#also yeah i def picked on the queer vibes before knowing i was queer

[sunflowerboymilo]

Hello I must talk about Hobie Brown or I will actively die. I have been hyper focusing on this man since I saw ATSP. This is a collection of things that I’ve seen others pointed out or my own thoughts compiled into one big list. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ACROSS THE SPIDERVERSE

The scene where Pavi, Gwen and Miles chase Spot to the force field just before Hobie shows up gives us the basic premise of this technology. It is “impossible” to go through. Miles tries anyway and is struggling with it.

Absolutely no hesitation from Hobie as he blasts through the force field with a wave of sound and a kick.

He does a cool pose. What a nerd.

Hobie canonically knows how to get through the force fields, which makes a lot of sense for his character.

Him and Pavi have a v cute moment and he definitely gives big brother energy.

He immediately knows who Miles is by Universe, which is interesting, isn’t it?

Despite Miles showing obvious irritation/dislike for him, he gives him advice, but also ribs him. Huge big brother vibes to the spider band. Also confirms that he knows exactly how to dismantle the force field and then teaches Miles.

Goes against the dynamic of how every other spider person has introduced themselves.

“And I was bitten by a … wouldn’t you like to know?” >:) Hot

Refuses to show off secret identity which is weird right? He just said his name. Specifically, he doesn’t show his face until Spot isn’t close by. Is he worried about retaliation?

We learn he is an activist, an anarchist, hates the AM, hates the PM, hates labels.

I personally think that his rant about hero being a term used by “self-mythologizing narcissistic autocrat” is targeted. Probably at Miguel who we later learn very much thinks of himself as the good guy.

This man has read Marx and that’s hot.

Him and Gwen are close and this annoys Miles. He brings it up casually and is very nonchalant about her leaving stuff at his place. I def think they are platonic. Specifically I think he’s queer and she’s like way too young for him.

“Are those my chucks?” “Heh.” SIBLING VIIIIIIBES also someone pointed out that specifically her shoes don’t change like his do and that they’re in her size which probably means he bought them and pretended to leave them out

Him saying he doesn’t believe in teams is interesting to me. He’s an anarchist. What do you mean he doesn’t believe in teams??? Nah nah I think this is much more specific. One of two possibilities I think. 1) Lost a lot of people and teams are scary. It means you care about someone and trust someone, and you could lose them. 2) He’s specifically taking about the Spider Society and/or another “team” that screwed him over/other people over. Juries still out, but it doesn’t make sense.

He hates consistency, yet he’s consistently funny? Doesn’t believe in comedy, yet he makes me laugh so much? Curious 🧐

He and Gwen are immediately going to pick Miles back up after the blast from Spot. Mans cares.

“I’ll do it, but not because you told me to.” DYING. STOOOOOP

Him and Gwen do the exact same technique to pull up the building which means more than likely he taught her that.

This man is wearing full skinny jeans, doc mhartins, leather vest and carrying a guitar. He is DEDICATED to the aesthetic.

Despite knowing that Pav is supposed to lose either the inspector or his Gwen, he immediately goes to help save her.

Does not scold or patronize Miles after he “messed up”. Encourages him and hypes him up.

“It’s a metaphor for capitalism.” 💀

“I don’t follow orders and neither does he.” Hobie is trying to persuade Miles not to go back to HQ. He already knows something will happen if he goes, but he follows anyway knowing.

“I was this cool the whole time.” YEAH YOU WERE!

“Bit much, innit?” Slowly building up negativity to the society. He knows how to talk people out of joining things like this.

GWENDY!!! Adorable and not being scolding

“How much have you told him? Bout his place in all of this.” Assessing the situation while Jessica is right in front of them and can most likely hear everything.

Also knows A LOT about what’s going on. That Miles is a key player, an anomaly. That he is someone who means a lot to his friend, Gwen, and that he matters in taking this place down.

“Maybe not enough.” Miles doesn’t even know about glitching, which means he’s coming from a place of ignorance to the whole thing.

“Apart from having a great name? Yeah it’s super cool and not creepy.” Planting the seed about this place whereas Gwen is downplaying the red flags.

“Bet this doesn’t even do anything.” Actively stealing from this place to build the watch more than likely, and is showing the security theatre of the place. Showing Miles that this place isn’t as high tech and air tight as one would think.

