#and suddenly you think you know better than everyone

[hot-patootiee]

Part 2 of this. And can you tell I had issues with my ex? Like holy shit I’m having flashbacks writing this.

Nancy stands up and walks over to Eddie though, and gently pushes him towards the door.

“Go fix it.” She demands.

Eddie makes a confused sound as he is gently pushed out of the house, having to push open the door or be squished into it.

…

When Steve’s doorbell rings again, he’s getting a little annoyed.

He swings open the door and Eddie is there.

Steve begins to close the door.

Unfortunately he is forced to deal with his feelings, so Eddie puts a hand on the door and pushes it open.

“Did you think we were dating?” Eddie seems almost accusatory in his tone, which immediately annoyed Steve.

“What do you mean by ‘think’ Eddie? I asked you out, you said yes.” Steve was still trying to shut the door in Eddie’s face, but he looked more angry than sad. “Unless this is some sort of strange apology and declaration of love, I don’t wanna hear it.”

“It is! It is! Just don’t close the door.” Steve furrows his brows and lets the door swing open.

Eddie stumbles in, tripping over the entrance and nearly falling into Steve.

Steve stares at Eddie, waiting.

“I thought you were just experimenting and I’m so sorry for thinking your confession was a joke.” Eddie says sincerely, shifting slightly on his feet in discomfort.

“You think everything I do is a joke. Everyone does! Poor little Steve Harrington gets hit in the head too many times and now is incapable of a coherent thought.” Steve finishes with a self deprecating laugh. His eyes are shining and Eddie can see the rage festering in them, the resignation transforming into simmering anger.

Eddie opens his mouth to refute it, but is cut off instead.

“Was kissing me a joke too? Am I too stupid to know?” Steve moves into Eddie’s face, crowding him before pulling back suddenly. A strong gust reminds Eddie the door is open and anyone close enough could hear them.

“No, no of course not. Shouldn’t we close the door?” Eddie suggests.

“You’re the dumbass who didn’t close it. There is no we in that.” Steve sneers at Eddie’s implication at Steve being incompetent.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Eddie murmurs, pushing the door hard and letting it swing shut. His shoulders are hunched, as if he was trying to placate Steve by making himself smaller.

“I thought you were different, I put up with everybody else calling me stupid all the time, because most of them are children, and I thought you, my boyfriend, was different. But, apparently, you think I’m too incompetent with my own feelings that you need to make the judgement for me.”

“I thought you were joking.” Eddie repeated, Steve was honestly beginning to hear the needle on the vinyl from how many times Eddie had been repeating himself.

“And when I kissed you, was I still just joking?” Steve probed.

“No, can you just let me explain for a second?” Eddie spat his words out quickly, knowing if he went slower Steve would continue to yell at him.

“No, because you’re charging in here with some half cocked apology to try to fix something, just because someone else pointed out that you should. You need to feel better, so you came over to apologize, without considering that I’ve been wallowing in my house for days because of something you did. Actually fucking apologize because you feel bad about putting me in pain, not because you want to stop being uncomfortable with your own actions.” Steve lectured, he massaged the bridge of his nose slightly in an attempt to alleviate his own frustration.

“What do you want me to do? How do I fix this?”

“Those are questions you have to answer yourself. Maybe apologize with something that screams ‘sorry for thinking our entire relationship was a joke’. If you come here with some fucking flowers or chocolate and think that that’s adequate, I will break your fucking guitar.” The wrinkles in Steve’s brow just became deeper as he threatened Eddie. His muscles trembled slightly as he reminded himself of how angry he was.

Eddie nods, looking slightly resigned.

“Oh, and your fucking behavior should change, treat me like a goddamn person. I pulled your ass out of hell, I’ve proved myself to be capable a thousand times over. Treat me like I am.” Eddie couldn’t help but focus on how Steve’s hands shook.

Eddie nods and begins to pull away from Steve, looking sad as he slowly moves to the door.

“What are you doing?” Steve looked genuinely puzzled, prompting Eddie to stop with his hand on the doorknob.

“I’m leaving, I didn’t think you’d want me here.” Eddie shrugged, looking a lot like a kicked puppy as he whimpered. He then began to turn the doorknob to exit the Harrington house.

“What did I just say about making decisions for me?” Steve has his hip cocked and his hands resting on his waist in his signature annoyed mom look. Eddie freezes, unknowing of what to do.

“Come on, go to my room and wait, I just need to run the dishes.” Steve shoos Eddie, who quickly scampers up the stairs and slipped inside Steve’s room. He was unsure of what to do so he waited at the foot of the bed, sitting on the edge of it.

He isn’t sure how long he waits, but Steve finally pads into the room.

Steve pushes Eddie onto his back. Crawling inbetween his legs.

Eddie opens his mouth to express his confusion, but is interrupted by a firm “scooch” which spurs Eddie into backing up into the headboard. Steve follows quickly behind.

Steve tucks himself into Eddie’s collarbone. He settles easily, even though Eddie is still incredibly tense.

“Tell me the other thing you came here to say.” Steve demands.

“Oh darling I like you so much. I’ll stay with you forever, I’m so sorry for leaving.” Eddie rambles, like the floodgates holding him back had been released.

“Again?” Steve said quietly, barely louder than his breath.

“I like you a lot, Steve. I got the biggest crush on you. Never thought you’d ever like someone like me. I don’t deserve you.” Eddie ends with a damn near whimper, but Steve’s resolve didn’t change in the face of Eddie’s words.

“You’re right, you don’t. You left me and you were planning on leaving me again if I didn’t accept your apology. It’s been days and all I want is to be with my boyfriend.” Steve’s voice slowly tampered down to a whisper as he spoke.

“I didn’t think of it like that.” Eddie murmured shamefully.

“Yea, no shit.” Steve snapped.

“I’m sorry.”

“Your formal apology better be fucking amazing.” Steve countered playfully.

“I’ll do my best.” Eddie pauses for a second. “What if it’s not good enough?”

“Then I break up with you.” Eddie deflates slightly. Steve continues though. “I can’t be with someone who doesn’t value me or respect me, I’ve made that mistake before.”

Eddie felt his stomach sink, but began to brainstorm on how to make it up to Steve.

Btw El and Will are making Brownies for Steve rn.

PART 3 IS HERE

Omg I’m such an ass, pt 3 coming soon if I’m harassed enough to do it.

Also, psa if you fuck up big, you need to actually show you’re sorry. Don’t apologize to make yourself feel better, apologize to make the other person feel better. Make an actual effort to not repeat your past actions. If someone doesn’t accept your apology, remember you aren’t entitled to their forgiveness. No matter how much society tries to act like you deserve it for simply apologizing.

Also if it isn’t evident, I was forced to accept a lot of apologies when I didn’t want to.

@stripey82 @genderfluidbitch @mensch-anthropos-human @c4tharsys @scoops-aboy86 @breealtair @raleighrox @wannabe-edgy-grandpa @flustratedcas @shoujo-wizard @polysdoitforscience @exasperatedsighohmy @piemaker93 @tinyplanet95 @skepticalqueen @sharingisntkaren @scarletyeager @crypticcrytid @midnightskeeper @wheneverfeasible @ancientwormcivilization @fucjinf-whatever-dude @estrellami-1 @queenofshenanigans @grilledcheesehasfeelings <- get out of my walls

@ellietheasexylibrarian @live-laugh-love-dietrich @turinspeachjam @me-ig7 @revevivant @motherofpirates @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @samsoble @legalmenace87 @thehanwen @bigspongey @thedragonsaunt @newagemyth @pentapoctopus @my-hyperfixations-hell-blog @bumbledoubletea @blackbirdflyflyfly @what-if-a-dragon @reddiandbyler4life @i-think-i-thunk @gregre369 @fiddledeedee85 @ladykailitha

Rest of the mentions will be in the comments because fuck there is a lot of you.

[mahmahmahmysharona]

When you don't know why Bob doesn't like you, but a relapse forces you to find out.

(Bob Reynolds x Avenger Reader) Part 1/?

You don't think Bob likes you very much. Especially when the situation goes from being a ragtag group of underdogs to a fully blown Avengers Avengerz(!)-living-together-in-the-tower deal.

In fact, maybe he just doesn't think much about you at all. He's quiet, shy even, with most of the team, but on the rare occasions he contributes more than a mere small smile, you're the last person he's talking to.

