read another mythology retelling even though I swore not to because a Tumblr user I respect mentioned it being good; my experience was that it wasn't bad and it didn't actively bother me like some other retellings I could name, but I don't know that I'd actually call it good. Mostly I'd say I wasn't annoyed, just uninspired.

Of the three narrators, Elektra was definitely the best, and I really did like the construction of her relationship with Clytemnestra, which really felt like the meat of the book. (Perhaps, considering the House of Atreus, that's a bad turn of phrase to use.) The Cassandra sections felt like a distraction, mostly a way to keep the reader up with what was going on across the sea and provide some action in between the familial drama. Ultimately I just felt like those sections took away from the Elektra/Clytemnestra dynamic, leaving insufficient meat.

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach. I went through a period of time where I was reading all of Mary Roach's books, and was kind of obsessed with them, so this was sort of returning to an old and familiar friend. I found I wasn't quite as enamored with this one as I remembered being of some of her others (I think I remember Stiff being my favorite), but it was an interesting look at the intersections between human and animal - which is really more what this is about than law, per se. It's about what we do when animals cause problems for humans, from monkeys to bears, and the questions that are raised about the best way to handle those issues.

Nero: Matricide, Music, and Murder in Imperial Rome by Anthony Everitt & Roddy Ashworth. I'm so confused by this book. From the insistence on referring to Nero as "princeps" throughout the book, to the random dropping of French in places it really didn't need to be, to the frankly credulous approach to the sources, particularly when it comes to sex, even when the author mentioned how sex is often a proxy for politics in Roman historical writing, the weird sideways digression into "did Rome have gay marriage?", the weird "maybe she got what she deserved" aside about Messalina's death...

I learned a fair amount, I can say that, I'm not as knowledgeable about this period's Julio-Claudians. Frankly I think Agrippina (the Younger) was the real star of this book, despite Anthony Everitt's heroic efforts to make Nero the protagonist. Buddy, I see your point, but you're pushing a little too hard here.

Anyway. Weird reading experience, I'm tempted to recommend it just so someone else can either validate it or go "what are you talking about, this was a perfectly normal history book."

---

woof long post, but hey it was a lot of books. currently reading A Fever in the Heartland for more American racism in the early 20th century. I have a stack of library books that are waiting for me and I think the next one is probably going to be The Social Lives of Animals, which will either be really enjoyable or annoy the hell out of me, possibly both.

[ricecooka]

Transphobia is always trending.

In the aftermath of the very public dogpile against Imane Khelif, I started reliving and analyzing this one interaction in school.

I did a very rushed but passionate project comparing 80s anti-gay rhetoric and Anita Bryant to the very current onslaught of Transphobia in recent times, that I had to present to my US History Class.

It gave me an excuse to ramble about queer people, and I could talk about gay shit for literal hours and days. I did a couple talking points about how Transphobia effects and harms Cisgender people, a couple slides on the AIDS crisis, stuff of that nature.

I then went on near the end to bullet point transphobic talking points to look out for, dog whistles if you will. I had a brief minute about the trans women (because it's only ever women's sports) "issue" competing in women's sports, estrogen weakening muscle mass, second puberty being all together uncomfortable and not the best time to be in top condition to compete, it's not about protecting cis women it's about excluding people. So on, and so forth.

At the end, I'm supposed to answer a few questions from my classmates, I receive a good question about transphobia in my own life and how I've seen it effect my friends, and then Zane raises his hand.

And he's on the basketball team.

He asks. "So Michael Jordan (Yaps about his stats, he's like seven feet tall and two hundred something pounds) he comes out as transgender, would you say he should compete in women's sports?"

So immediately I'm like, Oh I do Not like you. But, I'm performing for my class so I don't wanna shoot this guy down (even though I should've)- I tried to be polite but I'm bad at that. I mutter something like Yes, Michael Jordan (in dream land where he's been closeted this entire time) if he transitioned should be able to compete-Because like, what do I know about sports? I hate sports. Who cares, why not? I'm perfectly content with tearing apart the whole gender split on sports anyways.

Anyways, that one question said a lot about that guy as a person, and maybe it's harsh and speculative, but it's very likely that guy doesn't give a shit about women or women's sports.

He's very Logan Paul talking about Imane Khelif.

[jaysficarchive]

Let's Go to Helioas

Synopsis: After months of consideration, Solana finally takes Young Justice to Helioas.

Part 1/2

"It'll be very hot when we go there so please dress appropriately."

Each member of Young Justice was handed some Helioasan clothing. Some quickly put everything Solana gave them on in anticipation for the trip while others either put one thing or nothing. Before they had to settle for stories about the planet from their teammate--now they could experience it for themselves. All the questions they had would finally be answered.

Bart was especially excited, partially due to him and Solana's blossoming romance.

"Your world can't be that bad. It's not like we haven't been to the hottest places in the world already," Kon said.

"In case you don't remember, she said Helioas is mostly desert. Which means it's going to be hot and sandy." Anita smoothed out the outfit. "I dunno about you but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"Anita's right," Tim said in between getting dressed. He was having a bit of trouble putting the tunic on. "Just because you're Kryptonian and can handle the heat doesn't mean the rest of us can."

"Speak for yourself, Gotham, I'm from Texas. I know heat." Jinny tucked her gun away in her holster.

Once everyone was ready, they stepped through the portal. Red Tornado wasn't going with them since Solana said they'd be escorted by guards. At the other end of the portal was a vast desert landscape surrounded by tall dunes. Sure enough, it was hot.

"Holy shit!"

"By the gods!"

Solana shrugged her shoulders. "Here we are. Home sweet home."

"You definitely weren't lying when you said it was hot." Daliah felt incredibly lucky to have ice powers otherwise she'd be suffering like Tim. It was the only thing she was grateful to her father's side of the family for.

Onya should've been fine. He was from Angola. Extreme heat was nothing to him. Unfortunately, desert heat was nothing compared to tropical weather.

Solana looked up at the sky. Being back made her remember how much she missed the deep blue skies of her homeworld. "The guards will be arriving soon. Remember what I said, Keli."

Keli nodded and tucked her Green Lantern ring away. Just in time too as a group of guards dressed in colorful armor, armed with spears and tall shields, landed in front of them.

