#cause she do be mega frightening

[originalwinnercheesecake]

what if the Revolutionary Girl Utena characters were pokemon trainers

I went back to the Utena tab, as one does, to brush up on my philosophy... Suddenly the question pops into my head "With Anthy's love of roses which flower pokemon would be her favorite? I bet it would be x." Then i started to think "If Anthy had "X" then maybe Utena could have "Y". "Nanami should have "C" because of that one comedy filler episode" You know the one. "Also wouldn't it be fun to create a sinister pokemon team for Akio." I literally went to sleep rolling these thoughts and potential teams around in my mind, and have spent all day working on getting the teams right.

Before I post my teams here were my rules

1.) Six pokemon for the rose crest duelists, one-three for the black rose duelists. Ruka got two

2.) All the rose bride duelists had to have at least one flower/plant/florial pokemon. This was not required of the black rose duelists or Ruka.

3.) Normally I do not let characters have legendary pokemon on their teams. But because some of these characters are Gods or embodiment's of legendary themes/tropes I put fitting legendary on the teams for four specific characters

4.) Utena was the only character I allowed a pokemon that can mega evolve. She is the one chosen to wield the power of Dios in the duels.

5.) To challenge myself I did not use any of the eeveelutions, or regional type variations (Alolan, Galar, Hisuin). These are usally heavily represented on my previous lists and I wanted this one to be more unique

In honor of pride month here is the RGU cast as pokemon trainers

Anthy Himemyia

a team that is half cute and girly , and half very very frightening

White Flower Florgus: This one is representative of Anthy's love of flowers, whoch she incorperated into her role in the duels, as the Rose Bride. A flowery fairy pokemon that devotes itself to its gardens. The red one is to sweet to be Anthy's pokemon. Plus given that both the roses in her coffin and the one she puts on Utena are white, I think that white may be her favorite rose color.

Wooloo: Anthy used the Wool from her Wooloo (and some red fabric dye) to make the sweater she knitted and gifted Utena in season 2. I love that because there are no hints that Akio told Anthy to make Utena the sweater. Anthy chose to make a handmade gift for her friend. Utena wore it multiple times later when she and Anthy were hanging out in their room. That was a really sweet gift, and symbolic of how much the two were coming to care about each other, so I wanted to give Anthy a pokemon representative of that

Apom and Rattata: These two both represent Chu-chu, a monkey that was the size of a mouse. They can also represent aspects of Anthy's way of expressing herself during the games. How she was always handy at chores, but had what one would call a quiet and mousy nature. Apom is a shiny pink to match Utena's trademark hair, and the pink outfit Anthy dawns (leaving behind her red goddess/rose bride outfits) to go out into the world and search for Utena.

Mismagius: A ghost type pokemon that is representative of Anthy's witch persona. It's poxides entry says that it is a havic bringer that can cause people great hapiness or misery, and that some will pursue it as if their life depended on it, though owning it can sometimes have less than favorable results. A very Himemyia pokemon

Spectrier: Representative of Anthy's, now long dead, goddess persona. This beauitful, dark, spirit horse shy's away from sight and rely's on its other senses. It is also said that it can seperate a soul from a body with one kick (Similar to what Anthy did to Dios when she gave up being a goddess). Spectrier shares a connection to pokemon owned by both Akio and Utena

Akio Ohtori

Note it was actually a lot of fun making this cutesy/sinister team for Akio.

Morella: This could be Akio's floral pokemon if you view "End of the World" as a rose duelist. I mostly picked it because it is cute and whimsical looking, but is parasitic and will drain a person of their energy when they are asleep.

Driftloom: Another whimsical pokemon. What a fun and safe looking little balloon... that leads small children astray and can cause them to go missing.

Delibird: It is his messenger. Before the final arc he mostly communicated with his students by letters. Delibird delivers them. Bad bird, bad

Palossand: Representative of Ohtori Academy. A palace and a kingdom where everyone lives trapped, with Akio as the prince who is in charage of everyone

Dusktops: A hollow husk ghost that it is unwise to get close enough to look inside of. Am I talking about Dusktops or Akio?

Glastrier: Akio's Princely white horse. A wild and crazy steed (kinda like his car), counter part to his sisters Spectrier, and also connecting to one of Utena's pokemon.

Utena Tenjou

What pokemon are enough of hero's for our protagonist. Are flashy hero pokemon really the ones she needs?

Roserade: Utena's Floral pokemon, and her mega evolution pokemon. I like to think it started out as a little Bedew that was left for Utena after that day all those years ago when she met the prince and vowed to become one herself. Roserade is not really a princely pokemon, but Utena never actually became a prince. I think Roserade is a good representation of the revolutionary character she did become.

Spritzee: Scent seems to be an important senese to Utena. She will comment on food smells and the one thing she remembers clearly about that day is that she could smell Roses. Given her love of fragrance she would probably also love a perfume pokemon

Marowak: Utena and Marowak both lost loving parents when young. Now they have grown tough and made the decision to help each other and carry on.

Growlithe: Representation of Utena's courage and fierce loyalty to those she cares about

Corvisquire: this one represents both the dark uniform and the ingenuity Utena shows. How she descends on the games, has less experience then the other duelist, but she uses tools around her, and eventually the traits she can glimpse from the other duelist themselves, to win.

Calyrex: This is Utena's Legendary pokemon. It is connected to both Anthy and Akio's legendary pokemon, how they both need her, and the choice Utena ultimately has to make on which one she wants to be with.

Touga Kiryuu

Touga' team is meant to be bad/dangerous but not necissarly as wicked or frightening as Akio's team

Vileplume: Touga's floral pokemon. I gave him a finale form in a 3 part evolution, similar to Utena's roserade, but of course not containing the same abilities or as powerful. I also really wanted him to have a flower that was also a poison type, because he himself is pretty poisonous.

Hitmonchan: Touga is shown to know how to box when he took out that kangeroo. So i figured since he would obviously have a fighting type pokemon, let's go with the boxing one

Purugly: He loves cats so he gets a cat pokemon. (Side note do we think he got to keep the kitten Anthy gave him for his birthday, or did it disappear after 24-48 hours, like the "gifts" Anthy sends Nanami). I decided to give him Purugly do them both having nice hair, being fairly rude, and most importantly, loving to sleep in someone else's bed.

Seviper: A snake is pokemon is another one that just fits Touga. Add that Seviper has a red sword like tail, and could maybe help Touga train, makes it Touga's perfect snake.

Yamask: Yamask's lore says it use to be a man who died. It came back as a ghost pokemon and it carries a mask that resembles the face it had as a human. I put it on Touga's team to go with Touga's own lore, and how there is all this discussion on if Touga is actually a boy or a ghost... Even if he is still alive he is kinda still a ghost, carrying a mask of the kid Saionji and Nanami remember.

Mudsdale: Touga has a horse because he wants to imitate Akio. But where as Akio's Galstrier is a beautiful and princely legindary pokemon. Touga only has a dirty mudsdale, a.k.a the one horse pokemon that is entirely based off of a regular, non magical, horse. Mudsdale can never be quite like Galstier. And Touga (thankfully) can never manage to be as manipulative and powerful as Akio.

Nanami Kiryuu

Her magistey the princess of ridiculousness, with her loyal court of fools

Carnavine: Nanami's floral pokemon. I did not want to give Nanami a more "delicate flower" looking pokemon, as Nanami is honestly one of the least delicate girls in the anime. Carnavine, like Nanami, is clingy and snappy so I think it fits her really well.

Vespaqueen: Becasue she is the school's "Queen Bee"

Morgrem: It is a prankster, who will sometimes employ false surrenders and dirty tactics, all of which are to hide its own insecurites and lack of self confidence. Nanami and Morgrem are kindred spirits in this regard. Hopefully she and it could help each other grow to accept themselves

Piplup: It has a tough attitude and a lot of bravado, but in truth it is pretty clumsy and falls down a lot. So piplup is another pokemon who I feel like it and Nanami would get each other.

Miltank and Exeggcute: You all know exactly why Nanami has a cow and eggs. No explanation needed.

Kyouichi Saionji

It was not my intention to give him the fluffiest team. I am laughing at it turning out that way though. Let's hope Saionji can keep himself and his teammates stocked on hair brushes

Cacturn: Saionji's Floral pokemon. He gets Cacturn because they are both green and prickly.

Fennekin: Well it is a hot headed pokemon that will have steam coming out of its fluffy ears when it gets really worked up. That certainly sounds like someone Saionji see's whenever he looks in the mirror. Also once it evolves, and starts carrying around sticks, he could teach it Kendo style staff techniques

Mankey: Saionji also needed a fighting type. I chose Mankey to represent just how Impulsive Saionji is. Both he and Mankey struggle to calm themselves down, and to stop fighting. If Saionji can ever manage to teach Mankey any control, then maybe he won't be completely hopeless himself. If not, it will at least be a funny ride.

Zangoose: Saionji got a Zangoose because Touga has a Seviper. Each of them have a rival pokemon that is always fighting with the other, but also can never help but seek the other out. I would say that is pretty accurate representation of Touga and Saionji's relationship, and how they feel about each other in their adolescences.

Farfetch: I was thinking because it carries the leak then maybe Saionji could teach it Kendo staff techniques now. Fennekin could watch. They would probably all enjoy that.

Shiny Sudowoodo: well it is bad at hiding and hates water, that is similar to Saionji. But really I gave it to Saionji because he likes poetry, and Sudowoodo (particularly its shiny form) are about the closest I could think of to a poetic looking pokemon. Another thing is that Shiny Sudowoodo looks like a tree in the fall, when things change. Change is a concept Saionji struggles with, and he needs to learn to better deal with it if he wants to leave his coffin

Miki Kaoru

I kind of wish his team could have been bluer, but I am happy that 2 are garden creatures and another three look a bit like childhood toys. Nature and nostalgia are strong themes if Miki's

Sunflora: This is Miki's floral pokemon. He gets an actual flower based one. A sunflower caught in the Sunlight garden back when he was a child

Baltoy: So Miki is a time keeper for the student council (supposedly, as no one knows what he is keeping time on with his stop watch) and carries a lot of nostalgia for his past. So I had to give him a "time" pokemon. However he is not a strong enough trainer to command a legendary, like Celibi or Dialga. Baltoy was the only one left, but it honestly works. I like to imagine that it stays next to Miki at student council meetings and every time he presses the button on his oh-so-confusing stopwatch Baltoy will cease its spinning and speak.

Chimeco and chatot: Two music based pokemon to sit with Miki and keep him company at the piano. Chimeco will try to calm him down when he gets stressed. Chatot will repeat things: notes or phrases that it has heard Miki/his teachers say. Miki loves Chatot, but it often makes him more stressed.