It doesn't bother you much. So what if Yelena is his keeper, making sure he's alright and keeping a tactful eye on him? Obviously he'd be more open with her. But still, you wonder if you ever said something wrong, or were too harsh on him when you all first met. (Hell, he'd even rather talk to Walker than you, it seems.)

Okay, maybe it bothers you more than you'll admit.

You've never been one to make friends easily, but when you can't even win the affections of someone who literally has the living embodiment of guilt and resentment fighting for dominance inside of him, then there must be something wrong with you.

But you get on with life. The new version of it, anyway. You train, you go on missions, you sleep, and you do it all again. Occasionally, the team starts to develop into something more important to you. They have your back, and you have theirs.

Still, even with all this, Bob doesn't bite. Not when you offer him coffee, not when you ask him about what book he's reading, and not even when you try to crack jokes about the team's questionable public branding.

So you give up. You keep your head down. But then one day, Yelena asks you to hang back from a mission to keep an eye on Bob, who seems to be in his head more than usual.

"Maybe it'll be good for you two," she says, not unsubtly. "Get to know each other a little."

Great. Now you know everyone has noticed the rift between you.

You stay out of his way, poking your head around the corner ever now and again, catching him sitting in front of the window and looking out at the sky. You know better than to ask him if he's okay, so you stay hidden.

Except one time you look out, expecting to see him there, and he's gone. Shit. You've lost the biggest asset and most dangerous weapon in New York.

You quickly head to his room, certain he's fine, but not wanting to be responsible if he's not.

When you get there, the door is partially open, and you gently push it the rest of the way. The lights are out. You look around, and your heart stops when you see a shadow sitting on the bed. A black silhouette, sitting very still. Your head suddenly fills with memories of that day, when you were forced to relive the most horrific snapshots of your past: revisiting some of your most terrible deeds — ones that you can't outrun, even in your sleep, even now. It’s torture without the pain.

Without thinking, you reach back and pull out your gun, pointing it at the shape. Your hands are steady, but only just. You know from experience bullets will do nothing to stop The Void, but if the team comes back and finds your shadow burned into the ground, you at least want them to know that you fucking tried.

As soon as you do, the shadow moves. "Woah, woah," it says. "It's me." It reaches over and switches on the bedside lamp, illuminating the room in a relieving warm glow. It's just Bob, sitting on his bed, looking rightly panicked.

You immediately stand down, hooking your gun back into place. Your heart is still pounding. "Bob. You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were..." Then you immediately feel bad.

"Sorry," he says. "I just wanted to sit in the dark for a while. I should have thought--"

"No, don't apologize."

When you ask him what’s wrong, he’s cagey. You’ve done this dance before — trying to talk to him and getting little in return. He’s okay, you’re okay, so you give a small grunt and decide to leave.

But he stops you, a guilty look on his face. Finally, he explains. He always feels this way when the team leaves for missions, knowing how dangerous he is but hating knowing everyone is in danger. He wants to help, but has no idea how to harness his powers beyond simply controlling them. He looks up at you, suddenly quieter (if that’s even possible) and says that today feels even worse, because the one person who likes him the least is stuck babysitting him.

“Hold on,” you say. “What do you mean?”

Then it all comes pouring out. Bob thinks you hate him. You think Bob hates you. Neither of you hate each other. The realisation makes you laugh, hard. He doesn’t quite get there, but he does crack a confused smile.

Evidently, your resting bitch face paired with his natural shyness has caused a stalemate.

“Bob, I’ve wanted to be your friend this whole time,” you say, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I just stopped trying because you seemed…I don’t know, scared of me or something.”

“I think I am, just a little.”

“Don’t you have the power of a hundred suns or something?”

“A million exploding suns,” he says casually, shrugging. You don’t really know what to say to that until he cracks a smile, and you realise the only response is another laugh.

“Okay, well, for clarity’s sake, can we be friends now?”

“Yeah, of course,” he says. Emboldened, he holds out his hand. You look at it, remembering what happened the last time you accidentally grabbed his hand a year ago in that damn incinerator. (A trip into the "Void Rooms", even when brief, isn't good.) Your recollection must register on your face, because you see his smile drop. He pulls his hand back, but you know that in order for this to work, he has to trust you. And you have to trust him.

You reach out and grab his hand, gripping it firm in yours, shaking it as he wanted you to. Between your fingers, something is happening. There’s an invisible charge. Can he feel it? You shake it off.

“For what it’s worth,” you tell him. “I don’t see you as a burden. Nobody else around here does, either. I think we need you as much as you need us. And don’t be scared of me, because I’m not scared of you.”

That seems to unlock something in him. His shoulders drop, his chest expands and releases with a loaded, relieved breath, and his hand quickly relaxes in yours.

“Well…” he tears his eyes away from your hands, looking back up at you. “…That’s another person I can add to my very small list.” Another thought crosses his mind, causing the smile to fade.

"What would you have done?" he asks. "If it hadn't been me in here? If it had been...the other me? If I'd dragged you back into that place?"

You feel your fingers flex in your palm by your side. You'd go down fighting, is what would really happen. But you can't say that. You have to say something else: something not as desperate but equally true.

"I would have found you," you tell him. "I would have torn through every memory to find you, Bob. And we'd get out of there, just like we did before. Together."

His brow creases, watching you, ringing his hands, torn by some internal conflict you'll never fully understand. But he does soften still, giving you a grateful nod.

You leave him then, giving him the space he obviously wants. But what you don’t know is that he doesn’t want you to leave. He wants to talk to you, to catch up on getting to know you. There’s so much he missed out on, because he’s stupid, and now he wants to do everything he can to make up for it.

What you also don’t know is that, despite being relieved that you two can now be friends, is that soon, there’ll be a whole new problem.

Soon, just being friends won’t be nearly enough for either of you.

Part 2 (aka: When you realize you're falling in love with Bob, and it sucks.)

[xiisblogs]

Gonna get this right tonight, oh, gonna get you closer

Currently thinking about side character reader.

Your best friend has always been the center of attention and your life. You don't know why, but at least he's a good friend.

When he came out as gay it was no surprise, really. Staying by his side since childhood meant knowing him better than he knew himself, the same thing couldn't be said for you though.

At first, you were like an enigma in his eyes, something to unwrap, but the unwrapping never came, and slowly, through the years, you became a presence that never left his side.

Which was a surprise since he had such an eventful life.. from being humiliated to being wanted. Adopted child with rich birth parents that never meant to leave him, but someone kidnapped him? A glow up from one day to the next? Everyone drooling for him? Grades somehow always staying up despite all the sneaking out and drunk actions? And so on.. because that was him.

You wonder why he keeps sticking to your side and sometimes you wonder why you haven't left yet, since main character keeps on attracting trouble from left to right and DRAGGING you along.

Sighing became your new passion. You sighed more than you talked. What do you mean the boy that rejected him from middle school is suddenly rich and crying for forgiveness? And why is a random lady hugging him on her knees? The fuck are all those bodyguards for? No no no, stop bringing me in your shit !

Bitch never left you behind.

dis you?

...

You paled when hb bought four military men in your shared apartment.

In your head, you were already crying. You yet had to learn how to fight off military, FUCK. You barely managed to save his and YOUR ass from his criminal ex boyfriend.

And pepper fucking spray wasnt going to be enough to shoo away these bulky men.

[callikari]

CHAMPAGNE COAST

before debut, you and heeseung were something quiet and unfinished. now, years later, your comeback is all anyone talks about — until a single look at a fashion event brings him back into the spotlight with you, and suddenly, the past you buried doesn't feel so distant.

OO7. remember us

you disappear.

after the pre-debut photos drop — the ones where you’re smiling beside him, training uniforms loose and dreams still untouched — the internet explodes all over again.

“so it was real,” someone tweets.