"Farqa Rasina, duba kilae," the leader greeted her.

"What does that mean?" Kon whispered.

"It means 'Praise Rasina, my lady'," Keli whispered back.

Solana talked to Eneka, the head guard, for a few minutes before turning to introduce Young Justice to her. Afterwards they talked for a bit more; until Solana told the others that they were about to head to the capital.

"So are we flying there or...?" Bart asked. As much as he loved Solana, he did not want to have to run over sand dunes or just sand in general.

"We're gonna be taking the barge." Solana held his hand. She knew he didn't want to run over sand. No one did.

Eneka and the guards led the group to the river where a large, opulent boat awaited them. Eneka helped Solana in first then the others. The barge set sail under her watchful eyes. Both Tim and Onya were more than happy to finally be in the shade.

"Anybody hungry? There's food inside." Solana asked, looking at Bart.

Inside were trays of delicious meats, grains, and fruits with cups of juice on the side. Bart happily chowed down on as much as he could.

While talking to Cassie, Jinny noticed some of the younger servant girls looking at them and whispering. She tipped her hat as a greeting and went back to talking to Cassie.

Apparently that must've really piqued their interests since one of them walked over to the two. She had the prettiest mahogany hair and deepest brown eyes Jinny ever seen.

"Gowa, qa Zar'ea."

"Oh, um, I'm Cassie! This is Jinny!" Cassie was immediately taken aback by Zar'ea's beauty. Her hair was intricately braided, decorated with gold charms and beads. She blushed as Zar'ea held her arm, feeling the muscles on it.

"Qer twa stron."

It didn't take much for the other servant girls to crowd around them. Neither Jinny nor Cassie imagined being surrounded by so many pretty girls. Zar'ea seemed to be fond of her the most, running her fingers through her hair.

"Aia! Bodoc loy dija!"

Solana huffed as the girls returned to their places. "Sorry about them. They're all very mischievous and flirtatious."

"It-it's no problem." Jinny hid her flustered face behind her hat.

They arrived at the capital, prompting everyone to step out and take in the beauty of the city. Bart was in complete awe of how futuristic it was--even moreso than the cities of his time.

"Solana, this is amazing!" Cissie exclaimed.

"If you guys think this is great, just wait till we arrive at the palace."

[treason-and-plot]

I'm finally caught up! It took a few days of non-stop reading but I had to know what those 3 trainwreck idiots (Anita, Roy, Joël) ended up doing.

Anita and Roy are the biggest self sabotaging idiots I've seen in my life. Anita was an absolute trainwreck. I mean the girl had made all the wrong choices in life, one thing she did right is probably never giving up on her and Joël.

Roy is... he is just as bad at making decisions as Anita but I think their biggest difference is he just doesn't feel guilty or responsible, at all. I think the only time I've seen him actually feel sorry is when that whole pregnancy drug thing had happened.

And Joël, sweet idiot Joël. I don't have words for how stupid this man is. He just let's things happen to him. He let's women in his life manipulate him. I'm not a jealous person but him being such a clueless idiot about his exes' motives, is part of the reason why Anita lost it so many times (his idiocy and Anita's insecurity were bound to breed that problem.)

So far where they are at, I think Roy should've dumped Sonia looooong ago, like at the altar. The man had serious growing up to do before he got married and Sonia definitely wasn't it.

I'm just happy about Anita and Joël. For a while there I was really thinking that they were done but they made it. I'm still worried whenever I see Anita go out drinking because she still haven't fixed any of her problems but being with Joël seemed to have stabilise her. And Joël is in bliss with his daughter and son, even Saffron. I loved how much that little girl was upset when Joël was leaving.

It's a great story and I really advise anyone who had followed you to go back all those posts and read it all. I loved it!

Ps. After reading all of I've come to conclusion that Raj and Mia deserve each other, for sure. xD

I am dying at you christening Anita, Roy and Joël '3 trainwreck idiots!' That's made my year. And the fact that you spent days reading my story non-stop...my gratitude and awe knows no bounds. You are the best.

Poor Anita...dear, sweet, simple Harry was never going to make her happy. And she nearly destroyed her life and Joël's with her insecurities and her self-sabotaging behaviour, that's very true.

I don't think Joël is stupid...although I know many readers will disagree with me! He's a sensitive, intense, moody introvert who loves deeply and passionately and whose heart rules his head, often with disastrous results. But I wouldn't want him to be any other way!

You have hit the nail on the head re Roy...his personal mantra is never apologise, never explain. He never, ever second guesses himself. His sense of self is inviolate. He married Sonia because she presented a fascinating challenge to him and he did love her (and still does!) But yeah, theirs was a marriage destined to fail. I still miss them as a married couple though, as bizarre as that sounds. Their relationship was just so much fun to explore and write about!

One of the high points for me in my story's recent history has been the birth of Joël and Anita's daughter Alice...I still get emotional thinking about it! And thank you for mentioning Saffron's distress when Joël left Anita...that was another part of the story that I felt was particularly poignant for a variety of reasons (not least of which was Anita's selfishness) and has stayed with me for a long time.

As for Mia and Raj...well, we'll just have to wait and see! The two of them intrigue me as much today as they do as when I first started writing about them;)

Thank you again for taking the time to read my story and send me this...it's hard to express just how much it means to me. But one thing's for sure, it's people like you who make this community so wonderful and who make me inspired to keep on writing as long as I possibly can. And for that I will be forever grateful❤️

[phantomdoofer]

A Brother's Tale - Running Hell

Gustavo strolled into the briefing room, holding his pack over his shoulder. He could see Giuseppe was already there, Anita beside him. Something was wrong. Giuseppe was slumped forward, his shoulders tighter than normal. Anita had her hand on the man's shoulder, with an expression of uncharacteristic concern.

Gustavo set down his pack and went over to his friend. I mean, with all the shit we've gone through, we've all got problems, but something feels... extra wrong.

Giuseppe looked devastated. He was staring at his hands, which held what was probably some kind of report. Gustavo knew the enemy had unveiled some terrifying new weapon, which was devastating the entire world. Plus they'd somehow found a huge group of new soldiers, and the allied lines were being pushed incredibly hard. Somehow, this feels more personal. Oh no, was our hometown targeted? Mom, Dad, Gustavo, Mama Spaghetti, Peppino... "Sepp?" He said tentatively. "What's happened?"

