#also whoops this ended up being longer than intended

[psychedelic-ink]

𝑨𝑸𝑼𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑪 𝑹𝑬𝑯𝑨𝑩𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵

pairing: joel miller x f!reader

genre: smut, minors dni, no outbreak au, strangers to lovers

word count: 7.2k

summary: Joel has been experiencing knee pain for the past two months. When he finally sees an orthopedist, he learns that he has some minor damage to his meniscus. The doctor prescribes him anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy, recommending swimming. At the pool, he meets you.

warnings: conversation about past failed relationships + sexual relationships, sarah's off at college, reader being briefly self conscious about her body, touch starved joel, oral (giving), both reader and joel not being intimate with anyone for a while, piv sex, riding for the first time, ass play, messy, joel showing small signs of relationship anxiety, sexual tension, size kink, dirty talk, joel is mentioned to be older than reader but how old isn't specified, praise kink, joel being...well-endowed

a/n: this ended up being more emotional and longer than I intended lmaodfbvfg whoops?

Joel worries his bottom lip between his teeth. His right knee bobs nervously, his jeans making a sound every time. The early morning sun filters through the small window. A soft yellow light bounces off the picture frames on the orthopedist's desk. She’s not here yet. The kind nurse had let him in early, saying she would be there shortly. It smells like medicine. It’s too clean and he doesn’t like it. 

His stomach turns. Some part of him actually hopes the doctor doesn’t come in. Joel’s not hopeful about the results. His knees have been bugging him for the past two months. Locking painfully whenever he sat too long and got up. Or when he was sitting in the truck for too long. It just started to ache out of nowhere. It had gotten worse. He’d give in, finally, after Sarah practically begged him on the phone to see a doctor. After all this time he still couldn’t say no to his sweet girl. 

The door opens with a click. Joel becomes stiff, eyes nervously following the woman. She takes a seat. Placing the folder neatly on the shiny table, she opens it and smooths it out with the flat of her palms. 

“Good morning, Mister Miller.” she says, not bothering to look at him. “I've taken a look at your knee x-rays and it seems that you have a bit of damage in your meniscus.”

His molars catch the smooth inside of his cheek and sink into it. She just said a whole lot that he doesn’t understand. He shakes his head. She’s finally looking at him, sharp eyes peering between thinned lashes. 

“Is it serious? What does that mean?” he asks, hands finding the curve of his knees. 

“Well, the good news is that it's not a major injury. There’s just a bit of damage in the tissues and can be treated with some medication and physical therapy. You won’t need surgery unless it escalates. Which, hopefully, it won’t.”

“Okay, that's good to hear. What kind of medication and therapy do I need?”

“I'm going to prescribe you some anti-inflammatory medication to help reduce the swelling and pain in your knee. And as for physical therapy, I'd recommend you try swimming. It's a low-impact exercise that can help strengthen the muscles around your knee and promote healing. I also have some stretches I want to show you. I want you to do them daily.” 

She closes the folder, picks up a deck of Post-it notes, and starts scribbling something. 

“You were a contractor, right? I’m going to need you to refrain from heavy lifting for a while. No jumping, no running, no extreme movements that can affect your knee. Some walking is fine, but not a lot.” 

“Well,” he smacks his lips. Now relaxed, he leans back into the chair and crosses his arms. “There goes my weekend plans.” 

“Do you work out a lot? Because this is quite common in athletes.” 

“Uh…It was a joke.” 

“Oh.” 

Suddenly he’s fidgety again. Not wanting to look dumb, he explains. “Because you said jumpin’ and runnin’ and no one spends their weekend jumpin’ do they?” 

A nervous laughter bubbles in his throat, and he manages to swallow it down. She nods and peels the paper away. Handing it to Joel, she looks at him with a small smile. 

“Sorry about that, it’s still early. And you’re right. They don’t. 

You step into the small shower cabin and allow the cold water to trace over your skin and wash away the outside. The elastic of your swimming cap digs into your forehead, the goggles applying pressure right above your head. Slightly irritated, you sneak two fingers under where the plastic starts, allowing your head to breathe one last time before taking a dip in the pool. You come here almost every day. It’s relaxing, soothing. 

Your fingers slip as you twist the knob, turning off the spray of water. You might be biased due to your childhood, but you love the pool. You love the chlorine that fills your lungs with every breath. It’s sharp and pungent, leaving a slight burn in your lungs. During summers your parents would send you off to summer camp, which you thoroughly enjoyed. Though, calling it a “camp” felt wrong. It wasn’t outdoors, and you would return after the day ended, just like regular school, but instead of math, there was swimming and basketball. 

You remember those days fondly, which is why you sigh blissfully at the scent whereas a lot of people would wrinkle their noses. 

Walking to the pool, you roll your shoulders. You wince upon hearing them crack. It’s been a long week. Your gaze lifts to the ceiling. The soft pitter patters of rain echoes. You love to swim when it rains. It also meant there would be fewer people, and no children. You don’t have anything against the tiny humans, but they had a habit of being loud. 

You spot an older couple, their bodies swaying in a lazy backstroke, their voices spilling out in laughter. You also notice one other person that’s aggressively swimming back and forth. In one lane, you notice a man. His cap and black goggles make it hard to catch a glimpse of his face. It’s hardly inappropriate, but you can’t resist stealing a few more glances at him. 

You take in his broad shoulders, thick neck, and shapely arms. You narrow your eyes. You catch a glimpse of his salt and pepper beard, the darker hue of his mustache hinting at the  color of his hair. Your eyes drop to his hands, hidden in the water up to the knuckles. He clenches them into fists before releasing them.

Your curiosity piques. You’ve never seen him before, he looks lost. He’s standing above the built-in stairs which are mainly used for people who are just learning to swim. He takes another step lower. The light blue water splashes over his soft stomach and he jerks away. You instinctively smile. You usually don’t reach out to people. If they smile at you, you smile back or talk about the weather. But the stranger’s nervous energy prompts you to take a couple of steps closer—close enough that he can hear you. You take a deep breath, pressing your nails into your palms, you push down the thoughts about your own appearance. No one really looks that good in a one piece. You feel exposed, which is why you usually dip into the water as fast as you can before anyone can get a good look. 

“Hi there,” you squeak, with an awkward lift of your hand. The man stiffens and turns. Your own image is reflected back at you thanks to the goggles he wears. “Sorry to bother you, I was just…wondering if you need help?” 

He stares at you in silence for a brief moment, his brows drawn together with confusion. But a moment later he relaxes, his shoulders drop and he playfully shakes his head. 

Finally, he removes the goggles, and you see his eyes— his gorgeous, big brown eyes. Your breath catches in your throat. You’re suddenly feeling very clammy and sweaty. 

“Is it that obvious?” he asks, a grin teasing at his lips. “My doctor said I need to start swimmin’ before my knees give out entirely.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” 

He waves his hand in dismissal, “Don’t be. It's nothin’ that serious, just small damage to my meniscus. I know how to swim, so it’s nothin’ like that but I guess my nerves are fried from worryin’ all weak about the results. My brain still ain’t convinced that everythin’ is fine.” 

God, he’s gorgeous. All you can do is focus on the movement of his lips. Him speaking is enough to fluster you. You need to get it together before he thinks you’re a creep. You part your lips, but the words die in your throat as you watch him. He starts climbing the steps one by one with an extended hand. The water cascades down his body, his trunks sticking to his thighs. In a fit of panic, you glue your eyes to his. 

“I’m Joel by the way.” he takes your hand and gives it two firm shakes. You introduce yourself but all you can hear is your own frantic heartbeat. 

“I’m glad it’s nothing serious,” you blurt out. You have no idea what to say or what you’re doing. “If you’re nervous we can do a couple of laps together if you want—if you’re comfortable with that, of course.” 

You swear your heart stops when his eyes flit across your face, assessing how serious you are. His smile never fades. You inhale sharply when his tongue darts out from between his lips, sweeping over his damp bottom lip.

“I bet you say that to all the older guys.” 

“Only the cute ones.” 

Clearly, the circuits between your brain and mouth are heavily damaged because there’s no way on god’s green earth did you just say that. You blink fast. Images of you choking out another you vivid in your mind. You’re insane—only the ones that are cute, who even says that? No more romantic comedies for you. 

Joel pushes his shoulders back. He exhales a deep breath, his chest heaving. 

“Well, ain’t that kind of you.” he takes a step back into the water, some part of you regrets not sneaking at least one more glance at his nethers. “I guess I should take you up on your offer. It’s only polite.” 

A nervous bubble of laughter escapes your throat. You don’t say anything and follow him into the pool. You’re glad to be finally submerging your body in water. Ever since you were little you would believe that water had magical healing properties. You would go into the water, thinking that someone it would speak to you. Despite being an adult, you still think that sometimes. It just makes life a little bit more fun. You know it’s stupid to think of chloric water having any kind of benefit to your body, however, it’s hard to break old thought patterns. 

Joel dips head first, and after watching his distorted silhouette underwater, you follow. You smile, bubbles coming from your nose. Your spine cracks as your body becomes more fluid. You turn around so you are facing upwards. Light bounces on top of the small waves. The ceiling is nothing but a blur of white and blue. Some part of you wishes this was an open pool so you could feel the vibrations of raindrops hitting the waterline. 

Turning again, you notice Joel moving up. His head pops above water. You take one last glance at his body before propelling yourself up, joining him. 

Your eyes follow the way waterdrops smooths a line down from his neck to his shoulder. Your mouth goes dry. 

“So,” you say. “Did your doctor give you any specific exercises?” 

He shakes his head, “She just told me to go swimmin’. And not to put pressure on my knees.” 

You think for a bit before answering, “Alright then. We’ll just take it slow, so a couple of laps first, take small breaks in between.” 

“You…really don’t have to, you know,” Joel looks almost guilty before his eyes move away from yours. Confused, you raise an eyebrow. 

“I don’t have to what?” 

“Swim with me.” 

You feel your heart shattering into tiny pieces of glass that stick to your lungs. His voice is barely above a whisper, cracking at the end of his sentence. Your body moves towards his by instinct. The most natural thing would be to place your hand on his cheek and pull him for a tender kiss. Your body singing at you to do it. And man, you’re tempted alright. You want to trace the seam of his lips with your tongue, taste the chlorine on his lips. 

You ball your hands into tight fists, thankful to be hidden underwater. You recognize the loneliness that maps across his handsome countenance. 

“I know I don’t have to,” you say instead. He looks back at you with surprise, eyes immediately dropping to your wet lips. “I want to.” 

He lets out a breath of relief, and nods, a smile gracing his lips. “A’right then. As long as I’m not keepin’ you from anythin’.” 

The swimming had gone well. Joel definitely had the body and stamina for it, and the more laps he did, the more confident he became with his strokes. You found yourself staring at him openly, stealing glances before you dipped below the water, hiding your embarrassment. 

However, he was still a beginner, and he’s knees began to ache after the tenth lap. He insisted that you continue without him as he sat at the side of the pool. You were hesitant at first but agreed, however, your cheeks burned from the mere prospect of that man watching you swim. 

When you’re done, you catch him staring at you with a fond smile lingering on his lips. You imagine that’s the same look he’d give you with the first rays of sunlight after a rather passionate night. 

Your pussy bottoms out, heat spreading between your legs. You inhale sharply, accidentally snorting a bit of water. It burns and your eyes water, but you manage to swallow down the frantic coughs that threaten to rip from your throat. 

“Sweet little mermaid.” he mutters as you approach, eyes following you with greed. Your breath hitches, and Joel loses his grounding for a moment. He clears his throat and looks away. “You swim well.” 

“Thanks,” you answer. “You’re not so bad yourself.” 

You ignore the heat that emanates from his thigh, your arms accidentally brushing against the hard muscle. You clumsily push yourself out of the pool and take a seat next to him. 

“How’re your knees feeling?” you ask. 

He lets out a hum, stretching his legs underwater. “They’re fine. Hopefully, this works.” 

“I’m sure it will.” 

"Even if it doesn't work out, at least I won't be going home empty-handed," he says with a smile. Your eyes flick to him and widen slightly. Very inappropriately, your nipples tighten. A blush starts from his neck and spreads across his broad chest, you notice the goosebumps bursting over his skin. He starts to fidget with his thumbs. “And by that, I mean that I got to meet you. I think I put that weirdly.” 

The world comes rushing back and you feel the soft waves of the pool on your skin again. You smile. Without thinking much, you playfully nudge his shoulder with your own. A soft chuckle parts his lips as he leans into you. Neither of you moves away from the other. 

“So,” you say, flinching at how high-pitched you sound. “Is there a Mrs. Joel?” 