“they were close before debut?”“you don’t look at someone like that unless they meant something.”

your team does damage control. your agency says nothing. and you?

you vanish.

no press. no airport photos. no social media.

just silence.

until today.

the streets outside m countdown are packed. fans, media, even passerbys who caught wind of the comeback. your group’s name glows on every screen: IVE EMPATHY.

the van door opens — and the world stops.

blonde.

loose waves brush past your shoulders, soft bangs framing your face like you walked straight out of a dream. chanel pins in your hair. gold accents catching the light.

your outfit?

a tailored black mini dress with structured shoulders and silver threading that glints like starlight. lace tights. patent mary janes. silver layered jewelry that catches just enough light to draw eyes without saying a word.

your eyes flicker under the flash of a thousand cameras. your posture? flawless. poised. devastating.

and inside, heeseung is watching.

not just him — everyone is.

but it’s him that counts.

because from his studio across the world, screen pulled up, livestream running… heeseung sees you step out of that van like the person he knew was still somewhere inside.

and the way he looks at you?

the way his eyes soften, lips part, breath catches

even his members notice.

“hyung,” sunghoon says slowly, “you okay?”

heeseung doesn’t respond.

how could he? when you’re right there, even through a screen, and it feels like the first time all over again.

the comeback stage ends. cameras shut off. the crowd disperses. and the city glows against the late hour.

you duck into a quiet cafe near the venue, hood pulled over your freshly styled hair. just five minutes, you think. a coffee. a breath.

but when the door chimes behind you — you know without looking.

“hey,” heeseung says.

you turn.

he’s in a hoodie too. pressed mask still hanging from one ear. eyes searching yours like he’s not sure if you’ll stay.

you sit down instead of leaving.

“didn’t think i’d see you,” you murmur.

“me neither,” he says softly. “but i’m glad i did.”

the silence isn’t awkward. not like before. not sharp or bitter or filled with words left unsaid.

it’s calm.

you stir your drink.

he watches.

“you looked…” he pauses. starts again. “you looked like you up there.”

you glance at him, surprised. “yeah?”

he nods. “better than ever.”

you don’t say thank you. don’t blush. don’t smile.

you just look at him.

like you used to.

and for the first time in forever — he doesn’t look away.

the coffee between you is warm. untouched.

heeseung taps his fingers against the paper cup, eyes flickering up to yours, then down again. “so…”

you lift a brow. “so?”

he exhales a breath through his nose — nervous, but trying not to show it. “the interviews.”

you blink. “what about them?”

he doesn’t answer at first. just leans back slightly in the booth, the low glow of the café casting soft shadows across his jaw.

“…you agreed with the statement.”

your expression stills.

so that’s what this is.

you stir your coffee slowly. “you posted it.”

“i had to,” he says, voice low. “it wasn’t just me on the line.”

you nod once. “i know.”

a pause.

heeseung leans forward, elbows on the table, voice quieter now. “but you still said it. on camera.”

you meet his gaze.

“what did you expect me to do?” your tone isn’t sharp, but it cuts. “deny it? say there was something? give the internet what it wanted?”

his jaw tightens. “i don’t know. maybe just not… sound like it meant nothing.”

your heart stutters.

you look down at your cup. “and did it?”

he doesn’t answer right away.

finally: “no.”

you nod, slow and careful, letting the weight of that settle between you.

heeseung looks at you again. really looks. “i watched the full interview. you looked calm. perfect, even.”

you smile, barely. “isn’t that the job?”

he huffs a laugh, soft and sad. “you looked like you didn’t care.”

you don’t answer. you don’t need to.

your silence says enough.

heeseung shifts, his hand brushing the edge of the table, then pulling back. “do you?”

you look up. meet his eyes. that same question, unspoken, from all those years ago.

you reach for your coffee. take a sip.

and then — “do you?”

heeseung breathes out. “i never stopped.”

you set your cup down.

outside, the streets hum with life. somewhere, your group is back in the van, and his flight leaves in the morning. there’s no tomorrow guaranteed.

but for the first time, the past feels like it’s starting to forgive the present.

“neither did i,” you say.

and just like that, you’re back.

not as who you were.

but who you are now — and maybe, still, who you could be.

previous cc next

enhypen taglist :: @nocturnebite @cheruphic @chrrific @jungwonbropls @manariees @ijustwannareadstuff20 @ijustreallylike2read

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© callikari — all rights reserved

[casuallyanidiot]

Just read your yan! Farmboy piece and i really liked it! 💖 i wanted to give an ask but just ignore if you dont like it or its too heavy for you. (Has self ending option so just ignore if it triggers you or just too much) though- i had an ask similar to another one with the ‘morally grey’ reader? How would danny react to an ‘escaped’ reader who managed to get away before he could have got to them?

In the piece the reader is treated cruelly by basically everyone in town and sometimes even their own parents, right? So it got my gears thinking of a more- off the deep end type? Say a reader who has been sick and tired of being the outcast and target of cruelty despite doing nothing but existing. So they scrounge up every dollar, every penny and quarter they find to save up a good sum for the day they leave and high tail out of there? Bus, cab, or anything would be fine but with barely a backpack of their legal documents and clothes- they set off. Thinking ‘i want to at least try. I wanna at least give myself the chance to be more and have better….. if not- then i dont know what i would do.’ *could go a suicidal route if you want* how would he react to that? How would the town or parents react to it? Id honestly think they would say ‘good riddance’ or sum.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!💖💖 i love ur work and hope your doing well. 💖

Tw. For mentioned suicide

If the reader managed to escape, then I think Danny would lose it. He's pretty in control most of the time, and part of that is based in how predictable he views the town he lives in. But leaving? Actually escaping would be far beyond anything he had expect. Now you'd be somewhere he couldn't control, where he couldn't corner you in a way he knows would work.

I think he'd try to follow you and bring you back. He'd spin the story to be a bit more sympathetic to your situation. The new version of events he'd tell would be like some ill fated pair that were separated by class. "We fell in love. And we slept together. She got pregnant, but she got worried that people wouldn't accept that we wanted to be together. She's confused, scared, and somewhere out there. I need to bring her home."

He gets the support of people in town, and suddenly a missing report is put out for you. You're missing. You're not mentally well. You need to come home. Your own parents back his story up to the police, and he goes to the city to find you.

A few strings pulled here and there, and he finds out the women's shelter you're staying at. He puts in an anonymous tip, and they go there to bring you back into his waiting arms.

I think if you did try and leave like this, he'd be more aggressive about keeping you locked up. Plus, now the town think of you as some poor, mentally unwell girl while he's you benevolent caretaker.

If the reader ended it, I think then that the Danny would be devastated. He'd be angry, but he wouldn't have anyone to direct his anger at. I think that no one would blame him for your passing, but rather blame it on your family for raising you in such poor condition. I think at that point your family would've been chased out of town, and Danny would have nothing.

Like I said in a previous ask, Danny never pictured himself with anyone other than you. I think maybe he'd marry someone else eventually for the sake of holding appearance, but he'd never love them.

[gracemain919]

(Everyone Needs a Mother)

Summary: Your home is now bombarded by monstrous sisters that think your their mother, and you don't know how to deal with it.

Tw: Platonic Yandere, slight mentions of a kidnapping.

(I wrote this for fun. I will lock in eventually)

A Crowded ‘Home’

You have never been one to have much company. In all honesty, you have barely cared about having people over. Your apartment almost always stayed empty, now… Well, things are different. Not only is your own freaking door locked, but you have four people inside your home who won't leave you alone. You have tried to break it down, call for help or the help of the police, or negotiate with them, but they would just not listen. Which was expected…

“Ohh. What are you doing?” An excited voice spooked you, a familiar girl grinning beside you. She watched you solve your boredom with a puzzle in your living room, which was a new low, even for you.

“Just… I'm just doing this puzzle. Go with your sister. I bet they're busy with my phone and computer.” Lilia chuckled, grabbing a stray piece from your table and putting it close to her face. “Hm. No. I want to be here with you. Show me how to play this game-”

“Mother, what are you doing?” A woman asked from behind you. Her irritated tone immediately gave away who she was… Martha.

“Are you?” She tilted her head in confusion. “Did you break a picture into millions of pieces, just to piece it together?”

“What?” You were almost baffled, but the girl beside you nodded enthusiastically. She poked at your arm and asked. “Mom, wow! Did you do that? That is so cool.”

“No! This is a game. It came like this and you're supposed to solve it, and why do you all care suddenly.” You were almost willing to pick up the game and throw it away. Better to die in boredom than this.

“Oh. Who wants to play that?” Martha asked. She walked over and grabbed the stray piece from Lilia’s hand, inspecting it between her clawy digits. She eyed the piece an idea showing in her eyebrows. Then suddenly she turned to the side, screaming with an abnormal volume: “Hey Nelith!”