Without looking up, Giuseppe spoke. "Peppino may be dead."

Gustavo was stunned. A huge chunk of why this wild bunch of essentially super-powered individuals stayed in line was the knowledge that their other selves were being kept safe. I mean, accidents happen, but... "How?"

Giuseppe continued. "Somebody fucked up the paperwork that was supposed to keep clones out of the draft. A lot of clones got drafted... including Peppino and Gustavo."

Gustavo's heart stopped. Mine? But what... what about my parents? They need him! His parents, both ill from a chemical attack early in the war, relied on the other Gustavo for help and income.

Giuseppe shook his head. "They've been in the front lines a while now. Yesterday there was a bad ambush. Peppino and Gustavo's unit got wiped out, except for them. Peppino took one of those new shredder rounds right in the chest." He choked. Most of them considered their clones to be siblings. "Gustavo was wounded too, but he managed to get Peppino to a field hospital. They're working on him, but they don't know if he's gonna make it."

Suddenly Giuseppe wadded the paper into a tight ball, and threw it across the room. "My brother may be dead! Peppino might be dead! Because some goddamn pencil-pusher forgot to do their goddamn job!" He leaned over, clutching his sides, growling as he tried not to scream in grief and rage.

His friend's distress overrode his own fear for his brother. And there's not a damn thing we can do about this. Anita leaned over and hugged Giuseppe. "I'm so sorry, Sepp," she said.

The Major walked in, not doing his usual act for once. His face was grave. "I see you've gotten the news. If it's any consolation Giuseppe, I had no idea until it was too late myself. He's getting the best care they've got there, but they can't afford to move him." Giuseppe looked at the Major, who looked him in the eyes and said, "I truly hope he makes it."

Giuseppe's eyes were harder than Gustavo had ever seen them. They looked twisted, demented. This is worse than when he's running. When he spoke, his voice shook. "I hope so, Major. If my brother dies, I... I..." he looked back down. His voice grew tiny. "I don't know what'll happen."

The Major came over and stood in front of them. "Easy, soldier. You're getting close to talking about defection... or worse. I understand how you feel, but keep it under control. I guarantee you, the ones responsible for this are already on the way out. This was a major blunder, one that should've been caught several times over." He smiled grimly. "Now, I need you to come to the Theater," the Major said, referring to their rarely-used main briefing room. "We have a new mission."

~~~~

The three of them looked around as they entered the Theater. Here was where they'd been introduced to their new lives. Told the whole deal: the clones, the special talents, the works. Haven't seen this many of us together since we left boot. From one side, a hand waved at Giuseppe. "Oy! Rapitaliano! You break the sound barrier yet?" The voice was teasing, but friendly. Must be Enrique. Only one who ever called me that. He waved back, but didn't trust himself to speak. The guy was the only one faster than him in their original group. They had developed a friendly rivalry. Giuseppe wasn't too surprised he was still around, as fast as he was.

There were a lot of faces missing. We've been lucky. A lot of new faces, too. They all looked nervous. Must be new recruits. He frowned. This has got to stop. The NEED for it has to stop.

As they sat down, Gustavo had his laptop out. "They're hitting cities really hard," he said, looking nervous. "This thing is insane. It just... vaporizes the target. Melts it. Twenty cities now. They're not even just aiming at us. Even the neutral countries are being hit."

"Bet that's the Demons again," Anita said. "They like pain and suffering."

Giuseppe nodded. So far his and Gustavo's hometown had been too small to target. But it was only a matter of time. "They'll destroy the whole world at this rate."

"Attenn-SHUN!" The Major bellowed, and everyone stood straight as an older man strode into the room, moving to the podium. Mentally, Giuseppe whistled. A Five-Star. This is really serious.

The General cleared his throat. "Thank you. Be seated." They sat. "I just want to say thank you all for all your sacrifices. Without you, we would have lost this war long ago." He gestured at the screen behind him, which lit up with a map. "Some of you may have heard that we have located the enemy's secret weapon. This is true. We taken to calling it "Inferno.""

Inferno, Giuseppe thought, "Hell." Good name for a weapon that burns everything.

"Two days ago, the Demons and the Talpas betrayed the Ninda. They had since proceeded to systematically destroy the five biggest Ninda cities." On the map, the Ninda capitol and the four largest cities blinked out.

Anita snorted. "Good riddance." Gustavo elbowed her hard in the side. Giuseppe had mixed feelings. While they were the enemy, he thought about his own family. Can't punish everyone for a few's evil. This is genocide.

"Since this betrayal, the Ninda have offered intelligence and begged for assistance. They've offered an immense amount of information on Inferno, starting with its location." A light appeared on the map. "Our own intelligence agencies have confirmed the Ninda's information. It's close enough for a full strike, but it's heavily protected. And they're using old technology to shield it. There's no way we can take it down with conventional weaponry, or even using old tech. Or so they think." He gestured at the map again, which zoomed in. "Our forces will engage theirs at this location. We're bringing everything in: air support, ground troops... and you." He gestured. "Some of you will join our forces, being distributed to units where your special talents will be useful." He pointed at a few of them, Giuseppe included. "For the ones of you with speed-based abilities, we have a special mission. You're the key to this operation." He clicked again, and a diagram of a piece of Old Tech appeared on the screen.

"A teleporter," Gustavo spoke softly. "I thought they'd all been destroyed."

"We've kept a supply of these in deepest secrecy for just such an occasion. Thanks to the information provided by the Ninda, and some of our own scientists', efforts, they should go right through those damned shields. You fast types will teleport inside, find the control room, and plant a special-made device in their base which will overload this monstrosity."

Giuseppe gulped. He immediately started sweating. Gustavo and Anita both grabbed an arm each, and he untensed a bit.

But not much.

The General looked grim. "I won't lie. This is going to be incredibly dangerous. They will defend it tooth and nail. We'll give you as much time as we can, but if they get that thing charged up, they'll wipe us out. The war will be over. And they'll torch the planet."

Not a sound echoed in the chamber.

"We're counting on you all. It's been seven years since this program began. Hopefully, you will be the last we need."