He laughs. The sound reminds you of an open field with colorful flowers dancing side to side with the wind. Instinctively, you sigh, your lashes kissing your cheeks. 

“Nope,” he answers. “What about you?” 

You shake your head, “I’ve been single for two years.” 

“I find that hard to believe.” 

“Well,” you look ahead, the old couple you spotted before is getting out of the pool. “My heart got broken quite a few times. I think without noticing I closed myself off after my last relationship. I find it hard to open up now and—” you cut off, your gaze drifting back to him. You bark an uncomfortable-sounding laugh and drop your head to your chest. “Aaand, I have no idea why I’m telling you this. Sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize, darlin’. For what it’s worth, I haven’t been with anyone for a long time either.” 

You grin and raise an eyebrow, “I find that hard to believe.” 

Joel smiles but it’s a soft one, like he’s remembering something—or in this case, someone. With unblinking eyes, you wait for him to elaborate. He notices your gaze, his smile stretches into a grin. 

“It’s not that interestin’ of a story,” he sighs. “I had my daughter when I was quite young. Mother left. And until Sarah went to college there was no one. After she left…I had a couple of flings but that’s pretty much it. Nothin’ long term.” 

“You have a daughter?” 

“Uh, yeah.” he answers, scratching the back of his head. You feel kind of bad now that you made him feel awkward. That wasn’t your intention at all. You’re surprised, but you find it to be sweet that he has a daughter. It must’ve been hard to raise her on his own. 

Before you can say anything, you sense him pulling back, both emotionally and physically. His shoulder isn’t pressed against yours anymore, the lack of contact makes you ache. He moves his legs languidly under the water, your gaze follows the movement. 

“I know it might be awkward. And not ideal. But I would love it if we could get to know each other more.” 

Your ears burning, you take his hand into yours, squeezing it tightly. If he’s surprised by your sudden gesture, he doesn’t show it. He doesn’t look at you and you squeeze again, drawing his gaze back to you. 

“That’s not why I asked. That was probably a bit insensitive of me, I was just surprised and it came out wrong.” you let out a breath of relief when his thumb begins to draw slow circles over your skin. A shiver settles at the base of your spine. “And I would very much like to get to know you.” 

Your heart skips a beat at the way his entire face lights up. Looking at him proving to be similar to looking into the sun, you lower your gaze and grin. You feel dizzy. 

“Does that mean I can ask for your number sunshine?” he asks and leans closer. His warm breath fanning your cheek. 

You nod, “Of course.” 

The pleasant buzz that thrums in your veins soon shift into one of simmering annoyance. Of course, someone took—no, stole—your umbrella. It’s just your luck. It’s raining cats and dogs and all you can do is watch the heavy drops collide with concrete as you wait outside. You look up to the sky, pleading that it stops. You love the rain, love listening to it, but only if you’re surrounded by your cozy home wrapped in a blanket. Or if you’re swimming. 

You could’ve handled a soft drizzle, sometimes you even enjoyed walking under the rain, but not this. You swear one of those drops alone can poke an eye out. It’s deafening. Thunder echoes, and you can’t help but flinch. Everything is so loud. Your body is refreshed, but at the same time, your muscles are drained from all the swimming. Exhausted from the workout and the excitement, all you want is a cozy nook with a steaming cup of tea and a good book.

You don’t have much else to do until the rain stops, therefore, you think of Joel. He’d been truly a splendid surprise. Sometimes life sucked but moments like those made it better. After exchanging numbers, he’d promised to call you as soon as he was back home. 

A smile tugs at your lips. You find it cute that he said he called instead of texting you. You’ll get to hear his voice which is a huge plus. 

You’re viciously ripped away from your thoughts when a loud honk echoes above the rain. With your hairs standing on edge, you see a truck with the window pulled down. You narrow your eyes. The rain and headlights create a thick fog, making it difficult to see clearly. 

“Joel?” you call out, hoping that you’re seeing right. 

“Hey,” he answers, leaning over and popping the door open for you. “Hop in.” 

You take the first step, a bit uncertain with your movements in fear that it might be an illusion created by the stormy night, but it’s not. The leather seat under you is solid and so is the man sitting next to you. You wipe your face with your sleeve. 

“Thanks. You basically saved my ass right now. Some asshole stole my umbrella.” 

He grins, “It’s the least I could do.” 

The rain pounds relentlessly against the windshield, the sound a chaotic symphony that drowns out everything else. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and you flinch as a particularly loud crack splits through the air. You jump in your seat. Joel’s hand lands softly on your thigh, sending a jolt of electricity through your body. You look at him, surprised, and he meets your gaze with a small smile.

“Is this alright?” he asks, his voice gentle as he squeezes.

You nod, your heart pounding in your chest. His touch is warm and inviting. Like a soft caress that makes your skin tingle. You feel a sudden urge to lean into him, to climb on top of his lap, and allow his wide hands to roam all over your back. 

Joel starts the car and drives onto the road. The world outside is a blur of colors and lights. Neon signs flicker in the rain, casting a rainbow of colors on the wet pavement. The buildings are tall and imposing, like ancient giants looming over the city. The headlights of passing cars slice through the darkness, creating sharp streaks of light that dance across your vision.

You watch the world pass by in a daze, lost in thought. The rain is a soothing sound, like a lullaby that whispers you to sleep. Joel’s hand on your thigh is a comforting presence, grounding you in reality. 

The rain grows louder, the drops striking the windshield almost violently. Much to your disappointment, he pulls his hand away, leaving you feeling a sudden emptiness. You open your eyes, watching as he shifts gears and maneuvers the car through the busy streets.

You lean your head against the window, watching the world outside blur by in a dizzying whirl. You don’t have much to say and that’s okay. His presence isn’t forcing you to make awkward small talk. You’re completely content just being here with him, a moment you’re positive that you’ll never forget, no matter which direction your relationship with him goes. 

When you finally pull up to your house, dread washes over you. You want to invite him inside for something warm, as a thank you for rescuing you from the rain. But you’re not entirely sure that you should. 

You push back your worries.

“This is me,” you break the silence. "Would you like to come inside for a bit? I have tea and coffee— or perhaps you would prefer wine to warm you up?" 

The last addition was meant as a joke, a little bit of humor to break the tension. Joel’s lips are tightly pressed together, his knuckles almost white from how hard he’s squeezing the steering wheel. After grueling moments of silence, he swallows and turns off the car. 

“Wine sounds great.” 

The sound of your front door closing behind you feels momentous. Ironically enough, you don’t get to open the bottle of wine. You kiss him first, and he follows, pushing you up against the wall with possessive hands. You barely manage to push the door closed. He’s all consuming. Inhaling your chlorine scented skin and drinking lust from your lips. He kneads your breasts in his large palms and you gasp into his mouth, he swallows the sound. Parting away, he licks the seam of your lips before leveling you with a steady gaze. 

“I promised myself to take this slow,” he rasps, panting heavily. When the first hints of laughter tickle the back of your throat, he takes hold of your hips and presses them firmly together. You feel the hardness of his length through the fabric of his jeans. Your eyes roll back. “That feels good don’t it—fuck—I just don’t want to fuck this up, you’re really nice and—” 

“Joel,” you say, cupping his cheeks and forcing him to meet your gaze. “Calm down. You’re not going to fuck this up. We’re in this together. I really want this, you do too. But if you want to go slow, have that wine, we’ll go slow. But I don’t want you to be stressed out of your mind no matter what you choose, okay?” 

He exhales a breath, deep and steady. “Okay,” he says, hands squeezing your hips. “Okay. Sorry ‘bout that. I hope I didn’t scare you off.” 

“You could never,” you say, brushing your lips together. “So, what do you wanna do?” 

“I think I want to show you to a good time, sweetheart.” 

“Meaning?” 

“I want to fuck you.” he swallows. “If you want it too.” 

“Oh, believe me. I do.” 

You catch the curve of a mischievous smile before he crashes into you, claiming your lips in a heady kiss. He pushes a leg between your thighs and your grind down, gasping at the friction. Warmth gathers under the tissue of your stomach, everlasting. It’s been so long since you felt like this. The heat of someone tearing you apart and pulling you back again. 

A pleasant tingle spreads from your legs up your spine. Joel licks into you, his tongue moving over yours. He nips at your bottom lip. You whine when he parts away, his lips leaving a trail of wet kisses down your neck. He feels your pulse with his lips. An involuntary giggle leaves you as his mustache chafes the skin. He teeths at the flesh and you grind your hips down once more, wetness growing between your legs. 

“Sweetheart,” he breathes shakily. “Show me to the bedroom.” 

The trip to the bedroom is a disorienting one; A blur of limbs and kisses being traded with one another. You feel like a teenager, not being able to keep away not even for a second. You don’t bother to close the bedroom door. Joel pulls your shirt off, your ears left ringing at the force of it while your hands fumble with his zipper. Joel chuckles and bats your hands away. The way you furrow your brows goes unnoticed. He dips his head, closing his lips around the tight nipple. 

Your legs start to shake. He flicks his tongue, the tight nub pebbling swiftly. Your head falls back, a deep moan coming from the back of your throat. He sucks and moves his jaw, applying pressure. While one hand rests over the curve of your waist, the other promptly toys with your unattended nipple, pinching and twisting until it’s hard and aching. 

“Shit—Joel—” you gasp, voice quivering. “It’s been a while, it feels so good. Fuck.” 

He parts away from your chest, the tip of his tongue swirling deftly around the areola. His warm breath makes you shiver. “That’s okay honey, I’ve got you.” 

“Take this off,” you mumble in a daze, pulling at the hem of his shirt. You bend your knees to cup his erection, it pulses under your palm. “And take these off too. I want you in my mouth.” 

“You’re killin’ me, sweetheart,” he breathes out. “You’d like that, huh? My cock in your mouth, cummin’ down your throat as you wrap them pretty lips around me—what a sight it would be.” 

“Fuck yes,” you choke out, gently pushing him towards the bed. 

You’re almost delusional in the way you speak and move. He’d painted you a picture you so desperately wanted to make into reality. You tug off his shirt as he kicks off his jeans along with his underwear. A sharp exhale parts your lips when you feel his dripping cock against your lower stomach. Heavy and hot, pressing against your skin. You wrap your fingers around the base and they barely close around him. The tips of your ears burn. 

“J-Joel, oh my god,” you say with awe. “I-I don’t know if I can take you all.” 

His fingers touch the back of your neck and he pulls you between his legs as the two of you tumble onto the bed. He gently squeezes, your body melting at the touch. His lips touch your ear. 

“Sure you can, sunshine. We’ll just take it nice and slow, a’right? I’ll fuck this pretty little cunt with just the tip if I have to, it feels good all the same.” his thumb traces your bottom lip, and slowly, he pushes the digit into your mouth. Your eyes fluttering, you suck his thumb. “Just get my dick nice and wet with this dirty tongue of yours. Been twitchin’ since you uttered the words.”  

He pops out his thumb and leaves wet streaks across your cheek. You move down his body, dragging your nails down the swell of his stomach as you get closer and closer to his length. Joel hisses when you wetly kiss the tip, a bead of precum forming. You wrap one hand around the base and rest the other over his stomach, fingers caressing the coarse hairs that form a sinful trail. 

“You’re so big,” you whisper, lips dancing over the length of his throbbing cock. He moans. “That swimsuit of yours doesn’t do you justice at all.” 

“If you continue to talk like that I’m going to bust,” he chokes, hands fisting the sheets. “Please just—” he swallows. “Just stop toyin’ with me.” 

Answering him with a throaty hum, you dip your tongue into the slit, groaning at the taste of him. His cock twitches against your lips, smearing precum over the tender swell of it. Parting your mouth wide, you take the bulbous head between your lips and flatten your tongue. You feel a vein that curls underneath his length. You groan and take him deeper. He’s been truly blessed, the width stretching you wide, forcing saliva to dribble from the corners of your mouth. Your cunt clenches around nothing. Slick glistening at the insides of your thighs. 

You’re still worried about not being able to take him all. You want to feel every inch of him buried deep inside, and even though Joel assured you that it would be okay, you still want this to go perfectly. It’s been a long time for you both, you want it to feel good for him too. 

“Deeper,” he croaks out and when you look up, you find those gorgeous, dazed out, brown eyes looking down at you. “Can you?” 

Your lids flutter heavily. Nodding, you force your head down, your chin straining as you take him halfway. Your vision blurs with tears. Spit oozes down his length, your throat convulsing at the pressure. 

“You’re takin’ it so well,” he praises through grit teeth, his southern drawl deeper and more noticeable than before. “So fuckin’ well. You feel so good—I ain’t gonna last sweetheart.” 