“No, no.” You panicked. You contemplated rushing over to cover her mouth, but the sharp teeth-filled neck wasn't something you wanted to be anywhere near with.

“Our mother got this odd game. Do you know anything about it?”

“All I know is it looks like a good waste of time. Very wasteful. But. Good.” Another woman peeked through your bathroom door, and you were surprised by how quickly she reached the living room. Although, your apartment wasn’t that big to begin with.

“Do you here play this often?” Nelith asked while the little girl snatched the piece from Martha’s hand, celebrating her own victory.

“She only played this today. I was just asking her how to play.” Lilia said, only to be interrupted by you. “No. No. I'm going to my room. You can play this dumb game. I don't care” You snapped. It got too overwhelming and the only place you could cool off was in privacy. In your room, alone. Alone with no individual in your ear. Yet, they will drag you out.

Eventually.

[paucubarsisimp]

more than enough

pairing: pablo torre x reader

summary: in which pablo feels as if he's not good enough for you

warnings: none!

you knew something was wrong the moment you stepped into the apartment.

the lights were low — not cozy low, but the kind of dim that comes from someone not bothering to turn them on. the air was heavy, not with food or music like usual, but with stillness. the kind that seeps into your chest and whispers, something's not right.

you dropped your bag by the door, quietly. your footsteps were soft as you made your way into the kitchen, where you found him.

pablo was seated at the table, elbows resting on the wood, fingers tangled in his hair. a plate of pasta sat in front of him, barely touched. he didn’t look up as you entered.

“hey,” you said gently. “didn’t hear from you all day.”

he gave a half-hearted shrug. “sorry. just tired.”

you stepped closer. “tired like you need sleep, or tired like your brain won’t stop talking to you?”

that earned a flicker of a smile — not from humor, but from how well you knew him. it didn’t reach his eyes.

“i guess both,” he murmured.

you pulled out the chair beside him and sat down, resting your hand near his on the table. “want to talk about it?”

another long pause. he rubbed his hands down his face. “i don’t know. it’s stupid.”

“if it’s making you feel like this,” you said softly, “then it’s not stupid.”

he exhaled sharply, like the words were caught in his throat. then, after a beat: “i don’t think i’m good enough for you.”

the room was silent, the weight of those words sinking deep into the space between you. you felt your stomach tighten — not in anger, but in heartbreak.

“what?” you whispered.

he still wouldn’t look at you. “you’re… everything. you’re smart and calm and patient, and you know who you are. and i—” he laughed, quiet and bitter. “i don’t even know if i’m going to make the starting eleven next month. i make one mistake, and suddenly everyone’s talking like i’m washed up at twenty-two. like i peaked already.”

“pablo—”

he kept going, voice low but tight. “i can feel it. the doubt. the pressure. the way people look at me when i mess up — like i’m wasting something. like i should be better. and then i come home to you, and i can’t help thinking you could have someone who doesn’t carry all this. someone who doesn’t need fixing.”

you reached out, taking his hand firmly. he tried to pull away, but you didn’t let him.

“stop,” you said. “just… stop for a second.”

he finally met your gaze — and it broke your heart, how exhausted he looked. like he’d been running from himself all day.

“you think i’m with you because you play well?” you asked. “because you score goals or have the perfect game?”

his silence was answer enough.

“pablo,” you said, squeezing his hand, “i fell for the way you call your mom after every match, even the bad ones. i fell for how you can’t walk past a kid in the street without smiling at them, even if you’re having the worst day. i love how your mind works — how you get all quiet when you’re thinking, and how you talk with your hands when you’re excited. i love you — not the footballer. not the public figure. just you.”

his eyes started to glisten. he looked down at your joined hands.

“i mess up a lot,” he whispered.

“then mess up. we all do. i’m not here to date perfection. i’m here because i want to be with you, even on your worst days. especially on your worst days.”

he looked like he wanted to believe you. like he needed to, but didn’t know how.

so you stood and stepped between his legs, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. he buried his face in your chest without hesitation, and you felt his whole body soften — like he was finally allowing himself to lean on you.

“you don’t have to be strong all the time,” you murmured into his hair. “you don’t have to carry this alone.”

he clung to you tighter, arms around your waist, like he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go.

“i’m scared,” he admitted. “of failing. of losing everything. of… losing you.”

you pulled back just enough to cup his face in your hands, gently guiding him to look at you.

“you’re not going to lose me,” you said. “you don’t have to earn me, pablo. i’m not keeping a scoreboard. you already have me.”

his breath hitched. one tear escaped the corner of his eye, and you wiped it away with your thumb, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

“i don’t care about how many minutes you get on the pitch,” you said. “but i care that you come home and let me hold you when things feel too big. i care that you talk to me instead of shutting me out. that’s all i want.”

he nodded slowly, eyes locked on yours, like he was memorizing every word.

“okay,” he whispered. “i’ll try.”

you smiled, pressing your forehead to his. “that’s all i’ll ever ask.”

you stayed like that for a while, wrapped in a silence that no longer felt heavy. it was safe. warm. real.

later, the two of you curled up on the couch under a blanket, his head resting on your chest as the tv played something neither of you were really watching. you ran your fingers through his hair slowly, gently.

he fell asleep like that — his breathing steady, his body finally at peace. because in your arms, he didn’t have to prove anything. he could just be pablo.

and that would always be more than enough.

taglist: @barcapix, @universefcb, @nngkay, @joaosnovia, @ilovebarcaaaa, @levidazai, @hollyf1,@mxryxmfooty, @halfwayhearted lmk if you want to be added!

[paperclips37]

Just a little something I'm working on.

Aka Frank is an idiot and everyone else sees how he feels before him. (Jack Abbot is a hard guy to write.)

-----

Back at work 6 months after a near year long “sabbatical” was a lot. He’d worked for it. Harder than he’d ever worked on anything before. Withdrawal had been easy in comparison to what had come next.

Building his life back up.

Coming back to The Pitt.

Facing everyone.

The divorce had been the easy part of it. He and Abby had been far past breaking point when he not only admitted his addiction but brought home a fucking dog. Then he’d blown anything else straight out of the water. Splitting custody, family therapy it was working out as best it could. But it still sucked.

Frank Langdon: expert in making all the wrong decisions.

Smoking being one of them. But better that than a handful of pills. The tendrils of smoke twisted up into the darkening air.

‘You do know this is the therapy spot right Langdon?’ Jack Abbot appeared next to him on the roof.

‘Ahhh the sacred site.’ Abbot chuckled. One hand reached out silently asking. Frank passed over this nearly empty pack and lighter. ‘Those things will kill ya.’

‘Not dead yet Langdon.’

Silence swept over them. Standing shoulder to shoulder staring out at the city. How many of those sirens were heading towards them? Abbot coughed awkwardly.

‘I’m proud of you.’ Frank’s head whipped around to stare at the attending. Abbot was keeping his eyes fixed at the city. ‘Most people wouldn’t have the strength to come back and face everyone.’ Frank felt his face contort into utter bafflement.

‘Thank you?’

‘Langdon.’ Suddenly Frank could hear the army man in his voice. Not the one from the heat of chaos. This was the one that led people.

‘I thought you hated me?’ He was only half joking. Abbot had a connection with Robby but always seemed to give him the side eye. Little jabs here and there. Frank never quite knew where he stood with him.

‘I never hated you. It’s more fun to let you think that.’ He couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. Frank had to respect a man determined to have fun. And he kept up the act for a long time.

‘And people think I’m an asshole.’

‘That’s because you are.’

‘Who here isn’t?’ Frank retorted sharply, but not with any real bite. They both chuckled, then paused thoughtfully. Considering the questions. Abbot turned his head to Frank. Eyebrows raised to his hairline.

‘Mel.’ In unison. Frank ground out the cigarette under his foot and leaned over the barrier.

‘She’s one of the few...’ Abbot mused almost more to himself than Frank. ‘She has grit but keeps her soul intact. Not many like that.’

‘She’s always Mel.’ Frank smiled softly at the complement. Abbot’s right eyebrow quirked upwards. The look on his face was curious and something else. A something else that made Frank’s cheeks heat up.

‘You guys are close huh?’ There was an implication that Frank didn’t know what to do with.