“Propaganda, bro! It’s to distract you from the truth.” His voice is so sincere here, and it’s for sure how he feels. But when Miles pushes back, he changes tactics.

“I ain’t got a Scooby Doo mate.” Yes he does. He knows something, or at least has theories. Also keeping it nonchalant and chill so as not to upset Miles, which would push him further into the Society.

“That’s what they want.” He is correct though. We’ve seen they keep things from people in the society if they think it will make things go smoother.

“Why do you want to be apart of this stuff?” Trying to figure out what he’s missing from home that would make him want to join this cult

“Make your own watch.” Not only does he believe Miles can do that himself, but he’s actively stealing parts to do just that.

The little roll he does and hanging off that thing 😍😳😩🥵 God he’s just so casually hot

“Bet you got a nice set up, nice parents.” Checking on his living situation, establishing if he has parents what kind of relationship he has with them.

The way he looks at Miles when he says he got in a fight with his parents is very telling. It’s like a seriously? kind of face. In the comics, he is an orphan which I think will carry over, so it makes sense he might be jealous.

“That’s a bloody shame. Cuz you’re not ready for everybody else.” He knows about the canon events and if Miles dad isn’t dead, he won’t want to join if he knows.

Trying to convince him not to join, and almost pitting his happy home life against the Spider Society. After that line it immediately cuts to Miguel which means he knows about Miguel’s hatred for him/intentions for him

Physically puts himself in Miles way to block him from going forward.

“The whole point of being Spider-Man is your independence. Being your own boss, you don’t need all this.” Trying to convince Miles right before they go in. He has a chance to run right now without all the chaos that will happen. He’s trying to give him a chance to run.

“Then why are you here?” “Looking out for my drummer is all.” He’s looking out for Gwen and for Miles. Putting himself in a place that allowed horrible stuff to happen to him and his friends. More stealing for the watch.

“Alright, squashed! But don’t enlist until you know what war you’re fighting.” Doesn’t want to test Miles or Gwen when they still have allegiance to this place. Giving him one last piece of advice so he continues to ask questions and not blindly trust.

Hobie is actively hiding in the shadows trying not to be noticed. Obviously knows Miguel is a threat.

He looks so anxious when Miguel speaks to Miles. Knows what’s to come and is ready to throw down. Possibly afraid of him.

Seems unphased when the box is thrown at Miles. Bad home life? Knows Miguel’s temper is bad?

Immediately eats the Empanada. Based.

The little wave he does. It’s so sarcastic and obviously making fun of him.

Puts his feet up on something, acting all cool and aloof.

“I’m ain’t even here. Or here.” He’s testing Miguel’s patience and having a blast doing so. Also he’s sneaking around looking at shit and being fairly open about it.

“The kids an anarchist.” V cute, loves how it pisses of Miguel

“Taking a crap on the establishment? I salute you.” She obviously knows him as she likes being picked up by him. V cute together. He’s great with kids.

Kind of fades in and out as the tension escalates.

“Yeah what of it?” Defensive much? Was once close with a cop. My personal head cannon is that something forced him to kill a cop and he’s embraced it. More than likely the fact that in his universe in the comics Venom is used on cops to make them stronger.

Reminds Miles how to break free when he is panicking.

THAT SMIIIIIIRK 😭😍😳

“Just for the record I quit.” Actively leaving the watch so no possibility of being tracked and in the middle of the commotion so nobody is paying attention.

Makes a watch for Gwen!!!!!! Also he makes it all punk which confirms that stuff from his universe stays punk after leaving, interesting.

Joins the Spider band!!! He def believes in teams.

Editing to add “You’re not helping.” “Good.” Like god he’s such a rebel and actively antagonizing the situation bc he knows where this is going. Thank you Robnicole for the note!

Also adding to point out that his Docs are laced with blue shoelaces which if you weren’t aware is a code in the punk community. Blue signified you’ve killed a cop.

[wickedlyqueer]

your beautiful reimaginings of the show make me cry like sidhdidjh it was the first musical i saw as a kid and aided me to realizing i was queer, so seeing that actualized in your gifs just feels so, so good.

That honestly means so much to me?