Encouraged by his sudden honesty, you mentally grin. And with more fervor than before, you bounce your head up and down while stroking the rest with your hand. Briefly you remove your lips, swipe your palm over the head and move it back down, coating the rest of him with slick. You take him again, his thighs tightening around your frame, shaking uncontrollably as he forces his hips to remain still. 

Moans echo from the back of Joel’s throat, filling the room with his deep cadence. He reaches out for your hand and locks your fingers together, holding you and guiding your hand further up his stomach. You’re a bit unbalanced now. His cock spears almost painfully down your throat. While trying to limit yourself with only the half of his length, his cock twitches, and throbs. You repeatedly swallow around him, your hand starting to shake. 

Large drops of precum coat your tongue and go down your throat, his grip on your hand painfully tight. You breathe heavily through your nose. He’s about to come. With a ferality you haven’t felt with anyone before, you push apart your legs and force yourself down against the sheets. The soft fabric doing little when it grazes your aching clit. You moan around him. 

Then you find yourself empty. A gasp rips from your throat at the way Joel pulls you off his cock, breathing in heavy pants. Your gaze drops to his cock. The head a beautiful shade of red, glistening with precome and spit. You lick your lips. 

“Sorry,” he grunts, pulling you so that you’re straddling his waist. He pushes himself up by the elbows, face only an inch away from yours. “I didn’t wanna come just yet. Need to feel you around me, sunshine.” 

He closes the distance and claims you with a devout kiss. He tastes himself on your tongue, hips jerking up in a weak attempt to seek you out. You breathe him in. The scent of chlorine and something so undeniable Joel fills your lungs. 

“Don’t keep me waiting then,” you grin against his lips. He mimics your expression grinning as he lays back down. He guides you to raise your hips, and briefly, worry crosses your face. 

A question quickly follows, “What’s wrong?” 

“I…fuck, it’s stupid. Don’t worry about it.” but of course, he doesn’t let go and fixes you a look that has you spilling your guts. “It’s just been a while and well. I’ve never actually done it like…this.” 

“You never rode someone before?” 

You shake your head and bite your bottom lip. Frowning, he touches the abused flesh with his thumb and tugs it away, smoothing it with the pad of his finger. 

“We can switch positions. It’s okay.” 

“But I want to try it.” your words coming out in a rush, it’s followed by a nervous laughter. “I always did, but my partners usually had other plans. And after a while, I just generally chickened out and stopped asking. I got embarrassed.” 

“Oh, honey.” 

Your eyes widen upon feeling his arms around you, pulling you into a bear hug. His hand cradles the back of your head and you bury your face into the crook of his neck. You kiss the skin. Warmth blossoming in your chest. Both of you suspended in the moment, breathing each other in and out. Soon, his fingers trace a path down your spine, and a chill spreads at the end of your back. 

“Believe me,” he mutters, you feel the movement of his jaw. “I would want nothin’ more than to have you on top of me, takin’ you deep. I’m sorry those assholes made you feel otherwise.” 

You choke out a sound, smiling and shaking your head. “It’s not that they were assholes—well, maybe some of them—but maybe I just wasn’t good at expressing myself. Or I just didn’t look…” you clear your throat, his arms tighten around you, forcing the air out of your lungs. “Anyway, it’s not important.” 

“You express yourself fine if you ask me.” his thumb skims over your clit and you gasp. The digit slides between your folds with ease, he hums in approval. “And it looks like your body is expressin’ itself quite well too.” 

An understanding without words forms between your two. He cups your ass and you lift yourself up by holding onto his broad shoulders. Joel jerks himself with one hand before he motions you to lower yourself. Despite how soaking wet you are, the stretch still makes you wince. You continue a bit further, having to stop when it proves to be more painful than pleasurable. Sliding his one hand back to your front, he leisurely circles around your clit. You clench and dig your nails into his shoulders. 

“That’s it, go slow sweetheart. We have all the time in the world. You’re doin’ so good for me. Spreading yourself around my cock like that.” 

Feeling yourself becoming loose, you sink further down, only having to stop again a few inches later. You groan in frustration and Joel puts his mouth on your breasts, sucking. 

You draw in a long breath, “Is that all of it?”

Joel looks up and allows himself to smile. 

“Well, nearly. Just a bit more.” 

His mouth moves down and captures your nipple between his lips. Your walls flutter around him, adjusting to his size. With a moan, you sink down completely, his hips flush against yours. Joel breaks away from your tender skin, both of you moaning loudly in unison. His head falls back against the bedpost, staring at you between heavy lids. He looks completely blissed out. 

Wanting more of the debouched expression, you ever so slightly move up your hips and sit back down again. His eyes squeeze shut, his throat trembling with a wrecked groan. You’re not doing any better, your eyes rolling back as your muscles start to spasm. 

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, you’re wet. Shit. Can I move, sunshine? Please?” 

“God yes,” you breathe out, your head spinning. His hands cup your rear, helping you to lift halfway off his cock before lowering you again. Electricity runs up your spine. Your cry out his name, pulsing around him uncontrollably. “J-Joel, I don’t think I’m gonna last,” you say apologetically. 

“That’s okay,” he groans, voice hoarse. “I ain’t gonna last long either.” 

The two of you capture a soft rhythm that works for the both of you. Joel guides the sloppy roll of your hips, and you do your best to move up and down his cock. Your legs aching due to the swimming. You want to go faster, the burning between your legs growing with every grind of your hips. There’s an itch deep inside. An inch that you can’t seem to scratch with the way you’re moving. You whimper and fix Joel a pleading look. His cock twitches. 

“You want it harder?” he rasps, lashes fluttering. 

“Yes,” you exhale. “Give it to me, Joel. I want you to fuck me hard with this big cock of yours.” you make a show of rolling your tongue and pressing your hips flush against him, grinding yourself into his pelvis. 

“The mouth on you, Jesus.” he drawls but with a smile. Your heart skips a beat, a grin of your own touching your lips. 

You’re confused when Joel sucks two fingers into his mouth. Not that you’re complaining. You see the pink of his tongue, the glistening spit that coats his thick fingers. Pulling them out, Joel massages your asscheeks and spreads them, you moan as the open air hits your other hole. He brushes two wet fingers over the rim, making you quiver. 

“Feels good?” 

You nod and he slips one finger, your entire body jolts, your breath catching in your throat. However, you don’t have time to focus on the new sensation. Joel presses his feet into the mattress and with fervor, he starts fucking up into you. Railing you until you’re gasping for air and left feeling nothing else but the heavy stroke of his cock. You shout his name, your lungs burn. 

“That’s it make a mess of me, darlin’. Such a good fuckin’ girl. All you need is my help isn’t it? Look at you, doin’ so well for me.” the words he continues to mutter force out a visceral reaction from you. You claw at his chest. Dragging them down as his cock spears into you over and over. The slick sounds echoing throughout the room. You notice him watching where you two connect, he looks hypnotized. His lips parting as he watches his cock disappear into your wet cunt. 

He pushes his finger in deeper and you’re suddenly aware of how full you feel. Your arms that keep you upright buckle and you fall down, covering him like a blanket. An apology touches your lips, but before you can, Joel’s lips are already on your temple, kissing and whispering praise all the while continuing to fuck you senseless. He pulls out his finger and slightly lifts your hips for a better angle. You whine at the loss and hear him chuckle. 

“Another time, sunshine.” 

Your walls start to spasm and contract, his hips start to stutter. His strong steady strokes becoming sloppy and rushed, he pushes you down against him rolling his hips and grinding deeper into you. Fuck. Your head is spinning violently. Your cunt dripping and making a mess of his cock. He rubs into you again, the dark hairs that crown his length stimulating your throbbing clit. 

A silent scream shakes your chest. You see white before you squeeze him tight, the force of it making his breath hitch. You gush around him. Slick rolling down his cock and seeping into the sheets. You don’t even notice the wet tears smeared all over your face as you nuzzle him. Waves of pleasure wash over you again and again. Leaving you shaking and panting for air. Joel holds you still, his hands comforting against your heated skin. 

Your jaw goes slack when he gently thrusts up again, shushing you when you let out a whine. 

“Where do you want me?” 

It takes you a while to understand the question. Lifting your head, you give him a blank stare. His eyes glimmer with amusement, a lopsided smile forming on his lips. 

“Look at you,” he coos. “Pretty little thing completely fucked out. You look beautiful, sweetheart.” 

You’re pretty sure you actually purr at his words. You leisurely smile. You lift your hips and push them back down, both of you groaning in delight. He keeps uttering pretty from under his breath, his own composure breaking down. Another orgasm rolls over you, albeit much softer this time, like a fire warming your skin. You sigh happily, kissing him on the lips. 

“Where?” he asks, a bit more desperate this time. 

“My mouth.” 

“Oh, fuck.” 

Everything is sloppy and uncoordinated. You’re not even sure how you make your way down between his legs. You’re still throbbing when you suck on the tip, your eyes closing as you taste the mixture of you and himself. You take him as deep as you can, feeling him at the back of your throat. He holds your head but doesn’t force you to the more. 

“Sweetheart, move your tongue.” 

Your skin prickles at how hoarse he sounds. You happily obliged, stroking the underside of his cock with the flat of your tongue. He sucks in a sharp breath, his chest expanding, and on the exhale, he lets out the loudest moan of the night. It comes from the depths of his lungs. His hips jerk, finally spilling down your throat, you swallow him greedily, your walls pulsing with a need to be stretched again. 

He comes and comes and comes. There’s so much of it. It floods your mouth, trickling down your chin. You breathe heavily. His cock throbs on your tongue and god you love the feeling. 

“Fuuuuuuuuuck, that felt so good.” his hands fall limp to his side. With a grin, you release his cock and swallow once more, more audibly this time. His dark gaze drops to your lips. He shakily wipes the come that spilled from your lips, popping it back into your mouth. You lick at the digit eagerly. “I should thank whoever it was that stole your umbrella,” he mumbles. 

“We should get them a cake,” you tease, kissing the empty patch on his beard. “So…should we get cleaned up and then…talk?” 

He squeezes your hips and then follows the curve of your spine. “Sounds like a plan, sunshine.” 

You end up sharing that bottle of wine after all. 

[sixcrowsbooks]

cw // slight passive suicidal ideation

Imagine after shit goes down on Chorus, Locus is just. Adrift. Not sure what to do or where to go now that Felix isn’t with him, guiding him, manipulating him into whatever scheme he has up his sleeve. He thinks of leaving Chorus, but he feels the need to atone for what he and Felix did. Because at the end of the day, he was still the one pulling the trigger, he still could have told Felix to shove it. But he didn’t, so here he is.

He tries his best, which…is just a weird mix of lurking in the background and keeping tabs on everyone. And he means everyone no matter who they are. If they were effected by the proxy war, then he keeps an eye on them, anonymously gives them what he can, whatever. But he still feels that it isn’t enough, that it will never be enough.

That is, until he and the Reds and Blues find out that Felix somehow, someway, survived. Internally, that nearly becomes his downfall because the only way, the only way, he was able to start making amends and becoming a better person was with the knowledge that Felix was no longer in the picture and looking over his shoulder at his every move. But he is, even if it’s nowhere near Armonia, and now Locus has no idea what to do. He becomes even more isolated than he already is, so remote that it even takes Carolina and Wash a while to find him.

After they do, though, they fight like hell to persuade him to help take Felix down once and for all. He agrees in the end, believing that if he’s the one to pull the trigger this one final time, he can atone for what he’s done, not only on Chorus but for the years upon years of misery and death he’s inflicted previously. And if he dies in the aftermath, well…who would really be at a loss at this point? Shit very quickly hits the fan, Locus gets shot multiple times, but Felix is dead, the fucker is dead, and that’s all that matters to him. Locus closes his eyes for what he believes is the final time, and he’s finally able to rest.

Except joke’s on him, as if the sim soldiers and freelancers were just going to let him leave without a fight. He eventually wakes up in a room that isn’t his own, and after all the hoopla of everyone finding out he’s awake, he finally learns what happened after the fact: that Wash and Tucker got him back, that the others all helped to get him to the hospital before he could bleed out entirely. That Grey had to go in and perform like. So many fucking surgeries to make sure he didn’t die, that he didn’t wake up for like a week.

That Wash specifically knew how disorienting and alienating and downright stressful hospital rooms can be, so he pushed to have him moved to a private bunk instead, once he was stable.

And Locus, bless his drug-addled heart, has no fucking idea what to think. He looks around at these sim soldiers, at Wash and Carolina in the corner of the room, and is completely overwhelmed. How can these people, who he and his partner have been trying to kill because it’s paid well enough…How could they sit there and look him in the eye and tell him in no uncertain terms that they wanted him to live? That they wanted him to be part of their lives?