‘I mean yeah.’ He crossed his arms, not defensively. Abbots faced twisted in scepticism. ‘She’s a good friend. One of the best.’

Mel had been one of the few people who didn’t treat him any differently post rehab. That 4th of July shift she’d found him frozen outside the doors to the Pitt. Robby stood on the other side; just staring at him. Face forcibly neutral. He’d seen her out of the corner of his eye approaching her. Blonde hair shining in the sun. She’d stopped at him. Did a double take at seeing him.

‘You’re here!’ Her voice was so joyful. Happy to see him? It felt like an alien feeling.

‘In the flesh.’ Mel didn’t just feel her emotions: she embodied them. Her face brightened like a sunrise and bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. Her grin somehow brightened even more.

‘Lets go!’

She’d written him whilst in rehab. Even visited a few times. Kept him up to date on her weird cases and hospital goings on. Even brought him medical journals she’d thought he’d like.

‘Just a friend?’ Frank froze at the question. Abbots tone was purely curious. No judgement or anything else in it. ‘You’re different with her. Less of an asshole.’ The last comment came with a gentle punch to the arm. Frank was still stuck at the question. And the commentary.

Sure they tended to work on cases together, work the same shifts when it suited their schedule. Even carpooled from his new apartment. Even had a group chat with her and Becca. Monthly movie nights. Mel had even hung out with him when he had Tanner and Taylor. And they adored her. But all kids seemed to gravitate towards her. They were close. Frank even thought of her as one of his best friends.

‘Am I?’

‘Oh god am I the first one to point this out? What- How- I can’t-’ Abbot was stammering. Frank recoiled at the sight. And the conflicting feelings burning in his chest. He felt exposed. Maybe he liked being with her more than a friend strictly would. Mel was that person. They clicked. Easier than he had with anyone before. But she also made him better. A better teacher, a better doctor, a better friend and even Dad.

‘I’m gonna go. See you back there.’Abbot very awkwardly patted him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

Frank opened his mouth to say something but only a vague squeak came out.

Of course Mel was his friend. There was nothing else to it.

Right?

[tinyraptorhands]

Just A Spark pt. 1

(CW: eventually smut, soulmate au, MDNI)

-Fly away-

The concept was terrifying.

More terrifying than flying halfway across the world.

More terrifying than learning a new language.

More terrifying than living in a new culture entirely.

And suprisingly, more terrifying than finding out you left your bank card back in your home country, in your childhood room.

Well. Thank God for turning over a new leaf and payments by phone.

So what was more terrifying than all this combined?

Soulmates.

Everyone had one. And it was inevitable you would find yours one day. You would share your pain, your life, and your death with them. They would die if you died, and visa versa.

The only way of knowing when you found your soul mate? Well, your parents explained it to you thusly;

"Your father and I met on the train station to New York. My eyes met his, and suddenly a burst of warmth overcame me. It was like I was seeing colors for the first time ever, like noises became amplified and even my nose could smell better." She had said, blushing like a school girl while she recalled it. Your father kneeled next to you.

"Shes right. Its like nothing can stop you from going towards them. Because the stars will make sure you run into them, whether you want to or not." He said, holding up a pinky. Your mother connected hers with his, both their birthmarks matched perfectly, glowing pink. They were shaped like a daisy.

That was another marker. The birthmark one was born with, would be in the same place as their soul mates, with the same symbol or shape. When aligned, it would glow that pretty soft pink-and give each of them a feeling of pure euphoria.

You looked down at your little foot. You had just gotten your mark at ten years of age.

It...looked like a...star? No, like a burning star. A spark. Your mother said it was beautiful.

And you hated it.

Hated having to be tied to someone. To share their pain, their very heartbeats. All aligned to you by some invisible fate.

Well, you weren't going to stand for it.

That day, you made a vow. You wouldn't ever let some random god or the universe fuck with your future!

So, you did research. Most, if not all soulmates found themselves in their own countries. This meant if you traveled overseas, the likelihood of you running into said soul mate would be next to nil.

Perfect.

So, your little ten year old hands scrambled to the computer that very same day, and looked up the farthest place you could think of.

Japan.

And with that in mind, you had a goal. Tangible, and possible.

Which lead you to here, in Musutafu airport, waiting for your bag to come off the carousel.

Genuinely, you had gotten into the idea of teaching English. You had wanted to be a teacher since you were young, and this was an amazing way to do it. You were hired at one of the most prestigious private schools in Japan-and it also happened to be a hero school.

U.A. High School.

While you were no hero, you found the open position for their General Studies courses-so there was no issue on that end. When you graduated your University with honors, they helped you get the position squared away.

So. 23 and fresh faced (thank God for hydrating face masks), you beamed as you saw your suitcases.

"Let's go." You said quietly to yourself. "To a new life, and to a new chapter!" You quickly made your way out of the airport, and towards the rows of taxis awaiting outside.

A few hours earlier...

"Ugh. Can't stand boring patrols." Katsuki Bakugo-AKA Dynamight-griped, biting into the spicy curry bun. He was perched on a rooftop with Izuku Midoriya, or rather Deku- who was eating his less spicy curry bun.

"Think of it this way, Kacchan. Boring means everyone's safe!" The green haired man said.

Katsuki clicked his tongue. "Sure, whatever sensei." He smirked. Izuku rolled his eyes. They peered down below at the busy streets, and Katsuki looked at his childhood rival. "Oh, yeah. Heard you found your soul mate or whatever?"

Izuku blushed. "W-well, yeah. It..uh, turned out it was Uraraka the whole time."

"Round cheeks?" Karsuki huffed. "Fuckin' knew it. You two always were googly eyed, even in high school." He said, bored. Izuku blushed harder.

"W-what!? We were!? I-I mean-" Izuku went into full flustered mode, and Katsuki barked out a laugh.

"Good thing I told you to actually wake up and smell the roses, nerd." Katsuki said. "...even though you basically told me to pound sand right after asking you to be a part of my agency before that." He added the last part quietly.

"Kacchan, I can't be a proper rival if I'm working for you."

"...Semantics." The blonde grumbled. Izuku laughed.

"Oh, right! We have a new english teacher coming to U.A. She's going to be a part of the general courses, but Principal Nezu and All Might want me to show her around the campus. Help her get acclimated." Izuku said, smiling enthusiastically. Katsuki rolled his eyes, his mouth full of his bun.

"Thaths Ooh Aye's golden boy for ya." He said, food spittle landing on his pants. He grimaced, wiping the food off. Izuku chuckled.

"Kacchan, I doubt I'm their...'golden boy'." He crumpled up his trash, holding out a hand for Katsuki's own wrappers. Katsuki gave him his trash.

"Seriously? Of course you are. All Might's little successor? Now quirkless boy wonder?" Katsuki deadpanned. Izuku laughed.

"Because all of you bought me this suit. I couldn't have done it without you all-especially you, Kacchan." He smiled warmly. Katsuki huffed.

"Well...it got you off your ass and now you're...eh, useful-I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Kacchan, I'm higher than you in the hero ranks-"

"AAAaanyways!" He got up, adjusting his gauntlets as he put them on. "So you're gonna be wasting time showing some extra the ropes of U.A.?"

"Oh, it shouldn't be too time consuming! She's coming from America on a permanent working visa."

"Oh. So that's why they're makin' ya a little tour guide." He said, pulling down his mask. "Some idiot foreigner is gonna take up all your working time, huh? Probably can't even use chopsticks and think everything's like an anime." He groused, "Just what U.A. needs..."

Izuku threw the trash out on the rooftop waste bin. "C'mon. Don't be like that. I hear she's extremely smart. Very accredited. And fluent in Japanese, of course." He looked over at Katsuki. "You're just mad that I took more time doing extra stuff that doesn't involve this." He gestured to his suit. Katsuki yet again rolled his eyes.

"Please. Whether you do shit with the suit or not isn't my problem."

"You just said before-"

"It just means I'll rank higher than you, dumbass." He smirked, and perched his foot on the rooftop lodge. "Now let's get going. Wanna get home early today."

"Oh!" Izuku came to his side, getting ready to take off, "for that All Might documentary movie?! They're airing it tonight, I'm excited for it, too!"

"N-no! I just wanna get some...me time!" He huffed, "besides..." he looked away. "I got it already set to record."

Izuku smiled. "We'll have to compare notes on it, then!"