Scyther: All of Miki's pokemon so far have been small and cute. But Miki is a tough fighter too. I wanted him to have pokemon he could sword train with, and that would come off as more imposing in battle. No fighting types really fit him so I got more creative. Scyther would make a pretty good fencing partner. He probably caught it in his garden like Sunflora, only he was older by then.

Male Meowstic: This one is representative of his caring yet strained relationship his sister Kozue-she has a female. Miki's male meowstic is both the male, and the more defensive of the pair, just like him.

Juri Arisugawa

before anyone asks Juri does not have a sward pokemon because she does not need one. She already has a sword.

Lurantis: Now this is the perfect floral pokemon for Juri. It is girly without being soft or frilly. It is vivid, tough, and glamours. It is also super sharp and does its best to fool people into seeing it as someone its not. Basically it suits Juri's strengths, while also highlighting some of her vulnerabilities.

Luvdisc: Okay the romantic heart pokemon that is considered a symbol of love might seem like a strange one for Juri,given how she feels about, well, romantic feelings and all that. One I do think Juri is a romantic, but, just like with miracles, she has some trouble believing in romance after what went down with Shori. Secondly lone luvdisc's can become despondent and disheartened... which again is kind of how Juri feels, when thinking about all the things she is scared to believe in. Both Juri and Luvdisc need hugs

Cloyster: This one represents how closed off and self motivated Juri has become

Brozong: It strong steel/psychic typing suits Juri pretty well, and it being a 360 degree shield does show how defensive Juri is now. Most importantly it can summon rain showers. The culmination of Juri's arc was her locket getting broken, her forfeiting her duel as she finally lets herself cry over what she lost, then stepping into a rain shower, to try and began herself again. That was such a powerful scene for Juri, so I gave her a powerful pokemon to represent that time in her life.

Jangmo-o: Here is a little dragon that personality wise is on almost the same wave length as Juri. Both are diligent trainers, humble, yet have the pride of warriors. I could see these two taking each other far.

Mienshao: This is Juri's fighting type pokemon. One that is very graceful and elegant, as well as being a skilled, and sometimes overwhelming, fighter. Like with her Lurantis I could see this one joining her in both a battle and on the runway.

Now on to the black rose duelists. Once again they were smaller characters so I am only giving them 1-3 pokemon.

Kanae Ohtori

Apples for the princess, fairy tales dictate she should have refused

Applin: So they are sometimes viewed as romantic gifts between people in a committed relationship. Akio gave this Applin to Kanae, who joyfully accepted it as a "symbol of their love". But another way to look at it was Akio telling Kanae his plans. Applin is a worm that burrows into the center of an apple and then feeds on the fruit to stay protected, plump, and strong. Akio is the worm. Kanae's family's academy is the apple. Kanae's Applin is most definitely not evolving into a Appletun.

Kozue Kaoru

I imagine Kozue and her girls are out to either get their party up or throw some shade down. No in between

Female Meowstic: the sibling pokemon to Miki's male one. Like Kozue this meowstic is the aggressive female counter part to its more defensive brother.

Bellossom: Kozue is not a rose crest duelist, but she still has a flower pokemon? Okay I am not saying Kozue should have joined the student council with Miki, or competed for the rose bride, or anything like that. Bellossom is also a party pokemon. It is always dancing and chatting away with others. Kozue takes Bellossom with her when she goes out to look for new boyfriends. It is also there for her after hook-ups, when she is all alone again. Bellossom might be Miki's favorite of Kozue's pokemon. Kozue likes Miki's chatoc, because she can teach it to say phrases that annoy her brother/ scare away anyone that might hurt him.

Taillow: This is Kozue's newest pokemon. She is shown to like birds. She found this one injured, became protective of it, and took it in. She told everyone she caught it because the injuries proved it was tough in a scrap, and it is tough in a scrap, but that was still a lie on Kozue's part.

Shori Takatsuki:

So cute on the surface, beneath that... well sometimes it is a little less pretty and a lot more messy

Psyduck: Because Shori follows people she likes/wants around like a duck, and she is driven to headaches by her own refusal to accept feelings. Both her own feelings and other peoples as well. It will be a long and stressful ride, but caring for Pysduck could possibly help Shori break this negative cycle of denial she has locked herself in.

Corsola: The tips of it spikes can be painlessly broken off and then made into pretty jewelry, that are prized as treasures. Shori deeply wants to be someones treasure, so I imagine she wears corsola jewelry a lot to try and boost her low self esteem. This also goes with Juri's luvdisc, as luvdiscs are a pokemon that love corsolas.

Phanpy: This is Shori's last pokemon, and probably her oldest. She is not able to/has no desire to evolve it. Phanpy's look like innocent little dolls, are very playful, and has a tendency to hurt those it feels affection for...Just like Shori.

Mitsuru Tsuwabuki

Gorwing up is really so tough

Impidimp: One evolution behind Nanami's Morgrim. Like their trainers the pair get along and are good friends, but often tend to prank the other. It is a bit of a ongoing challenge to see which is the most sly and devious

Bagon: Like Mitsuru with adulthood, Bagon dreams of the day it will be a full grown Salamence, and waits for all the things it will be able to do then. Mitsuru and Bagon want to grow, evolve, and achieve their dreams together.

Love Sweet Carmel Swirl Alcreamie: I gave Mitsuru an Alicreamie because he shown to be able to cook/bake, and likes to do it for Nanami. I really was hoping that their was a chocolate version of Alicreamie, because of the symbolism of the partially eaten chocolate bar his friend leaves behind in his black rose episode. But I was out of luck. I decided to give him a Carmel Swirl Alcreamie because its cream has a bitter taste. Right now Mitsuru is at a stage where he feels very bitter about still being a little kid. I figure his Alcreamie can help him learn to mix that bitterness with other feelings/flavors to create good results. Love Sweet because Mitsuru is a romantic of course.

Tatsuya Kazami

I hope that he got back out of ohtori again quick, and that this time he and Wakaba stayed in touch....maybe as friends, maybe as more. In the end that is up tot he two of them, not to Mikage, Utena, or Akio.

Oddish: Oddish is a pokemon that kinda looks like a onion, at least that is what Tatsuya thought when he met Oddish. It reminded him of Wakaba and how she used to call him "The Onion Prince" , so he caught it and made it his partner.

Slowpoke: Slowpoke is called the patient pokemon, and Tatsuya's best and only quality is that he is willing to patiently support the girl he loves, while waiting for the day she maybe decides to give them a chance to be something more.

Wakaba Shinohara

You take care of everyone you meet. But who will take care of you?

Swablu: A very friendly and fearless, normal/flying type, bird that goes around with its head is the clouds and cotton covering its ears. That is definitely similar to our girl Wakaba. But it will also grow into a very strong dragon/flying type, Altaria; just like how Wakaba shows she will grow into a very strong young women one day. For now Wakuba and Swablu have got each other, and are committed to helping the other grow.

Chancy: A caring and nutruing pokemon. This one helps Wakaba take immaculate care of everyone in her life. It also tries its best to take care of her and reminder her that she is still important to it during her darker moments. Like when Saionji leaves her. Or Utena starts spending most of her time with Anthy/Akio and has less and less for Wakaba.

Shiny Skeledirge: Like Wakaba this pokemon is caring yet meddlesome. I could see them getting up to a lot of trouble that they had no business being in, but also helping a lot of people too. It likes to help wakaba with her chorus homework, and sing for Wakaba when she is feeling down. Hopefully it's powerful enough to at least intimidate the boys Wakaba does not have the sense to know are bad news. I also gave it to her because wiki says it is modeled after a tennis athlete (Tennis is implied to be Wakaba's favorite sport), and that the bird on its snout functions as a separate entity. So it was a sneaky way to actually give Wakaba four pokemon. Why is it a shiny, because Wakaba deserves a rare shiny pokemon. She was a rare bright spot in that hell school after all.

Keiko Sondo

I got the idea to give her all bug pokemon because her episode is called Vermon.

Meadow Pattern (a.k.a Pink) Vivillon: I picked Vivillon because it is very girly and frilly, and Keiko comes off as a being a really girly girl. I picked the meadow pattern because it seemed the most romantic, and at heart this girl is another huge romantic.

Male Combee: This one is her relationship to Nanami. Nanami had a female Combee that evolved into a Vespadqueen. But male Combee like Keiko's cannot evolve. No matter how hard either Combee or Keiko work and train they are not royalty, but mere parts of the hive. Combee shares Keiko's resentment that random chances of birth seemingly made Nanami and Vespaqueen more special than them. It is just not fair.

Grubbin: Yeah here is a not so pretty, underground, grubby buggy. But there is so much more to Grubbin than appears. They are attracted to sparks of electricity and will burrow to and stay by it, until he day they can evolve and generate their own. Also when worked into a enough of a rage they are capable of causing birds that try to prey on them fly away in fear. So I am giving her Grubbin to show that of all three conies, Nanami was not able to break Keiko as totally as she did the other two, and their were moments in the show where Keiko was able to stand up to/take on Nanami.

Souji Mikage

Yes I am calling Mikage the fourth most powerful character character in RGU. He was definitely a victor in some previous round of the duels, and for whatever reason Akio and Anthy kept their hold on him for 30 years... to use him to test future victors that won the first round to easy? I mean it is stated he used to have 100 back rose crests and flowers, but by Utena's time he only had 6 left... Off topic

Hypno: it helps him mess with the kids who come into his elevator for therapy; using its hypnotic power to pull their most jealous and anxious thoughts form their minds and mouths.

Bisharp: This one represents how professor Nemuro saw himself before meeting Mamiya and Tokiko, and what he, as Souji Mikage, became after their loss. This is a dark and steel type robot, that commands subordinates to fight underneath it, while it pushes towards its own goals.

Celibi: He slips backwards and forwards through time, while always remaing the exact same age. So I gave him Celibi because it can take itself and invited companions through time. Once he learns that there was really no way then or in the future to have saved Mamiya, can Celibi please take him back in time to tell the real Mamiya "Good bye"?

Ruka Tsuchiya

And here is the guy who in the two episodes he was in before dying, he seemingly made himself more hated than Saionji and Touga combinded, almost as hated as Akio.

Haunter: Because haunting was a thing he liked to do before dying, and from what I have heard, possibly afterwards too. It is also possible Haunter stayed with Ruka even after his death. Admirable loyalty on his pokemons part

Hawkamo: A dragon one evolution higher than Juri's Jaogmo-o, because Ruka was always one step ahead of Juri. After he dies I imagine Hawkamo stalks around the fencing dojo, trying to pick a new trainer. It would be interesting to guess who it would pick.

[invested-in-your-future]

You can't have white fang be both right and evil. RWBY failed the moment they made them terrorists.

Actually, no you can.

Not only WF as a concept shouldn't be a monolith hivemind, there are ways to frame it right.

Here's a simple example. A little Canadian scifi show that aired from 2012 till 2015, called Continuum. The premise is simple - a cop from the future is sent back in time to stop violent time traveling revolutionaries from changing the future any means necessary.

