#So yeah I got nothing to say except. That's an interesting idea. A fun thought experiment.

[bearenjoyers]

sorry im just thinking about bcs but like. why not add a few smaller scenes of gus interacting with his own men? why does it seem like, in comparison, mike is almost immediately elevated to a higher status than those two in bcs purely because we actually get to see him having normal conversations with gus? like i understand they might not keep the plot moving as well because of the fact obviously if victor is currently doing something it’s because gus told him to etc. but for the most part all of the smaller interactions gus does have with those two ends up being in a somewhat high stress situation where it feels very tense between everyone. and it’s just like damn! is it always like that?? why do those two even care that much about their jobs if their boss is a bit of a dick? etc. i think even an additional scene or two with those guys (either alone or the both of them) talking with gus in a more normal situation could’ve both added a bit more depth into how gus treats his employees (we got a lot with how he treats lyle and co., but not a whole lot with the illegal side of things), how comfortable vic and tyrus feel around him in a calmer setting, and exactly why they both feel the need to be as loyal as they are to the guy.

and also on the other side of this i don't think it'd hurt to maybe elaborate on their pay just a bit..? i'm not saying to randomly put a number out into the atmosphere but i just mean some smaller things like. do they buy nicer things for themselves? what's their housing situation? what's their car situation? are the escalade / yukon their own vehicles or does gus just use those two for business situations? do they use them when they're doing their own stuff off the clock or do they have their own cars? etc. that can also help with understanding their motivations a bit. don't get me wrong i don't think they should be visibly rich or something because that's not what gus would want but just smaller things! cause it's easy to write their loyalty off as Well they probably get paid super well, which i'm sure is true, but if they don't show a single hint of that then what's the point. even something as simple as giving tyrus a nice watch, or maybe victor having a nicer looking gun, etc. something small like that. because as it stands right now the average 41 year old viewer who watched the show once only knows and will only ever know victor and tyrus as those two guys in the background who do random stuff for gus with no clear motivation. just the personification of "On it boss (salute emoji)". and to be honest this is true for a whole lot of fans who do watch the show multiple times and enjoy thinking about it more in depth, because on screen we barely have anything about the two.

and to be clear i'm not trying to say we should have an episode just for them or something like no i understand they're side characters. i understand we don't need all that. and i understand this is also primarily Jimmy's show. but it's not like these two are on the same level as like, arlo or paige and kevin etc. these guys have been around since brba. victor was literally introduced in the same episode gus was. and they are a huge part of gus's story, especially in brba. s4 wouldn't have been what it was without victor and tyrus. and in bcs, ignacio's situation wouldn't have been the same if it weren't for victor and tyrus as well. and i just personally believe that if their goal with gus in bcs was to go back and elaborate on how everything came to be and show what he was like a few years younger, they could've dragged victor and tyrus into that. and i think his character would've benefited from taking that extra step with those two.

[moongothic]

Don’t think it find with the current timeline BUT have been playing around with the idea Dragon and Crocodile fell apart over gender identity revelations and sexuality but in the other direction and more morally gray

The revolutionaries are all about freedom and dignity and justice and other related ideas right? And ivankov both seems capable of discerning someone’s gender or inner struggle perhaps before they even have words for it (as seems to be the case) as well as seeming to serve as a sort of guide or mentor to other queers who rither serve under him or seek him out. Pope for the gays.

So some point into dating fair lady crocodile Ivankov taps his friend Dragon on the shoulder and let’s him know that he’s been getting clear man signals from crocodile for a while and dragon should make his peace. But neither tells crocodile because they both decide thst the most respectful thing to do is let him figure it out himself eventually

…ecvept when he dors and he tellls his boyfriend and dragon turns around and admits he had known for however long before of Iva’s powerd Crocodile is PISSED becsuse he sees all the time he was living as a woman and trting to figure this all out as unnecessary suffering now that he knows others KNEW and could jave TOLD him sooner

Sentimentality vs pragmatism

So normally when I get asks I really want to come up with something to say in response to post it (to the point sometimes I will derail an ask just so I can think of something to say). And if I can't think of anything to say in response, I just leave the ask in my inbox.

But this one.

Like I feel like this probably wouldn't work in canon, at least not in my mind (though that admittedly could be just me being delulu in how convinced I am of my own headcanons being accurate lmao), and that's the thing I'm usually obsessed with, the canon compliancy, could that work with the canon characterization and would the actions make sense, etc etc.

But this is such an interesting concept on its own, that like. I dunno I don't want to leave this collecting dust in my inbox, it's too interesting. It could make for an interesting character study/an AU

[bearforcecaptions]

The spell worked, sort of, but not how I wanted. I did have the body of my dreams – I was Garrett now, but I didn’t realize the catch was that I wouldn’t be able to control what I’m doing unless I’m totally alone. And Garrett, or, me, I guess – I’m nearly never alone! The frat house pretty much always has someone in it, and I’m super popular, too. I thought being Garrett would be fun and easy, but stuck like this, it’s torture!

I figured out the ritual from this old book I found at that occult shop downtown, thinking it would be a quick way out of my boring life and into something… well, something way more interesting. Garrett had it all, or so I thought. Girls loved him, he was in the best shape, and everyone wanted to be his friend. But nobody told me about this weird restriction, or maybe I just didn’t read that part carefully enough. I guess the idea was I’d “experience” Garrett’s life, but it’s like watching a movie, except I’m the star and I can only move on my own terms when no one else is around.

And god, my roommate, he’s actually so stupid. When I can’t control my actions, we bro out all the time, but he’s so vapid. I guess I’m not much better, but it’s actually infuriating. You’d think we could have a conversation that’s not about girls, parties, sports, or video games. But no, every time he starts talking, it’s like Garrett’s body just falls right into the rhythm of it, responding automatically. I tried fighting it at first, but it’s like this autopilot takes over, and I’m just... stuck.

I’ve been scouring the room whenever I get a chance to control things, like right now, looking for any sign or clue on how to undo this. There has to be something I missed. I rummaged through his messy closet, which is packed with clothes, gym stuff, and random junk, none of it useful. The guy keeps his stuff in total chaos, and I feel weirdly exposed, like I’m actually pawing through my own things.

Shit, no, is that the door jangling? I thought I would have a couple of hours to try and figure out how to fix this. Who the hell knows when I’ll get another chan-

Fuuck, bro. Why’s my roomie home early? Thought he went to his ‘rents for the weekend. I was just about to jerk one out too. Ah well, maybe he’ll be down for some Call of Duty or something. I could use a beer.

“Yo, dude, what’s up? You back already?” I say, grinning like an idiot as I lean against the door frame, flexing a bit without even realizing it. Dude probably thinks I’m just chillin’, but nah, I’m feelin' like a boss.

He laughs, dropping his bag by the door and shrugging. “Yeah, man, got bored at home. Figured I’d head back early. Parents were driving me nuts.”

“Oh, for sure, dude,” I nod, grabbing a can of beer from the mini-fridge by my bed. “Parents, am I right? They just don’t get it, bro.” I crack it open, chugging half of it in one go, feeling the cool rush. Damn, that’s good.

He slaps my shoulder, laughing. “Dude, I swear, it’s like every time I go back, it’s the same speech about responsibility and blah blah blah. Like, whatever, right?”

“Oh, totally, man,” I laugh, shrugging it off. “Why they gotta be like that, y’know? We’re just out here living, they don’t get it.” I toss him a beer, feeling that chill vibe kickin’ in, like nothing in the world matters but just hanging with my bro. This is what it’s all about – no worries, no drama, just cold beers and good times.

“Bro, I’m feelin’ a COD sesh,” I say, grabbing the controller off the couch. “You down?”

He grins. “Hell yeah, let’s wreck some noobs.”

We crash down on the couch, controllers in hand, beers in easy reach, and it’s like all the worries in the world just melt away. I’m trash-talkin’, throwin’ down taunts, and we’re both laughing so hard my sides hurt. I don’t even remember the last time I felt this alive.

“You’re so bad, dude,” I laugh, jabbing him in the ribs as I get another kill. “How are you still this bad?”

“Shut up, bro!” he shoves me back, laughing too, and I’m grinning like an idiot.

Fuck, life is good, I think, as I take a gulp of my beer. I got my bros, I got my beer, and I got my games. What more does a dude need? Life’s good.