Wickedly Queer has been so healing to me for several reasons. To hear I could provide a similar sort of healing and catharsis for someone else is so gratifying and humbling ♥.

[littlehollyleaf]

Name ten favourite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.) 

Then tag ten people

Tagged (ages ago, whoops!) by @castiel-saved-me-from-myself 

(I’m sorry, I got distracted!)

1.Supernatural. Castiel.

Obviously. I may be out of the fandom now, but I’ve never loved a character as much as Cas, and probably never will.

2. Good Omens. Aziraphale.

Thought I’d put both my darling angels at the top :) I suspect that without Zira there to pave the way Castiel may not even have existed, so I love him double - for himself and for Cas as well :p 

While really quite different when it comes to their personalities (just think how Zira would SHUDDER at Cas’ trenchcoat), they share a lot of character traits and tropes (mini-series!Zira anyway, maybe less so in the book, or less obviously anyway), so, no surprise that I should adore them both. I’ve also said before, and I stand by it, that Aziraphale is sort of a combination of my favourite aspects of both Cas and Dean in one, with Cas’ struggle with Heaven/god and trying to be a good angel and finding he loves humanity/earth more, plus Dean’s whole ‘performing Dean’ thing and repression of queer feelings he is scared to admit to (out loud) because he believes they are somehow ‘wrong.’ 

...just to give a little insight into my feelings about these two that was neither needed nor asked for...

4. Hellblazer. NBC Constantine. Legends of Tomorrow. John Constantine. 

Aaaand the other guy I love twice because Cas, and indeed spn in general, kinda owe their existence to him. Though in turn his fabulous live action portrayal by Matt Ryan probably owes its existence to spn and Castiel’s popularity. So... there’s a weird ouroboros situation happening with my favs here that makes my head spin whenever I think about it, but I love it - stories within stories built on stories feeding off stories, which connects to wider themes of story and storytelling being vital and intrinsic to life and stuff.

Anyway, despite his wardrobe, Johnny is NOTHING LIKE CAS. He is, in fact, a lot like Dean. But I like him more. Maybe because he’s British :p He has the whole ‘repressing his feelings’ things, a bit like Zira, but it’s not because he thinks they are wrong, it’s more of a coping mechanism to deal with the constant tragedy/trauma his life/lifestyle/fate causes him to suffer. But whatever the reason, I like my characters facing that struggle :) (actually the British element is probably way more significant to my enjoyment of him than I’ve been fully aware of... that’s probably why I loved Zira so fast as well... obviously they are both a completely different class of British, literally, but the fact they ARE British is INTRINSIC to both their characters, and I guess a little, vaguely patriotic part of me is excited by that... :p)

4. Gotham. Edward Nygma.

Since I’ve started giving explanations - I love Eddie because he’s also got the whole ‘emotionally repressed’ / out of touch with (his) emotions thing going on (as seen in Zira and Cas), but with the addition of various geeky / ‘tech guy’ character traits that I also love.

5. Doctor Who (Classic). Vislor Turlough.

I waxed poetic once about how I liked Gotham’s Edward Nygma because he reminded me a bit of Turlough. That was early on in my Gotham days though and given how Eddie developed I don’t see as many similarities now. Turlough shares some of Eddie’s ‘dark’ traits however - self-centered, often lacking in empathy for others and nonplussed (sometimes even happy) to see them get into trouble or hurt. But ultimately his attempts to be self-serving and cowardly end up thwarted by him developing feelings for specific individuals despite his best efforts, which is what I enjoy about him (and actually that’s a lot like Eddie still, huh... their endgame’s are opposing though ofc - while Eddie goes on to embrace being a villain, Turlough gives up on villainy and even becomes a bit of a hero, now and then). Plus, Turlough is the ONLY Companion (IIRC?) to have joined the Doctor specifically in order to MURDER him and... idk, I just think that’s cool :P

6. Doctor Who (New). Donna Noble.

(I’m trying not to double up on fandoms/shows so I can cover more, but New and Classic Who count as different things, kinda, right...?)