~~~~

The actual briefing had taken an hour, then they'd been handed their unit assignments. Anita and Gustavo were going with a unit or Army troops.

Giuseppe, of course, had his own assignment.

He stood up to move towards his group. Anita touched his thigh, saying nothing. Gustavo spoke. "Hey, meet us up top afterwards. I've got something I want to do."

Giuseppe nodded, and moved to meet the rest of "Team Blitz."

Enrique was leading the discussion, of course. "Glad you're still here, 'Seppe. Honestly, I think you've got the best chance of pulling this off. Even if I am faster." He gestured in front of him. "No built-in shields."

A teenage girl spoke up. She's so young, Giuseppe thought, from the ripe old age of twenty-two. "Do they really think we can do this? You know the inside of that place will be a deathtrap."

"Exactly why they're sending us," Enrique said, "we might be fast enough to avoid some of it."

Giuseppe spoke, "We have to be. You heard the General. This thing can wipe out the whole force with one shot if they decide to use it. This is a Hail Mary - that thing can just snipe us anywhere in the world. If they spread out enough to not get hit all at once, they'll just be broken. The Demons seem to have endless troops."

Another one, an Ogre woman, spoke. "Think maybe they've found some cloning tanks?"

That thought was sobering. "If they found enough to make this many troops this fast, then that would explain the haste. It's not just Inferno they're worried about. They'll overrun us with endless troops," Enrique said.

"No wonder the Breads are scared, " the Ogre said. "They're gonna join the rest of us in getting wiped out."

All of them stared at the floor for a minute. This really is do or die. For everyone. "We can't afford to fail," Giuseppe said. Everyone nodded. "If we fail, it all fails."

~~~~

Giuseppe found Anita and Gustavo outside, staring up at the sky. He sat beside them. Out here, the stars were a river of light. Truly secret bases don't generate a lot of light, after all. Not on the surface. For several minutes, they sat in silence. Finally, Anita spoke. "Sepp... do you think we're getting out of this one?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the boss," Giuseppe said. "You tell me."

"Sepp, I may take the lead, but it's always you pulling our asses out of the fire." She shrugged. "This is... big. Too big for me." She looked back up. "If... when I get out, I want to just come live someplace like this. Away. What about you two?"

Gustavo shrugged. "I dunno. I kind of want to learn to cook. Wasn't your father a pizzaiolo, Sepp? What about you? Maybe open up a pizzeria?" He smirked.

Giuseppe thought about it. Maybe. "I don't know. I'd have to check on Ma and... and Pino..." his voice trailed off.

Gustavo reached into his pocket. He handed something to each of them. "Here. I made these a while back, but I never got a chance to give them to you until now."

Giuseppe held it up to the starlight. "A leather bracelet?"

"For my truest friends." Gustavo said. "I know, it's stupid and sentimental, but... if something happens... I wanted something for us to remember each other with."

Anita already had hers on. As Giuseppe gently wrapped his around his wrist, Anita hugged him. "I love you, you little boulder." She gathered Giuseppe into the hug, and he leaned into it. He reached around and enveloped the two smaller ones, holding them close.

"You two are family to me, just as much as Ma and Peppino. I won't ask for promises, because I can't make any. But... if don't make it... know that I love you."

The stars watched as the three huddled in silence.

~~~~

Giuseppe stretched and warmed up as they waited for the signal to go. Anita and Gustavo should be with their unit by now. Without his friends there, he was even more anxious than usual. Of course, this possibly being the end of the world as we know it might have something to do with that, too. The others around him were silent. Every face carried a mix of anxiety and determination. Even Enrique wasn't cracking jokes. He gently touched the leather bracelet, and his nerves calmed slightly. Thank you, mio amico. Be safe, both of you.

"Hello there," a familiar voice said behind him.

Giuseppe turned. "Doctor... Houlwea, wasn't it?"

The Ninda smiled. "I'm surprised you remembered! Yes, I've been working to get these teleporters set up." He handed Giuseppe a small cylinder, the size of a pen. "The button on that will bring you back to this." He held up a small briefcase-like device. "It's very old though, so try not to abuse it."

"Thanks, Doctor." He place the small item in one of the many pockets on the front of his suit.

The Ninda hesitated, then placed a hand on Giuseppe's arm. "I want to say thank you again for rescuing me. My notes turned out to be vital in figuring out a way to get these teleporters to work through those shields." He looked down. "I wish I'd known about this Inferno thing. Maybe I could've done... something."

Despite himself, Giuseppe smiled. "Doc, you know they'd probably just have killed you or something. You did what you could."

The bread-man shook himself. "I guess. I hope I get to see you again. We're all rooting for you."

As he walked away, Giuseppe patted his pocket. Hope this thing works. If it doesn't, it'll be charcoal time.

The Major stepped forward. Everyone but Giuseppe jumped. The Major's mustache twitched in amusement. "All right, listen up. The battle started a few minutes ago, and it's fierce. So far there's no sign of them using Inferno. They probably think they don't need to. When you get there, we estimate you'll have about five minutes between them noticing you and the weapon being charged enough to fire. Do not take chances, and don't get fancy. Get to your target, insert that drive, and use those porters to leave. Now, get your arms ready!"

Giuseppe nodded, and pulled his shotgun out. You and me again, he thought. One last run.

Houlwea worked a control panel, and a swirling green and pink portal appeared in front of them. The Major yelled, "That's it! Team Blitz, give em hell!"

They charged through the portal as one.

The transition was instant, moving from their meeting zone to the inside of one of the biggest rooms Giuseppe had ever seen.

All hell broke loose. Bullets began pinging all around him. He dashed forward, Enrique right behind him. They'd agreed at the briefing that he'd lead, acting as a shield for the other runners. Despite his desire to weave and juke, he charged straight ahead, using his special talent to provide a little cover to his teammates.

He heard a cry behind him. Someone had been hit. He heard the thump as they fell, the others hurtling over the body. Nothing I can do for them. Gotta go, gotta go!

The fire was intense. The only thing saving him was the field of pure speed and rage in front of him. Several Talpa and even a few Demons stepped out of alcoves, aiming weapons at them. The runners went on the evasive, the fire too broadly spread now for Giuseppe's shield to offer much protection for them. He heard several cries behind him as runners were hit.