[lovelyjj]

hii i love your fics! could we get more of bodyguard!jj and him thinking she’s spoiled but then she proves him wrong and they become like actual really good friends! (i hope that makes sense!) have a great day or night!! xxx 💝💝

Bodyguard part 2

part 1

bodyguard!jj maybank x kook!reader

a/n: hope this is ok! i love bodyguard!jj so i’m happy you asked for more!

my ask box is always open, fill free to send me your thoughts!

Having a bodyguard was an experience. It was like having a companion everywhere you go except JJ wasn’t your companion. He was more like an employee, you were his client. Nothing more.

You couldn’t deny how attractive JJ was. Even though he was rude to you. He had this aura about him that drew you in. He was so muscular and beautiful it made you lightheaded.

The day was bright and sunny. You thought it would be a good idea to go to the boardwalk. It was relaxing and fun down by the beach. But it was also hot. You thought that today calls for some ice cream.

JJ watched as you went up to the cashier and asked for strawberry ice cream. You then turned to JJ and asked if he wanted anything. He declined but thought it was sweet that you asked him. He also noticed how polite you were to the cashier.

JJ was impressed with your behavior. He was beginning to see your true colors. Maybe you weren’t so spoiled after all. “You two make a cute couple,” the cashier said handing you your ice cream on a cone.

“Oh we’re not together,” you blushed.

“Yeah i’m her bodyguard not her boyfriend,” JJ grumbled.

You took your ice cream and was on your marry way, walking down the boardwalk with JJ. You were feeling the ocean air and soaking up the sun. JJ thought you looked beautiful. Your hair was cascading down your back and your cheeks were flushed. You wore a sun dress that showed off your legs and made JJ feel something in his chest.

After you finished your ice cream and walked around for a while it was starting to get late. The sun was starting to set and you sat down on the sand to watch the sunset. You could hear the waves crashing and see the sky become painted in pink and orange.

It was lovely. JJ was unusually quiet. It made you think he was lost in thought.

“Penny for your thoughts,” you broke the silence by speaking.

JJ dipped his hand in the sand, grabbed a handful and then watched it slide through this fingers and back into the sand.

“What? Oh nothing, I’m just watching the sky,” JJ shrugged.

“Come on you can trust me,” you gave him a small smile. You don’t know why you were so interested, JJ wasn’t usually kind to you but you wanted to know his story.

JJ wanted to tell you what was on his mind but he didn’t want ruin the relationship you had. Strictly bodyguard and client nothing more.

“Just drop it okay?” JJ snapped.

“Ok fine,” you crossed your arms and looked away.

————-

JJ was coming over to your house because you needed a ride. Your parents let him in and he made his way to your room. He knocked on the door and herd you say “come in” so he entered.

“What are you doing?” JJ asked. He saw trash bags filled with clothes he assumed. He was confused as to why they littered your bedroom floor.

“I’m donating some of my clothes,” you said with smile.

“Oh wow that’s nice of you,” JJ was shocked. He thought that was very considerate of you. Maybe you weren’t so spoiled after all.

You got in JJ’s car as he packed the trunk with all your trash bags filled with clothes. As JJ drove to the donation center he couldn’t help but see you in a different light.

“That’s the last of them,” you told the donation center worker, handing him the last bag.

“Thank you so much for your donation!”

“Where to now?” JJ asked.

“Hmm I don’t know I don’t have any other plans for today.”

“How bout I take you somewhere?” JJ suggested.

You were intrigued so you went along with it. JJ took you to the hawks nest. You were surprised. The two of you climbed to the top and sat at the ledge.

“Ya know you’ve really impressed me lately princess.” JJ started the conversation.

The name was something JJ came up with because you were a kook princess. JJ didn’t know however, how it made you feel. It made your stomach do a flip and your heartbeat quicken.

“How so?” you responded.

“You’re not who I thought you were.” JJ explained.

“Huh well you’d be surprised what happens when you get to know someone.”

“Yeah I guess.”

“Can I ask you something?” you raised the question.

“Sure,” JJ replied.

“Why were you so mean to me when you first became my bodyguard?”

“Can I get a different question?” JJ asked.

“No, i think i deserve an explanation.”

“You want the truth? Well honestly I thought you were some spoiled rich kid that didn’t care about anybody except yourself. I didn’t want work for some stuck up kook.”

“Right so you were being a judgmental asshole.” You laughed.

JJ laughed with you. He agreed. You were right and he desperately wanted to redeem himself.

“Look i’m sorry for how I treated you. I would like to put that behind us. Is there any way you could forgive me?” JJ apologized.

“Yeah I guess so. Only if you buy me an ice cream sometime,” you replied.

“Deal.”

——————

Ever since the hawks nest JJ was nice to you. It was kinda of surprising. You didn’t expect him to change his attitude so fast. You thought maybe just maybe you could get along and be friends.

Today you were going to the country club. JJ of course was tagging along for your protection. You were happy because you were finally getting along with your bodyguard.

The two of you were having lunch at the country club. It was a cool and crisp day. You commented saying it was a beautiful day and JJ agreed.

“All you’re getting is a salad?” JJ questioned.

“Yeah.”

“You don’t want anything else?”

“Nope.”

“How about dessert?” JJ smiled.

You laughed. “You got me there.”

“Before dessert how about we have some drinks on me?” You suggested.

“I don’t drink on the job.” JJ replied.

“Oh right. More for me then!”

You ordered a mimosa. You and JJ kept on chatting about anything and everything. You were more talkative than normal because you kept ordering all kinds of drinks under the sun.

JJ was getting worried you were drinking too much.

“How about we get you home princess.”

“Nooooooo. I wanna stay!”

“I think it’s time to call it quits.”

Now JJ couldn’t take you home because he didn’t want your parents to see you like this.

And he couldn’t take you to his house for obvious reasons, so he settled for the beach. He hoped you would sober up there.

JJ took your hand after you paid for lunch, and guided you away to the beach. He sat you down in the sand.

“I wanna swiimmmm.” You slurred.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” JJ voiced.

Much to JJ’s dismay, you stood up a little wobbly and started taking off your clothes. JJ did his best to not look at your body but it was hard. You were breathtaking.

JJ grabbed you by the waist and hauled you over his shoulder. He picked up your discarded shirt and shorts and started to walk to his car.

“Come on princess, time to go.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like it.”

“But you’re the kook princess are you not?”

You let out a huff in defeat.

“Please put me down!”

“Not til i know you’re not going to run into the water.”

“I won’t I promise!”

JJ took you home. He figured your parents were asleep. So as long as you were quiet it shouldn’t be a big deal.

JJ guided you to your room and had you sit on the bed.

“You got to be careful Y/N,” JJ scolded.

“Yeah yeah,” you waved him off.

JJ tucked you in and told you to go to sleep.

“Goodnight Y/N.”

When you woke up the next morning last nights events were a little hazy. You remember JJ was looking out for you the whole time. You thought to yourself how lucky you were to have such a great and caring friend.

part 3 coming soon ;)

[its-time-to-write]

chapter 3

table of contents

tell me something awful

Madeline’s in Milan the next week, and it feels strange not to have her show up on your doorstep with a coffee and eat everything in your pantry while explaining the latest and greatest in her dating life. The first few days are fine, but by the third one you’re lonely. 

And afraid, a little bit.

You don’t want to leave the house and risk running into Jamie. He doesn’t want kids you remind yourself in an effort to soothe your fears of a custody dispute. He doesn’t get to have Clare, he can’t; you’ll move heaven and earth to make sure he doesn’t take her away.

But as previously stated: you’re lonely. And besides, one coffee run can’t hurt, right? Jamie has to be at training anyway.

So you wrap Clare to your chest, throw on your long coat, grab her bag and head out the door. It’s a quick walk from your place to Kiss the Hippo. You place your order and sway in time with the music playing in the background. You’re glad Clare is an easy baby- she has more your temperament than Jamie’s.

The door opens and a bearded man walks in. He’s clearly American and, unfortunately, decked out in Richmond coaching gear. This has got to be one of Jamie’s coaches. Clare turns her head to the sound and you can’t remember if she can actually see that far away or not. It doesn’t matter, the man can see her just fine, and he does a double take.

“Wow. That kid looks just like this little douchebag I know,” he says, and you raise an eyebrow at him.

“Not that your baby is a douchebag,” he hastily amends. “I just meant- facial structure- and for a baby that young, the genetics- I’m so fucking sorry.”

You laugh. “Not a problem. I know what you mean. Yeah, she doesn’t look so much like me, does she? But thank god she’s got my personality. Not sure I could handle it if she were like her dad.”

“Is her dad Jamie Tartt?” the American jokes. “Name’s Beard, by the way. Nice to meet you.” 