Donna doesn’t really fit any of the character traits I’ve talked about above, though I guess her low self-esteem is something that all my other favs share in various ways (though it’s not such an EXPLICIT aspect of their characters and story arcs as it was for Donna I’d say). What I first loved about her was that after YEARS of New companions (and other randoms) being literally in love with the Doctor, she had a strictly platonic relationship with him. Yeah, I think maybe the show was a bit heavy-handed about it, but even so it came as a huge breath of fresh air and frankly a RELIEF to me. Not that I’m opposed to the Doctor having romantic/sexual  relationships, it was just that... coming from a childhood love of the Classic series where that just... didn’t happen (save a fleeting kiss in the TV Movie - which I actually enjoyed fyi!), it just... idk, was starting to stretch my credulity that EVERYONE seemed to be falling for him maybe? Or at least for me it was growing tiresome. So the fact she didn’t have that element to her character/story was a plus. Then I just adore how loud and brash she is when calling anyone, including the Doctor, out on their shit (I envy her that maybe). Plus I like the way she isn’t... traditional TV pretty, you know? (ie. young and slim, like a lot of other companions).

...or maybe I just like redheads *shrug emoji* 

7. Spartacus. Naevia.

(she has two actresses okay? and they both deserve kudos!)

Truth is I love FUCKING EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE IN THIS SHOW. Spartacus is like... my PERFECT SHOW. There isn’t a single moment, a single plotline, a single character that I don’t enjoy. I have never even CONSIDERED looking up or writing fic because the finished product is completely satisfying exactly as it is. God. But I wanted it represented in this list so I had to pick someone!

Considering the time period there couldn’t really BE a ‘geeky, emotionally repressed with low self-esteem’ character :p BUT nearly ALL of the characters have the whole ‘struggle to understand/discover who they are’ thing and the ‘who I am and want to be is counter to who I’ve been told I am / should be’ arc, on account of the main cast being rebelling slaves (though the other characters are equally complex and compelling and I love them too - Lucy Lawless in particular is incredible!). Anyone who’s seen me blog about the show before might have thought I’d pick either Agron or Nasir as my favs, since I do like to squee over their romance. But whenever I think about the show it’s usually Naevia who I remember first, because her character arc/development just BLEW ME AWAY. She went from someone I’d kinda dismissed at first as a typical het love interest to a WARRIOR GODDESS and you SEE all the key moments of that growth, you FEEL it, it makes ALL THE SENSE. And her romance with Crixus, which again I was initially a bit dismissive of as a typical, sudden, weak het romance, grows into, imo, one of the deepest, most developed, most believable love stories in the show. So yeah. Naevia. Amazing.

8. Due South. Ray Vecchio. 

(he’s the guy not the dog - gifs were limited! ...also the dog is actually a wolf, it’s a whole thing... that doesn’t need exploring at this juncture)

Ray was my first TV crush :P He had a bit of a sidekick vibe to him I guess, which I like (lead characters tend not to interest me as much). He wasn’t ‘geeky’ exactly, but he def had the ‘trying to look/act cooler than I am’ thing going on... also an obsessive attachment to his vintage car... meanwhile his partner Benny was the stoic, ‘British, stiff upper lip, keep emotions in check’ one who was always trying to live up to the ideal persona dictated by his people/employers, in this case the Royal Canadian Mounted Police... HUH, so... it’s actually SUPER WEIRD that I ended up loving Cas and Zira over Dean and Crowley when it seems pretty clear suddenly that my first big fictional fav was CLEARLY the Dean-Crowley to Benny’s Cas-Zira......?? Ray was FUNNY in a way Dean and Crowley aren’t though, I think? He def filled a ‘comic relief’ slot on the regular and I liked that a lot (it also made his serious, angsty moments EXTRA serious and angsty, and extra angst is something I always love!)

9. The Librarians. Eve Baird.

Remember this little show? It was... is... sorta ridiculous. Not amazing. Based on some... very cheap, very OBVIOUS Indiana Jones rip-off films, that were also ridiculous and... not... great (the third one is the best, with an awesome performance by Stana Katic aka Kate Beckett as a vampire, but I digress). But... idek, I am EXTREMELY FOND of the series for some reason :p

There are a WHOLE BUNCH of characters that fit my ‘type’ more than Eve tbh... in fact... probably every.single.other.main.cast.member (save perhaps Jenkins?) shares the traits above that typically make a character my fav. But... EVE! I just... think she’s neat! ...maybe it’s BECAUSE all the others are main/lead characters that makes me gravitate towards her? In a cast where ‘geeky, socially awkward, struggles with emotions’ is the norm, Eve being the no-nonsense, socially competent, badass soldier type therefore becomes different and thus more interesting to me? Also, much like with Donna, I appreciate that she’s an older woman who gets to have a full character and plot of her own. There’s also something about her romance with Flynn that... makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Jonathan Levinson.