Simple right? The show follows a cop trying to prevent death and suffering the terrorists are causing and preserve her family and child in her own future.

Not really.

Spoilers for both RWBY and Continuum follow

As the show's first season progresses, one realizes that there are several things wrong with the initial premise:

The terrorists are 100% in the right motivation-wise because the future is corporate fascist dystopia where an immoral and unethical mega-corporation has entire world in it's hands. The tactics they employ themselves are irredeemable but also borne out of desperation and suffering. And in spite of death and suffering they cause, they are also capable of genuine heroism, camaraderie and selflessness.

The Protagonist is unreliable narrator and you are not supposed to take a lot of her moralizing at face value. The forces she works for have caused massive suffering and death on scale beyond anything the terrorists are doing and she herself is a tool of a fascist regime that does things like permanently lobotomize people into factory drones. While a lot of her decisions are morally sound, the show does end up questioning a lot of her choices and portraying the protagonist as someone who is just as imperfect and dangerous as the people she is chasing, as her experiences in the past slowly cause her to unravel.

There's no clean-cut solution on how to solve the time travel issue - for example the forces that want corporate dystopian future to stay intact simply regard the very idea of "status quo" as better alternative to other possibilities. The idea of orderly managed and calculated evil being preferable to chaotic and unpredictable one (for example one of alternatives being outright nuclear war). The show expects the audience to think and wonder about the very concept of "status quo" and how people come to rationalize it as "better", as well as the desperation and suffering that would cause the polar opposite near-accelerationist position that even everything burning is better because of even minuscule chance that it gets better.

Before you know you realize that the idea of navigating very imperfect and frightening futures is a parallel to navigating very frightening and imperfect idea of change itself - and how terrifying it is to let go of the idea of "safe and recognizable status quo" that's different for each person depending on their upbringing and experiences.

In the end, each character is defined by their fallible humanity and mistakes rather than various forms of moral absolutism. People can do absolutely reprehensible things for right reasons and people can do something heroic for extremely rotten ones.

The only thing that receives an absolute doubtless condemnation is the oppressive systems of power themselves, no matter how "comfy" the status quo and "order" is.

Now to get back to RWBY and how that relates to WF.

Imagine, what if

White Fang wasn't a monolith hivemind where everyone has exact same idea of how to do things? What if while WF is unified by singular idea, different people and groups within WF interpret it differently and also might change their minds depending on what goes on?

The protagonist position can be both right and wrong depending on situation and location and their willingness to compromise that naïve pacifism depending on what goes on around them is challenged in the story?

The story properly explores the kind of desperation and suffering that would CAUSE a more extreme reaction rather than vaguely mentioning it?

The story acknowledges that change itself is imperfect and explores just what necessitates change and whether there's a specific line that when crossed, makes the safety and known predictability of status quo unjustifiable?

Oh look suddenly we have a framework oh how to write White Fang as something more complex than "Adam's faceless redshirts" while STILL being able to have parts of WF as antagonists, both justifiable and irredeemable depending on who and when.

RWBY failed when it decided to use the absolutely nonsensical slippery slope argument as a way to justify why the very idea of justified anger of the oppressed is wrong.

One can avoid that when writing. You just have to treat WF as people.

[smallangels]

cg: Beth, regressor: Ezekiel ⚠️Before Reading, this AU doesn’t have Ezekiel Or Courtney voted for Last 2⚠️

It was the end of a challenge which terrified the campers, and Ezekiel the most. Almost causing him to slip. During Lunch, Ezekiel was still frightened and shivered, he didn't bother to eat, he sat down at the table curled up into a small ball while quietly crying and ducking his thumb. Beth was the only person who knew about his regression and he whispered to himself hoping she’d come. “Zeke?” Beth sat beside him and patted his back and Ezekiel slowly looked up with tears running down his face. “Are you feeling little?” Ezekiel doesn’t reply, he just sits there staring at Beth before stuffing his face into her chest trying to muffle his cries. “I can tell the challenge was really hard for you. Do you wanna head to the cabins buddy?” Ezekiel loved that nickname and made a straight posture and nodded after wiping away his tears. Then Beth scooped Ezekiel with her arms and left and headed to Beth’s cabin, where she stored Ezekiel’s bag with his agere items. Ezekiel was still sucking his thumb and Beth stared at him all through the walk. Once they got in Beth rested Ezekiel on the bed and took out a little blue bag filled with a Rat plushie, squishy toys and Mega Blocs, a green custom charmed pacifier Beth made for him, a cyan blankie and his favourite rattle. Beth picks up Ezekiel and places him onto the floor and pulls out a long sleeved dark green shirt, some overalls and a Pull-Up.

“Alright buddy, how old are you right now? I have your main clothes already here.” Ezekiel pointed up 2 fingers. “Let’s get you changed alright?” Beth sticks the pacifier in Ezekiel’s mouth and stops him from sniffling. “Fank you..” Ezekiel says behind the pacifier. Beth starts to undress him and pulls up an Elmo Pull Up, up his legs. Then she puts on the shirt and then the overalls. “Wow your a stylish little boy” Beth says clapping. Ezekiel opens the little toy bag and sees that there isn’t any regular legos other than the big Mega Blocs. “Whersh my Wego?” Ezekiel tries to speak behind the pacifier. “You know you can’t have those anymore buddy, last time I left you alone with legos you stuck a brick up your nose.” Beth replies. “What the shwizzle?! That isn’t fair!” Ezekiel’s eyes start to tear up and his bottom lip starts to quiver, syndicating how big of a little baby he is. “Cmon bud, you have Mega Blocs, their just like Legos.” Beth starts to worry about Ezekiel’s little fit. Ezekiel starts to jump up and down. “I want my Wego!” Ezekiel starts to whine and pout. “Cmon little guy, give them a try” Ezekiel plops down with a little crinkle from his Pull Up. “Hmp!” Ezekiel crosses his arms and looks away from Beth and try’s to play with the blocks with his Rat plushie. Some time passes by with quiet with Ezekiel talking to himself behind to pacifier playing with other toys. “Is someone hungry?” Beth gets a bottle of milk from her nightstand “Mhm” Ezekiel mumbles through the pacifier” Beth sets down on the ground and rests Ezekiel’s head on her lap and takes out his pacifier and feeds him the milk. “Someone’s tired now aren’t they?” Ezekiel nods no while his eyes are literally dropping infront of her. She sets him on the Bed before cleaning up his mess and snuggles tight with him with Ezekiel’s blankie covering them with Ezekiel sucking his pacifier and hugging Beth and his Plush Rat before they both dozed off.

[megamozartx]

All right fine, I'm updating this post with more cringe.

For people new here yeah this is some cringe fuckin AU/fanfic I have going in the background wrt Piano, that scrapped Megamix character Ariga conceptualized and I was like "k, mine now, also she's a goth lolita" about.

Wily made Piano and Bass at the same time, although Piano was unfinished when Bass broke out and began...well. Being Bass. Wily realized he needed to finish her sooner to get a leash on Forte (he insists his name is Bass and tells Wily to shut up when he calls him Forte).

Bass amid causing chaos didn't react much about seeing a capsule next to his (Piano's capsule) except peeking in out of curiosity and leaving when he determined this wasn't a strong enough opponent for him.

When Wily activated Piano initially, she was much more robotic, hardly expressing herself (or blinking), sitting very still and staring while Wily talked.

However, when he said her purpose was to control Bass, she refused. Later she amended it to more emotion-based reasoning like "I refuse to deal with that idiot", but her first refusal was based on the concept of control contradicting care. Her duty is to care for Wily and Wily allies + guests.

Wily got frustrated with her and tried to force it, but she reminded him that he programmed her specifically to never contradict her protocols. Control is not care. He was forced to accept this but relegated her to cleaning duty and wrote her off as a failure.

Piano continued to "fail" Wily by doing exactly as he programmed her to do, she took care of a "guest" of Wily Castle--who just so happened to be Mega Man.

Bass, surprisingly, took the blame for this by boasting that she healed and supplied Rock with etanks for his benefit since he wanted his (self-proclaimed) rival to be in good shape for their fight.

Wily couldn't complain since she took care of Bass afterwards, fixing him up and treating his injuries like she's supposed to.

When Zero was activated the very first time, he was wild. Wily bragged about creating an unstoppable killing machine but became frightened by how wild he was and hid behind Piano.

Piano remained calm and stoic while Zero snarled and growled in her face, unperturbed by the frighteningly powerful robot. Eventually she touched him gently on the cheek, stopping him and confusing him immensely at the gesture.

"That's all right...Zero...you don't need to strain yourself...you can take a break...okay?" "Zzzeeeehhhhhrrr...ro...? Ze...ro...?" "Yes, that's your name. Good job." "G...good...?"

Wily is baffled by the effect she has on his Infinity Project but furious nonetheless because she wasn't supposed to control Zero, she was supposed to control Bass!

But, as before, Piano emphasizes to him again that she's not controlling either of them, she's caring for them. That is what she is supposed to do.

As a result, Zero as a prototype is not violent towards Piano, no matter what kind of programming Wily tries to stuff into him to turn him against his sister. It actually has a side effect of making him more protective of her and more angry and violent towards Wily.

Nobody asked but I wanted to do a quick post about why I end up talking about Piano and Bass a lot, or "the salty Wily twins" as I call them.

I'm still brand new to the fandom so all the concepts are extremely novel to me even when everyone else knows about them. I liked the idea of there being a Wilybot sister and figured nothing is being done with her in a canon capacity (Ariga's reasons for scrapping her made sense, of course) so I'll grab her. Why not.

Some notes for my interpretation of Piano:

SWN 002 is her serial number.

Directly referred to as/considered Bass's sister/twin (his original name is Forte and a "fortepiano" is an instrument in addition to both words separately being note indicators, "forte" for "loud" and "piano" for "soft".)

It took both of them a while to accept this as they absolutely did not like each other at first; they came to a silent understanding over time though neither communicated this with each other directly. Piano assumes Bass despises her as he looks down on every other Wily creation (except Treble).

She's wrong, Bass is just tsundere, but it did annoy him that she came across as obedient to Wily and lacking in personality initially, not to mention being created to control him. Nobody can do that!

Nonetheless, he privately calls her "Ann" when speaking to Treble and worries about her overworking herself; he also gets mad at Wily when he derides her because he views the old man as a temper throwing whiner that makes nothing but mistakes and excuses while Piano always works hard.

Piano ends up calling Bass the gamut of "imbecile" and the like. His constant drive to fight does still concern her, especially since--despite Piano stating she has no intention of trying to control her brother--his recklessness worries her.

As Mr. Ariga conceptualized, she was made as a counterpart to Bass (and a copy of Roll) to watch over/control him. She has no weapons.