You shake his hand and tell him your name, but don’t tell him Clare’s. You realize Jamie doesn’t know her name so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to tell his coach.

The barista calls out your name so you grab your coffee and smile at Beard. “You should come to a game sometime,” he says. “I bet you could get in for free if you put your kid in a Tartt onesie.”

You keep your smile affixed to your face and shrug before leaving as quick as you can without being obvious. The walk back to your house feels longer, and you try to regulate your heartbeat so it doesn’t affect Clare. 

You call Madeline as soon as you get home.

“Guess who’s here with me?” she asks before you can get a word out. “Keeley fucking Jones. Did you know she’s actually really fucking cool? You’d like her. And Clare always needs more aunts.”

“Madeline.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her about Clare.” She rolls her eyes. “I’m not that stupid. She had some interesting things to say about Tartt, I will tell you that.”

Your heart clenches. “Such as?”

Madeline’s momentarily distracted as some unknown hand passes her a bright orange drink. “She said he’s actually decent for once in his life, whatever that means. I think there’s a part of her that’s a little still in love with him.”

That does nothing for the sinking feeling in your chest, except instead of it being at the thought of Jamie taking away Clare it’s at the thought of him getting back together with Keeley. Keeley, who is fun and hot and has no children.

Madeline’s voice brings you back to reality. “Why are you making that face? And where’s Bean? Can I see her?” 

You go to get her out of her crib and hold the phone so Madeline can see her. “Hi Bean,” Madeline sing-songs. “Auntie Mads is asking your mum why she looks so fucking anxious.”

“I don’t want Jamie to get custody of Clare and I don’t want him to get back with fucking Keeley Jones,” you say in a rush.

Madeline takes a long sip of her drink before saying, “Well shit, babe.”

You shrug. “I’m twenty-four, babe. I have a baby and a house and a career, but I still want to get back with my hot footballer ex.”

“Obviously,” she replies. “It’s just biology at this point, my darling. And as far as Tartt goes, I’ll kill him myself if he tries anything.”

It’s reassuring; you know Madeline won’t actually kill him, but you’re certain she will make him wish he were dead.

“Alright. I’ll let you get back to your drink and your… date?” you probe. 

Madeline laughs. “Oh it’s not that serious. So call me again whenever you like, alright?” She puts her face close to the screen. “Bye Clare. Be good for your mummy and I’ll bring you back something from Dior.”

The screen goes black and you’re left in silence. There are two particular points you’re stuck on. The first being the fact that Jamie does not seem like the kind of person to actually want to raise a child. So logically, you’re safe in that respect.

The second point is that Keeley Jones, notorious for dragging men in the media, said Jamie is- what was it- decent for once in his life.

He’d been decent at one point before all this, too. Back when he spent every night at your place, some nights just to sleep and talk while you taught him the basics of cooking. 

There were many evenings where he’d pull you outside to kick a football around, and where he let you score goal after goal against him.

You’d been with him a year. It felt like forever. It felt like it should have been forever.

It was a mistake. It was never going to be that long.

—

Beard keeps replaying the scene over in his head the whole way back to the Dogtrack. He’d think he was going crazy if he didn’t already know for a fact that he was. It just didn’t make sense any other way, but it was strange. It didn’t track that someone would have a Premier League baby and not at least be taking the story to the Sun. Maybe Jamie was paying child support on the side? The girl seemed well put together and no ring on her hand, so odds were poor that she had cheated on a long-term lover or husband.

And come to think of it, she hadn’t told him the kid’s name.

Not that she had to, but most new parents (in his experience) were eager to gush about their babies and tell you all the details you wish you could unheard. 

So he thinks.

He thinks and thinks and thinks himself past Ted, past Nate, past Sam and Isaac and all the way to Roy.

He grunts in the doorway to make himself known and Roy barely moves. But Beard and Roy speak the same language so Beard knows he can come in. He shuts the door behind him, and that’s enough for Roy to look at him with one eyebrow raised.

“Jamie’s got a kid,” Beard says.

Roy lets out a low whistle. “No shit,” he says in awe, “Can’t fucking say I’m fucking shocked, but I am fucking surprised. How the fuck did you find that one out?”

“Ran into the girl at the Hippo. Kid looks just like him. And she acted all weird.”

“So you’re fucking guessing, is what you’re fucking saying. You see a baby that fucking looks like Tartt and your first fucking conclusion is that it’s his.” Roy shakes his head. Beard’s strange, but this is a bit much even for him.

“It’s his fucking kid, Roy. I swear to Jesus Christ on Mars, it’s his fucking kid. I’d bet what’s left of my kidneys.”

Roy acquiesces. Odds are good Jamie does have at least one child out in the world, but strange that there’s one in Richmond. “Fucking weird no one’s heard of it,” he remarks. “You’d think the fucking Sun would have a fucking field day with that shit.”

Beard claps his hands together. “That’s what I fucking thought to! This is why I came to you. How the fuck am I supposed to keep on living with this knowledge? Do you think Jamie knows? Does she have a restraining order? Why the fuck are you Brits so weird?”

There’s a knock on the door and they both jump. Jamie opens the door slightly. “Can I leave early, coach? Got an appointment, like. Already let Ted know and he said to ask you.”

He’s met with silence. 

“The fuck is wrong with you lot? Can I go or not?” he asks, exasperated.

Roy nods once and Jamie breezes out the door without a backwards glance.

“Can’t believe that little shit procreated,” Roy muses.

Beard shakes his head. “I’m telling you Roy, his genetics are fucking strong. The kid’s mom said she’s glad the kid was more like her and less like her dad, which seems like a blessing.”

Roy chuckles. “Sounds like something the mother of Tartt’s child would say.”

next chapter

[morphean42]

Working on my soulmate WIP diligently, it’s 10k words already and it’s sort of all over the place (I have too many ideas and might need to just take some parts out and write another fic with them) but here’s a preview of what’s to come

I wanted to explore a world where soulmates are less of a “true love” sort of thing and more “someone who will be important to you in some way”. Of course, society treats the idea of soulmates as a strictly romantic thing (especially in Edwin’s time) and many people use their apparent soul bond as an excuse to harm others.

I’ve always been interested in soulmate AUs, how they would affect the society and way relationships form, and I thought DBD would be a fun fandom to explore that in. So yeah, Edwin and Charles aren’t soulmates in this, because they aren’t supposed to meet. How wonderfully romantic it is to fall in love anyway?

(Please if you enjoy this at all let me know, as I said my Google doc is a mess right now and I need motivation to edit and finish it)

It is in the summer of his 16th year that Edwin Payne meets his soulmate. It is July and he would quite literally like to be anywhere else, the heat is oppressive even indoors as he sits stiffly on the chaise longue beside his betrothed.

She wears a respectable pale blue dress that flares out at her ankles, her blonde hair is neatly tied up, and she never once smiles with her teeth. In fact, they do not so much as look at one other during their conversation, opting to stare out the bay window across the room.

“You seem like a very lovely young lady,” Edwin says, because he has no clue what else to say. She nods once at the compliment and does not seem offended by the lack of emotion he holds towards her.

“I look forward to our continued courtship.” In the corner of the room Edwin can feel the heavy stare of his soulmate’s governess. He knows this is utterly wrong (they are soulmates, the woman should have to beat them away from each other. Yet, the idea of trying to kiss this girl sends a shudder through him), but he does not know how to fix it.

They met the way offspring of the rich often do; parents having hired a professional soulmate tracker. After a month of worrying (what if she was lower class or, god forbid, not English. If his soulmate was of lesser stock, obviously it meant he was too and his parents would not hesitate to send him away for good) he finally received the notice— Miss Eliza Geralds had been located.

So, here he sits. She is of noble blood, the match will be beneficial for both of their families. Edwin tries, as he looks at her, to imagine all the things he should feel; the overwhelming love, the feeling of two puzzle pieces snapping together. The problem is he doesn’t feel anything of the sort— just vaguely sweaty.

The whole soulmate business was something he never quite got, after all. Here they were, the intangible red string that proclaimed them to be the perfect match for each other laying neatly between them, and he felt nothing. Yes, objectively he could say she was pretty. Yes, objectively he would say she was smart. In fact, as they met and talked and he realized this was the woman he would be married to in just a few years, Edwin could not say he minded her being his soulmate. If it had to be someone, he would take her.