(tumblr gif search failed me so I had to grab from elsewhere...)

Listen. Look. Okay. Buffy is pretty old school these days so, for anyone not in the know, as a character, originally, Jonathan... he wasn’t even a side character, he wasn’t even REOCCURRING, he was barely a background character. For several episodes he didn’t have a name and it wasn’t until several seasons after he became ‘Jonathan’ that he actually got a surname. Danny Strong was just an actor who happened to be occasionally on-hand when the script called for a random to have a line, until eventually that happened often enough for Joss to think ‘hey, you know what, let’s make this guy an actual part of the show...’ 

He got a couple of episodes focused on him in S03 and S04 respectively, but didn’t become a regular until S06 (and wasn’t in S05 AT ALL). Other than that he had a HANDFUL of ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moments here and there, not even full scenes for the most part, usually lasting no longer than the above gif.

I tell you all this so that when I say childhood me (well... somewhere between 12 and 14 years anyway) was OBSESSED with this character in the show, and I mean O B S E S S E D (to the point of spending hours painstakingly making VHS recordings purely of the episodes he was in), you understand how UTTERLY BIZARRE that was. Because this obsession pre-dated S06. Was, in fact, in full swing during the airing of his S04 episode - which was, like, a fucking DREAM COME TRUE for freakily obsessed me fyi, because the whole episode was constructed with him as the LEAD CHARACTER, because he’d performed a spell to make him super awesome. They even changed the title sequence to read ‘Jonathan’ instead of Buffy! And while other fans were no doubt just lol-ing at the random I was bouncing about on my sofa all ‘MY TIME HAS COME!’ and fucking SWOONING over seeing MY CHARACTER suddenly in the spotlight and getting to do crazy fun OOC shit like this -

Then when S06 rolled around and HE WAS A LEGIT REGULAR, omg, I was in HEAVEN! First TV boxset I ever bought that - Buffy S06 :P

So... yeah. A bit of a fav. Geeky. Outcast. Slowly grows more morally grey, what with that spell I mentioned and also the fact he was teamed with the ANTAGONISTS in S06. I guess you could say he was the beginning of a lot of my fav fictional character traits/tropes (though looking back - I think his ‘villainous’ teammates in S06, Andrew and Warren, are more my ‘type’ these days, and I did end up loving Andrew especially a whole damn lot, but at the time I’d been a Jonathan fangirl for so.fucking.long. there was just no chance anyone else in the show was ever gonna come close to my heart!)

THE END.

Sorry not sorry for the tmi. I got a bit too into this one.

Actually sorry I have so few women on the list :( Internalised misogyny/sexism is a real thing and I spent a lot of my life being... somewhat unfairly dismissive of female characters or at least prioritising male ones over them. I’m working on it.

Ten people is SO.MANY. to tag. But I might as well do this right this time, since I’ve come so far. But if you’d rather not play, no worries! <3

@enchantersnight @momecat @bold-sartorial-statement @vampirebillionaire @edwardnashtons @miss-olivia-cellophane @knightinpinkunderwear @supes9 @leaper182 @hamburgergod

Honourable mentions (because I CAN):

Gotham. Lucius Fox.

Gotham. Fish Mooney.

Gotham. Tabitha Galavan.

Doctor Who. The Doctor.

Doctor Who. The Master/Missy.

Supernatural. Hannah.

Supernatural. Naomi.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Andrew Wells.

[ponyregrets]

That last ep was A MESS can you please do a fluffy bellarke fic for some therapy? :)

I was working on something else but idk when I’m gonna post that, so here’s something quicker. @apanoplyofsong pointed out that a question from a recent My Brother, My Brother, and Me sounded like a Bellarke AU, and she was def right.

Also on AO3!

"So, what's the correct reaction when you find out someone is going to be naked on TV and didn't tell you?"