However, deviating from the concept, Piano refused to do her duties of controlling Bass, her refusal angered Wily. She's also not weak, she's actually freakishly strong, but this isn't used for her intended purpose, she uses it to move furniture while cleaning. She dislikes fighting and violence, generally speaking, and will only engage with it when she deems it necessary. She has no issues with hurting a human and has even threatened Wily a few times to get him to back off.

There was a mention of her using "gadgets". I don't know what that would have looked like, but I've chosen to incorporate it as she uses tools more often than not. She's very intelligent and advanced in machine building/fixing. Wily probably didn't intend that (but when does anything he intends ever work out).

Design intention was likely maid, robotic but polite speech patterns. Disregarded this. Made her a monotone goth girl instead. Very soft spoken but blunt in speech, is polite when she thinks it's necessary. She doesn't often express her emotions openly; smiling, laughing, open anger, sadness--none of that.

Her design is based on gothic lolita fashion. I tweaked a lot of the colors on there since I wanted a more gothic color scheme.

Her protocol involves looking after the household, that includes other Wily creations and people she views as guests. Somehow this led to her speaking to and befriending Rock. She likes him, he's nice, she flips between calling him "Rock" or "Megaman" depending on the situation. Rock likes her, she's nice, he calls her "Ani" (said like "Annie").

It is not romantic or intended to be, they are children, they talk about Roblox or something.

Bass really doesn't like that they're friends because it detracts from his rivalry with Megaman(!!!!!); sometimes he somewhat acts almost like a protective older brother but mostly he's awful since he basically (whether he means to or not) keeps her from making friends.

Bass's hair is black, hers is purple, don't worry about it.

This timeline is very messed up actually because when Wily is working on Zero, Piano takes care of and befriends him. Don't worry about it.

Since she's gentle and soft-spoken (as in she doesn't yell at or insult him or make demands of him constantly), Zero bonds with her fast and ends up becoming defensive of her when he perceives a threat. Zero in the present does not remember her. Don't worry about it.

There is no real happy ending here, Piano is left behind in the end to look after Zero (as is her function) and open his capsule when it's time. Her systems fail after this happens, so she doesn't know what comes next.

[uswnt-owns-this-homo]

Math? I Thought You Said Meth? (Krashlyn x Reader)

AN: I got a request of Krashlyn x Reader and this is my pretty lame attempt to get something out in these very dire, boring times. I hope you dig it! It has a bit of swearing and maybe a bit of like childhood trauma? family issues?

I walk down to the hotel lobby, feet dragging, shirt on inside out, skin pallid and dark circles very prominent. I’m still in my sleep shirt, no makeup, and my glasses, which almost never happens. My hair is an absolute mess, and Ashlyn ruffles it as I join her and Ali.

“Kid, you look like trash, no offense, very cute trash, but still,”

I groan and pull her towards the desk.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I was up late,”

If by ‘up late’ I meant I haven’t slept in over 42 hours because I’ve been studying in every extra second I have, then yeah, I was up late. I turn to the receptionist, smiling lightly.

“So, I really really need to find the closest coffee shop. It can be a hole in the wall, it can have bad coffee, I just need something,”

The woman smiles at me and pulls out her phone.

“Okay, well, good news, there’s a Starbucks a little bit down the road to the right, walking distance,”

We thank her and grab Ali and Sonnett, who’s just made it downstairs.

“Dude, who’d you get in a fight with, I haven’t seen eye bags that dark since your bar fiasco with that one guy’s girlfriend!”

I chuckle.

“How was I supposed to know they came together?”

We make quick work of getting to the shop, talking and laughing along the way. We all walk in and I make a beeline for the counter, the rest of our small group taking a seat, having given me their orders. I order everyone else’s before taking a deep breath.

“Okay, I need to know, like legally, how much espresso you can put in a cup. Like, can you do a tiny bit of coffee, and the rest espresso?”

After discussing concerns and worries, which includes me telling the dude that I’ll pay whatever the price is, I’ve secured my 2 tablespoons coffee to the rest of the largest size cup espresso concoction. I walk back to the table, distributing the drinks to their respective owners.

“So, y/n, what’d you get, something you’d recommend?”

I cackle and shoot Ali finger guns.

“Absolutely not. This is a cup full of espresso shots with like a minuscule amount of coffee… it’s bitter and embodies my parents… would not recommend,”

She gasps and turns to Ash, gesturing towards me and groaning.

“No, no, no, remember last camp? We discussed, she’s your kid before 12, and it’s 11:49 so thats on you, babe. Also, y/n, really kid? Kind of impressed, kind of in awe, kind of worried,”

I just shrug, take the lid of my cup, and test the temperature. Seeing that it’s cool, or at least a little bit, I start to chug it, finishing half the cup before I start to listen to the other’s conversation. 

“So, y/n, how’s the math you were talking about yesterday going?”

I spit out my mouthful of drink on the table, lightly coughing.

“What?? I don’t do meth, man, look I know I’m kinda out of it today. I’ve been up for the past 2 days studying for my calculus exam I have next week, not doing drugs,”

Everyone looks at me as I burst into tears.

“Hey, hey, we were talking about math, not meth, we know you don’t do drugs, also we will be talking about the all nighter, but, I think we should finish our drinks, get ready for the beach day we have planned, and you can sleep there, just relax, sound good?”

I let out a sniffle and wrap my arms around my waist.

“Yeah, maybe I do need some sleep, sorry,”

I drag my hand over my face and pick up my cup, taking a sip. Ali wraps her arm around my shoulder and I lean my head on her shoulder, leaning my weight onto her and closing my eyes. I must doze off because I wake up to Ashlyn picking me up. I shake my head and rub my eyes.

“Ah, fuck, went and woke the kid up,”

I curl up further and lean my head into her body, quickly falling back asleep. I get woken up by Ali and Ash aggressively shushing the team, who are all gathered in my room.

“I told y’all to shhhhhh, and now she’s awake! Man, this is why we have to run so much, y’all don’t listen,”

  I tap Ash’s shoulder, giving her a hug as she sets me down.

“Well, looks like beach time is still on, so I’m going to change into beach wear, and then get another coffee, and then we can leave,”

They all nod and I get into my suitcase, grabbing my swim trunks and bikini top. I quickly change, grabbing my hair cream and going to find Ash.

“Moooom, I need help with the hair, and since Pinoe is going to pick up the caffeine, I need you,”

She quickly grabs some cream and creates a look that Pinoe, crowd favorite for her hair, will be proud of. I check it in the mirror quickly before turning to her and hugging her.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,”

She chuckles and wraps an arm around me.

“Yeah, yeah, can’t have any kid of mine walking around with wack hair,”

I squeal and turn to Ali, giving her a huge hug as well.

“Wait, I love y’all, like a lot, thank you for helping me adjust and for dealing with me, okay, that’s all, thanks for coming to my TedTalk,”

Pinoe chooses that moment to walk in with the coffee. I prance up to her, kiss her cheek, and walk off to find Rose, Mal, and the rest of the youngins.

“Thanks boss! I expect a volleyball match partner later, yeah?”

She nods and I sprint towards Sonny, making sure to not spill my coffee.

“Y/N, no running babe! Knowing you, you’ll fall and scald yourself or something,”

I wave my hand at Ali and smirk. I catch up to Sonny and lean up against her.

“Man oh man, I’m going to snooze at the beach, mark my words,”

She looks at me and smiles.

“Well, at least you’ll actually get sleep.. Look, I know school is a lot, by itself, I can’t even imagine what it’s like while your playing on this team, but you have to take care of yourself man, cause I know Ash and Kriegs are this close to making you room with Carlos,”

My eyes widen as she puts her fingers almost together. I nod and bow.

“Yeah, I just really want to do well, you know? I mean, birth parents didn’t end up going to secondary schooling, the fosters were more focused on taking care of us in the care minimum than encouraging us kids, and I just want to be better,”

I start to tear up and Lindsey and Em both pull me into a hug.

“Okay, I know it doesn’t feel like it, but kid, you’re insane! I mean, I didn’t go to college, so you’re already passing me up. And, you’re trying for premed things, on top of playing for the national team? Anyone would love to be doing as well as you’re doing, and even if you’re parents aren’t proud, or aren’t around, we are, and we’re so fucking proud, and I’m defintely getting yelled at later for saying fuck in front of you,”

I laugh and give her a quick squeeze, wiping at my eyes and chuckling. I separate myself from them, and cup my hands around my mouth.

 “I’m definitely getting smoked for this, but I fucking love you all! You all treat me like a kid, and while that sometimes gets old, I’m so thankful that I have people in my life that care enough! Also, Mom and Mom, please don’t room me with Carlos! Carl, I love you, but you’re scary and I think you might kill me at any given moment, love you though,”

Everyone looks at me and I flash some dimples in hopes of not getting in trouble for swearing.

         “Okay, we’re going to let the fuck slide, but don’t get ideas, kid. Also, it’s very nice to know that Carlos is a valid threat, also, we love you too, just, stop chugging weird amounts of caffeine, please. And to conclude, you forgot to tie your swim trunks, I see that tattoo, who signed off? You’re 17, you need a signed consent form, kid…”

I grimace and run to the van, hoping they’ll cool off by the time we need to leave. 

 We’re all at the beach, Megan, Ali, and I all tanning while Kelly, Emily, Rose and Mal all play soccer tennis, Ash and Alex out surfing. 

 “You really thought they said meth, Y/N? Really? You’re like the best kid ever, why would you ever do meth?”

I grin and laugh and turn my face towards the sun, deciding to just enjoy my off day and to look forward to the future, together, with my team.

[adrianasunderworld]

In the Scary monsters event the moment Princess is harassed by Magicam Monsters or these maniacs try to steal the mega stone because she can't fight back and risk causing problems to Leona who is losing his shit and needs to be held back by the other Savanaclaw students (even if they are also livid) before he mummifies those jerks.

It's distressing for everyone involved. Normally Princess handles everything very well. But with the monsters, fear,and general chaos and noise with her already very sensitive hearing, it's to much. Its way too overwhelming. She's not used to outright maliciousness towards her. She doesn't understand them trying to steal her beloved megastone. She is at a loss of what to do and is frightened beyond belief. Leona is going to snap.

[digimonghostgame]

𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘 𝕿𝖗𝖚𝖑𝖞 𝕴𝖘 𝕾𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖓 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖐! 💪

Click here to watch Based DIGIMON's video.

𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖗 𝕿𝖚𝖒𝖇𝖑𝖗,

Based DIGIMON recently posted a video about my sheer, unmatched strength! (as you could probably tell from the title of this post!) 💪 Despite being a Champion level Digimon, I pack a very hefty punch. 👊

A while ago back in episode 21 of Ghost Game, I made short work of Archnemon by force feeding her a Desdemona! This was despite the fact that she's an Ultimate level Digimon! I'm not the first Champion capable of defeating an Ultimate, but I do it in style with total ease!