Wash takes notice of this and is eventually able to shoo everyone out, sans Tucker because he’s too stubborn for his own good. And when Locus simply stares at the freelancer with what could only amount to a feeling of overwhelm and perhaps a bit of fear for what the future holds, he just shrugs and Locus won’t forget what he says to him. “Don’t try to make sense of it, trust me. Just…accept it for what it is. And try to be a better person from now on because of it. Because apparently they — we — decided that you deserve a second change, too.” It was spoken plainly, not particularly heartwarming, but Locus was awestruck anyway, if confused. And a few days or weeks or months down the line, he’ll remember that Tucker held a similar expression on his face along with another unknown emotion, also directed towards Wash. For now, though, he’ll just nod numbly, wait for them to leave for the night, and try his best not to think about anything in favor of sleep.

I gotta silly lil Locus idea I wanna talk about 🤭

[airbender-dacyon]

Benlynn Parallels & Analysis

Alright, so this is by no means an exhaustive list, just what I am able to recall right now, but here's some of the Ben & Brooklynn parallels I noticed from Season 1 of Chaos Theory, as well as a few under the cut that are speculation based on trailers and promos from Season 2 (so spoiler warning for those). And I ended up doing more analysis on this than I intended, whoops.

Apologies for the long post, but I wanted to keep any spoilers under the cut and this ended up being much longer than I planned. I also apologize because it's been a minute since I've been able to watch Camp Cretaceous in its entirety and a bit since I last watched S1 of Chaos Theory so I hope my memory is right on most of this.

Also, this is meant to just be a fun post. It is a ship post, but I also acknowledge that the parallels likely don't mean anything beyond they're friends with shared interests/similar traits (if they even mean that).

Dark Jurassic Nerds

"What about that website I showed you?" "OMG. Dark Jurassic? Yes. Amazing." "Isn't it?"

Ben, in a surprising twist to me, was the one to discover Dark Jurassic. When Camp Cretaceous ended, I wouldn't have guessed he would be the one to become invested in a social media site. I will say that it makes sense that Brooklynn, having grown up as a social media influencer, was staying away from social media more after the Nublar Six returned home and that she didn't come across Dark Jurassic sooner. Regardless, the pair are both heavily invested in the website, though Brooklynn seems to have vetted the theories more than Ben, given her interaction with Yaz:

So it seems like Ben had a habit of sending a lot of stuff he found interesting her way, but only a few things, like the Dino Immersion Therapy, Brooklynn found to be legit.

2. "Okay, at first, I was like, ugh. But this view!"

I still think it is surprising that between Ben's flashback and Kenji's flashback, Brooklynn expresses more excitement over the view of a pretty ordinary skyline from the rooftop of a college dormitory that Ben shows her during her surprise visit than she does the bioluminescent Parasaurolophus at sunset amidst cliffs and a waterfall that her boyfriend of 5+ years had planned as a big romantic gesture.

We don't know the exact date when Brooklynn visited Ben at college, so I fully admit that probably plays a big part in the difference in Brooklynn's reaction. Since this is shortly after Ben introduced Brooklynn to Dark Jurassic and we know that 1) Brooklynn visited Yaz 14 months before the start of Season 1 and 2) Kenji broke up with Brooklynn shortly before (at least a few weeks, I believe) her apparent death roughly 6 months before S1, the Benlynn flashback takes place at least 14 months before S1, probably even earlier than that. Heck, it might be 18-24 months before S1. So, obviously Brooklynn is in a much healthier headspace in Ben's flashback whereas she had become obsessed with uncovering the dinosaur trafficking conspiracy by the time of Kenji's flashback, resulting in her indirectly neglecting her relationship with him.

3. Funny Stories, Personal Questions, & Other Shared Interests?

"Uh, yeah. College is great, but sometimes I gotta get outside just to feel like I can breathe." "Weird how it can be so hard to feel normal, now that everything is so... normal." "See those Pteranodons up there?" "Uh-huh." "One of them grabbed a freshman's backpack and took off with it." "No way." "She had to tell her professor that a dinosaur ate her homework." [Brooklynn laughs] "What?" "That's really funny." "Well, not to her. She failed her assignment." [Brooklynn laughs harder] "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No, I'm sorry, that's really sad." [Snorts] "That's sad." "The point is, I don't know if there's such a thing as normal anymore." "Yeah."

It hadn't been my intention to quote such a large chunk of the flashback, but I do find it interesting how this interaction between these two played out. Ben & Brooklynn had only a handful of scenes - more accurately, a handful of interactions - together in Camp Cretaceous. And so to see these two alone together and enjoying each other's company was refreshing to see. Again, this isn't a 'they shared a moment together, now they're going to end up together' post. The fact that there was a significant flashback that highlighted how Ben & Brooklynn get along, despite not being one of the other's closest friends within the Nublar Six, was a stellar choice. They could have easily done for Ben what they did with Sammy: a very brief, but still impactful memory/vision of Brooklynn.

But in this scene, it's neat that Ben is telling the story to reassure Brooklynn that 1) even though they've been home safe from Nublar for years now, their experiences will never go away and 2) prehistoric wildlife is out in the world, "normal" doesn't really exist and they shouldn't expect it to. Like on Nublar, they have to adapt to the new dynamic. But, intentionally or not, Ben is also telling the story in a very humorous way, which results in Brooklynn's laughter. And whether you see the moment as shippy or just friends, it was pretty adorable to see Ben making Brooklynn laugh.

The scene on the rooftop also begins in a rather interesting way, as Ben's dialogue starts by announcing the rooftop view is his favorite spot on campus, followed by why he goes there/gets outside. So, presumably, Brooklynn had asked him how college was going. And after the Pteranodon story, Ben does something unique to the flashbacks we've seen in Season 1.

He asks Brooklynn how she's been doing.

"Anyway, how's everything with you? Any cool stories you're working on? Wrongs to be righted? Buried truths to be uncovered?" [Laughs] "Trying. It is hard out there for a reformed "social media influencer turned aspiring investigative journalist."

Now again, I fully recognize this is the easiest catalyst in the flashback to introduce Brooklynn's interest/activity in Dark Jurassic. And I also fully recognize that we haven't seen Darius' flashback with Brooklynn yet and Sammy's vision/memory of Brooklynn is too short to really compare to the other three we've seen so far.

However, in Yaz's flashback, we see Brooklynn is the one helping her with the Dino Immersion Therapy and inquiring about how she's doing, why she's there instead of Sammy, etc. And in Kenji's flashback, we see that he's so excited to share the view he's discovered with Brooklynn. And when she is too distracted (presumably by her mission) to acknowledge the beauty of the moment, Kenji breaks up with her and his dialogue suggests this has been happening for a while.

The video recordings of the earlier Kenlynn date and when the Nublar Six returned home at least give us a glimpse into happier times. But with regards to the flashbacks, while Brooklynn is likely there to check up on her friend (unannounced and strangely late in the evening from the looks of it), Ben's flashback is the only one where the focus seems to be on both characters equally rather than Brooklynn acting in a supporting/secondary role in the scene.

A much smaller parallel, likely unintentional, is that Ben and Brooklynn seem to (almost) have matching outfits in the flashback.

Continuing from that, and acknowledging similar outfits is already a stretch, I guess there is a parallel with music? Kinda?

We see in Brooklynn's video call to Darius that she is wearing what looks like a band/album T-shirt and Ben has become quite the fan of rock music. Some of the concept art for Ben's dorm room also showcased several band posters, if I recall correctly.

So, while not a certainty, it seems they could have also developed a connection through similar music tastes, though this is a fair bit of speculation.

4. Boots

Another parallel that's a stretch, but Ben eating food out of a boot seemed really, really odd when it was introduced. Perhaps out of desperation, maybe he accidentally broke his last bowl or ran out of disposable ones? Who knows. An odd choice, especially with the later Ruby Ropes container conversation being weird enough on its own that the food boot seemed excessive.

But then it was shown that Brooklynn also had an unfortunate boot-related habit, though fortunately nowhere near as disgusting. Kenji trips over one of her boots and comments on it, with Darius also having suffered from the problem:

"She was always leaving these in the middle of the floor. It was so annoying. I was so afraid I was gonna-" "Break your neck?" "Did she do that when she was staying with you after we broke up?" [Chuckles] "I swear she did it just to annoy us."

Again, this one's a big stretch, but it felt like a possibility.

5. A specific set of skills

Or, rather, just one skill. I can't remember if any other members of the Nublar Six ever picked any locks throughout the shows, but Ben having a set of dedicated lock picks was an interesting development. All of the N6 have picked up new skills in the time between CC and CT, but Ben's activities - and this skill in particular - seem to mirror a lot of Brooklynn's.

6. Conspiracy Boards

Again, going back to the fact that Brooklynn was more interested in legitimate stories and credible theories, Ben's board is quite a mess while Brooklynn's is more refined. Ben's looking into all the possibilities, no matter how ridiculous they might be, whereas Brooklynn is focused on (presumably) unraveling the dinosaur trafficking conspiracy and anything else nefarious that might be going on in relation to it.

7. Season 1 Bookends (unused)

I don't want to repost the art without permission and I really want to get the post up today, so credit to Brandon Roberts in this concept art post here. It shows Ben on his laptop in his dorm room.

However, I will provide the description Brandon Roberts gave, as well as the confirmation by Scott Kreamer on the post:

This would have been an interesting parallel and way to bookend the season: opening with Ben on Dark Jurassic getting vague messages and closing out with Ronnie sending vague messages to someone on Dark Jurassic and the reveal that it's Brooklynn.

And only time will tell if there is something real between these two. Or it might all be just an illusion.

"There's definitely some pretty out-there stuff on there, but every so often there's something that seems, I don't know..." "Real?" "Real."

And aside from the spoilery speculation below, I think this might be it. There could be other parallels I'd thought of previously, but as of right now, this is all I can remember. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my inane ramblings. I hope you enjoyed!

Also, shoutouts to @p0m0u and @kitabearuwu for being the inspiration for me falling down the Benlynn rabbit hole and continued inspiration since (we'll see if I can get my Benlynn fic done by tomorrow), especially their posts here, here, here, and here. And special thanks to @p0m0u for letting me use the beautiful gifs she made in this post!

Spoilers for Season 2 Trailers & Promo material under the cut!

Starting from what I feel is the weakest parallel to the strongest:

8. Why are you holding that in your mouth?

When I saw the tweezers or tool or whatever fall from Brooklynn's mouth, I swear I'd seen Ben do something like it before in the show. I tried to scour Season 1 of CT to find it, but to no avail. I then remembered where I'd seen something similar, back in Season 4 of CC. Again, leading with the weakest parallel here, but like the boots, I find it interesting and odd that both of them have held things in their mouths - and these are things that probably shouldn't be held in their mouths - only to drop them at some point during the scene. Ben's out of relief that the BRAD is gone, Brooklynn's potentially by whoever is breaking into her location (if the clips immediately before and after are part of the same scene).

9. You're great and I like you, but...

Given that it looks like we'll have a Darius and Brooklynn flashback finally, I have to wonder, will it play out in a similar vein to the Ben & Yaz moment in S4 of CC? We know that Ben mistook Yaz's interest in getting him away from Kenji & Brooklynn so that Kenlynn could develop as romantic interest. What if we see Brooklynn realize Darius' growing affection for her and makes it clear in a similar way?

I'm not saying we'll get a "Darius, look, you're a great guy and I like you. But I just don't like like you." But possibly something similar.

10. What? You've never seen a ghost before?

We'll see if this turns out to be another 'back from the dead' moment or not, but it has that kind of vibe to me. And I have to credit @p0m0u for pointing it out to me originally. Fingers crossed, it seems like a perfect setup for Ben's line to make a comeback!

And I think that's everything for now!