But, and there is always a but where he is concerned, he does not love her. While he is not an enjoyer of romance novels (preferring detective stories in which the mystery overshadowed any relationships) he knew the basics of how this was supposed to go. Man meets woman, they are soulmates, they fall madly in love at first sight. He doesn’t feel anything except slightly uncomfortable as the future Mrs. Payne smiles (tightly, showing no teeth) and says he is ‘not as bad as he could be’ (Sherlock Holmes had a point when he said “the motives of women were inscrutible”, because what the devil could that mean?) as their initial meeting draws to a close.

When he goes to bed that night he runs a finger over the red string that sits upon his wrist. It is more a curse than ever, tying him to a life he wanted to escape. There’s a war on, they say it will be over soon enough (they have been saying that for two years now), and Edwin knows if it lasts much longer he will be sent off with the rest of his class. He will be sent off with his class to drown in mud and bullets and gas, and when he returns (will he ever return?) there will still be no escape, for Eliza will be waiting and he will be responsible for her.

His future is mapped out and crystal clear. Fight for England (try not to die). Go to law school (graduate early, do not be there longer than he has to). Marry the girl (the wedding will be small and he will practice in the mirror until he looks in love enough as to not break her heart). Have children (he will try to love them, better than his parents did for him, but he will mess it up of course. He only hopes they turn out more like their mother). Die (It will be nice to finally rest away from the expectations that weight down his every step. He can only hope it will be quick). He tugs the string that chains him down and felt a distant thrum of unease mingle with his own anxiety. Eliza is just as doubtful as he, it seems.

The thing about a soulmate is that they were truly nothing but a wild guess, a stab in the dark, an attempt at unconditional love. Edwin knew of soulmates who could never imagine life without the other. Edwin knew of soulmates who fought violently and spewed hateful words. Edwin had heard of a man and woman who were soulmates, the man murdering the woman in the middle of a crowded street. So, soulmates. Was your supposed other half your better or your worse?

Fight in the war (don’t die). Go to law school (do it quickly). Marry the girl (learn to fake it well). Have children (they will be the best part of him). Die (quick, in his sleep, no suffering).

Five months later Edwin accomplishes the last one. He was right, the actual dying bit is very quick. There is suffering, though. He suffers more in those last seconds than all his years on earth. He doesn’t notice the string fade to gray and slip from his wrist as his body is disintegrated and dragged to Hell. There is no comfort in Hell, after all, not even from a girl he could only teach himself to love.

[beevean]

Apologies, rant incoming: Yeah, I *immediately* thought back to Frontiers' idea of "character development" by 'repeating info about the characters you already knew about' when observing nearly all of SXSG. And while I know the upcoming movie is still very YMMV atm, I at least can expect it to be fun and different because it's not repeating SA2 or ShtH's story. And yes, I will acknowledge that being different =/= being good, but the movies are recognized as their own thing, and whatever changes they do to the source material can be ignored as not canon anyway.

Plus, and this was another whole issue with SXSG itself, anything it shows or says about Maria is... just as basic or nothing new as Shadow was given. Just the Purity Sure/Morality Pet Shadow more or less always colored his memory of her with. This on it's own wouldn't be too bad... except ofc we hadn't had these impressions already beaten into us via the manga and Dark Beginnings! Those really were nothing but "Wasn't Maria Great to Shadow? Oh Golly Gee, She Sure Was Amazing!" Meanwhile you got Gerald, aka Shadow creator and therefore ALSO an important figure in Shadow's story... practically a third wheel in favor of her (no his journal entries don't count, telling us about his sons and revealing Maria has a young sister don't inform us about who they were as individuals, just more of their family line). Here *I* was expecting a small yet sad flashback scene of Shadow and pre-insane Gerald interacting before segwaying back into the present where Shadow sighs sorrowfully at what the doctor became. But no, apparently too simple to imagine, Maria has to hog all the angst because Play It Safe N Predictable. And fans have predictably eaten it up...

I will give SXSG that it feels way less self-masturbatory than Frontiers. Characters don't stand around talking about their development, there is a more substantial story there. It's just that just like Frontiers, the game is recycling plot points that they used 20 years ago, pretending it's some new change. Great for newcomers! Not so much for the people who have stuck around since then.

(and even then, if someone hasn't played Adventure 2 or doesn't want to play ShTH because they heard it's bad, playthroughs are there. Cutscenes compilations are there.)

I really liked the NPC dialogue for both Maria and Gerald. Maria reveals more of their life, like her academic progress (apparently Shadow was a worse student than she was lol) or that she finds Shadow's quills cool. Gerald has some cute lines like an actually subtle reference to '06, in that he theorizes that two people could create a time portal but he isn't sure how to test it. But yeah, Maria is always given more attention compared to Gerald, admittedly always had ever since ShTH. And her having to tell Shadow to please not leave her in White Space because she'll live on in him 💖 feels like a way to make her Pure Goodness shine... while taking away from Shadow, who really should know better than to think about freezing his loved ones in a void for his own comfort.

Another good point is about the tie-in material. Shouldn't they act as prequels of sort, to give context to what happens in the game? Instead they once again seem to be more like recaps! "Shadow and Maria loved each other very much. Maria was a Good Girl. She was killed. Shadow, Rouge and Omega make a team. There is a commander." And even then, the scene of Maria taking a stand against the GUN soldiers does more to flesh her out than the game's cutscenes. But then again, that's another thing I noticed with SXSG: the dialogue is incredibly repetitive. You thought Sage being like "no I won't share data with the enemy" got annoying? Take a shot everytime Black Doom boasts about Shadow being his greatest creation (but when Gerald does it it's played for heartwarms, although it is a very interesting parallel...) or someone talks about how Shadow's biology, the same biology he's using to destroy levels and bosses, doesn't matter one bit. I get it.

[jelliezellie]

Hi! How are u? Would like to request a levi x fem!reader blind date fic. Like they always bickering w/ each other then there friends set them up. But on that particular date, reader is a bit emotional (frustrated about her feelings towards him) so she took levi's nasty comments by heart & levi is so guilty about it & started to be more soft & eventually admiting that he loves her nevertheless because u know, he can't express his emotions well so he ends up being mean to her.

Thankssss and pls take care...

I know this is late but here you go!!

Blind Date - Levi x Reader

Connie and Sasha giggled as they took you to the restaurant. “You’ll have a lot of fun,” Connie teased. “The guy we picked for you to go out with is perfect for you.”

Sasha nodded quickly, giggling. “Yeah, I’m sure he’s super excited!” 

You smiled at them, a little skeptical of their excitement. Jean was tagging along behind, rolling his eyes at their teasing. “Alright, guys. Cut it out. You don’t want to be Captain Obvious and spoil who it is, right?”

Connie and Sasha snickered, then pointed to the restaurant. “Okay,” Connie said, adjusting your hair. “You’ve got this. Go get him!”

“Bring me some leftovers!” Sasha exclaimed. 

Jean patted your back. “If anything goes wrong, just call Sasha and say there’s free food. She’ll make a distraction so you can escape.”

You laughed and entered the restaurant, looking around. Everyone seemed to have a date or a group of friends around them except for one person. You stared uneasily at the familiar black hair and undercut. You approached him. “Levi?”

He glared at you. “Oh, God. You’re the date?”

You nodded, sitting across from him. He rolled his eyes and half of his face behind a menu. “I guess so,” you laughed nervously. Damn it. I’m gonna kill those idiots. 

Levi frowned, his brows furrowed behind the menu. “Alright. Let’s get this over with,” he muttered, his voice devoid of any interest.

You shifted nervously in your seat. Am I really that much of a pain to be with? You wondered. He seemed completely exhilarated just by being in your presence. You needed a conversation starter; something to get him out of his bad mood. “So, Levi, what’s your favorite song?”

“So ist es immer,” he responded.

“Oh, really? What do you like about it?”

“I like that it doesn’t have small talk in it.”

“Ouch. Would you rather have deep conversations, then?” 

“I’d prefer no conversation at this point.” You frowned and looked away. Of course, you didn’t want to push him to talk if he didn’t want to. Still, why would he come in the first place if he didn’t want to talk? You looked back at him and he was staring at you with a different look. He didn’t just seem tired, he seemed defeated. He huffed and leaned forward. “I suppose I would rather have meaningful conversations.”

Although you didn’t want to let useless hope get into your system, you couldn’t stop the flame of happiness that burned its way onto your face in the form of a smile. “Alright. Why do you seem so tired?”

He shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“I’d rather have meaningful answers. Why not?”

His brows quirked up at your reply. “Insomnia, I guess.” Your eyes narrowed as you waited for another explanation. Everyone knew he had trouble sleeping but he never looked this tired. “And I was nervous.”

“About what?”