Also, in episode 13, I attempted to break out of the augmented reality world that seperates the Digital World and the human world! I left a huge crack in the sky after firing off another Desdemona, causing it to crumble away and expose the real world! I'm a pretty dangerous fellow, haha. I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for Hiro standing in my way... (literally!) It triggered the memory of Bokomon's sacrifice in my mind, which turned me back into Gammamon. If only I could be free from my other evolutions...

To be fair though, those evolutions certainly aren't slouches when it comes to power. Based DIGIMON was right when he mentioned my strong powers and abilities weren't too suprising given what I was capable of in my other forms! During the encounter at the Fujinohana Bird Sanctuary with Yatagaramon, I evolved into Kaus Gammamon, another Champion level form of mine. Despite Yatagaramon being an Ultimate level Digimon, I was able to hold my own against him and come out on top! But let's be honest, the real star of the show is me! 😈

Clockmon gave everyone a glimpse of my full potential when he hit me with Chrono Breaker, first at a nearby park after attacking Hiro in his dorm room, and again at the Metropolitan Chuo Library. The mere mirage of Gammamon's future evolution looming over him ended his Chrono Breaker, broke his concentration and scared him silly, haha! And it should, seeing as nothing that's stood in my way has been a challenge for me yet! I may be a Champion level Digimon, but as Based DIGIMON put it, I'm only Champion level due to my connection to Gammamon, in a purely trivial sense! I possess a level of power he and many others understandably find frightening, hahaha!

Only time will tell whether my true potential will be tested, whether I'll have a true challenge come my way to really test my power. I'm far different than the average Dark Evolution, being fully in control of my mind and emotions, rather than a mindless rampaging monster! Given my abilities so far, I bet I could even handle the likes of a Mega level Digimon if I tried, hahaha! Perhaps nothing will be able to stop me!! We'll just have to wait and see who's brave enough to pick a fight with me in the future...

If you haven't yet already, give Based DIGIMON's video a watch! I've got another post planned for Saturday, and it will be something a little different than usual. I've been itching to try something new, and with Ghost Game episode 22 still a week away, it's the perfect time to do something experimental before returning to my old style of posts. I've been thinking about other things to write about besides Digimon for quite some time, so we'll see how that goes! See you again soon!

𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘 𝕿𝖗𝖚𝖑𝖞, 𝕲𝖚𝖑𝖚𝖘 𝕲𝖆𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖓

[lover-of-trash-and-people]

netflix shadow and bone s1 e5 pt3: peak darklina

the first kiss scene Alina is so beautiful Her little smile as she picks up his kefta after he hears him call out for Ivan to get it like ooh I'm gonna play a little trick on Alek Her making him smile with a joke that's not even funny The tentativeness of it all, them tiptoeing around each other, testing the boundaries Him being taken aback by her offering to help him put on his kefta but still wanting her to and immediately resorting to business voice asking questions about official sun summoner stuff And putting on his serious business face him trying to explain away the gloves by calling them a safeguard, not a sign of him not trusting her abilities the face he makes after saying spectacle either depicting his distaste for the showiness of the event or depicting his embarrassment at how he phrased the sentence, like what the fuck did I just say (more likely the first one) Her quickly turning around and walking away after the eye contact makes her realise how close they are and him pulling a puzzled look as she does so Just. Just how adorable the energy is. Both of them making jokes to diffuse the tension, her gripping the table to maybe steady or calm herself, the looks they give to each other as if engaged in a delicate dance; god-like Him straight up just blinking and looking down and gulping as she says 'we can offer Grisha and Ravkans hope' (could be multiple things he's thinking at this point, and all of them interest me) 'That means a lot to me, Alina.' *her turning to look at his face* 'You mean a lot...' *her immediately lowering her gaze and tracing where her mal scar used to be lmao* 'to everyone' *her raising her gaze to him again* The music swelling as she walks up to him, her barely grazing her fingers against his collar, his eyes looking across hers as if in disbelief, her looking at his lips, and then her closing the gap between them. Him being a little stiff, indubitably from being shocked, and yet giving into it almost instinctively as if he can't help it. The violin coming in powerfully yet softly to emphasize the tenderness of it all. This thing has been made with so much love and I can't contain myself about it. Him opening his eyes half a second after Alina, almost as if waking up from a dream and then, following a relaxing of his facial muscles as he clearly regains his composure, immediately looking inscrutable. Her doubting herself, not losing eye contact as he stands up from the desk, but her sudden fear, regret, and embarrassment clear on her face. Her sides of her lips slowly rising giving way his own self mirroring her and breaking into smile and composing himself and breaking into smile again before saying 'Not many people surprise me, Miss Starkov'. Her now fully breaking out into a smile, her face a picture of unguarded joy, she looks down only to have his gaze follow her face. Both of them giddy in the other's presence and the audience can feel it. It feels like he is leaning in for another one when the sound of the door opening makes them spring apart, regaining their composures and standing at a respectable distance from each other. Her poorly suppressing a smile, him looking at her visibly, her mimicking him with a glance out of her periphery, causing her to give in to her smile completely. Him looking visibly distracted as he attempts to pay attention to whoever came into the room. the Jesper of it all Jesper the mega idiot not being able to control his face from doing a thing as he realises the person who caught him where he wasn't supposed to be is the same person he was making sexy eyes at before and yet regaining his composure in record time The poor stable hand actually being interested in Jesper and being adorable with Jesper just being like charm itself Can you believe looking at Jesper Llewellyn Fahey in the flesh and having him make sexy eyes at you and then forgetting about it? Because I simply cannot. The line about light role play? Felt a little not right. GO OFF STABLE HAND WHO PUSHED JESPER AGAINST A WALL AND KISSED HIM, HE LITERALLY SAID IM POPPING OFF AND

THEN HE DID Zoya Zoya saying fuck off to the random racist comment made by one of the guests, but she was racist to Alina herself? (I mean South Asian-East Asian hate is not uncommon so idk) David omg the cutie pie adjusting his hair at the fete HEARTRENDER FUCKING HUSBANDS Fedyor insisting on Ivan eating the sweet and Ivan's solemn head shake like no babe im on a diet and Fedyor being like heart eyes please eat the sweet my love and then Fedyor holding Ivan's face to make him nibble off a corner and Ivan's face splitting into a reluctant grin Kaz the actor Seeing Kaz the actor instead of Kaz the master of trickery and plans is an interesting thing Kanej being Kanej cute banter interaction, would recommend, 10/10 hints at Arken being sus The look Kaz gives Arken when Arken leaves, I really should have known, I was simply being a clown Darkling and the dumb royalty We love the Darkling suppressing his anger at these otkazat'sya rulers dissing the grisha and the little palace Alina's entrance The soft hum that we hear when Alina enters but we don't see her face Alina's adorable peeking The Darkling's expression changing despite being done af with these mfers and instantaneously on catching a glimpse of Alina, she really has that power huh He really made it look like his pupils dilated and who knows maybe they did Him trying to call her out for not following protocol but him melting and saying 'you look lovely, by the way' Her saying 'you look like you needed saving' I can't breathe you're so cool ballroom at the little palace I must confess I expected the ballroom of the winter fete to be bigger

GENYADAVID looking at each other and pretending not to look at each other, my fucking heart Kanej being Kanej Kaz implying they're gonna try to trick the people into thinking that the fake sun summoner is real and Inej being done with his shit Alina's demonstration HER NAME IS ALINA STARKOV yes mfer The way people back away as he steps, god the power of this man Inej looking at Kaz omfg Okay him clapping the darkness into the room was cool af I love the shadow summoning effects so fucking much The first bit of light that Alina summons lighting up the gold parts of her black kefta, absolute perfection Alina just enjoying her power and then looking to Alek, his lips parting when she does Aw Fedyor looking at Ivan in a I told you she could do it way Genya and Fedyor exchanging glances as Alina besties THE CROWD SAYING SANKTA ALINA INEJ SAYING SANKTA ALINA WITH HALF A TEAR IN HER EYE DAMN THIS IS POWERFUL Jesper and Dima IMMEDIATELY TRANSITIONING TO JESPER SAYING 'SAINTS' AS A NAKED STABLE BOY GETS OFF OF HIM AGAHSJSJSJKS I CAN'T IM CACKLING AT THE AUDACITY OF THIS SHOW HOW ARE THEY SO PERFECT (his name's dima btw) Poor fucking Dima getting frightening orders from his superior as his hookup sneaks out with horses that are definitely not his Arken the little shit Ah Arken why'd you have to go and do this I was actually amused by you before the malyen factor omg Mal's here and someone saw him getting here apparat and faith? The apparat literally jumping out of the palace walls at Alina lol man I do love the religion angle of this universe and it would have been so fucking cool if it were explored a bit better ew apparat that grab was very violent mal/darkling interaction the darkling's reaction at his recognition of mal was so funny ah yes my arch nemesis, the other angle of this teen immortal love triangle how utterly delightful someone explain the darkling's 'are you alright' to mal, is it because Alina was worried sick, is it mind games, is it curiosity, what is it Im still don't know how to feel with them attaching a literal symbol to the sun summoner, to Alina's dreams and to the stag itself 'not until I see Alina' THE LOYAL HIMBO ENERGY IN THIS ONE ISTFG I have never known nose acting until I saw Ben Barnes, he uses his nose in his acting and it is absolutely wonderful; case in point, the 'i beg your pardon' to mal with the rage making his voice shake okay but why is every mal darkling interaction like, everything the prompt answer our baby mal gives and the satisfaction it brings to his face, fucking amazing the darkling being literally struck by this, his mouth literally agape, king this is a 20 year old lmao Baghra! OMG WE GOT A GLIMPSE OF BAGHRA'S FIRE YES Genya supremacy Genya beating Arken up let's fucking go Marie's plot influence and Racism? Yellowface? again? hmm bardugo (then again, I have no authority over this, I'm south asian) Ive already talked about how I'm interested in knowing if and how changing Marie's time and place of death going to influence the plot much because in the books it caused a chain reaction doing a lot of stuff Alina, my love Alina just, laughing with other Grisha, feeling at home, ah be still my treacherous heart Mal's confrontation scene with Alina that was in the books being retconned to Mal calling out to her body double, hmm, probably to make Mal more likeable, I don't have any feelings about this particularly Nadia and Fedyor Okay the both of them, smiling and walking, hand in hand, cute mlm wlw solidarity moment that I missed during the first watch Kanej interacting with Alina Why is Alina literally so adorable The music picking up as the Inferni catches sight of the 'limping man' (what? it was funny when he said it) Blue Irises Alina's face showing a certain sense of calm when Alek shows up Alina's face after the Darkling says 'for you' and presents her with blue irises is something like gasp okay you've got game sexy shadow man mal fite time omg I thought she was taking mal to talk to Baghra or smth not to kill him 🤡 aren't oprichnikis like