"Oi, who takes notes on a movie!?"

The two took off, and Katsuki looked up at the horizon-a plane making its landing dotted the distance.

Just another day in Japan.

-All Clear For Landing-

[phantomchick]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

Jason Todd/Batfamily/Batman/DC

Rumours of my demise by Pinknight22

Jason Todd is back in Gotham as the ruthless crime lord Red Hood, but he's just not ready to reveal his identity yet. Jason Todd also tends to get shitfaced drunk in random bars in Crime Alley and do impulsive shit - like killing the Joker after he breaks out of Arkham for the thousandth time. It's only then that Batman starts hunting him down. But not for the reasons you might be thinking. And Jason Todd cannot resist pranking the Prince of Gotham.

Forever (and ever and ever and eve by jayhood

When Robin dies, he is cremated. His ashes are kept in an urn at Wayne’s Manor. Jason Todd wakes up in Gotham bay.

Beautiful Boy by hhow_queer

Jason knows better than most that there are things worse than death. And they include being face to face with your father, apparently.

All I ask by Sweederose13

Batman hates magic and had made great efforts to avoid it- which is probably why he doesn’t believe Jason when he tells him the All Blades don’t work like that. (Warning for bruce bashing)

March Relentlessly by elluv_asun

"Jay," Bruce stops him, hands up. Jason can't help but let his gaze trace the wrinkles and grays he doesn't recognize, the scars he doesn't know the stories behind. "This is your home. Somehow, when you died, when we all thought you died... it wasn't you. You switched places with yourself from another universe, and that's the universe you've been in since your death." Disbelief surges within him and Jason rolls his eyes, scoffing as he leans back against the wall and tries not to show how much the throbbing in his leg is bothering him. It doesn't work, of course. You can't fool Batman. OR: When Superboy Prime messed with the timeline, he brought Jason Todd back to life by pulling one from another multiverse. One that wasn't supposed to die. That sense of wrongness that's followed Jason around since he was brought back, the little inconsistencies in his memories, it all adds up. What happens when his original Bruce figures it out and snags his boy back? Bruce would do anything for his kids, but how does he repair a trust that he wasn't the one to break? Begins directly after RHATO #25.

familiar tunes by jayhood

Sir, that's my emotional support punching bag.

Turn this Around (And Do It Better) by RoseJubilee

Eight-year-old Dick Grayson watches his parents die for the second time. He has 30 years' worth of memories of a family falling apart even as they tried to stick together. So when Bruce Wayne shows up as he kneels beside his parents' bodies for the second time, Dick grabs onto his father, turns to the universe and says "No way am I letting you tear my family apart again." Everyone else is just along for the ride.

The Midpoint of the Tragedy by rafamarkos5998

Another Titans Tower AU, yay, so original... Some warnings: This story doesn't treat the idea of Tim Drake with much sympathy. That does not mean I advocate assaulting a kid. Read at your own risk, but I do encourage you to read. (I hate 'don't like, don't read' as a philosophy, I think it encourages writers to stagnate.)

Beyond the Grave by Anonymous_01234

Bruce stood at the edge of the gravestone, a beautiful angel marker that was still as pristine as the day the boy was buried under it. Dying flowers from past visits still held some of their fading color as he carefully picked them up and laid down the fresh ones. HERE LIES JASON TODD The grave read simply, as the real memorial wasn’t really this. Still, it didn’t stop Bruce from murmuring: “I miss you, son.” …Or… What if Jason didn’t come back six months later? (Post-Batman Beyond TV Series AU)

Shovel Love by Wisetypewriter

Roy Harper had once been the black sheep of the superhero community. But pair him up with Jason Todd, and suddenly, the narrative flips.

Percy Jackson

The Sea is Wine Red by gotham_girl

Getting transported to the past? Tricky. Getting transported to the past with old gods who are fascinated by you? Trickier. Getting transported to the middle of the Trojan War and you and your girlfriend are on different sides? Now that's just mean. Or, Annabeth and Percy travel back to Ancient Greece during the Trojan War, but end up on opposite sides due to conniving parents and old god grudges. The gods are much more possessive than either child remember them being.

Naruto

to stand the test of time by slinkbee

Shikamaru and Ino aren't anyone's first choice of time travellers. They don't have the monstrous power to take on the akatsuki, they don't have the charisma to bring the alliance together early. They don't even have Choji. They also don't have any other choice. Lucky for the elemental nations, what the the remnants of team ten DO have is a mission: save those they love, no matter what.

young soul good as gold by anxious_tofu

When the Fourth Shinobi War is lost, there's only one option left. AKA Naruto time travels to the Warring States Period, tries not to fuck anything up, and falls in love. Eventually. Kurama is just along for the ride.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Revel In Your Time by Thai_Tea_Addict

Sawada Tsunayoshi is born an Omega in a world that expects nothing from his dynamic except submission. Tsuna is many things – clumsy, dense, heir to a bloodline some people would like to keep secret – but it turns out ‘submissive’ is not one of them.

Star Wars

do or do not by itsthechocopuff

When Obi-Wan dies by Anakin's hand, he expects that to be the end.

It is not.

When he opens his eyes again, all of thirteen but with forty extra years of experience, not even the dust, dread, and death on Melidaan can stand in his way. Obi-Wan had seen the worst that the galaxy had to offer twice over - he'll be damned if he lets everything happen the same way for the second time.

Enter one Jedi Master Yan Dooku, the lynchpin to so many of the galaxy's darkest turns in the future-that-was. Torn between a Master who doesn't seem to want him and a man wearing the face of the Sith who had once tortured him, Obi-Wan makes a choice.

Everything changes.

[scribephoenixwriting]

Robert Reynolds Character Analysis Part 3: "They can call you whatever they want. Savior. Destroyer. All that matters is what you choose"

This is Part 3 of my Sentry Character analysis. I'm going over all of Bob's major arcs and mapping out a detailed timeline of his psyche.

Part 1

Part 2

Lets Recap:

After finding his footing, Bob is approaching a better place mentally. His heroic persona has, up until this point, been guilt-ridden wish fulfillment, somewhat analogous to a high he's always chasing.

After Civil War though, Sentry changes, and things start looking up for him. He has friends, he's been asked to join the avengers, and he is starting to see himself in a more positive light.

Sentry is becoming less of a character that Bob puts on, and more of just who Bob is. Void has been absent for some time now. He hasn't killed his darkness, hasn't self-destructively fought it off like the other million times, he's just learning to be a better man.

After Ultron kills Sentry's wife (Then subsequently resurrected), she withdraws from the relationship, too afraid of her godlike husband. This leaves Tony Stark, who views Bob as more of a big red button than a person, in charge of Bobs stability.

Hulk, who Bob felt somewhat responsible for, has just declared war on planet earth after the death of his family.

The Illuminati are a group of big brains in the marvel universe who meet in secret and run things behind the scenes. They consist of Dr Strange, Professor X, Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Namor and Black Bolt. Hulk blames the Illuminati for his family's death, and he decides to kill them and possibly destroy the whole world in the process.

But the Illuminati have Tony and Reed, so they have a backup plan should they be unable to defeat him. During an initial scrap with Hulk, avengers tower (And by extension, Sentry's watchtower) is destroyed. Bob has temporary housing in Vermont right now, and notably, he's looking a little different.

He looks rough, and I can't see Lindy anywhere. She might've just been told not to listen in to this conversation, but I personally believe she's not in the same house as Bob at all.

Bob is exhausted, and he doesn't look like Sentry anymore. He's gone back to being weak, skinny, and feeble after Lindy's death, indicating to me that he likely has reverted to a less than healthy mental state. He doesn't want to fight the Hulk, not at all, but Tony and Reed are here, saying they need him, they're saying the Hulk needs him, so he bottles up all those feelings and changes.

Void does the things that Sentry can't. Sentry does the things that Bob can't. Its easy to think that Sentry is cool, powerful, handsome, dreamy, and muscular, so his presence is good, but here, he represents Bob's resignation. He HAS to do this, but he doesn't want to, so he pretends to be the guy that can do anything.

Before actually fighting Hulk, Sentry insists that they try to pacify him with a synthesized version of his golden light.

but it doesn't work. Hulk snaps out of it pretty quickly and turns Mr Fantastic into a pancake. I think that the light isn't the thing that makes the hulk calmer, the light is just associated with Sentry. It was ALWAYS the companionship Sentry could provide, the kindred spirits that they were.