“Usually, when Hange proposes the idea of a date, I automatically say no. It’s like I’m on auto-pilot.”

Your brows rose as he satiated your curiosity. “What changed?”

“They said I’d have a date with someone they knew I had a soft spot for.”

You chuckled. “You have a soft spot for me?”

“Well, at first, I wanted to see who Hange thought I had a soft spot for.” He leaned a little closer. “Do you think I have a soft spot for you?”

You sighed and shook your head. “No.” He tilted his head and waited for clarification. “You’re always rude and angry. You stare at me with nothing but hatred and I know you can’t wait to get out of this place because you’re—”

He placed a hand over yours. He stared into your wide eyes and, with as much meaning as he could get his voice to produce, he murmured, “I’ll make it more obvious on our next date if you’ll let me.” 

Your brows furrowed as you saw the guilt in his eyes. You sighed and nodded. “Alright, but you have to make it obvious.”

Relief escaped his mouth in a sigh and he nodded. “Okay. But next time, don’t ask your friends for a place. This restaurant is awful.”

[antigone-ks]

Lantern of Evil, Chapter Three

MARVEL MASTERLIST

CHAPTER TWO

Chapter Three - The First Night in August

You'll fall asleep / With your arm around my shoulder/ And nothing will come between us/ On the first night in August

____________________

So that’s that, then, you think, as you stand around the corner from the restaurant waiting for your Uber. You had walked that morning, like you said, but you weren’t about to hike half an hour back home with all this food. And you didn’t feel like sitting inside waiting with Grant.

That’s stupid, you know, you try to reason with yourself. He clearly wants to be friends, and you can wait for a car with a friend. Except . . . trying to continue a conversation seemed too hard right now. Because you’re stuuuupiiiidddd, your traitorous brain sing-songs. Shouldn’t have thought of it like a date in the first place, and now you’re disappointed and you’re gonna spend the rest of the day sadfaced when you should have known he wasn’t into you.

Yeah, well . . . yeah. You should have. It’d been a while since a guy you were interested in was interested back, or interested in the way you wanted. Plenty would try it at a bar, thinking they’d get an easy night with a woman they’d never have to call again, but you’d learned to spot that type a long time ago. Grant just seemed different, but maybe that’s because he really only wants to talk about art and old slang.

And anyway, you did have fun until your brain sabotaged you. You could definitely be friends with him. Just friends. Like Kate and Lila at the historical society. He’s basically Lila, but shorter and blond. And hot, your idiot brain chirps.

You hate your idiot brain.

***

“She’s cute,” Natasha says. “And she’s definitely into you.”

“She’s not into me,” Steve mutters, “and it’s not like that.”

Bucky smacks him on the back of the head, not pulling his punch, and Steve nearly faceplants into the coffee table. They’re back at the compound; Natasha had made Bucky ride back with him in case Steve got the urge to drive into the river to escape the exact conversation they were obviously about to have.

He had considered it.

“She is, and it oughta be,” Bucky says, ducking the half-hearted retaliatory punch Steve throws at him. “She seems like your type: funny, way too smart for you – oof” he doesn’t quite dodge Steve’s kick to his ankle. “Looked like she could fill out a dress, too. Stevie always did like ‘em built for comfort,” he confides to Natasha.

“I’m going to kick you in a minute,” she threatens, flopping onto a lounge chair.

“I don’t like – it’s not – look, you – “ Steve takes a deep breath and gathers the tattered remnants of his dignity. “This conversation is over.”

“You gonna fix your problem?” Natasha calls after him.

“Fix what? It went fine.”

“Sure, pal.” Bucky glances at the chair Natasha’s in and decides against trying to squeeze into it with her. This conversation needs intervention-level formality. He flops onto the longest sofa instead. “It was going great ‘til you assured her you weren’t interested in her.”

Steve gapes. “I did not say that.”

“Betcha a shiny nickel that’s what she heard. Didn’t you learn anything watching me?”

“I watched you take two dames to a petting party, Buck; not sure that’s gonna work here.”[1]

“Different times,” Bucky assures Natasha, who’s grinning like she’s just had a brilliant idea. “Anyway, you went to one, too. I remember timing how long you spent on your hair.” Steve splutters indignantly even though it’s absolutely true, and Bucky’s voice turns nostalgic. “Got to first base, too, didn’t you?”

“I never made it to bat,” Steve grumbles. He had, technically; one of the girls there called him adorable and kissed his cheek, and then she went back to her real date as he clutched a pillow in his lap for the next hour. A swing and a miss.

“Well, you got out of the dugout for once. It was good for you.”

Or would that count as a foul? Steve shakes himself back to the present and glares. “Anyway, it can’t be like that. Not now. Once I get fixed up it’ll be different.”

“Oh, sure.” Natasha’s voice has that flat, mocking tone. “You’re gonna show up at her doorstep a foot taller and a foot wider and tell her that her arty little crush was really Captain America the whole time? A) she’s going to scream. 2) she’s going to think you’re a liar. And Veh) she’s going to feel like you were deliberately messing with her.”

Steve stares at her. “Sometimes you make my head hurt. And she doesn’t have a crush on me. And we’re both too old for crushes, anyway.”

“You’re never too old for crushes, Steve.”

“So, wait – important question,” Bucky interjects. “You definitely didn’t tell her who you are, so what did you say?”

“Grant Stevens, graphic designer,” Steve answers promptly. He’d had it planned. That . . . that’s a bad sign, isn’t it?

Natasha’s looking at him like she knows exactly what he’s thinking, which she probably does. “So will you keep seeing Ms. Built for Comfort, or are you gonna lay low for the foreseeable future and then spring Captain Sixty-Inch Biceps on her?”

“That’s not her name, Romanoff,” Steve growls. “It’s –“

“I know her name, Rogers. I ran a search on her while you were canoodling over the old ladies two weeks ago. Facial recognition,” she says when he splutters in outrage. “She’s mostly clean, likes puppies and filthy jokes. Knows all the words to ‘Luscious Lena from Messina’ – at least she’d get some of your ancient jokes.”

Steve is outraged into silence, glaring, and she sighs. “Okay, let’s go kick Bruce until he finds a cure for whatever this is.”

***

Pep talk aside, you stay away from the museum for nearly a week. But you’re not hiding! You’re working – the opus is quickly becoming medium. You really should devote your time to grinding it out, alone with your work in the pretty blue house on Mansion Street that came with the fellowship. You should do what you actually came to do. If you need a distraction, go for drinks with Kate and Lila and the other history nerds. The museum isn’t necessary to your well-being. You don’t need anything that it offers.

You weren’t so proud you couldn’t admit to spending a day or so – as expected – being a sadfaced mess. By the morning of the second day, you’d gone to the historical society just to get away from yourself and be around people who weren’t handsome blonds with slender fingers and awkward smiles and serious blue eyes and the worst old-fashioned jokes. Just the worst. Ugh. You don’t even like his jokes.

“You dooo,” David Tennant’s voice sang in your head.

You do.

The historical society is gearing up for a fundraiser, and you offer to help out in some vague and non-social capacity. That’ll show Grant. Show you. Show your foolish heart that fell too fast, for a man who was just a normal level of nice to you and would never fathom that you’d spent such an indecent amount of time wondering how it would feel to run your fingers through his hair, to have him take your face in his hands, to feel his breath . . .

So you’re going to stick to a strict work-and-volunteer schedule with only occasional museum breaks and if you see Grant, you see him and if not, you’ll forget about him. You’re forgetting him already. You can hardly remember his eyes.

(they’re so blue)

(and his lashes are so long and thick)

(seriously, no money could buy those eyelashes)

And when finally you do go to the museum (because you aren’t hiding), your feet carry you past the room with Joan and the witches and Cormar, taking you to a room with Hudson Valley landscapes. You aren’t avoiding Grant; he could spot you easily if he passed by, you’re just . . . letting it be his choice.

And these landscapes are not cutting it. You snarl at them and flounce out of the room, bouncing chest-first right into someone not much taller than you, whose delicate hands come up to grip your shoulders.

“Excuse me, I – hey!” Grant smiles, looking almost shy. “Hey, I’ve missed you the last few days.” You can’t help but smile back, feeling heat creep up your face. For a second, you gaze at each other all doe-eyed, or limpid-eyed, or however Georgette Heyer would describe it, then Grant clears his throat and steps back and you feel a hot wave of embarrassment wash over you.

Well, if you’re gonna almost knock the guy down, might as well do it with your boobs.

“Yeah, I’ve been really busy. But I’ve missed” you you you “relaxing with the art.”