Wells' hand stops with his croissant halfway to his mouth, and he puts it down and just cocks his head at her. "One more time."

Clarke sighs. "You remember Bellamy?"

"Your roommate's brother? The hot one?"

"That would be him."

Wells nods. "I can see why this is a crisis."

"It's weird, right?"

"I still don't know what it is, I just assume everything involving Bellamy is a crisis for you."

This is, unfortunately, kind of accurate. Bellamy is a problem because the first few times Clarke met him, she hated him but also wanted to make out with him, and while the hate faded, the desire to make out with him never did, which just leaves her with a huge, stupid crush on her college roommate's brother, and nothing to do about it because Bellamy, despite no longer hating her and, by all appearances, being pretty fond of her, has showed no signs of wanting to make out with her.

But he also didn't tell her he's going to be naked on TV, and she's not sure what to make of that. All she knows is that she's been reading into it non-stop.

"He got cast on a new show. It sounds really good, like--one of those prestige things, on Showtime, probably really great for his career. He's been really excited? We've been talking about it a lot. But he didn't tell me he's apparently got nude scenes."

"So how did you find out?"

"Octavia brought it up. And it felt like everyone else already knew? She was like, I hope he tells me when the nudity is so I can skip it, and Raven was like, I hope he tells me so I can have a viewing party. And I didn't know at all."

"So you're upset he didn't tell you he was going to be naked."

"Not upset. I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do. Like, do I act like I don't know? Do I watch the episode and tell him--I don't even know what I'd tell him."

"Look, I get why you're overthinking this. I've met you, I know how you are. But he's on a TV show where he's getting naked and he told you about it. He's got to know that you might see him naked."

"So why wouldn't he tell me? Just, like--as a head's up"

Wells shrugs. "You could ask him."

"Yeah, that's normal. Hey, Bellamy, why didn't you warn me I was going to see your dick on TV?"

"Okay, first off. Let's pretend for a second that this isn't the guy you've got a crush on. I know you love pretending you don't have a crush on him."

Clarke glares. "Shut up."

"What if it was me? What if it was my dick?"

"If it was you, you would have told me you were going to be naked." She sighs. "It just bothers me? Like--he told his sister and Raven, why wouldn'the tell me? I thought we were friends."

"Maybe it just came up when he was talking to them and it hasn't come up with you yet. And Octavia is his sister," he adds. "If I was going to be naked on TV, I'd tell all my immediate family so they'd be prepared."

"But not your friends."

He taps his jaw. "I guess it depends. Like, maybe he thinks he shouldn't assume you care. You're an adult, you've seen a dick before."

"So has Raven. I think she's seen his dick."

"So it's probably not a big deal for her." He sighs. "Seriously, I don't know what you want me to tell you. Do I think it's weird? Sure. Do I have any idea what I'd do if I was appearing on TV naked? No. So if you want to know what he's thinking? You've got to ask him."

"You're no help," she mutters.

"I don't know why you thought I would be. You knew this was what I was going to say."

"Would you ask him? If it was you."

Wells opens and closes his mouth, apparently changing his mind a couple times before he finally says, "Honestly? I'd probably try to figure out how to get him to bring it up. Like--drop some hints or whatever."

Clarke chokes on her coffee. "So, on a scale from one to ten, how much nudity is in this? Asking for a friend."

"I was thinking about watching this with my grandmother, any reason I shouldn't?."

"Perfect, yeah." She sighs. "How bad is it that I'm really looking forward to the episode?"

"It's bad because you should be putting more effort into actually seeing him naked and less into worrying about seeing him naked on TV. Maybe he didn't tell you because he's hoping his dick will impress you and he doesn't want you to miss out."

"Is that what you would do?"

"I still don't think there's a ton of point in putting me in hypothetical situations where I'm naked on TV," says Wells. "What would you do?"

It's a valid question, and Clarke clucks her tongue. "I think I'd tell him because I'd feel weirder if he found out on his own. But I don't know how I'd tell him."

"So maybe he's just waiting for the opening. You just need to give him one."

"Like asking if I can watch with my grandmother."

Wells smiles. "For a start. You know when the episode is on?"

"Not yet. The show premieres next month, I think?"

"Cool. Let me know when he's going to be naked."

"Obviously," says Clarke. "What are friends for?"