But Sentry is paranoid. He's scared. He's guilty, since last time he and Hulk spoke, Hulk got hurt by the Void. If Sentry showed up here for real, maybe they could've talked, maybe, but he didn't. Bob let him down.

While they try this, Sentry is sitting on his couch, watching. He's hoping to god that he doesn't need to go fight his friend, but everyone is saying that this is the heroic thing to do now, since the light didn't work. Hulk is HIS responsibility. To Bob, he always has been.

Tony must be sharing his notes, because now, suddenly, everyone knows how to push Bob's buttons. Sentry is Bob's heroic persona, he's supposed to do the good thing. Ever fiber of Bobs being is trying not to fight Hulk, but everyone else is telling him that they're depending on Sentry to save the day like he always does. Remember, Sentry is so strong to take the burdens off of Bob's shoulders, therefore, he HAS to be willing to fight Hulk. More than happy. To protect Bob, Sentry needs to be gleeful about it.

Its jarring, seeing Sentry go from hiding in his home to enthusiastically beating Hulk up, but it makes sense when you consider how Bob is justifying things to himself. He KNOWS Sentry is doing something he shouldn't be here, so instead, he has to fall back on Sentry's other purpose. Wish fulfillment and self-punishment.

The Void can do a myriad of things. He can shapeshift, he's got tendrils, he can teleport, he can manipulate. Why can't Sentry do any of that? This is why. Bob wants to be able to take hits and dish them out, its the simplest, most gratuitous form of satisfaction he can achieve.

So, Sentry gets to have a little power trip here. He gets to hit something hard, just once, without caring about the surrounding city. He practically destroys new york in this fight, its crazy. But he also gets hit. he doesn't dodge, block, parry, or fly around. Every punch Hulk throws, he just eats.

Because he KNOWS he deserves it right now. And fucking duh. Sentry loses control. He gets lost in the high of this fight, he can't stop, even though he's lighting setting everything ablaze. This isn't the Void, this is Sentry at his lowest, burning his brightest. He's not trying to be anything other than a punching bag to feel better about this, about Lindy, about how much of a screw-up he is.

But this is Hulk he's fighting. They know each other, they're kindred spirits. If anyone can snap Sentry out of this, its the person who Sentry is responsible for. His big green son.

This matters so much. This is incredibly important. Hulk gets it. He understands. Just like how it was Sentry's job to reign the Hulk in, the Hulk can tell Bob exactly what he needs to hear.

This whole arc, Bob has been struggling. He has a responsibility to Hulk and the people of new york. He has a responsibility to keep the void at bay. He needs to atone. He needs to feel strong. He needs to live up to Tony's words. He needs to be the strongest. He needs to be someone he doesn't believe he is.

I believe that Bob is a good person. In fact, I think that despite what a lot of others think, I believe that he was the right person to get his hands on the golden serum. All that power would corrupt anyone, even Captain America. Imagine having the power to be right about anything. Imagine if Cap had the power to end Civil War in a day, even if he was correct about most of it. Imagine what would happen if Aunt May died and spider man could wipe out cities in an instant. This is the power of the Sentry, the power to kill anyone on earth by wanting them dead, the only person worthy of that power is someone who whole heartedly believes that it would be better in someone else's hands.

"They can call you whatever they want. Savior. Destroyer. All that matters is what you choose"

And Hulk tells Bob that he doesn't need to be the hero that everyone else wants him to be. That he isn't the Void, that he isn't the Sentry. In a way, Hulk forgives Bob for hurting him as Void. None of that matters.

"You don't need to be the guy that Tony insists you almost are. You aren't the sum of your worst parts. You aren't at the mercy of the Void or the Sentry, you're you. You CAN be a hero, you just have to be one"

So two things. First of all, I think that Sentry powered down of his own volition here. I think he could've won if he wanted to. I also think Hulk wasn't fighting at full power. Sentry purposely turned back into Bob, but Hulk was holding back, and was forced to turn into Banner. Personally, I think that Sentry can't lose, why would your perfect idealized self ever be able to. If he goes down in a fight, its because Bob lost the will to continue fighting. Bob can lose, but Sentry can't.

We see here that Bob thanks Hulk. This was good for Bob. He got to let off some steam and he was reigned back in from another episode. Who knows what would've happened if Sentry just kept going from here, or if he accidentally killed Hulk. But at the same time, Bob has turned back into Bob, and not only that, the injuries have carried over. Bob is still blaming himself, and not only that, he's allowing Sentry's punishments to carry over.

World War Hulk comes to a close with Bob in a strange headspace. He's still reliant on his friends, he's still a little unstable, but he's also still in the avengers, and eventually, back in the Watchtower, is living with his wife again.

Bob mostly keeps his bucket from tipping for a lot of Mighty Avengers, but its worth noting that in issue #10, he gets transported back in time and immediately begins to spiral.

Not only that, but in the past, he sees the Void (accurate to the time period they're in) and has a panic attack like immediately. I find it interesting that Sentry can fight the Void if he knows he's coming in advance, but if he's surprised, Bob will shut down and often run away entirely.

Back then, Void seems to be just a villain. He wasn't some world ending threat. Things were simpler. Even in the past, though, both are Bob, he's able to be in two places at once without much issue. He needs Iron-Man to calm him down, but he's obviously still shaken by it. I think that Bob locks in because he has to here, but would've greatly benefited from a break to screw his head back on.

After this, Sentry doesn't get a lot of panel-time aside from basically embarrassing Dr Doom. It's pretty minor, but once again, here's Tony's bullet mentality coming out in full swing.

Sentry has just seen the Void. He's had a bit of a panic about it, but things are mostly okay. This is recoverable, but as a super-hero, he's obligated to respond to the next worldwide crisis. And it sucks that the next attack would be a psychological one.

Secret invasion (2008) is a big deal. The seeds have been sown for a long time, and now its coming out in full swing. The Skrulls, an army of shape-shifting aliens, are finally going forward with their plan, intent on taking over the avengers and the world. They've copied select members of the super-hero community, and no one is sure who can be trusted. Not only that, but they know Bob's weakness is his mind.

(Mighty Avengers #14) In order to force their most powerful enemy off the battlefield, the Skrulls pretend that the currently raging battle is his own fault. We've established that when he's surprised, Bob will run away, so a blindside like this is the perfect strategy, especially right after Bob was reminded of the Void a few issues ago.

This is everything he had feared and more. This is the worst case scenario. The void wasn't gone, he was just hiding, scheming. Not only that, but the skrulls are playing on his genuine emotions here. In some way, Bob knows this is possible because he might feel a slight resentment for the heroes forgetting him.

The glass shatters, and Bob flies away.

Off to space, where nobody can hurt him. Give him some time to think.

God. I'm sorry Bob. The entire world (Including avengers tower) is under attack by Skrulls right now and he thinks its his fault. He got comfortable, he was happy. Things were getting better and this is his rightful punishment. He shuts down completely, even though he knows his friends need him. Sentry is there to protect Bob, remember? Bob simply cannot handle the idea that he's the cause of all this. How could he?

Still, that doesn't change the fact that new york is in danger.

Sentry stops Bob from feeling guilt, and down there, its all Bob's fault. No amount of saving people is going to make him feel any better. They're attacking the avengers. They're attacking his home, where his wife is right now. Bob cannot go down there, but he needs to save Lindy, needs to do something. He isn't going to let her die again.

The Void didn't cause all this, and only one person knows that. If Sentry can't do it, then Void can.

First of all, this is the version of Void that inspired his look in The New Avengers film. It works so well.

Bob is Void. Void is Sentry. Sentry is Bob. Even if Void represents all of Bob's intrusive thoughts and hatred, he is still Bob. The Void is the opposite of the Sentry, so if Sentry is happy to stay in space and do nothing, Void will intervene. Personally, I believe that Sentry is still up there. Bob has the ability to be in multiple places at once as we know, and we saw a second shadow up there by the rings of Saturn. They've swapped places.

This is the moment that Bob snapped. Secret Invasion broke him. The deception can be cleared up. He can be assured that it wasn't his fault, and that they were lying to him, but Bob can never be certain that anything is real ever again. How would he know if all his friends are secret imposters, how could he know that the Void won't punish them, now that the idea has come to him.