“You look as relaxed as a tire iron,” he says. “I mean – I mean –“ he stammers as you glare up at him. “I mean, you look great but you felt really – wait, no – I didn’t feel anyth –“ he stops, sighs, and hangs his head.

You could kiss him.

Grant peeks at you from under his eyelashes and brushes his hair out of his face. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says simply.

Oh, fuck you and your stupid face, you think, and say “I’m glad you’re here, too.”

He smiles.

You smile.

He smiles. Then he shakes himself, like he just remembered something. “I wanted to ask . . . you know, since you like old movies . . .” he trails off, and you nod, encouraging. “There’s a great movie house that’s doing a Cary Grant thing for the next few weeks – they’re showing North by Northwest on Saturday, then Notorious next weekend, you know, a different film each week for the rest of the summer.”

Wait. So . . . wait, is he? Is this . . .?

“Oh, so you’re going with friends?” you ask, not certain how you want him to answer.

“Well, I . . . neither of us have seen the Hitchcock years, so I thought. If you want.”

“Yes,” you say, but not too quickly. “Which theater? I’ll get the tickets.” You wave him off when he starts to protest. “I made like 5 meals from that one lunch; I can get this.” And this way he knows you know it’s not a date. There will be nothing date-like about going to the movies with Grant, sitting there in the dark, hands brushing over popcorn . . . there will be no popcorn, you tell yourself severely.

He tells you, then pulls out his phone. “What’s your number?” he asks offhandedly. “I can pick you up, or –“

“Or we can meet there,” you assure him, tamping down the giddiness at finally getting his number. It is for logistical purposes only.

He smiles.

You smile.

The landscapes aren’t so bad, with a friend.

[1] Petting parties started going out of fashion in the late 20s/early 30s, probably before Bucky ever felt a boob, but indulge me here. Beth L. Bailey, From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989).

____________________

Carole King – “First Day in August”

You'll fall asleep / With your arm around my shoulder/ And nothing will come between us/ On the first night in August

READ CHAPTER FOUR

[roleplayfinder]

Hey y’all! Let’s cast the old line out and see what we get. I’m an old hand at the art of RPing, been doing it for 20 years now and I’m looking for a partner who’s over 18 for a long term journey. One long story, or several shorts, nothing is out of the question, but let’s have some fun while we do it. I love OOC chatter and getting to know who I’m talking to while we bounce ideas around. I write in third person past tense format, averaging 1-3+ paragraphs depending on what’s going on and can typically match my partner’s post length. I do prefer something more than just a one liner in response, as I need some substance to work with. I can play both male and female characters and prefer MxF and occasionally MxM relationships, possibly poly pairings if the story calls for it. Got multiple characters you wanna use? Great! The more the merrier, yeah? I will say that I only play OC characters, but I will consider setting the story in a fandom universe. Face claims are great, too. Art, photos, whatever placeholder fills in for what you have in mind, I’m down for it. I don’t keep and reuse characters except on very rare occasions, as I enjoy letting characters write themselves and surprise me. I enjoy world building and getting to know each of our characters in real time. My limits are pretty few and far between, no bathroom play and no vore, snuff or feet. I’m pretty open minded when it comes to content, so don’t hesitate to throw any ideas my way. When it comes to genres, I’ve done quite a bit; fantasy, supernatural, slice of life, horror, sci-fi, cyberpunk, let me know what you’re craving and we can work it out! One more closing thought. Please, please don’t ghost me. I am 100% async when it comes to posting, so let’s get that out of the way first. If you’re going to lose interest without daily replies, we’re not compatible. If you do happen to lose interest, or you’d rather do a different story, I‘d much rather know than be always left wondering. That’s never fun, and we’re both in it to have fun. Hope to see you soon Rpcentralstation@gmail.com

[heyclickadee]

Embarrassing dating story time! Because I’m in an over sharing mood I guess:

(Sorry, I was just having a discussion about dating with my roommate and was just reminded of this.)

You ever have a social interaction that goes so sideways you’re left wondering how. And not one that ended up somewhere dangerous or harmful, just…weird?

So, one day, a bit ago, I decided to ask this one guy I knew out on a date. And I should probably clarify—I’m using the word “date” extremely loosely. I had no expectations, and I wasn’t sure I was even attracted to him; he was smart, seemed nice, we had a few things in common, and I mostly just wanted a chance to hang out with someone and get to know him a little better. And he mentioned that he liked museums, so I texted him and asked if he wanted to visit the local natural history museum for a couple hours that weekend, that I’d pay if he did, and he said, “Yeah—sounds fun! What time?” We planned for 1 pm that Saturday, and I came away from the conversation thinking it would at least be a fun time hanging out at a museum, and that maybe I’d gain a friend, even if nothing else came out of it.

Aaaand then 1 pm Saturday rolled around.

We met up at the museum. And hey, wouldn’t you know it? He invited all his friends. Which, okay, I was a little miffed for a couple minutes, but then I thought, hey! Some wires got crossed. I just communicated badly and he didn’t realize I was asking him on the museum equivalent of a very casual lunch date. And besides! More people! It was definitely not a date anymore, but it’d still be fun hanging out with everyone, and maybe less awkward than trying to get to know someone one-on-one.

Except…by the time we hit the geology exhibits, I started to think that maybe he hadn’t misunderstood. Or that he had, but not in the way I thought. Because I never actually got a chance to talk to this guy at all. He spent the whole time chatting (and definitely flirting) with another girl in the group (which, fair—she was a very nice girl, and very pretty), and that girl’s friend kept on somewhat pointedly blocking where I was walking and herding me over to the opposite side of the group (which…okay, good on the girl’s friend for being a very effective wingwoman, but I wasn’t going to interrupt the very obvious flirting anyway, thanks).

The museum was still fun. It’s a good museum, and it was a good group of people to go with. But by the time it was over I still went back to my car and sobbed for twenty minutes straight. Not because this guy was (clearly) uninterested—I wasn’t even sure I was actively interested in him to start with, so that wasn’t a problem—but because it seemed like he’d gone through all this unnecessary rigamarole to make sure he wouldn’t have to spend any time with me instead of just doing me the dignity of saying he didn’t want to go, and that hurt.

But it wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t dangerous, nothing really got hurt except my dignity, which, eh, okay, I can deal with that—but I can’t figure out how it got that sideways. Like. Did I come too strong? Was I too matter-of-fact? Was that guy just an asshole? Was I giving off weird vibes that scared him off from just saying, “Nah, not interested?” Was he just really put off by the idea of being asked out by a woman, instead of doing the asking? Hoooow did it go from, “Yeah, that sounds fun,” to that?

[murkystarlight]

HI, HEY, HELLO!:3

Simple couldn't last long😔

GABRIEL SHIPS!

Lemme just.. just say characters:

Soren, Ivor, Magnus, Ellegaard, Romeo, Fred, Xara, Hadrian, Mevia, Otto, Harper, Isa, Reginald, Milo, Jack.

I'm sweet and innocent.

Hehehehheheh no you're not. Um. Anywas- this is good. I had nothing for Gabriel yet.

Now no one is alone! Except for the Warden 🤷‍♀️

X Soren

I gave this one a 'ok' because... it's not bad. But I wouldn't say I ship them. Can't really see them together..

X Ivor

I put this one in 'Like!' Cause of.. all the angst. Yes. I can imagine some stuff for these two.

X Magnus

Also in 'Like!' for similar reasons. I think this would be uh.. the cutest ship you can get from any of the old order combinations

X Ellegaard

Think this might have a chance at being.. uh one of the most non-chaotic ship out of the old order. But can't really picture em together that well- so I'll give this on a 'ok'

X Romeo

Okay- so uh... I'm pretty chill with all the Admin ships. They're nice. They sound fun. This one, I talked about. (A lot of these opinions are influenced. Badly. Very much-)

X Fred

Okay so uh- I actually come to really like this- it's really cute and sweet. And it already got the angst fully ready for you. So... I'm just going to give it a shot and throw it up all the way in 'Love!' (Though it would probably be pretty low in rank of love if I go look at it more closely- still debating)

X Xara

Actually not bad. But it doesn't give the same thrill the one with Fred or Romeo did. So instead, this one gets a 'ok'

X Hadrian

Okay so- apparently some of these things are way more fun when it's a poly. I just kinda want Gabriel to beat his ass more than see them as a couple so... a solid 'ok'

X Mevia

I don't see it. Hm. Yeah. I don't see it. Maybe a.. one sided love thing? Mevia pining on Gabriel? That sounds like a deal. Uh- anyways. Shoving it in 'IDK...'