[pumpkinsy0]

could really use some darry and pony being happy happy brothers hcs!! darry comforting pony <33 slice of life between the two <333 just bein' there and alive

IM SORRY I GOT TO THIS LATE I WAS BUSY TODAY WHOOPS

•darrys totally that guy that asks pony what hes watching, get too absorbed in it, and end up staying there for longer than intended, pony asksing if he wants to watch w him takes some convincing

•the breakfast darry makes is mostly for pony, like ofc he cooks for the whole gang if they want some but its mainly food pony likes and food that darry says helps him wake up more, he doesnt like pony having chocolate cake allllll the time for breakfast

•when pony was younger he was reaaalllyyyy scared of getting jumped and darry would always comfort him about it, show him his muscles and show him there was nothing to b afraid of, even showed his muscles to make sure pony rlly knew nobody would mess w him

•no matter how old pony gets, darry is nevveeerrrr taking off ponys accomplishments off that fridge, it just stays there foreverrrrr n evveerrrrr

•in ponys opinion??? its darry who has the toughest hair right after him and soda, he likes to think that having cool hair is just in their genes or somethin

•they have veerrrryyyyy veerrrryyyyy small prank wars, their fav one is to just poke the other when they least expect it, on the side so they jump a lil, seeing darry yelp is very funny to pony, he regrets nothing

•when pony was too young to rlly know how to write, darry was the one who wrote his letter to santa claus for him so he didn’t feel left out, soda DID also write em, but his handwriting was NOT at the best

•when pony was in trouble he would always say he was gonna run away, farthest he ever got was a few yards from the front door and he stayed there for a hood long while before darry just carried him inside bc he looked tired, pony had the best naps those times, he can’t even lie

•darry would ask pony to do something for him and pony just says no, yknow what he would b doing in the next few minutes??? the exact thing darry asked him to do for him

•i promise u if pony went to school the same time darry did pony woulda got more cool points cause darry would make sure everyone knew, like everyone KNOWS they’re related, but that’s different from actually seeing this football star interacting w his lowkey kind of a loser youngest brother, but it’s ok, pony kinda had soda

•ONE TIME, darry ➡️ACCIDENTALLY⬅️ gave pony a black eye and he will NEVER let darry live that down, he tackled the shit outta pony, pony was so winded he thought he was gonna die, and that’s y chances r, ur always gonna have darry on pony’s team just so he doesn’t hurt the guy

•darrys said that pony would do WONDERS as a chimney sweeper during the industrial revolution and pony’s never been the same since, what in the world does he mean by that

•yknow that one pic of arnold schwarzenegger and his classmate who r both 18 but arnold is just buff as shit??? pony and darry totally have a pic like that somewhere in darrys wallet bc he thinks its funny

•pony kinda DOES hate when darry picks him up bc it makes him feel small, but he hates it even more bc it makes him feel safe, he wants to b tuff damn it but darry is very warm and he can only fight against it for so lone, darry knows lmao

•pony tried calling darry “dj” bc like his full name is darrel curtis jr, and as sooooonnnn as it left ponys lips they both cringed and pony stopped then and there

•when they all went hunting, darry was the only one who would actually KILL anything, he knew it kinda upset pony so they just dont even go no more, hell he kinda feels bad for it still



[ofstarsandvibranium]

if it’s not too much to ask (🥺) could you do a reader who’s best friends with Colin and he teases her about her crush on Jamie and tries to get them together? If not, NO WORRIES. Your stuff is so 🥰

(this ended up being a lot longer than I intended...whoops!)

You and Colin grew up together. You were two peas in a pod, the thickest of thieves. You knew everything about each other. You were the first person he told when he realized he was gay. He was the first person you told after you had your first kiss. You're each other's platonic soulmates.

As such, you're always trying to help each other in regards to your dating lives. When he told you about Michael, you were excited to see your best friend finally found his person. Michael was amazing and you two clicked instantly, to Colin's relief.

Your love life? Weeeell...

Colin and Michael were expecting you since twenty minutes prior, you texted them: THIS DATE SUCKS. IM COMING OVER.

So you're now sitting on Colin's couch in between the couple.

"So what happened this time?" Colin asks.

"All he talked about was football, specifically West Ham," that got Colin groaning, "He also looked my Instagram up and saw the pictures of you and I. Asked if we dated in the past, if you'd be able to get him tickets to the next Richmond versus West Ham game."

"You know you can archive the pictures of us so people-"

"No. I'd never do that to you, Col. It's like I'm ashamed of you and I'm not."

Colin gives a small smile and nod of appreciation, "Thanks, babe."

"Maybe you can set her up with one of your teammates," Michael suggests.

A lightbulb went off in Colin's head and you immediately said, "Don't."

"He's available."

"It'll be weird!"

"No, it won't!"

"Isn't he a dickhead?"

"Not as much anymore!"

Michael waved in front of you and Colin, "What's going on?"

You groan, hiding your face in your hands, "Kill me."

Colin snickers, "Y/N's celebrity crush before I got into the league was Jamie Tartt. When she found out he was being lent to Richmond, she freaked out. Made a complete fool of herself by tripping in front of him and getting a bloody nose."

"Ooohh. That's pretty bad." Michael says, wincing.

"It was so mortifying!" you cry out, "There's no way he'd want to date me after that disaster!"

"He might not even remember it," Colin says reassuringly.

"I don't want to risk it," you turn to Michael, "Michael, tell him it's a bad idea."

Michael looks to his boyfriend, "Do you vouch for Jamie?"

Colin nods, "I do, actually. He's completely turned his act around. He can still be a prick sometimes, but it's not as bad as it was when he first joined the team."

Michael focuses back on you, "You should go for it."

You immediately stand up, "Nope. I'm not making myself out to be a fool again. No thanks! I'm out!"

_____________________

"Hey, Jamie," Colin rushes up to Jamie as he exits his car.

Closing the door behind him, Jamie responds, "Yeah, mate?"

"You're not seeing anyone right?"

"No," Jamie replies with furrowed brows, look of confusion.

"My best friend, Y/N, she's beautiful, funny, and smart and think you and her would be a great match." Colin holds out his phone, showing Jamie a really great candid picture of you that he took when you two went to dinner months ago.

Jamie nods at the picture. You were, indeed, very beautiful. The way the sun hit your skin made you look angelic, "She's...nice."

Colin rolls his eyes, "One date. That's all I ask."

"Why me though?" Jamie still looks a bit confused, "Why not Bumbercatch or Isaac?"

"I just think you and Y/N would fit really well. She's been having a rough time with dating so I figured you'd show her how she should be treated."

To be fair, Jamie was thinking about getting back into the dating scene. He finally got over Keeley, accepting that they'd just be better off as friends. You seemed like a decent person, from the few things Colin mentioned. Might as well, right?

"Fuck it. Sure."

Colin fist bumped the air, "Yes! You won't regret it. I'll make the plans. You just show up."

"Yeah, yeah, alright."

_______________

You show up to Ola's, a place you've been to before. As soon as you walk in, Colin and Michael are there.

"I need to preface this and say you can't be mad at me," Colin says.

You narrow your eyes at him, "What did you do?"

"It'll be fine. I promise. Michael and I will be on the other side of the restaurant if you need anything, but you won't, because it'll be great."

"But if it goes wrong, it was definitely all his doing," Michael says, pointing to Colin.

Colin grimaces, "Thanks, babe." He takes your hand and leads you towards the back corner where Jamie fucking Tartt was sitting.

You immediately give Colin a look and he pushes you towards him, murmuring, "It'll be fine!"

You slowly approach the table and Jamie looks up, giving you a polite smile as he pockets his phone.

"Hi, I'm Jamie," he offers his hand out.

"I know," you say as you shake his hand, "I'm so sorry Colin roped you into this. You really don't have to be here if you don't want to."

He shrugs, "It's fine. Been meanin' to get back into the dating game. Besides, if things don't really work out, we get free dinner and drinks out of it, yeah?"

Your brows shot up, "Colin's paying?"

Jamie nods, "He said he would."

You smirk and gesturing for a server. He smiles at you, "Would you like to start with drinks?"

You nod, "Yes, we'll have your most expensive bottle please."

It's now Jamie's brows that shoot up and he looks at you in surprise. When the server leaves to get the drinks, you lean in and said, "It's payback," you sigh as you sit down.

"So...you weren't too keen on going on a date with me then?" he asks awkwardly.

You suddenly look mortified, "No, no! That's not it at all it's-I-ugh!" you slump back in your chair. You let out a deep breath and sit up again, "Alright, so I believe two years ago, you and I actually met before and I made a complete fool out of myself because I tripped and ate the pavement. I busted my lip, there was lots of blood. Not a pretty sight or a cool thing to do in front of your celebrity crush."

Jamie smirks, "I'm your celebrity crush?"

You sit there in silence, mentally cursing yourself and Colin for making you go through this embarrassment again. You stand, "Right, okay, I've embarrassed myself enough. I'm leaving."

Jamie rushes to a stand, "No, please, don't. I'm only teasin' ya. It's nothin' bad, I promise. You're-You're very cute when you're flustered."

"Thanks," you murmur.

Luckily, the server came back with the most expensive bottle of wine. As soon as he poured your glass, you began downing it. Jamie watches you in amusement.

"Sorry, I just need some liquid courage to get through this."

Jamie leans forward, resting his arms on the table, "How about this, we just forget who I am for tonight. I'm not Jamie Tartt, the most amazing striker in the league. Just Jamie, a nervous lad on a date with a beautiful girl."

"You're nervous?" you ask in shock.

He shrugs, "It's been a while since I've gone on a proper date. Kinda forgot how to do this sort of stuff."

"Pft, I've gone on many dates and so far, you're the best one."

"Yeah? Tell me about 'em."

And that's how dinner goes. Over another glass and eventually over some food, you tell Jamie about your past dates. He tells you about some ridiculous things he's done with the guys when Coach Lasso was around. It was nice. It was nice knowing that Jamie wasn't here because he wanted to get close to Colin. He was there because he wanted to. You assumed he was interested in you by the way he flirted with you throughout the nice. So maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Once dinner was over, Colin came over with a pout, "Did you guys really have to order the most expensive items here?!"

"That's what you get for tricking me like that," you boop his nose and Michael snickers as he weaves his fingers through Colin's.

"But it went alright, yeah?" he looks at you and Jamie.

"I'd say so," Jame puts his hand on your lower back, "We're, uh, actually gonna head to a pub for more drinks."

"Oh! Well, uh, I think Michael and I will head on home then."

You don't want to give Colin the satisfaction just yet, so you say, "I'll text you later when I'm home."

"Sounds good," he says and pulls at Michael's hand, "Let's go, babe."

Looking over his shoulder, Michael gives you a wink and a thumbs up.

You snort and then turn to Jamie, "Ready?"

"Whenever you are, love." and you two head out onto more drinks, more talking, and, hopefully, more dates after this.

[tryingahandinholdingapen]

okay so I got distracted during my initial attempt at writing abt this au so we'll just call the first post (which I will link) a rough draft of a scene in the theoretical fic, and THIS post can be the summary of the actual idea for the au that I originally intended to write. okay? okay

here goes

(cw for discussion of noncon/dubcon sex but nothing explicit probably)

edit: I got distracted again and this time I ended up writing a whole scene wherein the Uchiha brothers discuss What The Fuck Is Going On but! I also managed to actually describe the au this time so! I'm saying it counts and this is a successful post summarising the au,,,mostly

so abt that au in which, during the war, Tobirama has a lot of dubcon sex with various Uchiha...

this au would have one and only one similarity to my blessed stray cat au which is that the Uchiha have a problem, somehow stumble upon something that seems to work as a solution to said problem and promptly go "well I have no idea why this is happening/working but sure this is doable" and if they knew what the Senju (particularly Tobirama) knew they'd know exactly why,,,but they don't, so they don't

that's the only similarity between the two aus though

anyway. in this au Izuna is the one who starts the whole chain of events. He's very impulsive, has heard+made a few too many jokes along the lines of how Tobirama would be more bearable if he just got laid, the Uchiha are having problems with trade due to the Senju that Izuna is CONVINCED are Tobirama's fault and is absolutely fucking furious about (and is more than a little obsessed with his rival whoops)....and he decides a logical way to vent his anger would be to track down Tobirama, trap him, and fuck him. Test the theory that the bastard would be more bearable after sex

So he tackles Tobirama and manages not to die in the ensuring fight mostly because a) Tobirama is exhausted physically mentally and in terms of chakra after a long mission and b) the second Tobirama realises Izuna is trying to get into his pants rather than slit his throat, he stops trying to kill Izuna. Which Izuna definitely noticed and is taking as a point towards his theory

This is not to say that Tobirama cooperates or even that he doesn't try to fight Izuna off, because he absolutely does, but overall the reaction is such that when Izuna ultimately leaves Tobirama restrained (it's fine the prick will be able to get out of it pretty easily given enough time and not having to multitasking fighting Izuna at the same time as trying to undo said restraints) the Uchiha is significantly less pissed off/satisfied and also is like. Theory confirmed?? Possibly??

And then it takes less than two days, barely even one day, after that encounter for the problem the Uchiha had been having in regards to trade to suddenly be resolved. And rumours/spies suggest that Tobirama was the one who changed the Senju patrols/practice again so that the Uchiha civilians were no longer being killed when they tried to restock on supplies

And Izuna is like....Holy shit?? Are these two things (resolved issue (probably by Tobirama but not 100% confirmed) and the encounter a day or so prior) connected???