But most importantly, Bob has to consider this:

"The Void touched my wife. The Void saved Lindy. What will he do next time"

The Void defends New York from the Skrull invasion, and Lindy survives. This is the last we see of this particular encounter, so one can assume that everything really is okay, and eventually Bob just comes back as normal. If Lindy wasn't a shell of a person before, she certainly is now.

But Secret invasion does something else. The public loses faith in superheroes. They lose faith in Tony, and as a result, Tony loses the tower; purchased by Norman Osborn thanks to newfound trust the public has in him. We are about to move into the darkest time Sentry has ever endured, wherein the avengers are underground, and Bob has no friends or support in the whole world.

Except Norman Osborn, of course.

Stay tuned for Part 4. The return of the Void, and Sentry's time in the Dark Avengers.

[always-tired-lilbitch]

Reading poetry helps with learning how to write.

Wait, wait, listen to me for a bit, trust me. So, let's think about what poetry is; basically, it ranges from the most complicated and intricate way to use language to just strings of sounds and words that make no sense, right? Right.

But that's not all, cause poetry uses this wonderful thing called The Analogy. Pretty basic thing, really, just "this thing is somewhat similar to this other thing", but DAMN is that important. This lil' thing, which lays at the heart of most forms of poetry, is straight up one of the keys to be a better writer.

"But poetry is hard" you might say, and it may be, but it's an exercise one gets better at, and not all forms of poetry are inherently obscure meaning-wise, so getting practice with something easier before reading complex poems makes it easier as you go. And once you have read a lot of poetry, your understanding of how to play with words and meaning and ANALOGY will bleed into your writing. I don't really know how to explain it but it just works, it rewires your brain to see relationships between words you might have not thought about before, and suddenly your writing feels alive and unique, it's insane frfr.

Also! Your use of Rhetoric will blow your tits off!!!! Like, just by reading poetry your brain will absorb forms of rhetoric you won't even be aware of, and which will make your texts richer.

Also n2! Reading poetry can be easier than reading other longer-texted formats, so you can get more poems read in the time you'd take to read a whole book, so it's time efficient. But that's not the point I want to make, cause speed matters not, what you want is to be able to experience more, and if reading 5 poems makes you experience a wider range of emotions, feelings, or ideas, then you're winning! And in the process, you can get great referencing material, cause everyone loves to see a bit of intertextuality, which in turn makes your text more varied and somewhat universal.

Anyway, needed to nonsensically rant a bit about this, just go read poetry, it will make you a better writer, trust

[karokawwo]

ik insulting religion is a huge no no but I really find it so scary how christianity can poison people so easily. how people can become so unsympathetic, so hateful, and so stubborn in this awful mentality. but it's alright because all this animosity is in the name of our almighty God, who loves us but despises them, apparently

[arom-antix]

Hey, just wanted to reach out to say that I found you pointing out and calling this person was really great and you shouldn't have apologized. It was incredibly true what you said, and to be honest it seems out of touch with the reality of a great deal of the japanese fandom, the nuances and their culture. Also, it was as you pointed out, extreme and may I say rude. I want to mention too that the way it was written, as if entitled of the knowledge and the 'explanation' made it all worse in context of the 'fucked up'. The original poster always gets away by using the 'well-written academic'' statement of their 'metas' as an excuse to do or say and make everyone else agree and if not, uses victim narrative and discourses exactly selecting wording for people to agree on it or feel bad.

I don't know if they tagging you in the way they did made you reblog and apologizing/backing up, but no one thought bad about you pointing it out. On the contrary, a lot of people had been bullied and discriminated by this person when they called them out/disagreed going onto lenghts of sending their friends to harass people, and the other persons can't even defend themselves because they are effectively blocked. To quite a few people in the fandom has been done, even accusing them as 'acephobes' (when they're not) or even Nazis by spreading lies. So yeah, I just wanted to say that. I think you were right to call them out publicly.

Thank you very much for this ask. To be completely honest I agree with everything you said here and don't actually feel bad about pointing anything out. I mainly apologised because I didn't want any potentially poor phrasing from my side to cause unnecessary hostility and because I myself have gripes with this person's behaviour but didn't want to cause a scene.

My honest opinion is that they have a serious issue with taking accountability for their own mistakes and highly overestimate their own intellect. If you're reading this, @thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai, sorry if I seem harsh, but it's true. I saw your post lamenting how you're the only academic meta writer / fan in the fandom and I didn't interact then because I honestly do not care enough to start that drama but with the information Blonndiec has just given me, I think it's necessary that someone calls you out.

You're not an academic. You're not beyond the mental capabilities of other fans. You're actually incredibly childish in your metas and analyses and I am not kidding when I say that I was halfheartedly writing essays more academic than every analysis I've seen from you when I was barely a teenager. I don't know how old you are and I frankly don't care. You're not as clever as you think you are.

Also, don't think I didn't notice that you didn't reblog my correction (link here to my correction and here to their "response" for those who didn't see that exchange) of your post so that you could control what your followers saw of the exchange. You're the opposite of an academic. You control information to tailor the narrative, you don't cite your sources properly if at all, you don't format your posts in anything close to how an academic analysis would be, you make unbased claims, you reference posts and canon material without in any way indicating where that information is from, you reference your own (equally unacademic) metas and your conclusions from them without indicating what post it's from or that it's your own theory this new one is based on and instead present it as a common fact, and I could go on and on and on. Your posts are also riddled with logical fallacies and you talk in absolutes and opinions when there's no canon basis to claim such things. I'm sorry, but that's not academic in the slightest.

To be clear, you don't have to be an academic to post on the Internet. You don't have to be anything at all. You could up front be a genuine idiot with no remorse and that's fine. But when you claim to be an academic and also put down the rest of the fandom for not being on your level, you have to be able to back that up. It'd still make you sound like a prick but at least your arrogance would have a basis. It currently does not.

I haven't personally seen the discussions that Blonndiec is referencing and I'm not going to claim anything definitive (because that would be unacademic of me, take notes) but if what they're saying is true and did happen as described, which I have empirical, if anecdotal, evidence to believe could very well be (a friend of mine has personally been blocked by you after they criticised you without actually mentioning your name which I of course can't prove is the reason for the block but the timing is awfully convenient), you should know that you should be ashamed of yourself.

If there's context missing, feel free to enlighten me and call out any incorrect accusations. You have every right to defend yourself. However, I encourage you to cite your sources since you're such an academic. If you don't, then it's just your word against Blonndiec and anyone else who might comment's word and that doesn't prove anything. Don't misunderstand, acephobia and nazi rhetoric should absolutely be called out but only if it's actually happening. False accusations can ruin lives. I hope you know that.

I'm not a fan of calling people out publicly and, again, thank you for this ask, Blonndiec. But considering many of the issues I've personally seen and those I've been informed of by second hand sources were posted publically, I don't really feel bad about calling this out. I could do a full breakdown of just the insulting "academic" comments alone and how there's no academia to be found in said academic metas and, Samurai, if you give me reason to, I will show exactly what I mean point by point (and academically just to give you an example of even low level academia).

If you respond to this, do it in a reblog. That's what a real academic would do. If I'm wrong and you can prove it, you'd have no reason to not show my post in your rebuttal. If I'm right, you'd have every reason to be upfront about your mistakes and how you intend to rectify them. There's nothing wrong with being wrong but there's a lot wrong with refusing to admit to it in a way that lets others peer review you (academic thing, look it up) and come to their own conclusions about the situation. That's what you did when you just @'ed me instead of reblogging my response. A true academic wouldn't hide a peer review. You'd know that if you were one.

I swing in many academic spaces and yet that doesn't make me any kind of expert and I don't claim to be one because I'm not. But since you want to be one so badly, reblog this with a response and show us all how smart you are. I'm dying to know what your academic take on this is.

[king-lena]

ew i hate looking back on any social media and seeing my old cringe posts (especially on tiktok) like help!!!! that isn’t me anymore don’t look please!!!! 😅 i can barely handle my current cringe posts don’t make me revisit the past please!!!! i am working so hard to constantly keep growing and learning and changing my mindset and becoming a better me every day and i am no longer that version of myself and i do not know her like that anymore. but dang like her reminants are still out there lingering and i do not like it one bit… 😔

[oldcurse]

Having a relapse moment