X Otto

Oooh- how about we ask Gabriel?

Hey Gabriel! What do you think about this guy??

"Who are these people?!"

He isn't much help. Welp. Uh- I put this one in 'IDK...' too cuz... honestly. I can't see anything fun with these two. I just... can't really see it? Don't think it'll end up as a bad ship tho

Okay. From this point. I just gotta ask you, what were you thinking? This- wha- thi... it's too much! What is this! I dunno how it'll work out! I was pulled out of my little box and started looking at all the different different characters- I'm not ready for this big of a change!! Yeah, okay. Quit whining. I had my break. Back to the ships

X Harper

...I don't like it. I can't explain... but I don't like it. I'll give it a 'dislike'. I don't think it'll be bad- just... I can't see them being in the same place at all. Weird-

X Isa

Mn.... nah. I think of Isa a bit to the younger sides. Even without that... I don't really see them together. Think Isa would get pretty tired of him? Not completley sure.

X Reginald

No thoughts. Mh---- they could be good work partners. But I don't see them as a ship so 'IDK...'

X Milo

Milo would find Gabriel interesting. But I don't think it'll go as far as a crush? So... I'll stick this in 'IDK...' too

X Jack

I think Jack and Gabriel could find some.. pretty good comfort in each other. I think I can see it? A bit. A faint light.... uh- yeah. So.. 'ok'

Whew- I did it. Yay. It was a bit.. lazy. But I really had no idea what to say for most of these.. sorry Simple

Might add more to these later though-

[plantsandpies]

A lot of the things that I think about (right now it’s mainly fairytail because I’m hyper fixating) are things I’ve enjoyed during my childhood. And while I look at them in a more critical light, I still enjoy them. Yeah, the strawberry shortcake 2009 version has a weaker plot than say the earlier season of Grimm. But it’s still fun to watch.

That being said! I have things I want to talk about for multiple shows and this warning needs to be on all of them, so I’m just putting them into one post.

🥧Fairytail:

I don’t think hiro mashima really planned his world. Like he has a sturdy foundation. That’s true. But when watching the show, the timeline gets lost. I was asked this in my god post, which I answered in relation to the idea, but it’s a good question. Where is Zeref in edolas or how is Natsu in edolas? How did the time situation work? Because everyone else is where they need to be in time. Except for the dragonslayers. They’re supposed to be 400 years old. What about Natsu being end? How does that relate? How old is mystogan? He should be the same age as Jellal, but he seems older in the flashbacks we get from Wendy. Except, how old is Wendy? She’s older in edolas, because if she’s still 12/13 there, we have other problems. What about Porlyusica? She’s supposed to be the edolas version of a dragon. What? And she left edolas around teens to young adult because she was in fairytail when makarov was young. How’d she leave? Why’d she leave? You could say some of this doesn’t matter. But edolas causes so many issues with earth land’s timeline. And then there’s Zeref and mavis’s relationship. How’d they have a kid? If it was the spells used to try and save her, why’d it make a kid and not do anything to her? Wasn’t she dead?

It feels like the timeline hasn’t ever been complete and these questions weren’t thought about. It’s not the most important per se; but it leaves questions about the world. The ages especially. I haven’t even got to how Zeref and Anna found kids somewhere. A world doesn’t have to fully explained. In fact, I don’t think you should. But since the dragonslayers going to the future is a huge plot point, that should be explained. Since Zeref is Natsu’s brother and that’s a huge plot point something should’ve been said. Since Natsu being end is a huge deal, it should be brought up. Just a passing comment is fine. But saying nothing makes edolas fall apart a bit. It makes the magic system fall apart.

🥧Miraculous:

It had such good potential. It has good, solid, characters. The premise? Amazing. But, a lot of plot points aren’t covered. Having a perfect character is bad, as they don’t really move, but having your protagonist for little girls (as that was the original intended audience) be obsessive over a guy to the point she has a pull down board of his entire life and tried to kiss his wax statue is a bad choice. Yes, she gets over it. But it takes her a long time. That’s not great. Then there’s the abuse Adrian faces and being in the model industry at 13. 13! That’s so young! And it’s one of the worst parts of the entertainment industry. The amount of pressure on physical looks and the horror stories of models and their relationships with photographers and their weight, and putting a CHILD into that? And it’s not really covered. Then there’s the forced kiss scene with ladybug, which has been talked about pretty thoroughly throughout the community. The sexual harassment was just touched on. What about the guy in love with ladybug (a 13 year old, as this was season 1) and pretended to be cat noir? That wasn’t covered at all! And later, with Adrian’s now dead father? Why are we immortalizing him? He tried to kill people! He had his son thrown off a roof for a point! (The gorilla episode) Did we forget that? This show has a great premise. It has an interesting power system, but it doesn’t deal with its “drama”. It’s not dealing with these behaviors and situations correctly. And if it’s too heavy to really cover it in a tv show for kids, maybe don’t put it in the tv show for kids!

And then Lila? Disregarding all of the other traumatic stuff these kids were put through and then was never covered, Lila is a horrible story plot. Marinette’s friends not believing Marinette, ignoring the bullying reports or her dislike of her. If my friends told me they were being harassed by someone who was nice to me, I’m believing them. I’d rather believe a liar than an abusive asshole. It also doesn’t follow their characters. Alya wouldn’t have believed Lila over Marinette. She’s shown she stands by her best friend. But someone is nice and your friend says she’s mean and you argue with them? That’s not what she does. And they only don’t follow their characters around Lila. That shouldn’t happen.

And that’s just the beginning. What the hell’s the wig thing? That makes zero sense. Like- it confuses me so much I can’t even explain it. That was just for drama and drama that doesn’t even make sense! This show doesn’t do well with the stories they’re trying to tell.

🥧This isn’t as big a deal as the rest of the shows. In fact, it means nothing compared to the other stuff above.

Why don’t we talk about how weird Al married pinkie and had a kid with her? How’d we get here? What the hell?

No. Like seriously. What? Why? Why’d we do this?

🥧Voltron:

There’s a lot of issues with this show (mainly season three onward) but my main issue is how they treated Lance. Originally everyone was set up as a main character, except for shiro who was a little more important because of his previous trauma (which I think was handled pretty well for a kids show) and gaining back his memory. But as the show went on, Lance’s character got flattened. He was always a flirt, but he didn’t grow and any growth he had was pushed aside for the flirty jokester and any hit of anything was pushed aside, not just by writers, but by literal characters. They had his negative feelings pushed aside by characters in the show! And then allurance. (I apologize if the ship name is spelled wrong). Admittedly, I do have ships I like more, but for a show, as long as a relationship feels right, I don’t care about the end game. I would have been fine with those two ending up together over klance if they felt happy with each other. But there are many videos showing that they weren’t doing well together (literally just taking scenes and putting them together, plus people reacting, who aren’t klance shippers, talking about how unhappy they seem). They also said “I love you” on the first date? Her ex just died? After betraying them again and again? And that’s the route you go? Really? And then you kill her and have him mourn her for the rest of his life living on a farm! When he loves space and being out there! What? If this was written better, I’d be okay with it. Sure, it’s not my pairing, but I’m happy if it feels like it fits. They made probably one of the worst get togethers I’ve ever seen on screen. (To be fair, I don’t watch a lot of live action drama or movies so maybe there are worse). I got a little off topic, but this ship also pushed lance’s character down. It reduced him to Allura’s forever longing partner. This isn’t even talking about how Hunk got like no character at all. Which is its own issue (that I’m upset about too). I just have more to say about character assassination vs not having a character at all.

🥧Anyway. I’m doing this on my phone (as I do all my posts) so I can’t get all my information and most is from my memories. It also corrects my grammar and I read things weird (I skip lines and I also do this when I write so I often don’t catch it), so I apologize if something doesn’t make sense or my grammar’s wrong. If you want more info on any of these (aka having it as a more professional post), please ask. It might take a while though as it’d be an essay and I’d find my examples and stuff.

[chaosandgunpowder]

Plausible Deniability Outtake (Ch6)

I've been working through my WIP files and trashing most of them (no worries, most are just random scenes of PD that have already been posted and are just sitting there gathering dust), except I found this section I cut from the end of chapter 6, because it worked better narratively without it, but if anyone was wondering what Alex did directly after bailing on Thomas I thought I'd share:

Alex takes one look at the empty inside of his own hotel room and promptly lets the door slam closed again without even stepping inside, because his throat is tight and clogged and and his chest hurts and his hands are shaking and sweaty and his head is throbbing and he can't breathe and he can't, can't can't sit alone there with just his own thoughts, with nothing to distract him from the confusion he doesn't want to examine.