Man I may have thought he'd be less unbearable if someone got that stick out of his arse but not to THIS extent what the hell, Izuna thinks, reasonably

Izuna toys with the idea of tracking Tobirama down again the next time he sees the Senju alone, to see if he can prove his theory definitively, but now that he's not running so much on rage and impulse he can logically assess the odds and be like. Okay we are usually equals in a fair fight, and if he's trying to kill me and I'm NOT trying to kill him just restrain him, then that puts me at a massive disadvantage. I succeeded last time, barely (OW my fucking ankle I can't believe he broke it the shit) but only because he was so close to his limits. Realistically if I try to go after him again when he's less exhausted (...and when he might expect what I'm doing? depending on how strongly opposed he is/isn't?) then he WILL win and probably just kill me on the spot

But Izuna desperately wants to confirm his theory because like, it would be completely insane if it WAS accurate, but also if there's even 0.0000001% of a chance that a fuck is sufficient for Tobirama to ACTIVELY WORK AGAINST his clan fuckibg the Uchiha over...that's valuable intel right?? Like that could be so good that could pay off so so so well for the Uchiha

IF the theory is correct. So he needs to confirm it. But how to do that without getting murdered in the process??

Hmmmm

Ultimately he decides to go to Madara about it for a second opinion

Madara is not impressed

"Otouto please tell me this is some new evolution of your fucked up humour," Madara says, pinching the bridge of his nose

"I am entirely serious," Izuna says, hand on heart, speaking ever so sincerely and earnestly and definitely laying it on too thick

Madara groans

Izuna waits

"Two main problems with this," Izuna nods, gesturing for Madara to continue, which only earns him a glare, "Firstly, do you realise how ridiculous this sounds?"

Izuna flings his hands in the air, "I KNOW! It seems like it must obviously be connected but it's just too crazy, which is why I want to CONFIRM IT somehow! I just can't figure out how to do that, which is why I came to you!"

Madara concedes the point and moves on

"Secondly, you're aware that once myself and Hashirama are heads of our clans, I had intended to try to make peace, as he keeps loudly offering?"

"I still think that's a bad idea. There's no way he's serious, not yelling about PEACE on a BATTLEFIELD whilst actively attacking you," Izuna says, almost reflexively returning to the old argument

"Senju Hashirama doesn't have a single deceptive bone in his body, if he refuses to make peace he refuses, but if he accepts he won't backstab us so it's worth trying to reduce how many of our people die every season," Madara returns, equally reflexively, then sighs and scrubs a hand over his face

"We're getting off topic. My point was... You're aware that Hashirama at least claims to want peace, and that I want that too, for the sake of our clan," Madara prompts, and Izuna nods somewhat reluctantly

"Yeah"

"And you're aware that the main reason Hashirama ever gave for wanting peace was for the sake of his little brothers?"

"Yes, I remember you told me that..."

"And you're aware that he only has one living brother left?"

"...I don't like where you're going with this," Izuna says, petulantly

Madara gives a wordless shriek of frustration, then gestures wildly such that Izuna has to dodge back a step from his brother's desk

"Uchiha Izuna did you rape Hashirama's last baby brother?!"

Izuna takes a moment too long to respond and Madara groans, slumping back into his chair with head in hands

"Otouto if you've just sabotaged our chances of eventually stopping this kami forsaken war and keeping our people SAFE, so fucking help me..."

Izuna cleared his throat awkwardly, staring at the ceiling

"I don't think I...did?"

Madara looked up to stare blankly at Izuna

"You don't think raping the beloved baby brother of the only Senju vocally in favour of peace has damaged our chances at ending the war," he states, flatly. It's not a question

Izuna stubbornly met his eyes and shook his head, even as he cringed inwardly at his own words, "No, I mean. I don't think I DID...rape him"

Madara stared at him for a long, incredulous moment, because by Izuna's own description that was not the impression he got, then sighed and leant his elbows on the desk. He waved a hand in Izuna's direction

"Go on then. Explain yourself"

Izuna cleared his throat awkwardly. Wow that ceiling sure is interesting!

"...Right. So admittedly I didn't exactly give the bastard a choice in the matter BUT," he hurried on before an already-exasperated Madara could interrupt, "BUT he absolutely did not fight me as much as he could have. Like when I first caught up to him he was fighting like he wanted me dead, but the very SECOND he realised I was going for his pants he immediately stopped trying to kill me. Didn't stop fighting, sure, but he definitely wasn't trying to kill me anymore and by the end he wasn't even pretending to try to escape"

"Thats really not sufficient evidence. You said yourself he was low on chakra and exhausted from whatever mission he'd been on, he could have just run out of energy or even given up-"

"-AND," Izuna cut him off loudly, "and at one point I stopped fucking him to see how he'd react, and okay yeah he didn't ask me to get my dick back in him, but he did almost immediately start bitching at me for stopping like you wouldn't believe, he was so annoyed about it it was actually really funny. And when I'd finished with him-,"

"Finished or FINISHED," Madara muttered snidely, but Izuna nobly ignored him in favour of finishing his explanation

"-that was the most relaxed I've ever seen the bastard. Like, ever. He actually almost seemed HAPPY. And, if nothing else, not once during the entire encounter did he actually seem upset, or scared, or sad. Angry at points, yeah, but, well, HE certainly didn't seem to feel violated," Izuna shrugged, a little awkwardly, "...so, honestly? I'm.. PRETTY sure I didn't rape him, in his head at least"

They were both quiet for a minute

"...I don't even know what to say to that," Madara spoke at last

".....Yeah that's fair," Izuna admitted

...

"....You're sure we're not going to have a furious Hashirama coming for our heads? Or, well, your head at least?"

"I would be extremely surprised if Tobirama told the tree anything at all," Izuna said honestly, "but no, I don't think we have to worry about death via mokuton any time soon"

"....Okay. That's good"

"Yeah"

...

"So about a way to confirm your ridiculous theory..."

"Yes! Give me ideas! I've been thinking about this since I first heard the Senju had laid off our traders and I've got NOTHING"

They did manage to confirm Izuna's ridiculous theory

And so ensues a ridiculously long period of time in which any time the Uchiha are having a problem (besides outright battles), with the Senju, someone goes to hunt down their surety heir (in other words, Senju Tobirama, the 'spare' to Hashirama's heir) and fuck him, and for some reason this results in the problem being solved very shortly thereafter like, nine times out of ten, which is a completely INSANE success record, so naturally they keep doing it

It's often Izuna who does this (because he's way too eager for an excuse to fight/fuck his rival hey who said that), but not always. They figure out pretty rapidly that Tobirama doesn't actually fight them THAT hard once he realises what they're aiming for (he still fights completely brutally on missions/battefield/patrol/random encounters though), so the main requirement for hunting the surety heir down becomes "can avoid dying in a fight with Tobirama long enough to make it obvious what you're going for"

(...and "can prevent him from escaping for the duration", because Tobirama fighting half-heartedly is still TOBIRAMA FIGHTING which is still a very difficult opponent for the overwhelming majority of the clan. And if Tobirama manages to escape before you can fuck him quiet, he will break a shit ton of bones in retaliation, vanish, and whatever the latest problem is won't get solved. Yes the unfortunate fucker who discovered this is still bearing a bit of a grudge, they were stuck in the healing halls SO LONG so many fucking bones broken and they were just stranded there before someone could come rescue them for fucks sake-)

They have absolutely no fucking clue why this works. Nobody's got anything better than Izuna's initial half-joking "guess he did really just need someone to fuck that stick out of his arse", but like, that is absolutely NOT SUFFICIENT to explain the extents the Senju heir will seemingly go to to make things easier for the Uchiha in the aftermath. So like what the hell?

But they haven't been able to find a better explanation, and just because they don't know WHY it works doesn't stop it from WORKING sooooo....

[annab-nana]

This one is just from me.

Stargazing with Eddie from his van (or like on top of the hood off his van) while Eddie is still on the run from season 4🥺 and them just being soft and shit🥺

this idea sounds so cute, but i think i made it more bittersweet than i intended, whoops

warnings: not proofread, mentions of drugs/drug dealing

❀ masterlist ❀

you weren't proud of your past, but with the cards you had been dealt in life, you weren't left with many options. though, the words drug dealer were still thrown in your face by those with nothing better to do with their lives—carol perkins and her posse—it wasn't something you had done in ages. for you, it was only a way to make ends meet until you could find something better. however, that time of your life did give you something good.

eddie.

before him, you had never met someone you connected with so instantly. you weren't a believer of soulmates or that there was someone out there that was your other half until you met him. he understood you so effortlessly. he matched you perfectly. he was everything you had ever hoped for and more. he had always been there for you and now it was your turn to be there for him.

since the whole town was looking for eddie, you were also on their radar. luckily, you knew how to hide in the shadows and slip through without being noticed when you went to rick's. this was the only time you were happy that you ever delved into dealing. you'd never felt relief like you did when you saw eddie's van hidden in the forest near rick's.

your head rested against his shoulder as his arm curved around you to hold you close. ever since you showed up, he hadn't let you go. you soaked up the peace you had with him now. it was just you and him on the hood of his van, staring up at the stars. crickets and frogs sounded through the woods. tree branches moved with the wind. eddie's heartbeat and warmth comforted you more than ever. you had never felt so serene.

that was before the nagging thought of the situation you were in came back.

"eddie," you started, a heavy weight in your voice, "what are we goin-"

he cut you off by pulling you on top of him and kissing your lips. when he pulled away, his eyes carried deep sadness and despair in them.

"for tonight, is it okay if we don't talk about it?" he asked softly. "all i want to think about right now is you."

your eyes danced all over his face for a moment before you nodded. with everything that was going on, the least you could be right now was his comfort. you didn't know how much longer you would have to be that for him.

remember to support writers & reblog :)

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[heirtotheempire]

I know this is a bit of a touchy subject right now, but I want to discuss the differences between creating alien species and making them look non-human, versus simply having bad makeup. Because there is a distinction! Putting it all under a read more because it got a bit longer then intended😵‍💫

For starters, none of this criticism has anything to do with the actors. This is purely directed towards Disney's makeup department. I think the actors fit the bill appearance-wise, end of story.

Hera and Thrawn, in short, do not look all that great in terms of facial makeup. And as someone who adores these characters, it is frustrating! Disney, one of the largest entertainment companies on Earth, couldn't find the time, budget, or artists to work on the appearances of two main characters in this show they've been building up to for years.

Personally, my main problem with it is the lack of contouring. I've been saying this to my friend for weeks as well as mentioned it in reblogs on and off, but neither Hera or Thrawn have any sort of contouring done to enhance their face shapes. There is no emphasis on the cheekbones, or for Thrawn's forehead bumps, none of it. They rely on the actors' natural facial structures to do the work for them. Which, if it was cosplay or otherwise in person, is fine. But with studio lights, it causes a washed-out look, especially depending on where the light is coming from. To combat this (in an acting setting), makeup artists emphasize things such as the eyebrows and the cheeks and especially any wrinkles, to help bring out any facial expressions made.

How does this differ from aliens being, well. Aliens! Considering we don't have a real baseline for what real life aliens would look like, it's only fair to allow filmmakers to go wild with speculation, even if it's off-putting. But that isn't what the issue is here. The aliens we're focusing on here, Twi'leks and Chiss, do have similar facial structures to humans. They're humanoids! So their faces would reflect light and cast shadows just as much as a human face would. By all accounts, make aliens freaky looking, but basic rules of light still apply. We should be able to clearly see Thrawn's cheekbones and forehead bumps without having to pull out a magnifying glass, something that is possible via, you guessed it, contouring!

Also, considering this is fiction, things looking bad is more of a reflection on the effort being put into the show than anything else. They could have done more but chose not to. Star Trek has some fantastic examples of humanoid aliens being distinctly alien without being poorly designed (I've been watching TNG and it is quite fun!). As said before, I'm all for freaky looking aliens. But bad design and bad makeup ruins that. What is and isn't bad design and makeup does fall into a more subjective range, I won't shy away from that truth. But I cannot get over the lack of contouring in a show that can be so brightly lit! Disney's shooting themselves in the foot here!

At the end of the day this is a television show though. Lets not get mad at people who do or do not like the makeup, and people are allowed to critique it as much as others are allowed to enjoy it. No one is any less of a fan for not liking the Ahsoka show, and no one is less of a fan for loving the show. I've seen some... very nasty things in the tags in relation to this specifically as well as for the whole show. Not very fun.

To end this on a lighter note, here's a very wonderfully done makeup job on a cosplayer! I don't know how to make the embedded stuff go away whoops😭

[backgroundbaker]

Haunted: Fic 1 for @remadoramicrofics

This one ended up being more Teddy than Remadora, whoops. Next one should have more Remus and Tonks in it. Also, sorry for any mistakes, my proof-reading skills are shocking.