otkazat'sya or am I missing smth? Because Baghra's spy is obvs a fabrikator THE DESK SCENE omg the scene hath arriveth the fact that Alina can't stop smiling gods, the flirting 'I don't recall this, being part of the schedule' him turning back and saying 'it isn't' her hiding her face through the cover of smelling the flowers and just how coy she acts, like the literal eyelid batting Ma'am how embarrassing for you to have feelings rn these two are my absolute favs of all time the camera moving as they move from their spots on which they had to stand on to get the shot of their shadows almost kissing her nodding and smiling at him saying 'she'll probably be alright' like okay I'm ready for smooches kiss me already and him going 'don't you think' trying to savour this moment IM SORRY BUT THE FUCKING SCORE AT THE MOMENT THEIR LIPS MEET YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I CANNOT COPE the way his hand is so big that he can almost hold her entire face in it the way she grips the back of his head I'm sorry I feel so disrespectful saying this but the sounds they make+I think that's a um titty grab or maybe it's just a holding someone and the placement was um unintended but I doubt it because everything in this fucking show is so intentional+ the lift up onto the desk+ the faces they make+ um god I'm going to hell for this but when they sort of grind into each other (I understand this is acting and they're just good at their job) but god does all of this make my heart race and also makes me happy I guess LITERAL GIGGLES I can't I'm soft 🥺🥺🥺 his little head shake at the knock on the door when he goes in for one last kiss before she gets off the desk and her eyes going all oy you, go get the door, I'm not going anywhere don't make whoever it is wait is so adorable and domestic her just standing there mouth agape to herself when he walks away HIM STILL FLUSHED AND BLUSHING AND HIS HAPPINESS CLEAR AS DAY ON HIS FACE WHEN HE OPENS THE DOOR his gaze flits to her when Ivan says Alina was the target 'I'll be waiting' love, I physically can't anymore Little cheek hold and walk away Her little smile to herself nearly fading before he jumps back in again to her surprise and to ours to hold her face with both his hands and kiss her one last time, and yes, he does kiss like he's being drafted for the war in the morning Her little mouth open and close and then her little smile to herself after he leaves I refuse to watch the rest of the episode right now because no let me steep in the darklina bliss

[skamamoroma]

Oh wow, that clip was so cleverly done - I’m mega impressed!

I’m so curious as to what they’re doing and how Nora’s behaviour and experiences seem to suggest that we’re going to get a look into her mental state

She seems to have anxiety and stress responses, sensory overload and maybe disassociation/depersonalisation/derealization. I’m trying to work out what the camera wants us to feel because major anxiety Adrenalin spikes can cause hands to feel numb and can trigger disassociation and sensory overload so it’s really amazing how they really did try to pull the audience into that too with the sharper sound, the focus on detail, the zoning in and out of specific things, the slight echo on noise... so so cool

It’s interesting that Nora seems as frightened and as kinda surprised as we feel experiencing it with her. Whatever she suffers with, it’s possible she doesn’t really understand it herself. If we’re looking at anxiety here which, for now, it screams to me... then shit. (I mean, it’s a symptom of a ton of things as well as of itself so!) Talk about a full on relateable season. But children of alcoholics often develop issues with mental health which often flare massively when their parent is removed. The reason for it is that, for once, their brain is given a chance to think of itself or to have a moment of calm which means the person feels, sees, thinks more and about themselves. That moment of calm can actually be the most difficult thing to experience for the brain because it simply doesn’t understand it. This could all be because of a number of mental illnesses/mental health issues but as someone who has experienced this in life, always seek professional advice and help if you can

It’s possible that what is happening here is what happened to Nora with Constantin. Or maybe not! Maybe her behaviour with him was purely down to her mum, the lies and difficulties with being able to split her time.

It’s all so intriguing but either way, Nora isn’t ok and I felt every moment of that with her. Her face lies to the world around her and they may not see but we can. We know what she’s like and those really forced moments really stand out to us. The whole COVID thing is a really clever tool to create some tension but also more anxiety and to maybe cause a trigger for Nora’s doctor (im so confused why she’s going to the doctor for a test as that’s not at all the process in the UK but I’m going with what was said in texts) to perhaps ask questions about her living situation. As I’ve always said, a major worry for a kid in her position is the authorities and it a huge reason why they don’t speak out about their experiences with their parent so this is like nightmare scenario if this doctor finds out she’s effectively living alone and if she really shouldn’t be...

And Mailin. I’m SO CURIOUS about her reaction. She’s the mum friend, the one who plans and organises. She must have a reason to be as worried as she is. That’s so crazy intriguing to me!

All in all, seriously A+ story telling. I’m 100% with every moment and every emotion and as horrible as it is seeing Nora experience all of this, it feels necessary because you can’t heal if you don’t know what needs treating.

[anon-e-miss]

Prompt type thing? Jazz and Prowl with a none standard(for you) character as their sparkling + a cat.

“What are you hiding, Springer?” Prowl asked. The sparkling held the box behind his back and tried to look innocent, Prowl did not buy it.

None of this was easy. In fact, raising Springer was proving to be the single most difficult task of Prowl’s life. The sparkling’s conception had not been Prowl’s choice. He had put the pieces of his psyche back together following the botnapping, the rapes, and the arrest of Mesothulas. There  had been no mention of the rape at the trial. Prowl had never report it. He had not given any mention of their past dealings to save his own reputation. Knowing Mesothulas would be in spark containment for millenia for his other crimes had been enough. The mega-cycle he had learned that Mesothulas had escaped had been the worst of his life and it had been a long time before he had found some semblance of peace again.

That peace had been shattered when, as part of an investigation, Prowl had stumbled upon the mad scientist’s new lair. Though they had both been surprised to so the other, Prowl had recovered from his shock first and had managed to dodge the spiderbot’s web and restrained him instead. As he had waiting for enforcers to come, Prowl had found a stranger CR chamber in the centre of the lab. In it, he had found a sparkling. That close his spark had known. It had taken everything in Prowl’s power not to purge. Mesothulas had revealed then the purpose of the botnapping, and the repeated rapes of his frame and his spark. The scientist had wanted to kindle a sparkling in him. Knowing Prowl would never allow it to come into existence he had stolen from his spark, and attached it to his own until he could put it in a synthetic growth chamber, and construct a frame.

Had Springer been allowed to develop remotely normally, he would not yet have even emerged but Mesothulas had adapted a CR chamber and had programmed it to act as something as a giant forge. Ostharos, as Mesothulas had dubbed his creation, would step out of the chamber when the process was complete and he was a grown mech. Mesothulas had called him his most perfect creation. Enforcers had come and had taken the freak away. Prowl had been left to decide what to do with the mechling in the CR chamber. Killing the sparkling had been out of the question, though Prowl most certainly would have aborted the mechling as a newspark if he had ever had the chance. He had concluded that the best thing he could do have the chamber hidden away and when the mechling was a mech grown Prowl could register him as a cold construct. No one, mechling included, would need to know of their relationship.

That had been his plan. It would have been his plan still if Jazz had not become involved. The clever operative had taken advantage of Prowl’s emotionally vulnerability to wheedle the truth from him and he had written his own plan. He had suggested Prowl open the chamber and to take his creation and raise him himself. Prowl had first laughed, and then crashed. Jazz had stayed with him, with them. When Prowl had come around Jazz had asked him if he would ever be able to stop thinking of the mechling? No. Would he not feel powerless when the mechling or mech was Primus only knows where with Primus only knows who? Yes.

With the seed planted, Prowl had been able to consider any other option. With Jazz standing with him, Prowl had opened the CR chamber. Large, light blue optics had little up the solid mechling’s round face. They had stared at each other, maybe for as long as a bream. Prowl had lifted the mechling up, startled a little by the weight of him. It made him wonder what frametype Mesothulas had once worn. The mechling did not take after Prowl at all. Then again, Mesothulas had built this frame from scratch. There was no knowing what he might have looked like if his frame had been naturally forged. Prowl had expected to feel some revulsion when he had held the mechling, but as Springer, as he would designate him, had wrapped his arms around his neck and their sparks had sinced to each others, Prowl had felt only love. Six quartexes in, Prowl still loved the clumsy little thing. That did not make learning to be his originator any less of a struggle.

“Springer...”

“Meow!”

“Oh no!” Springer exclaimed.

“Indeed,” Prowl chased after the sparkling as he chased after the cyber kitten. “Stop, Springer. You’ll scare it if you chase it.”

“I’m sorry, O’gin. I found it under the stairs. It was shivering and wet and I just wanted to help it get warm.”

“It’s alright,” First a sparkling and now a cat. “We’ll see to him.”

The kitten darted into Prowl’s office, and climbed up the back of his chair. It was easy for Prowl to pluck the frightened and fiesty little ball of teeth and claws from the warn mesh. He held it carefully, so to contain its claws, and examined it... She, at least Prowl thought it was a she, was skinny and dirty and shivering with cold. He stroked the kitten’s helm and she let out a sweet little pure. A kitten might be good for Springer. She would teach him responsibility and to mind his strength. It was as good an excuse as any. The reality was Prowl had a difficult time just telling the mechling no. Prowl felt better about his decision when his creation was happy.

“First we need to give her a bath, Springer.”

“But she’s already wet.”

“The residue from the acid rain could cause her to develop a rust infection. We’ll get her clean and then dry her off. We will need to get her toys, and a berth.”

“She can recharge with me!”

“She may well choose to. Come on, you can help me.”

Jazz found them a few joors later, sitting in the couch. The kitten was recharging in Springer’s lap, as the mechling was cuddled up into the crook of Prowl’s arm. Springer was petting the kitten he had designated Bolt and watching a cartoon while Prowl was going over a report from Tactics. He enjoyed this more than he had  ever imagined he would. Prowl was a cold construct himself, thus he had never known the concept of a family or close kinship. Cuddling with Springer might have been the best part of having the mechling in his life.

“I come bearin’ gifts,” Jazz said. “A scratchin’ post, some toys, ‘n fuel. How’d ya talk yer o’gin into gettin’ ya a cybercat, Springer?”

“I found her, Geni. We gave her a bath so she didn’t get rust and O’gin says she can recharge with me if she wants to.”

“I think she’ll be happy to share yer berth. I brought dinner, Prowl. I figured I’d save ya the trouble.”

“Thank you, Jazz.”

That was the other change that had come with Springer, Jazz. Prowl had been unable to handle the responsibility of making a home for his creation on his own. Jazz had offered to help. He had taught Springer to call Prowl o’gin instead of the more formal origin or originator. The sparkling had gotten to calling Jazz geni and neither mech saw cause to correct him. In every way that counted, Jazz was Springer’s progenitor. It was what Prowl wanted to be true. As Jazz walked around the couch to bring the toys to Springer, he paused to brush a kiss along the corner of Prowl’s mouth.