He didn't hear any teleporters going off. Every hit was a kill. He turned the grief into rage, which he turned into acceleration. Faster, faster. Push it, break your limit. Don't let them die in vain.

As he ran, Giuseppe caught glimpses of rooms filled with glass tanks. Cloning tanks. He grinned hugely. Good. Two birds with one stone.

Guiseppe hit a straightaway, and he risked a quick glance behind him. He was shocked to see only himself, the ogre woman, and Enrique left. Oh Mio Dio, we might not make-

As he turned his head forward, a searing pain tore through the right side of his face, from right beside his right eye along the side of his head. He screamed, still running. He felt blood running down the side of his face. How did something get past the shield from that angle? He saw a flash, and a beam of light shot past him. Ahead, a group of Demons fired fiery blasts at the trio.

Oh shit, whatever those are, my shield doesn't stop them! His boots screamed as he started evading, hoping to throw off their aim.

The Ogre woman got past him, charging at the demons. She roared as she was grazed several times, then took a shot full in the chest.

Then Enrique blazed past him. What the hell is he doing??

"Go, 'Seppe! Go! You've got to do it!" He pinballed amongst the Demons, breaking their line and throwing off their aim as he bounced around. Giuseppe had just enough time to see one of them blast him before he was past.

I'm the last one. As he ran, tears streamed from his eyes. He screamed in pain and rage. Rage became speed. Tears mixed with blood as he accelerated more, pushing himself past the limit. Go. His heart felt like it would fly out of his chest, but he ignored it. Go. He skidded around a hairpin turn, barely losing speed. Don't let them have died for nothing. He bounced off a wall, spinning in a desperate attempt to avoid the beams and bullets around him. He felt several grazes, but no real hits. Do it for them. He jumped down a flight of stairs, slid down the handrail of a catwalk, a fall a million miles deep just below his feet. Do it for Anita and Gustavo, Ma and Pino.

DO IT.

Giuseppe ran right through a Demon who stood in front of him, who didn't even have time to respond before exploding into messy bits.

Faster, you bastard, faster!

The sound of alarms dopplered down as Giuseppe pushed himself harder and harder. Suddenly the air seemed to open in front of him, and he saw a shockwave fly away. Sound barrier. True Mach 1. He put everything he had left into his run.

Objects shattered in his wake.

Suddenly he realized he was there. He skidded to a stop, bursting through the door to the control center as he decelerated. It was surprisingly small. Only a couple of Demons were there, holding their heads as the sonic boom deafened them. With burning determination Giuseppe gunned them down. Fuck you and fuck you. Then he stepped over to the control panel. This is for you, guys. He plugged the small drive into the port, and it quickly did its job. He heard the rumble as Inferno's core started to overload. Ok, thirty seconds and this place will melt itself. Good riddance. Now to get out of here. He pulled the small pen trigger out and clicked it.

The pen garbled a strange noise, but nothing happened.

Giuseppe looked down at the pen in horror. "CAZZO!" He shrieked. He started running, back towards the entrance, clicking the pen rapidly. Fuckfuckfuck! The building was shaking, a roar like an angry god chasing him through the halls. He hurtled over fallen soldiers, enemies and allies both. Debris and fallen weapons threatened to trip him constantly.

As he ran, he clicked rapidly. "Come on, come on...!"

*click* *click* *click* *click* *cli-BWIP*

~~~~

The sound of cheering stirred Peppino from his stupor. Wha... what's... He felt so tired, like his body was made of lead. There was a pressure on his face. An oxygen mask. And everything hurt. Last thing I remember was... blood... pain... Gustavo, repeating my name over and over...

He blearily opened his eyes.

From the next bed over, Gustavo looked over. "Oh hey! You're awake!" He hopped down and came over, hopping up on a stool. He grabbed Peppino's hand.

"What... what-a happened?" Peppino said.

Gustavo looked grim. "I almost lost you, Pino. We got ambushed. You got shot, I brought you back. You didn't respond to anything. There was so much blood..." He pointed at the heavy bandages on Peppino's body. "You were close to death, my friend."

"We were... ambushed?" Peppino said. "What about... the others?"

Gustavo looked down.

Peppino's eyes filled with tears. All gone. Like that. I miei fratelli.

Gustavo looked up. "But look! Look at the TV! They did it! They destroyed the enemies' weapon!"

Peppino worked to focus on the screen. The words "Enemy Superweapon Destroyed" floated above a picture of what looked like a mountain of slag.

Peppino sighed. All he could think about was his friends. Riposate in pace, amici miei. He laid back, their faces floating across his mind's eye.

Gustavo patted his hand. "I'll let the doctors know you're awake. They'll be so excited!" As the gnome jumped off, Peppino noticed he had bandages wrapped around his own waist, stained with blood. "Gustavo, you're-a wounded, too?"

Gustavo waved a hand. "Non è niente. I got a graze while I was bringing you in. Nothing serious." He ran out the door.

Guilt filled Peppino's heart. Mio amico, that was no graze. You nearly got yourself killed saving me.

He looked back at the screen. People were celebrating in the cities. Outside, someone was setting off fireworks.

Peppino cringed, the sound distorting into bombs and gunfire, screams and curses.

~~~~

Be glad you didn't lose your eye, Giuseppe thought as he touched the bandage covering the right side of his face. Or your head. Part of his right ear was gone, burned away. The skin between his eye socket and ear had been fried, too. It would heal, but he'd have a hell of a scar.

I'm still here. If it hadn't been for the pain, he might not have believed it.

When Giuseppe walked in, the Theater erupted into raucous cheers and applause. Before he could respond, Anita and Gustavo wrapped around him.

"You did it, you did it!" They yelled together. Suddenly Anita dragged his face down and kissed him full on the lips, causing the crowd to erupt in whistles, catcalls and jeers of "get a room!" Giuseppe grinned despite himself. "Anita, I didn't know you cared."

She pressed a hand to his lips. "Don't read too much into it, Sepp. I'm just glad you're alive, friend."

The reminder of the other runners sobered him. "How many did we lose?"

Gustavo looked sad. "A lot. All the other runners. And most of us that were outside, too. There's maybe a dozen of us left." He looked up at Anita. "We got really lucky."

Giuseppe looked down. Riposate in pace, fratelli miei.