*

"I think you're going to regret this."

Bellamy scowls, more at his computer than Clarke. "I already regret this. Jesus, how do I decide who to follow? Why are people already following me?"

Intrepid is Bellamy's first really big recurring role, a significant part on a prestige show that's got a lot of network support. It's not necessarily his big break, but it's the best shot he's had, probably ever, which means he's putting in some real effort to capitalizing on it.

Which means he signed up for twitter and then called Clarke as soon as people found out he was on twitter, because now he's terrified. Not shockingly.

"Because the show account welcomed you to twitter and people are excited."

"The show hasn't even started yet."

"Do you understand how publicity works?"

This time, he is scowling at her. "Clearly not. I've been told if I understood how publicity worked I would have already had a twitter."

"Probably, yeah."

"I don't see how it helps me if I don't use it."

"The idea is that you use it."

"Thanks for the update."

"You did call me."

A smile tugs at his mouth. "I did. I saw you followed me."

"Well, I'm a fan."

"Thanks." He cracks his neck. "I can follow you back, right?"

The question actually requires some thought. "It depends on who else you follow."

"Why?"

"Well, if you follow me and like--no other regular people? You're showing that I'm your friend."

"You are my friend."

"I'm just saying, people might read into it."

He rubs his face. "Fuck, am I really expecting people to read into my twitter follows? Is that a thing?"

"I don't know," she says, slow. She's not actually involved in the industry at all, but she grew up around Hollywood, and she does brand management for companies, which is kind of similar. Bellamy's not a big enough deal to hire an actual dedicated person for social media, but she also likes him. She's willing to advise him pro-bono. "But it's better to start off careful than realize you need to be careful and haven't been."

"I guess. Can't I follow you because you're a professional? You do--things."

"It's my personal twitter. I do professional tweets from the agency account. And I'm not exactly famous on any of my accounts."

He thinks it over. "I'm following you anyway."

She's his first follow, which is flattering, even if it's also a kind of terrible tactical decision.

"Okay, you should follow the show too, and the other actors." She worries her lip. "What kind of fan base are you expecting?"

He shoots her a sidelong glance. "What are my options?"

It's not exactly how she planned to bring up the whole nudity issue, but since she didn't really have a plan, the excuse is appreciated. "Are you hot?"

Adorably, he looks down at himself. "Uh, I think so? I look pretty good."

She bites back on her smile. "I meant--is your character showing off how hot you are? Do you think a lot of people are going to follow you because you're attractive in the context of the show? Or are they not going to know you're hot?"

"Oh." He rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, I think being hot is kind of a character trait."

"Okay, so you should expect to get a bunch of followers who just think you're hot. I'd probably try to go for kind of--normal vibe."

"What does that mean?"

"Tweet every couple days with just stuff about your life. Engage with the other actors. Do you have a love interest?"

The pause stretches. "I have a sex scene."

"With a guy or a girl?"

"Guy. It's pretty good, honestly. In terms of being--I don't know. It's how they reveal my character is queer, they haven't specified exactly how yet, and I don't love that, but the scene was well written and I liked how they handled it."

"How explicit?"

"The actual sex scene is pretty tame, but I wander around naked after."

"So you're telling me as soon as that episode airs, you're going to pick up ten million twitter followers."

"You're telling me that. I'm humble."

Clarke smiles. "Okay, fine. Here."

He blinks as she hands over her phone. "What?"

"Log into twitter. I'm taking over your social media presence. I've got this."

"Don't you usually charge for that?" he asks, but he's already putting in his information.

"Usually, yeah. But we're friends." She bites her lip. "Were you going to tell me about the sex scene?"

"Is that something I was supposed to disclose?"

"What if my mom was visiting and I told her we should watch your show together?"

"I assume your mom has seen a dick before." He sighs. "I don't know, it's weird, right? But I wanted you to watch the show."

"And you thought your dick would scare me off?"

"This is why I didn't want to have this conversation."

He really does look a little uncomfortable, and Clarke feels guilt rush over her. It probably is really awkward for him. Just because she's hurt doesn't mean he did anything to hurt her, and he doesn't deserve her petulance.

"Sorry," she says. "It's not--I'm curious. It's not like it's a big deal. It's your job, right?"