This was also new. Their arrangement had started out completely platonic. Jazz had offered his help because he had seen that Prowl was overwhelmed with his new responsibilities and Springer was a little lost. He had no memories of anything beyond waking up to see Prowl. Just as Prowl had needed to learn to be an originator, Springer had needed to learn to be a sparkling. Jazz had been integral throughout those early mega-cycles when he had spent his mega-cycles with Prowl and Springer as they had gotten a feel for each other, and then his dark-cycles in his own habsuite. Lately he had been spending most dark-cycles here as well, with Prowl, in his berth.

Springer was delighted by the bounty. Bolt woke up, no surprise given the commotion and swatted at the little fluffy want Springer waved for her. The toys were a hit, so was the cybercat. Prowl smiled as Springer tested each toy with the kitten, and proclaimed the wand her favourite. It might have been his favourite because he could use it to play with her, unlike the small toys she chewed or the balls she chased. As Prowl watched Springer and Bolt play, Jazz plucked the datapad from his digits and place a steaming mug of pressed energon into his servo.

“Rest that beautiful processor of yers,” Jazz said. He in the armchair, holding his own mug.

“Mmm, thank you,” Prowl said and he savoured the smell of the potent fuel. “Was your mega-cycle productive.”

“Ran some exercises wit the rookies. A couple might have potential for Ops.”

“You have a good optic for talent.”

“Thank ya, Prowler.”

Jazz would be moving in on the ornend. Springer would not likely notice any difference. His genitor had always left after he had sung him a lullaby, and returned early to ensure he had a good breakfast ready. Prowl had lived his entire life on rations. No cold construct had access to a kitchen in their barracks. Thanks to Jazz he had discovered fuel could be for more than just energy, it could be for pleasure as well. He was discovering favourite fuels. There was a jar of rust sticks on his desk that Jazz kept full because he knew Prowl liked them. He cared. There was no question that Jazz wanted him, and had had him a few times now, but Jazz’s desire for him was different than Prowl had experienced before. He did not desire to possess Prowl as others had but to honour and to love him. It continued to be a novelty.

As he did every dark-cycle, Jazz sang a lullaby to Springer after they read him a story together. Bolt curled up on the pillow next to Springer’s helm, just as he had hoped she would. Prowl pulled the blanket up over Springer’s shoulder and gingerly kissed his helm. As they slipped out into the hallway, Jazz pulled Prowl slowly into his arms and kissed him sweetly. He was so kind and so tender. Prowl wrapped his arms around Jazz’s waist and returned the kiss. Slowly, they slipped apart, Jazz was holding, stroking Prowl’s palms with his thumbs. This was about the time when Jazz would return home.

“Stay the dark-cycle?” Prowl asked.

“I can’t think o’ anythin’ I’d rather do.”

[cas-backwards-tie]

could you do “don’t be afraid, trust me” for five hargreeves please?

Warnings: Graphic description of torture, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Fire, Kidnapping, Little bit of language.

A/N: Thanks for requesting this! It took me a little time to come up with an idea, but I managed! I hope you enjoy.

Somehow you’d gotten caught up in all of this. Of course, what this is exactly, you don’t know. But it’s hard to focus on that at the moment, raw heat itching at the skin of your bound wrists, the slightly frayed waxed ropes irritating your skin. The dark-haired man in front of you scrutinizes every inch of you, helpless in every definition. Yet you're not hopeless, not yet. Hot and heavy tears well up in your eyes, settling at the brim as you struggle to move, still bound to a chair. It's one of the few pieces of furniture they haven’t destroyed yet.

They haven’t started the fire yet, that’d attract too much attention, but the breaking of furniture apparently hasn’t. The man turns on the heels of his boots and grabs the red gas canister off the kitchen counter in front of you. Sloshing gasoline onto everything, his partner is still rummaging in the bathroom. “Aha! Found it. The tub will start filling now.” Next, the sound of running water overshadows the splashing of gasoline pooling up on the wooden floors of your apartment.

“How much longer? We need to end this and get out of here. It’s bad enough she had no intel, surely the board will be onto us if we take any longer. The sooner, the better,” the one who’d been pouring gasoline speaks to the other. The lanky one from the bathroom pops his head out from the doorway to peer at you. After a moment, their conversation defers back to whatever their goal is; all you remember is that they’d been asking questions solely about your father’s work.

He was an environmental scientist originally, though after an event- a bedtime story he used to tell-he shifted his work to primarily focus on meteorology. Closing your eyes, hot wet tears stream down your face and leaving a trail of sting in its wake. It still hurts to think about, it doesn’t even feel real; your father had been murdered in his office two nights ago when he was packing up after working a late shift. A knife to the stomach, multiple stab wounds. He bled to death on the floor, his iliac arteries primarily targeted. The cops had informed you it was a quick death, assured you he died a painless death… however the looks on their faces made their lying obvious.

Distant thumps pull you from your grieving, hope starting to dwindle as you begin to worry your fate, too, is death. As the thumps from the dark-haired man’s boots grow louder, he rounds the corner and appears in your eye line again, this time with a matchbox in hand. “Any last words?” He asks as though he’s a supervillain, some infamous mega-mind with a master craft for this sort of thing; you know he’s not. “Oh right,” he chuckles, eyeing the duct tape covering your mouth. “Looks like we can get started then! Lenny, grab the files. I’ll get the specimens.” Sure, your father had plenty of different artifacts and specimen in his office, but you still have no clue why this is important to anyone, let alone why you’d both be killed over such a thing! Suddenly he whips a match out of the box, striking it across the sandpaper once to no avail, twice, and then- fwip- there’s fire.

Flicking the match in the opposite corner of the room by the couch, it goes up in flames; the gasoline accelerating the process. Quickly making his way into the office you spot the second-lanky-man return with the files from the office. He throws them into the fire one by one, ripping apart the papers, photos attached with people, bodies, big bold letters, and numbers scrawled on top. Experiments. It slightly reminds you of those kids in the newspaper sometimes, the ones with the animated tv show, the ones you see kids in school have comics of and lunchboxes.

The flames grow, the room gets hot faster than you expect, and your wrists are practically screaming, begging for release from their hold as you squirm and try to escape. They don’t care anymore; they know you’re done for, there’s no escaping. Your screams and cries muffle against the duct tape and sweat begins to build on your forehead, the struggle becoming more immediate. Of course, you’d been scared before, but now that death is inching closer by the second, fire covering one wall and inching around the corner of the wall you’re on the end of, well, the adrenaline is racing through you.

It’s the furthest window that goes up in flames first, the window shattering as the men break the glass jars of specimen in the fire. Rocks, plants, DNA samples, all gone. They throw the jars down against the wooden floor and you can do nothing but try to rub your mouth against your shoulder to pry the duct tape off to scream for help. Maybe someone will notice the fire- call for the fire department. They’ll help. Someone has to come. They have to, don’t they? No. No, you know that’s not true. That’s not how real life works, it hadn’t happened for your mom when she died giving birth to you, it hadn’t happened to your dad, and now it won’t happen for you either.

The burst of cool wind from the winter air sends the flames soaring onto the ceiling, causing you to let out a muffled scream. Occasional crackles and pops from the flames cause you to flinch, and you shut your eyes as if that’ll help. Smoke fills the air and leaks out the window, the wretched heavy and fetid stench burns your nose and throat, your eyes watering as you try to cough through the tape, now struggling to breathe. If anything, hopefully, you’ll die from asphyxiation before burning… that’d be a much better way to go.

Your head feels light, your vision starting to blur, and you’re not sure whether that’s from the fumes or the tears or both. Just as you begin to mentally pray to whatever gods, deities, or spirits that live amongst you in hope of a swift and painless death, a blue flash appears. Before your very eyes, there’s a boy in a school uniform, his back turned to you, yet you still recognize the preppy look. “Hey, assholes! What’s the deal?” With the use of surprise, he pushes one of them off-balance and into the fire. The man instantly screams and flails as he rolls around, stands, body covered in flames as he runs around crazily. A putrid odor radiates from his burning flesh and his skin peels, his screams getting louder and louder until they eventually stop and he drops to the floor lifelessly.

“Shit! Come here, you little fuc-!” Another flash of blue and the kid is in the kitchen to your right, the side of the apartment not up in flames. In an instant he’s throwing the knives at the man, suddenly flashing again. Now behind him, he slits his throat, blood spilling down his front like a chocolate fountain.

With widened eyes you stare at the boy, only to whip your head to your left, a muffled scream escaping you as fire darts up the curtains of the window behind you. The window will surely shatter and break in a minute or so. It races across the top of the curtain above your head, ashes, and embers slowly drifting through the air. A tug on your ankles alerts you to the presence of the kid. He uses the bloodied knife to cut the rope that binds your wrists together. Immediately you stand, backing away from the fire, but standing far from him, still trapped inside the burning apartment.

“Come with me,” he commands, your eyes still widened in fear as you don’t trust him. Watching him easily pop through the room and teleport himself is frightening and unreal. It’s not possible, unless… unless you were one of those umbrella kids. That’s why the uniform looked familiar. He senses your fear and jerks his outstretched hand to get your attention. “Don’t be afraid, trust me.” You don’t, but he’s your only option of getting out of here alive. Slipping your hand into his slightly larger one, in a swirl of blue light, you’re instantly in another location.

[richincolor]

January's New Releases

2021 told 2020 to hold it's beer and what a month January has been! Publishing YA also came out swinging with a slew of new books (many already bestsellers) in what we hope will be another banner year for BIPOC stories. Click below to find books for your TBR list. 

Week of January 5th

The Life I’m In by Sharon G. Flake Scholastic Inc

My feet are heavy as stones when I walk up the block wondering why I can’t find my old self.

In The Skin I’m In, readers saw into the life of Maleeka Madison, a teen who suffered from the ridicule she received because of her dark skin color. For decades fans have wanted to know the fate of the bully who made Maleeka’s life miserable, Char.

Now in Sharon Flake’s latest and unflinching novel, The Life I’m In, we follow Charlese Jones, who, with her raw, blistering voice speaks the truths many girls face, offering insight to some of the causes and conditions that make a bully. Turned out of the only home she has known, Char boards a bus to nowhere where she is lured into the dangerous web of human trafficking. Much is revealed behind the complex system of men who take advantage of vulnerable teens in the underbelly of society. While Char might be frightened, she remains strong and determined to bring herself and her fellow victims out of the dark and back into the light, reminding us why compassion is a powerful cure to the ills of the world.

Sharon Flake’s bestselling, Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel The Skin I’m In was a game changer when it was first published more than twenty years ago. It redefined young adult literature by presenting characters, voices, and real-world experiences that had not been fully seen. Now Flake offers readers another timely and radical story of a girl on the brink and how her choices will lead her to either fall, or fly. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant Balzer + Bray

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.

When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just…gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.

But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?

One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite Inkyard Press

ISN’T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH? When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.