With mixed feelings, he let his friends drag him into the crowd. He didn't feel much like celebrating, but everyone else did. Can't blame them too much. The world didn't end.

A few minutes later, the Major came in, and pulled him aside. "I wanted you to know, your brother pulled through. In fact, he just woke up."

Giuseppe felt a band of tension snap in his heart. Ih grazie a Dio. Giuseppe grinned hugely, and gave the Major a giant hug that lifted him off his feet. Putting him down, happy tears in his eyes, Giuseppe threw up both fists and yelled "MY BROTHER LIVES!" Anita and Gustavo cheered loudly, the crowd cheered back, despite not knowing the context, and the Major straightened his tie. "I'll let that one slide this time, Spaghetti. Don't do it again." Then he smiled. "I'm glad. We've lost too much already."

Giuseppe smiled at him. "Amen per questo, Major."

~~~~

Standing outside in the predawn gloom, Giuseppe looked up at the fading stars. It's a new world from here on out. The program was officially being shut down, once things had been wrapped up with the war. Or at least, the original version was. Some of them were staying, including the three of them, to form the core of a new military branch. The world would still need guardians. Some sort of mixture of elite strike forces and intelligence operations, no name yet. But Giuseppe understood. There were far more threats than one alliance of aggressors.

Giuseppe smiled. It all meant something, in the end, after all.

Gustavo and Anita walked up on either side of him. He wrapped his arms around his smaller companions.

The three stood and watched as the sun rose.

~~~~

Peppino leaned back in his recliner, looking at his brother with newfound respect. "That was you!" he said in awe. "You're the one they called the Hellrunner."

Giuseppe grinned meekly from his position laying on Peppino's couch. "Yes. I don't know who came up with that, but it eventually became my call sign."

"The news channels were full of-a people speculating about the soldier who took that Demon superweapon down. It all sounded so fanciful and-a overblown. But knowing the kind of people who did it now..." He looked down. "Its still hard for me to believe I survived." Peppino said.

"You shouldn't have been in the war at all," Giuseppe said, frowning. "None of you. I found the ones who lost that paperwork and we had... words."

Peppino laughed. "So where are the bodies buried?"

Giuseppe chuckled. "Words. Just words. Not to say there weren't a few... implications."

Peppino grew serious. "All I did was take down a tower. You saved the world."

Giuseppe sat up. "Don't sell yourself short, Pino. We'd been trying to track down Pizzahead for years. If I'd have found him, I'd have sent in several teams. The technology in that tower could have done untold damage." He pointed at Peppino. "You are a strong man. Don't forget that."

Coming from the old soldier in front of him, that was quite a compliment. Peppino tried not to swell with pride. "Thank you for the story, fratello."

"Any time, fratellino."

[disastersteps]

10 + 18 from the ask game? 👀

10) What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

okay okay okay, i have like current AUs such as 'Happy Sidestep Days', 'Happy Ending 202X' and so-so but right now, what I want to talk about which i hadn't yet to talk about because its still something i want to draw but uh. uh.

i survived, they didn't au is basically everything is the same but anathema is alive. in a world, where anita stopped themmy from what happened during heartbreak, in a world where anita's hands was the result of themmy's powers and then heartbreak happened. this affect how themmy feels about jules not saving neets, and themmy's wishing it should've been them not neets. until they meet again following the fhr plotline!

basically, anita saved themny and neets still died, but came back from death and now, not only they have to deal with Ortega who brought so much past memories, there's also Anathema who brought out even more past memories. and it would be so interesting to see what kind of interactions between anita and themmy being alive, especially with their friendship that was once so important to each other along with ortega. (its basically like. the themmy nightmares in retribution but themmy is actually alive and is calling neets' ass out-)

18) Is your OC more cold and detached or up close and personal?

They used to be up close and personal but as Harbinger, they're def more cold and detached up to when ortega find them in that cafe actually. Anita was geninuely more cold and detached but after getting found by Ortega, and having to dig into their own past, that was when neets started to be less detached but the cold never go away. they're still cold with strangers, and unfamiliar faces.

but with people they came to care about? up close and personal then!

[soulless-angel25]

Doctor Who Femslash February, Day 1 Prompt- Alternate Universe @doctorwho-femslashfeb

In another universe River Song and Rose Tyler met in the Library, and in every other universe it doesn't end well.

....

"We got breathers! Helmets off," the words were distinctly feminine and familiar in a way that Rose couldn't place. That happened sometimes, her future bleeding into her present. It'd been happening since after... after he regenerated.

It had taken her months of pleading, begging to get him to tell her what happened at Satellite Five. That she had absorbed the Time Vortex and become a Goddess but that there wasn't any need to worry, really, he'd taken it all out of her.

(If he did then why was she getting whispers of the future? Why could she see timelines swirling around in a golden mess everywhere she looked? Why was her future bleeding into her present if he took it all? Why could she hear the TARDIS clearly, understanding her better then the Doctor could?)

She had smiled, and thanked him for telling her. Didn't dare to let any of the thoughts in her head slip out into the world. Maybe she should've, maybe he would still be here if she had. Even just a simple sentence...

Shaking her head she focused back in on what was happening in front of her, the other people who had arrived had taken their helmets off. The one in front of her, the one who'd spoken first sent sparks down her spine a name whispered in her mind, River.

"Who are you?" Rose let the words slip past her lips easily, "You shouldn't be here, you need to leave." she let rage seep into her voice, faux anger at these people being here. (It was easy, to let anger slip into her voice. She just had to be careful so it wouldn't consume her)

And then things were happening and she couldn't quite recall all the details, she could remember River looking at her with devastation in her eyes- River whispering her true name in her ears. "Rose". not Bad Wolf not The Valiant Child, but Rose.

The rest passed in a blur, people died (Miss Evangelista, Proper Dave, Other Dave, Anita). Then she was in the control area with River and River looked at her with an apologetic smile, making her promise not to change a moment of her past and Rose's future. But she knew herself, and so as she left and heard the sounds of a TARDIS materializing she didn't turn around to acknowledge it.

She was certain her future self had it all figured out.

...

...

...

FIVE CENTURIES LATER

Bad Wolf walked around the TARDIS console, flipping switches, pulling levers, pushing buttons. Her eyes flickered over to what she had prepared and silently hoped that this would work as she flipped the last switch.