Alex knows who he is, and what he's good at, and what he's not. He's not good at confusion. He's not got time for confusion. He's not got the energy for confusion. He's not, in any way, prepared for confusion of any kind.

Especially not confusion over Thomas Jefferson, who had no trouble asking Alex to stay, because he's not confused.

This needs to stay simple.

Fuck.

When John's door opens he's wearing sweatpants and his old Columbia hoodie and it's not until he blinks a few times that Alex realizes how much of a fucking mess he must look, hyperventilating in a hotel room doorway, sweaty and probably smelling exactly like what he'd been doing half an hour ago and his chest pulls a little more painfully at the realization that his best friend knows him far too well, is going to have a damn good idea of what Alex is hiding from-

Except John looks him over, nods to himself, and for once, blessedly, doesn't ask.

“You wanna crack open the minibar and get trashed making fun of the bored housewives that buy all the shit on the shopping channel?” he says instead, and Alex nods fervently.

“Fuck yes, please.”

So if anyone's interested in reading my reasoning, writing about writing, because sometimes I'm Alex and just like hearing myself talk, this was originally the closer for chapter 6, except it just didn't feel right. It made a lot more sense in the tone of the chapter to have it end right on Alex leaving (again). This chapter was all about Alex going from fuck-buddy territory to a place where he's realising he's starting to muddy the lines, and this section would have put him fully into starting the *freaking the fuck out about those muddy lines* portion of his development, which is mostly self-contained in chapter 8.

It also did something really weird to the emotional pace of the chapter, like I hyped Alex right up to manic being upset about Will, and then Thomas calmed him right down, and then yeah, he does get a tiny bit agitated again before he bails, but the chapter's over before it really gets going, whereas with this bit on the end, he starts getting really stressed out all over again, and it starts to feel a bit repetetive and rollercoaster-y.

Also it kinda pulled forward John's realisation that Alex was actually into Thomas to way earlier than it should have been, because although I meant for this scene to come off like he was just being an understanding enabler, it easily reads like John is recognising Alex running away from his *feelings*, and so I took it out to avoid that impression, because John's doesn’t really need to realise that Alex has it bad until much later.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this unnecessary essay. Happy Thursday! :)

[hils79]

Hils Watches Oh No! Here Comes Trouble - Ep 2

A few people have told me how excited they are that I'm watching it and telling me how good it is. I remain a little confused about what's going on but maybe things will become clearer in this episode.

I love that they keep making it look like something spooky is happening only for it to be a fake out. Except there also is something spooky happening because the last episode ended with what looked like a zombie

The most zoomer thing. Dude bumps into her and gets blood on her shirt. Gotta take a selfie and upload it with some nihilistic poetry

This is so fascinating. Everyone using social media to track the dude.

Okay obviously I have no idea but I am going to hazard a guess that this sole fan of Pu Yiyong's comic is the kid he bullied in school. They have to be connected somehow, right?

Of course he's going to get a job writing passages for the family of a loved one who passed away. And that will help him deal with his own grief over losing his dad. I don't know what I was expecting from this drama but it definitely wasn't this.

Poingnant scene about processing grief immediately followed by Pu Yiyong fainting as soon as he sees a zombie. Which is understandable I suppose but they are definitely playing it as comedy.

Wait is this going to be a buddy zombie drama?

Apparently zombies have no concept of personal space

This has nothing to do with the drama but I just hit pause to take a bite of my sandwich and 😂

Now they're going to solve his death together. Okay this is fun.

Uh....I kind of ship them?

You can't leave him at the spot where he died like a sad abandoned puppy

Look he's even doing the sad puppy head tilt

Oooooh! Interesting! I was wondering how the cop was going to fit into it. She saved Pu Yiyong's life by giving him CPR at the bus acceident site. But also I think she thinks he killed the zombie dude.

Can you imagine? Hi, yes, I woke up to find this zombie dude in my bedroom

Her: Shit if there's no body we can't prove that he killed this guy Him: Shit if there's no body that just makes me look even more sus

This is so fun

I'm not sure going straight back to the scene after you got released is the best idea

I thought for a second she wasn't going to be able to see zombie dude and just assume Pu Yiyong was lying. I forgot that zombie dude was on all those cameras and bumped into people.

I kind of want to hug him

I love everyone fainting when they see him for the first time. I feel like that's a normal reaction.

Pu Yiyong: Here is a cop, here is the victim who just happens to be the walking dead. No need for me to be involved anymore. Okay, bye.

Ah hah! So he's not a zombie he just possessed the body.

I regret looking that up

Look at them working together to solve crime. I mean his mum did say she didn't mind what he did with his life so long as it wasn't illegal and this is basically the opposite of illegal

Yeah, I am 100% on board with this now that we've got beyond all the setup. This was such a fun episode.

[itzcherrybonbon]

[E.L.A] Drop meets Artemis

[The art and E.L.A Artemis belong to me. E.L.A Drop belongs to @anotherrosesthatfell ]

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"So you're Artemis??"

Drop grinned, excitement filling her crimson eyes. Artemis couldn't help but chuckle, playfully ruffling Drop's hair.

"Yes, that's me. Who might you be?"

"I'm Drop! Palette's little sister!"

"Huh? As far as I'm concerned, Palette doesn't have a little sister..-"

"I'm from the original universe, silly!" Drop pouted "I don't know why I don't exist in this timeline, it's a little sad. But at least I exist in the original!"

"Ah, I see..How is it like in the original timeline?"

"Wellll, not so different from here, to be honest- Except you and some of the people from your timeline don't exist, and Nightmare is pretty mean!"

"Don't exist?.. Why? Where are PJ and Gradient? And Angst?"

"I dunno! I only just found out PJ and Gradient are my half siblings when I met them a while ago, but I have no idea where they are in my timeline- Also, I don't know who Angst is. I've never met a person named "Angst" before-"

"Angst is my big brother, like Crescent!.."

"That stupid priest has another brother??"

"Huh?! Crescent is a priest here?? I- Since when?! God, this is all too much for me to process.."

"Yeah samee..I have so many questions to ask everybody when I get back to my timeline"

"Let's change the subject.."

"Hmm- Oh, do you like my brother??"

"W-WHA- Drop, out of all questions..! Why this-"

"So you doo!! Aww! I'm gonna write it down on my ship list!"

"W-wait what?!"

Artemis tries to protest, a flustered mess- But there was nothing that could possibly change Drop's mind, plus, the secret was already out.

Artemis gives up, sighing in defeat.

.

.

.

"I must congratulate you! You're only 10 years old, yet you managed to create an otome game all on your own! Your hard work has paid off, I love it so far"

"You like otome games??"

"Yeah, some of them have an interesting storyline. I don't have time to play them often, but I have fun when I do! I'm enjoying your game a lot, I really wish it existed in my timeline.."

"Really, it kinda sucks! People are missing out on my best creation! :("

"Mhm..I wonder how things would've been if you existed in our timeline too. PJ and Gradient already adore you!"

"Probably nothing much would've changed..I do think you're the better sidekick, big brother is happier around you"

"Aw..Drop, don't say that. I'm 100% sure Palette is happy to have you as his sidekick, you must be doing your best"

"But it's not enough.."

"You're trying, it's the thought that matters. You care for your brother, and you chose to believe and help him as best as you can. If I was Palette, that'd be more than enough for me!" Artemis smiled at Drop, reassuring the younger.

"You really think so?"

"No, I know so. You shouldn't doubt yourself, Drop..You and your brother should stay determined, I know you've got it in you"

"Now I understand why your Palette adores you so much- GODDAMNIT YOU MADE ME CRY HAPPY TEARSS-"

"Pfft- Don't cry Drop..I'm just trying to keep you motivated"

.

.

.

"What do you think of Merciful?? He's my prince!"

"Your prince?.."

"Yeah! He is really handsome, and super nice to me!"

"Ugh..You actually like that two faced bastard? Not only is he 10 years older than you, but he's a hopeless person, really. Just Lux's dog. Nothing more, nothing less. Trust me when I say he's not for you. Plus, don't forget the big age gap."

"Well too bad! We're going to get married when I become a-"

"Absolutely not! Drop, hun, you're sweet but- PLEASE don't do something you're going to regret in the future- There are plenty of people out there your age. God..who taught you these things?? What the hell.. "

.

.

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I gave up.

For this reason, I might do a part two. MIGHT.

-Cherry,out