.............

The off-handed comments people would make about his likeness to his parents had worn him down over the years. He remembers being five years old and excitedly changing his nose, proud to show off his work, only to be bombarded by tales of all the noses his mum did. He remembers being 7 and trying tea for the first time, deciding he liked it strong with just half a spoon of sugar, which he quickly learnt is how his dad liked it. Rather than being the nice sentiment he was sure the comments were intended to be, he found it all very annoying. It had gotten even worse when he started school, but by then he had learnt the best response was to force a smile and make some appropriate reply.

"Your mum was a Hufflepuff too!" That's cool, I hope I enjoy it.

"Your dad was a prefect as well!" That's great, I hope I do a good job.

"Oh, neither of them were a head student" There's always got to be a first in the family.

"They'd be so proud." Thanks.

It was inescapable. Their ghost-like presence in his life lingered on, regardles of whether he wanted it to or not. If they had been real ghosts, he could have gotten to know them, could have determined for himself the kind of people they were. He would have been able to judge whether the weight of expectation he carries is a fair burden to bear. He'd have been able to ask them if they really were proud of him. Instead, he is haunted by the shadows of two people known to him only through fragments of other people's memories.

Sometimes, he is the vessel by which they haunt other people too. He can feel the sad stares everytime he changes the colour of his hair or the shape of his face. He can sense the sorrowful looks when he pulls an expression that, he is told, is just like his dad's. The Weasleys are the worst for it, he knows they don't mean to be, but it's like they can't help themselves.

The one thing he'd like to know about his parents is the one thing no-one ever tells him. What were they like together? He wants to be able to picture what life would have been like for him had they been there. He wants to imagine the sort of couple they were. He hears so little on that front he wonders if they ever really were together or if he had just materialised from the ether.

.....

"Ah, young love," his gran teases him once, after he has said goodbye to Vic. She had come round for lunch that day and had stayed till dinner.

"I wouldn't call it that, Gran."

"No, I know that look," she says with a fond smile. (He was unaware he was doing a look.) "It's the same way your dad used to look at your mum."

His gran's words take him aback. Despite being the one closest to his parents in their final year, she very rarely talks about them. Sensing he may have an opportunity, he asks a question he's been dying to have answered.

"Did he love her, then?"

She looks momentarily surprised before replying. "Yes, of course he did. For all your father's faults, I could never deny he loved your mum. Very much so. And she loved him too."

The only response he can think to give her is a nod.

His gran talks to him a bit more about his parents' relationship after that. He sums it up in his head as a deeply loving mess. He no longer tries to imagine what his life would have been like had they been in it, unsure what would have won out of the deep love or the mess. He does, though, make the conscious effort when he starts dating Vic to not allow his parents' relationship to haunt his.

[thorarms]

Sorry i was referring to ur post hating on how mobius called loki a man of action. Why can't loki be also a man of action he grew up around THOR. Also maybe its a new thing loki is letting show instead of being cautious. He is the god of mischief and chaos after all

Ok ive taken a couple of days to have a think and give you a proper answer.

In short, because it's lazy and lets the writers avoid having to write loki with any consistent character traits.

Long answer below the cut

I have a lot of semi connected thoughts about this and this post might end up a bit of a ramble, uh so sorry i guess.

I think it's important to remember that loki as a marvel character has existed since the 1960s, and thus has 60 or so years of characterisation already there. Over the years this has varied a bit due to many different writers and their different visions for their stories, but they tend to stay fairly consistent. Loki is a villian (or is perceived as one by others), he plans elaborate schemes usually with the end goal of the destruction of asgard and/or thor, and he tends to play the long game. In short, he's been consistently characterised as a much more methodical and yes, cerebral character than thor.

In addition, theres 11 years of specifically mcu loki characterisation, which was originally constructed from the loki we see in the comics. This is the baseline of mcu lokis character, and thus should still be there in other stories and adaptations.

What's actually interesting to me though, is that loki HAS been shown as a man of action before. In Thor 2011. Specifically at the end of the movie, after his entire life has fallen apart at the seams and he's in the middle of an emotional breakdown. His actions get more impulsive as the movie progresses, and it ends with him trying to destroy Jotunheim, goading thor into an argument and a huge fight, then letting go of the bifrost and falling to his assumed death.

What makes this work and still feel in character is that lokis impulsive and reckless desicions come from his emotional instability. The viewer gets to see his facade break and watch him deteriorate from slowly and meticulously planning to ruin thors coronation and stop him from taking the throne, to deciding on the spur of the moment to point the bifrost at Jotunheim and, afterwards, decide to let go of gungnir and plummet into the void (i love this movie so much can you tell).

All of this really is to say that loki CAN be reckless and impulsive just like thor. It just has to be well written and considered. And season one of the show very much was Not That.

With the gift of hindsight, it's been very clear that the writers of season one were not interested in maintaining any of lokis previous characterisation and, given what we've seen so far in the trailer, im not exactly holding out hope that season two will be any different.

The last thing i wanna mention is that the way you phrased your ask, with loki deciding himself to become less cautious, is quite interesting to me. Im sure you dont need me to tell you that loki isnt real, hes a fictional character and thus has no autonomy of his own. Every thought, word and action was a deliberate decision from the writers and actors creating these stories (often with their own preconceptions and biases of the character subconsciously thrown in). What im trying to get at is that ultimately, loki as a character is a vehicle for telling an aspect of a story. And it's the writers job to tell that story well. And if loki suddenly has a change of heart and decides to start acting the complete opposite of his former self, the writers should have a damn good reason for choosing to do that. Otherwise, it's just poorly written. And frankly i dont want to watch a poorly written show.

Whoops this was way longer than i intended im so sorry anyways i hope this answers your question about why i wrote a silly post about a throwaway line in a trailer for a show im probably not even going to watch. Probably.

[sga-owns-my-soul]

WIP WEDNESDAYYYYYYYY have a selection of the most arcane runes, dealer’s choice on the titles:

🎢🔧🪩🆘🔜

i didn't realize how hard this interpretation part would be 😂

for 🎢 - i haven't written the scene yet so i'll just tell u about it but in McKay Takes The Team To WEM rodney takes them to an amusement park and john makes them go on all the Fun Rides (the ones that are super sketchy and rodney is sure they'll die on (there's one rollercoaster they're gonna ride where people actually did die in real life and rodney is only going to find out after john makes him ride it)(i promise they'll be okay tho this fic is pure fluff)) and it's gonna be super cute

for 🔧- John wasted no time in finding out what was really going on. He called Lorne to his office. Evan was a good second in command, and always put the well being of the base and personnel above all else. He had been just as angry with John as everyone else, but thankfully he didn’t let it interfere with work.

“Colonel,” Evan said shortly as he entered his office. John made a gesture for him to sit down.

“Okay, I’m just going to come straight out and say this. I did not cheat on Rodney. Grace has apparently been spreading around rumours that her and I are having an affair. This is unequivocally false, and I would like you to sit in on my meeting with her as an unbiased third party to help me get to the bottom of this.” (from Rodney Hears A Rumour)(this one has so much angst but it's also cute)

for 🪩- also haven't written this part but there's a scene in McKay Takes The Team To WEM where he takes them to a really fancy bar/club place for dinner and they're all gonna dress up and there's gonna be some light dancing (ronon and teyla are gonna get excited by the lights and music and drag john and rodney to the dance floor) it's gonna be cute

for 🆘- "Rodney, something's wrong," Teyla gasped as she pushed Torren the rest of the way out, and Rodney was so focused on the beautiful crying baby in front of him, it took him a second to realize there was way more blood than there should be.

"Oh god, okay that can't be goood, oh god, okay, okay we just have to... uhh..." Rodney was desperately trying to think up anything he could, anything to fix this situation, but he was so far outside his skill set.

"Rodney, please," she groaned, grabbing his arm and squeezing it.

"Teyla, I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong, I don't know how to stop the bleeding," Rodney said, the fear and desperation dripping off his words. His hands were covered in blood, and he couldn't see anyway for him to stop internal bleeding that he couldn't even see the cause of. (this is from Rodney Raises Torren and it's super angsty whoops)

for 🔜- "Thanks, I guess, but this would've been helpful to know years ago!" Rodney tried to jump out of bed, and John and Radek both tried to keep him where he was.

"Woah, Rodney, Beckett will have my head if he sees you out of bed so soon, you gotta rest still," John tried but Rodney just glared at him.

"We just found out that not only is the city sentient, Sheppard, but she is also capable of much more than any of us realized. Do you have any idea what this means? Do you have any idea how important this discovery could be? I mean, just think what we could learn from her!" (from Team Is Everything which is gonna be the first of a series)

these ended up being a lot longer than i intended lmao whoops but thank you for the ask!!! this is actually a lot of fun more people should do this!!

[tothedarkdarkseas]

Hello i have read your entire collection of fics and i gotta say. Wow . what a Talent for the Grime. im not a 2doc girlie unfortunately but I've been softened. won over. I can now see 2doc and go "well that's very interesting. I wanna see where this author goes w it" instead of the general feeling of he would Not fucking say that. bc the truth isthat maybe he would . say those things he says in your fics etc. You understand. Most of all i have an appetite for grime and i have had it Saciated. i saved the plastic beach fics for the end bc i knew they'd be the ones id be more predisposed 2wards and while i was right i will say -> paula fic sweep. i love ms cracker she's such a cunt. as a dyke well all i can say is come 2 bed sweetheart your horrible mean gross standoffish attitude is wasted on a rockstar like stuart. I haven't read a hotter woman in a while Congrats. um but yeah also the plastic beach fics i left some comments bc oysters got to me Bad i never fully felt the impact of plastic beach from a murdoc perspective w such INCISIVENESS and POWER just the fucking spiraling horror of putting yourself in that position out of desperation and PRIDE??? god. GOD. and then the fic you have pinned. the fic that.made me check out your ao3. god . ive been in bad relationships that hurt me greatly and i had to keep seeing the.person. It was So cathartic. the mixing of 2ds identity w murdocs the enmeshment the. The

sorry 4.the.long ask im a little drunk but you HAVE to know you have got a NEW BIG FAN

i wanna see.more of your noodle and cyborg noodle :( noodlez mean so much 2me and 2d and noodle in seething coast got to me so fucking bad. russ' small role also got me weeping but not as much as 2d and bday girl noodle ending did. your 2d is perhaps the most interesting read ive seen on the character so far .

This message brought so much joy to my night, as did your comments on AO3! I apologize for my lateness; I absolutely intend to respond to them over there (as far as my intentions go for the foreseeable future I will always respond to comments or asks, so long as anyone is kind enough to stop by! It just takes a few days sometimes, whoops) but I'm so enchanted by the ephemeral nature of the drunk message, I've got to let you know I've seen it, haha.

I love the sentence "unfortunately, I am not a 2Doc girlie" as it feels quite backwards from the other side of it. I would say, being someone who has written exclusively 2Doc stories for their fanfiction career and runs a bizarrely devoted 2Doc blog years longer than they ought to have, being a 2Doc girlie is an unfortunate thing to be. I wouldn't blame you having apprehensions! If you can believe it, when I got into Gorillaz I would avoid the shipping element altogether and skip past any 2Doc that popped up along my way; I also felt a sense of... neutrality to profound disinterest toward it, and had things gone differently after I may have bowed out without any lasting words exchanged and moved forward along the fandom line, as so many do. I felt some sense of shame, I think, to admit I was reshaping the characters by my own wants, but I accept now that this is what Gorillaz fandom is; the nearer to canon one can go in tone, the better, but there's a point where the road forks (splinters into four forks, and four more further down, really) and for the sake of your own stability and consistency, you have to make a decision about that character's path. Anyway, sorry, I'm rambling! Hopefully that doesn't bore you to tears, but your message made me think about it all again, and I enjoy doing so!

Thank you for reading everything, good gravy, it's a tall order and I'm just-- I am beyond flattered. I am beyond humbled. I am moderately embarrassed by some of the early writing, but I'm incredibly touched nonetheless. I am especially grateful for Paula to make her way into a loving home, biting and spitting all the way. Stuart is not and will never be equipped for the job. ("It's rotten work, especially if it's you," only Paula's not asking him to do it and she's sure as shit not offering it in return. God, I love that woman.)