...

She stepped back eyes searching and hoping that this would work, and as River opened her eyes Bad Wolf cried joyfully. It had worked... her gamble had paid off.

Pulling her wife into her arms she tilted her head back and pulled her down for a kiss. She could feel River smile against her lips and she hummed in contentment.

The TARDIS doors opened behind them and they tumbled in, happy to be reunited.

[super-unpredictable98]

Inspired by @bisexualnathanyoung and @merrilark I'm here to give my opinions (that nobody asked for) about every single thing Rob has been in.

The Umbrella Academy: really good adaptation, Klaus is a work of art. I wish there were a billion seasons

The Last Bus: I mean... way too little Rob in it, but it was fun

Angel Dust: nice voice, bruh

Robot Chicken: nice voice, bruh. But also kinda gross

Trailer Park Boys: anyone please hook me up, I wanna watch the whole thing. I've only seen clips, love his observations about Canadian pizza

Young Offenders: love how he pulled this off even when he was sick. I live for the part about being gay and the protest scene is perfect

Mortal Engines: I like the movie even though it was way longer than it needed to be, but what the hell was that hair? Where does it say Tom needs to have 2005 pop punk hair?

Genius Picasso: Amazing, heartbreaking. Really shows the importance of oral sex. Also, please never paint a beard on Rob ever again, that was weird af

Bad Samaritan: PERFECT MOVIE, I have nothing bad to say about it

Mute: needed more Luba. This movie made me hate Paul Rudd lol we need to know what happened to Luba!!!

Song of Sway Lake: Ye old granny fucker! Love this movie, although it's a bit pretentious (sorry, Ari Gold! I love you, but you know you make things too poetic sometimes and that can rub me the wrong way)

Dicky: that was weird... that was a bit odd... love it

Geostorm: the three minutes Rob is in are masterful (I don't care what anyone says, the accent was good), the rest of it is pure shit

Three Summers: LOVE IT, but what an annoying protagonist. I'm talking about Keevy. Roland is awesome and deserves the world. Also, it did sound like Smells Like Teen Spirit!

Fortitude: what the fuck was that? This show sucks balls, why is Dennis Quaid involved in this? Vladek is hot though and I'm grateful for the full frontal nudity. Lots of people seem very disturbed by the scene, but I like it

Banshee Betty: represents very well the moment Rob was living love wise lol

Jet Trash: ugggggggggggh Lee is sexy, everyone else in this movie is fucking horrible. I hate every single character, especially Vix. Girl, get a personality. And someone please give Rob a burger, he's so thin

The Bigger Picture: it was good, nothing too special, but nice

Rideshare: CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE, does anyone know where I can find it?

The Messenger: Literally traumatized

Moonwalkers: really good, extremely funny. Love the cast, love the story, love the fake moon landing scene, love the tiger pigs

The Exchange: That was kinda cute, not gonna lie

The Road Within: PERFECT, as a person with mental health issues, I cry every single time I watch it. Fuck you, Marie, you're manipulative af. Rob did such a good and respectful job, I love it

Randumb - The Adventures of an Irish Guy in LA: omfg that was disturbing, but represents LA quite well

Anita B: love it, my Jewish heart swells with joy, especially during the Purim scene. Rob speaking Yiddish? UGH, SO HOT! He should've gotten the role of Max for The Book Thief

Love/Hate: overrated

Mortal Instruments: the only thing wrong with this movie is that there is no second one. I wanna see Simon as a vampire so bad! Iconic lines such as "I don't remember anything she'd want me to forget"

Push It: um... interesting. Lots of visuals and stuff.

Rituals: hippie fantasy and I'm living for it

In Love With...: it was cool, don't get exactly what the hell that was, but I was vibing

Immaturity For Charity: HILARIOUS! Very few times I laughed this hard

Me and Mrs. Jones: I don't care what anyone says, I love this show. Criminal what Rob did to his hair after the pilot, and Gemma is way too stupid to be a functional human, but Inca is our queen. Billy is way too charming and I can't cope

Accused: well, that was sad

The Borrowers: this movie has no business being that sexy. The scene with the motorbike? The scene with the bed? The scene in the plane? Spiller could get it and he's only five inches tall

Demons Never Die: very bad horror movie with a very bad name, but Rob was good in it

Misfits: PERFECTION! Nathan Young is the king of my heart. He can do anything to me, I wouldn't stop loving him even after he trippled himself.

Killing Bono: love the movie, love the cast, the soundtrack is immaculate (SPOTIFY, GET THE FUCKING SONGS IN THERE!), way funnier than I expected. Who tf gave Rob such a low harmony? His voice nearly disappeared.

Season of the Witch: average Nicolas Cage movie lol Kay is nice, love to see him on a horse. The ending was fucking wild. I wonder who we have to exorcise to end COVID

Coming Up - Dip: that was really good! The social commentary was actually kinda deep and relevant. I like the ending

A Turtle's Tale: Who the hell looked at Rob and thought he was the right fit for this role? I like it, but it was weird.

Red Riding Trilogy: HEARTBREAKING, I wanna give BJ a hug

Cherrybomb: love it, love the accents, very much early 2000s vibe and it makes me feel things. Luke's dad deserved better. Love the way Rob says the word tape in this

Ghostwood: um, what? Pop off I guess, baby Rob. Cool accent. Tim is how I imagine Nathan in the high school arc @seanfalco

Lowland Fell: what the hell did I just watch? What was the meaning of all that? Not a single person I know has a reasonable explanation for anything that happens in this

Rock Rivals: Guilty pleasure. Addison deserved better, they did him so wrong! I wish I could see Rob singing in this, but the boyband dances and outfits were really good

BitterSweet: needed more Rob. The neck kisses are just *chef's kiss*. Liam is such a good guy

The Summer of the Flying Saucer: I will do anything to watch this movie. I will suck any cock, fuck any ass, lick any pair of balls! PLEASE SOMEONE GET ME A COPY OF THIS MOVIE

An Créatúr: Bruh... what the fuck? Good job acting in another language and seeing Rob act as a little kid was so sweet. The big baby scene was at the same time terrifying and strangely alluring, don't know what that says about me. For legal reasons I'm not gonna comment on the scene where he's fed cake

Bel's Boys: pretty funny, love the clothes Max wears lol evil genius got defeated

The Clinic: Robbie, baby, why did you do this to your hair? At first, this looked like the beginning of a porno. Love the vulnerability of Shane and that tummy close-up was gold. They really violated his mouth there

Young Blades: King Louie is so underrated! I love him. Every scene with him is just gold. We really needed a spin-off about him finding a wife and all. Wish there was a ballet scene.