"Yeah. And it's a good job, I don't mind. But this is a first for me."

"Hey, at least you look good naked," she says, and he smirks.

"Are you spying on me or just going on blind faith?"

"Not blind faith. Informed faith. I know you have a great workout routine, and you look good with clothes on, so--" He's still smirking, and she glares. "I'm trying to make you feel better, shut up!"

"It's working, keep going."

"I thought you didn't want to have this conversation."

"I didn't realize it would involve you telling me how good I look naked." His expression softens, going gentle in the way that always makes her heart lurch. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you. Without it being like--hey, check out my dick. Or beware of my dick."

"That's what you told Octavia, I'm guessing."

He winces. "She told you? You knew?"

"She and Raven were talking about it. It felt a little weird being the only one who didn't know about your dick."

"Raven's my roommate, she got the first freakout. Right place, right time. Or wrong place, wrong time, I guess? Depending on how much you want to hear about my dick." He clears his throat. "And, yeah, I warned O. She was asking how embarrassing it would be to watch. And then--honestly, yeah, you probably are the only one who didn't know."

It stings a little. "So, you could tell everyone else to check out your dick?"

"Well, Miller and Raven have already seen it." He bites the corner of his mouth. "I was trying to figure out the right approach. Raven told me I was a total failure if I couldn't turn it into a pick-up line, but I wasn't having much luck."

"Hey, check out my dick?" Clarke supplies, heart racing. "It was right there."

"Yeah, but it's not exactly romantic. And I was hoping to, uh--I was really going to do better than freaking out at you about twitter and accidentally talking about my dick. A lot. When you already knew about it. Fuck."

Clarke can't help it; she starts laughing. Bellamy doesn't join her, but his mouth does twitch up into a sheepish smile, and Clarke gets her own reaction under control. "Sorry, just--Bellamy, come on. You didn't have to do anything special. You didn't even have to bring up your dick! Just--hey, do you want to get dinner sometime?"

"That's it?"

"You seem really invested in making this complicated." She smiles. "I like you. It doesn't have to be some big thing. Just--yeah. Do you want to get dinner sometime?"

He laughs, leans in and presses his mouth against hers, a kiss that's supposed to be quick, but she doesn't want to kiss him quickly. She wants to kiss him for hours.

"I definitely want to get dinner," he murmurs, when he finally pulls away. His grin is almost blinding. "You want to check out my dick sometime?"

"Before the episode airs?"

"Special sneak preview. Any time you want."

She leans in to kiss him again. "I'd love to."

*

Raven does have a viewing party for the episode, but since she's done that for every episode, Clarke assumes it won't actually be a big deal.

In retrospect, this was a stupid assumption.

"I didn't even know they made this much dick-shaped food," says Clarke, leaning over the bowl of dick pasta.

"Bachelorette parties. Gag gifts. Trolling your friend about his big sex scene. They're good for every occasion. And some of them aren't technically dicks. The cake is supposed to be a palm tree on an island or some shit. But hey, anything can be a dick if you believe in yourself."

"And you're very dedicated to trolling your friend."

"And I am." Her eyes flick over Clarke. "How weird is this going to be? Watching your boyfriend be naked on TV with all your closest friends?"

"Probably less weird than if I wasn't dating him. This way at least I already know I get to fuck him after."

"Yeah, I guess that would be a plus. I assume you're not going to be overcome with lust or anything."

"Depends on how good the sex scene is."

Raven rolls her eyes. "You two are disgusting. But congrats, I guess. I'm glad he actually managed to leverage a nude scene into a relationship."

"I'm very smooth," Bellamy says, coming up behind Clarke and grabbing a gummy dick out of the bowl on the table. "Shut up."

"Literally all he had to do was ask, and he didn't," Clarke says. "Leverage is a strong word."

"You asked me out during a conversation about my dick. Which was causing you a major crisis. I'm counting it as an overall win."

Clarke grins, leaning back into him. "Definitely a win."

And it is, admittedly, a little weird to watch the scene, but it's the usual kind of surreality that comes along with having a boyfriend who's on TV. Bellamy's a great actor, and it's not really like watching him. The sex he has on screen is nothing like the sex she and Bellamy have with each other.

It's great and all, good direction, good acting, but it doesn't even come close to the real thing. And that's all hers.