Thank you. I don't know if it's too sappy and too sincere to say, but I think we grow in sincerity, I think we are emotionally and mentally fed by honesty even to a degree of discomfort, and so I swallow that embarrassment and say... you naming those stories, sharing your thoughts, sharing with me a connection and a sense of caring for Oysters, Ampersands, Seething Coast-- the stories that I cared most for, stories that drew the most from myself even when I tried to obscure it, stories that still sit close to the breast-- that is special. That really means more to me than a comical reply can express. I'm really glad that these scenes meant something to you and that they get to live in another person. That's the horror and the prize of writing, it's the thing you dread doing wrong and losing in the void; but to hear months or years later that it's found someone, and they felt something for it, and they're not embarrassed for you that you've stumbled through making something like this from these characters, that's all you can dream of. That's everything. It matters very much. I can't say I have anything new on the horizon for Noodle (...and I can't say what I have done in the past few months is anywhere near cresting the horizon) but this message gets my heart thu-thumping and has me mulling her over. Maybe one day we can revisit the mess again. If you'd like to listen, this song always makes me think of Stu and Noodle, specifically on that illusion of solid ground in the years after Plastic Beach. I listened to it sometimes to get in the mood to write them.

[calmenergy]

saw in the tags you asked for a blaze analysis, so I thought I'd do that!

Blaze, being the sol dimensions counterpart to sonic, is also meant to be an opposite of sonic like knuckles (which is probably why there was a small thing with Knuckles and Blaze in one of the IDW annuals). She's the opposite of Sonic in similar ways to knuckles. Her arc in sonic rush is about breaking her out of her lonely mindset of needing to always be alone and she's very dedicated to her duty in protecting the sol emeralds, for instance. While her and knuckles dedication to their duty of protecting their respective emerald(s) is very similar, one thing I do like is how they've got different reasons for being alone. Knuckles is often alone due to necessity, considering angel island, but Blaze is alone for a completely different reason.

Blaze feels like it's only HER duty to do what needs to be done. She doesn't have to be alone, which she realizes at the end of rush, she's choosing to be alone to her own detriment. Compare that to sonic, who is always willing to make a friend with someone and let them help unless they would end up hurt or smth forces him to do it alone.

Some other ways she's the opposite to sonic include her position in her world. Sonic, for all intents and purposes, is homeless and doesn't rwally hold any position of power in his world outside of "the hero that comes in sometimes to save everyone." Compare that to Blaze, who is a princess of a royal family. She has a lot more responsibility and power than sonic does over the workings of her world, which definitely is part of the reason she felt like she had to be completely alone during sonic rush.

Thing is though she's also very similar to sonic in lots of ways as well, like having special connections with their emeralds, having sassier personalities, even if blaze hides hers most of the time (it does shine through in some moments like her dialogue when preparong to fight eggman in rush for the first time, "It seems you like to play with fire... Allow me to light your fingers then!" and her tossing and catching the sol emeralds every time she gets one), and their willingness to do good no matter what.

Blaze is basically Sonic's mirror, not just his opposite. Similar in so many ways, but also distinctly different. Her and Sonic are like their dimensions, two sides of the same coin. Their designs even reflect this as well! There are lots of little details in their designs that show their similarities AND their differences. Hell, their super forms even are opposing, with super sonic having a yellow body and red eyes, and burning blaze having a redder body (closer to pink, but still) and yellow eyes. This image by Due_Lion_2990 on reddit sums it up pretty well in terms of their designs, plus some other things that parallel eachother.

Thus ended up way longer than I was initially intending it to be, but I couldn't help myself, Blaze is my favorite sonic character and I LOVE talking about characters that parallel each other

edit, only just noticed a buncha other ppl also made stuff abt blaze lmao, whoops

[becameundone]

(This resident has chosen to remain anonymous for reasons of privacy and safety. As such, their face will not be shown.)

You say you were in the building the night this tragedy occurred. did you hear any of the commotion coming from upstairs ? did it sound like a disagreement to you, or an intruder ??

Uhhh...I guess, yeah, I was in the building. Since I live here and all. I heard something but I didn't really think much of it. I kinda try not to worry too much about what sounds are coming from other people's places. A lotta people have weird ideas of fun. (The silhouette cups a hand to their mouth, as if sharing a conspiratorial secret.) Honestly, the less I pay attention to everyone else here, the less they pay attention to me. (They drop their hands and shrug.) I guess it's just that kind of place. Not a real strong sense of community. Between you and me, I couldn't even name most of my neighbours if you lined them up in front of me.

did you notice any other disturbances in the building in the recent weeks ? someone being let in that you didn't recognize ?

(They scratch at their temple, head cocked to one side. There's a brief silence before they answer the question properly but it does not seem suspicious; maybe they're genuinely just not sure.) It's sorta like I just said, isn't it? There's a lotta people who live here that I don't really know. Some new resident coulda come by. A visitor. Maybe just someone who's lived two floor beneath me for years. So, whether or not I recognise someone is kinda...just whatever. (Another silence. They're thinking again.) Sometimes I see shit happening outside? I like to kinda, y'know, hang out my window a little when I smoke. Like, really just get the air in my face. It feels kinda freeing. (They sigh. Distracted. Stay on topic.) But, I mean, uh, yeah. I see all sorta stuff that way. I don't know about any disturbances. (One more silence. Longer than ever this time.) I've had people leaving me letters...? I don't know who they're from, who's writing them or how they got in here. I have ideas but...somone had to come in here to leave them, right? It's not a disturbance, I guess, but it's, y'know, disturbing.

have you been acquainted with josette leighton, or is there anything you can personally tell us about her, with her becoming a person of interest in this case ? her alibi doesn't seem to add up, don't you think ??

(No thinking this time, they shake their head immediately.) No clue. This is what I was saying, y'know, about not knowing my neighbours. There's nothing I can say about her, she's a stranger. She lives in my building but I have sneezes I've known longer. Do I believe she slept through the whole thing? Not sure, but anyone can sleep through anything if they knock back a few, if you get my drift. Sleeping pills, I mean. Although I guess a drunk person could sleep through it too. Maybe she has some shit going on. What do I know?

if you recall, the late matevos hakobyan was also slain a couple years prior. both were veterinarians. any connection there, do you think ?

(They hold their hands up, one crossed over the over to make an X motion, and shake their head.) No comment. I'd reeeeeeeeally rather not talk about that. I had kind of a bad time at that party. A lotta people did, I guess, but... (They trail off. It's not clear if that sentence was ever intended to end.)

Is that it? We done here? Okay, great. (They get up and brush their hands together, their previously obscured face now cut-off from the camera.) [BEEP], I can't remember the last time I did an interview. I kinda rambled, huh? Y'know, sometimes they tell you to do that, to make sure they get something interesting outta you...hey, wait, I'm not still on record, am I? Whoop--

The recording ends and the interview ends here.

[castielmoriarty]

Carter was not in the opening credits so I don't think he ever intended to be a long term character, I think the actor even said he brought in for this specific story so sadly, not sure it meant to be JP and Carter riding off into the sunset. I think Carter was to show the effects of conversion therapy and the irreversible damage and that not everyone can escape from it. Carter was shown in conflict whether to be with JP and accept himself but ultimately always chose to stay to the righteous path which led. I think the story was the case of what JP has said, he thought he could save Carter but Carter chose the path he taken in the end. Carter lost the plot imo after Declan found out about JP/Carter. But seen moments of him being unhinged with Hannah etc even before the Lucas thing, so not sure they really changed the direction went with him, I think it was a toss up of Carter being redeemed or showing him being the irreversible damage of brainwashing can do and Carter ultimately choosing to carry on the cycle of abuse he was shown, compared to likes of Kitty, Lucas, Ro etc escaping it. I do feel for Carter though, it seems he never had the real support etc to pull him out of it. Because you could say his like Lucas except he lucky to have a dad who accepted him being gay.

I should clarify, I didn't think he was ever meant to stay longer, I didn't mean that I thought that was part of the change. but the story that played out over the time he was in the show could have been very different, and better. am I objective? no, ofc not. but even if I didn't like Carter or McShep, I'd still have the opinion that this story wasn't told well, at least these last few months. so they showed that conversion therapy is bad, big whoop, everyone knows that, and as a person I follow said, the people that thinks it's good/right, will not be swayed by this story. ultimately it had seemingly little impact and also little point to it imo. it's true about Hannah, I momentarily forgot about that, so sure, we have seen him be a bit crazy when cornered. but I don't think that changes the fact that he just felt a lot more complex and real during the first half year than he did now at the end, where he felt a lot more like a typical, quite boring villain. I'm already in a discussion on Reddit about the fact that brainwashing is never irreversible though, and I suspect you might be the same person I'm talking to there, so I'm not going to repeat myself when it comes to that.

[erwinsarmrest]

(this is another anon) oh my god your answer about the scenario about if armin's and mikasa's genders were flipped blew my mind. gender dynamics are so weird.

also you shipping eremika makes me interested, as i don't really and i'm curious how you see it and if there's something about their relationship that i'm not appreciating (if you feel like talking about it, totally understand if not! just skip everything after this in that case.)

so one of the main things that prevents me from shipping them is how lopsided their relationship is (or was during most of aot). with mikasa being very VERY preoccupied with eren, and eren a lot less so with her and being annoyed with her a lot.

i remember that it was portrayed as eren being jealous of mikasa's strength and rejecting her affection because of that, and later on as not knowing how to accept that someone like her cares so deeply for him, and honestly i can very much buy that (though it was also at least some genuine annoyance at mikasa trying to decide things for him). i can even see eren maybe having romantic feelings back, (though by default i don't) just that these hang-ups prevented him from expressing affection to her most of the time and from connecting. but it's just that--to me it doesn't feel that they've been properly connecting. they love each other, but they're very out of step.

i find this dynamic very compelling, and wish it'd been properly explored, but to me that wouldn't have ended romantically. just explored the situation--how they've always loved each other but what it'd take for them to settle on a dynamic where they're more on the same page. probably with a lot of focus on mikasa as a character and dramatic near death experiences somewhere in between since this is aot.

so yeah, i'm wondering if i could look at it in a different way?

(btw i'm not even thinking about how'd i see it if mikasa was a guy, i didn't get enough sleep to expend the energy needed to process that.)

hey! this got longer than i intended whoops. anyways.

if you’re looking for someone to convince you of the eremika ship i’m probably not the best person to do that. i’m a multi shipper and ship mikasa with a lot of people, eren being the one i ship her with least. i think it stems mostly from the fact that i don’t really like eren all that much.

but the appeal i see in eremika comes mostly from comparing it to the other ackerman ships. i know there is some debate over whether the “ackerbond” is real or not so that could influence your opinion. but i see the “ackerbond” more of as the ackermans being an incredibly devoted and loyal family. that they act the way they do towards their loved ones because they’ve chosen them as their people, not because their brain “enslaves” them or whatever. so with my personal ackerbond explanation out of the way, i tend to enjoy very devoted, messy, and doomed ships (ie: ackerman ships: eruri, kenuri, eremika). so i like eremika in that aspect. i think i kinda forced myself to like eremika because i enjoy eruri and kenuri so much. all 3 relationships are so similar yet so different that it’s kinda hard to say you love one while hating the others. i think what turns me off of eremika so much is that eren is just… so mean to her.

i don’t think eremikas relationship is anywhere near healthy, i see it more as a trauma bond/codependence thing than a romance that can actually go anywhere. had circumstances been different i think they could have had a very beautiful relationship. i’m a sucker for childhood friends to lovers and i think that had they been able to grow up with their own families as good friends it could have grown into something really lovely. however, that wasn’t the case, with mikasa’s family dying violently, her living with the yeagers (who she viewed and loved as family), and then the yeager parents dying as well. the last thing she promised erens mom was that she’d take care of him, so i think her obsession with him is very valid in that case.

another layer to their relationship that i enjoy is the kinda “i love you - too late” aspect they’ve got going on. like mikasa obviously cares for eren a lot all throughout the series, and eren shows that he cares in pretty small ways. it’s like eren didn’t realize how much mikasa meant to him until he was faced with the fact that fate decided they couldn’t be together when he saw the future the end of season 3. and by the time eren realized his feelings for mikasa she had come to terms with the fact that they could never be together in a romantic sense. as i said before im a big fan of tragic, doomed relationships so i go enjoy right person/wrong time situations.

i agree with you that their relationship is very compelling and i wish it had more development. because it really seems one sided (on mikasas end) except for in a select few moments (the end of season 2, and eren revisiting their first meeting in season 4 to name a few)

i think that the ship could have been great, it checks all of my boxes in theory but in practice it falls a little short. i really only ship it because mikasa is one of my favorite characters and i think she deserves to be happy and eren makes her happy (most of the time. i have not forgiven him for making her cry with the whole “ you’re a slave and i’ve always hated you” nonsense). so ya i don’t really know if that helped you at all because as i said if you want to be convinced into liking them i’m probably not the person to ask. i’m a mikasa lover through and through though so i’m always happy to talk about her in any extent.