Foreign Exchange: Really good! First thing I ever saw Rob in when I was 9. You can blame this show for everything. So many good memories, it makes me feel hugged.

An Cuainín: does this short film actually exist? I never found any evidence of it lol if anyone has it, send it my way

A Dublin Story: wow, just wow. The subjects this short film touches on and the way it handles them are amazing, Rob was so young and his acting was already so powerful. He also managed to make Clocker very funny, I like it a lot.

Song For a Raggy Boy: what a pile of bricks, this movie is very very hard to watch. But it's a fun game of Spot the Rob. Lefties rise up!

The Tudors: I know his bit was cut, but boy did I spend hours watching over and over to see if I could spot him.

[beldaroot]

ANITA !!!! aaahhh ok so i’ve been super busy these past few weeks so i’m just catching up on buddy daddies ep 9&10 now and!!!! I NEED TO SCREAM ABOUT IT TO SOMEONE!!!

ok first of all, any kind of sports day/festival episode in an anime is my absolute favourite and this one did not disappoint !!! i was literally smiling like an idiot the entire episode because of how into it kazuki and rei were, like rei sneaking into the school the night before so he could get the best seats in the front???? the cutest thing i’ve ever seen HELP OTL and rei getting all depressed because he tried to cheer on miri and accidentally made her trip ??? you’re telling me this man is an cold blooded assassin?? gsbshagsjshsk except i have to admit i fully sobbed at the end when miri had to find “family” for the scavenger hunt and she got her papas!!! i was crying just like kazuki in that scene T^T

but ohhh my god episode 10….. this one hurt so bad!!! of course at this point we know that kazuki and rei love miri and that they’ve grown used to this little family of theirs, but in this episode it really hit them of HOW MUCH of a family they really are and it’s really shattering my heart to see this family break up just when they’re all starting to be happy together T^T i loved kazuki taking miri and rei out for one last fun day together it was so sweet but the entire time i was only thinking about how they’ll have to say goodbye to their little miri soon…. i’m so anxious about what’s gonna happen next i just hope that these 3 will have a happy ending…. but i have a feeling we’re in for a bit more hurt :’[ do you have any theories for this show?? i’d be interested in hearing them if you do!!!

anyways sorry for this super long ask!! but you’re the only person i know who watches bd and i need to let all of my emotions out haha!! have a lovely day/night <3

ahhhhhh sunny i'm so glad you've caught up with the episodes!! i should've warned you how emotional these last two episodes were, i'm sorry!! but i'm so glad you enjoyed them :')

ep 9 was soooo silly and fun! i also love festival/sports day episodes and i knew kazuki was gonna be competitive as hell but it was so nice seeing rei be just as supportive and protective! i cracked up when he also wanted to kill that lil boy for getting to close to miri lol but i was also crying at his face when he made miri fall and when he realized miri gave him the "family" paper! rei's just stepped up so much (like the cereal onigiri OTL) and is really allowing himself to be emotional and i'm glad kazuki doesn't pressure him to change, that it's coming naturally bc rei genuinely cares for this lil family he has :')

and ep 10..... oh you don't understand how much i was BAWLING my eyes out over it!!! right when we see rei and kazuki open up to be a family and start anew, it all has to come crashing down OTL kazuki trying to lighten the mood by having one last fun day was precious, but then it got to the ferris wheel ride and i couldn't see past my tears bc it was so bittersweet! and then realizing that kazuki wrapping the scarf is a direct parallel to the cat in the first episode?!? i honestly don't want to make many theories bc i don't want to get my hopes up.... but i wish that it all ends with a happy ending. i think this show has been v successful so i wouldn't be surprised if they had an ova/movie in the works? if they do, then i can see it ending bittersweetly, like miri stays with her mom but comes visit kazuki and rei still, but then the ova goes into eliminating rei's family so there isn't any threat to miri anymore and then they can all live together? i'm not sure what's gonna happen with miri's mom though... like i don't want her dead lol but if she leaves again i feel like that would hurt miri a lot :( UGH it's all so sad to think about! but no matter what, they've all changed bc they've met each other and their one year together will always make them a family! <3 if you have any theories let me know!!!

[randomvarious]

2 Unlimited - "The Real Thing" 1994 Eurodance / Eurohouse

Oh my god, folks, I am *so* glad that I decided to go down this extensive 2 Unlimited rabbit hole and explore all of these stupid singles of theirs that ended up flopping in the US, because then I get to watch utterly insane music videos like this one! So, are you ready for the manically rapid sample of Johann Sebastian Bach that forms this song's dumb and eerie lead melody? Are you ready for all the silver bodysuits from the prior video for "Let the Beat Control Your Body" to make their grand return? And are you ready for some of those silver bodysuited people to be on rollerskates and/or wearing a thong over their suit?! Are you ready for the spinning doctor's chair in the middle of the set? Are you ready for the creepy-looking gasmasked guy to hop off his vampire organ and start flailing his arms about to this chorus that sounds like it could've been a soda jingle? Are you ready for singer Anita Doth's tall 80s hair? Trust me when I say that you're not ready for any of this!

What an incredible piece of art this is. "The Real Thing" was the first single off of the Belgian-Dutch dance project's third album, 1994's Real Things, which managed to keep their Euro-dominance fully intact, but it was also their first LP to not produce any successful singles Stateside too. US sports arenas continued to play a quartet of songs from 2 Unlimited's first couple albums, but after 1993's "Tribal Dance," that well was never replenished again. And you can easily see why here, because while pretty much every 2 Unlimited single is goofy, this one was really goofy, and I think once these songs started to kick the BPMs up another notch, the US decided that they'd finally had enough of all this madness.

American MTV still should've bombarded us with this video, though. It was pretty criminal not to expose us to the truly exquisite mind that came up with this thing.

More fun videos here.