One of the good ones.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind–why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?–Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected–one that will change everything all over again.

Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis Inkyard Press

If Romeo and Juliet got the Hamilton treatment…who would play the leads? This vividly funny, honest, and charming romantic novel by Dana L. Davis is the story of a girl who thinks she has what it takes…and the world thinks so, too.

Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway’s hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead…and Jerzie is her understudy.

Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea–especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.

The Awakening of Malcom X by Ilyasah Shabazz & Tiffany D. Jackson Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)

In Charlestown Prison, Malcolm Little struggles with the weight of his past. Plagued by nightmares, Malcolm drifts through days unsure of his future. Slowly, he befriends other prisoners and writes to his family. He reads all the books in the prison library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm grapples with race, politics, religion, and justice in the 1940s. And as his time in jail comes to an end, he begins to awaken — emerging from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X.

Here is an intimate look at Malcolm X’s young adult years. While this book chronologically follows X: A Novel, it can be read as a stand-alone historical novel that invites larger discussions on black power, prison reform, and civil rights.

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris HarperCollins

When you look like us—brown skin, brown eyes, black braids or fades—people think you’re trouble. No one looks twice at a missing black girl from the projects because she must’ve brought whatever happened to her upon herself. I, Jay Murphy, can admit that, for a minute, I thought my sister, Nicole, got too caught up with her boyfriend—a drug dealer—and his friends.

But she’s been gone too long now.

If I hadn’t hung up on her that night, she’d be spending time with our grandma. If I was a better brother, she’d be finishing senior year instead of being another name on a missing persons list. It’s time to step up and do what the Newport News police department won’t.

Week of January 12th

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne Crown Books for Young Readers

She looks me hard in my eyes & my knees lock into tree trunks My eyes don’t dance like my heartbeat racing They stare straight back hot daggers. I remember things will never be the same. I remember things.

With gritty and heartbreaking honesty, Mahogany L. Browne delivers a novel-in-verse about broken promises, fast rumors, and when growing up means growing apart from your best friend.

The Meet-Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson Simon & Schuster

Mia’s friends love rom-coms. Mia hates them. They’re silly, contrived, and not at all realistic. Besides, there are more important things to worry about—like how to handle living with her bridezilla sister, Sam, who’s never appreciated Mia, and surviving junior year juggling every school club offered and acing all of her classes.

So when Mia is tasked with finding a date to her sister’s wedding, her options are practically nonexistent.

Mia’s friends, however, have an idea. It’s a little crazy, a little out there, and a lot inspired by the movies they love that Mia begrudgingly watches too.

Mia just needs a meet-cute.

Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0) by Angie Thomas Balzer + Bray

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can’t just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink Feiwel and Friends

Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Wilson is, on the surface, a town troublemaker, but is hiding that he is an avid reader and secret poet, never leaving home without his journal. A passionate follower of WEB. Du Bois, he believes that black people should rise up to claim their place as equals.

Sixteen-year-old Angel Hill is a loner, mostly disregarded by her peers as a goody-goody. Her father is dying, and her family’s financial situation is in turmoil. Also, as a loyal follower of Booker T. Washington, she believes, through education and tolerance, that black people should rise slowly and without forced conflict.

Though they’ve attended the same schools, Isaiah never noticed Angel as anything but a dorky, Bible toting church girl. Then their English teacher offers them a job on her mobile library, a three-wheel, two-seater bike. Angel can’t turn down the money and Isaiah is soon eager to be in such close quarters with Angel every afternoon.

But life changes on May 31, 1921 when a vicious white mob storms the community of Greenwood, leaving the town destroyed and thousands of residents displaced. Only then, Isaiah, Angel, and their peers realize who their real enemies are.

Week of January 19th

Thirty Talks Weird Love by Alessandra Narváez Varela Cinco Puntos Press

Out of nowhere, a lady comes up to Anamaría and says she’s her, from the future. But Anamaría’s thirteen, she knows better than to talk to some weirdo stranger. Girls need to be careful, especially in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico—it’s the 90’s and fear is overtaking her beloved city as cases of kidnapped girls and women become alarmingly common. This thirty-year-old “future” lady doesn’t seem to be dangerous but she won’t stop bothering her, switching between cheesy Hallmark advice about being kind to yourself, and some mysterious talk about saving a girl.

Anamaría definitely doesn’t need any saving, she’s doing just fine. She works hard at her strict, grade-obsessed middle school—so hard that she hardly gets any sleep; so hard that the stress makes her snap not just at mean girls but even her own (few) friends; so hard that when she does sleep she dreams about dying—but she just wants to do the best she can so she can grow up to be successful. Maybe Thirty’s right, maybe she’s not supposed to be so exhausted with her life, but how can she ask for help when her city is mourning the much bigger tragedy of its stolen girls?

This thought-provoking, moving verse novel will lead adult and young adult readers alike to vital discussions on important topics—like dealing with depression and how to recognize this in yourself and others—through the accessible voice of a thirteen-year-old girl.

Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall Atheneum/Dlouhy

Things can change in a second:

The second Frankie Green gets that scholarship letter, he has his ticket out of Jamaica.

The second his longtime crush, Leah, asks him on a date, he’s in trouble.

The second his father gets shot, suddenly nothing else matters.

And the second Frankie joins his uncle’s gang in exchange for paying for his father’s medical bills, there’s no going back…or is there?

As Frankie does things he never thought he’d be capable of, he’s forced to confront the truth of the family and future he was born into—and the ones he wants to build for himself.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo Dutton Books for Young Readers

“That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other.” And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.

America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur HarperCollins

Told in prose, poetry, and illustration, this heartrending story weaves Kiran’s and Sahaara’s timelines together, showing a teenage Kiran and, later, her high school–aged daughter, Sahaara.

Kiran is a young Punjabi Sikh woman who becomes pregnant after being sexually assaulted by her fiancé’s brother. When her fiancé and family don’t believe her, she flees her home in India to Canada, where she plans to raise the child as a single mother. For Kiran, living undocumented means constant anxiety over finances, work, safety, and whether she’ll be deported back to the dangers that await her in Punjab.

Eighteen years later, Kiran’s daughter, Sahaara, is desperate to help her mother, who has been arrested and is facing deportation. In the aftermath, Kiran reveals the truth about Sahaara’s conception. Horrified, Sahaara encourages Kiran to speak out against the man who raped her—who’s now a popular political figure in Punjab. Sahaara must find the best way to support her mother while also dealing with the revelation about her parents.

We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya #2) by Hafsah Faizal Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.

As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

Week of January 26th

Written in Starlight (Woven in Moonlight #2) by Isabel Ibañez Page Street Kids

If the jungle wants you, it will have you…

Catalina Quiroga is a Condesa without a country. She’s lost the Inkasisa throne, the loyalty of her people, and her best friend. Banished to the perilous Yanu Jungle, Catalina knows her chances of survival are slim, but that won’t stop her from trying to escape. It’s her duty to reclaim the throne.

When Manuel, the son of her former general, rescues Catalina from a jaguar, a plan forms. Deep in the jungle, the city of gold is hidden, home to the fierce Illari people, who she could strike an alliance with.

But the elusive Illari are fighting a battle of their own—a mysterious blight is corrupting the jungle, laying waste to everything they hold dear. As a seer, Catalina should be able to help, but her ability to read the future in the stars is as feeble as her survival instincts. While searching for the Illari, Catalina must reckon with her duty and her heart to find her true calling, which could be the key to stopping the corruption before it destroys the jungle completely.

The Knockout by Sajni Patel Flux

If seventeen-year-old Kareena Thakkar is going to alienate herself from the entire Indian community, she might as well do it gloriously. She’s landed the chance of a lifetime, an invitation to the US Muay Thai Open, which could lead to a spot on the first-ever Olympic team. If only her sport wasn’t seen as something too rough for girls, something she’s afraid to share with anyone outside of her family. Despite pleasing her parents, exceling at school, and making plans to get her family out of debt, Kareena’s never felt quite Indian enough, and her training is only making it worse.

Which is inconvenient, since she’s starting to fall for Amit Patel, who just might be the world’s most perfect Indian. Admitting her feelings for Amit will cost Kareena more than just her pride–she’ll have to face his parents’ disapproval, battle her own insecurities, and remain focused for the big fight. Kareena’s bid for the Olympics could very well make history–if she has the courage to go for it.

Wings of Ebony (Wings of Ebony #1) by J. Elle Denene Millner Books/Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

“Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue’s taken from her neighborhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon—a hidden island of magic wielders.

Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.

Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon—an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighborhood before the gods burn it to the ground.

[flamesoftheresistance]

I’M THE GOOD GUY PT 2 Poe Dameron X Reader

Part 2 of “I’m the good guy” mostly because these two cuties @mockingjays-and-mahogany​ and @satsuma-livewasp-nightmares​ wanted it. 

Pairing: Poe Dameron X First Order! Reader

Warnings: mentions of abuse and torture

Word count: 1609 words

Not a day had gone by where you didn’t think of Poe. He was so different than what you believed the Resistance to be, however who ever it was that shot you that day surely brought most of your assumptions to truth. Being back at the First Order base was harder than you had imagined, as soon as you returned back to you station you were greeted with the presence of both Kylo Ren and General Hux.

‘So they just let you go?’ asked the General raising his eyebrow at your dismal state.

‘I escaped.’ you stressed, eyes slightly afraid.

‘Funny, how the storm-troopers here reported that you went back to the site of the crashed X-wing and then happened to have taken hostage. Care to elaborate?’ Hux inquired.

‘He was using a public channel and calling for help from any nearby allies, claiming to be the best pilot of the Resistance. I went back to finish the job.’ you said proudly.

‘Have her interrogated, I’ll personally come visit if you don’t get anything out of her. That pilot is more dangerous than we believe him to be.’ ordered Kylo Ren as the storm-troopers dragged you to a cell.

Everything was happening so fast that you had no idea on how to feel. The First Order had been your everything. You had vowed to give your all to their cause and yet this was what you got. Sure, you were different and had significantly different methods of execution of plans, but that in no way meant that you should be disrespected like this.

‘You’ll stay a few days in here without food and the truth will come out itself.’ said the storm-trooper who was your inferior and yet he had the audacity to talk to you like that. 

‘It’s okay, you have nothing to hide. You didn’t do anything wrong. You did not fail the cause of the First Order.’ you told yourself, trying not to cry.

Time-skip brought to you by the Millennium Falcon going into hyper-drive

Poe felt uneasy and he couldn’t understand why. He was awaiting orders from General Leia, about a mission to Jakku. Upon receiving his orders, he got to know that he had to retrieve from Jakku, a map that led to Luke Skywalker. 

Once on Jakku, things went downhill quite fast as the First Order attacked and Poe had to send BB-8 away with the map, and he himself got captured. He didn’t remember much apart from being dragged on board the ship after his terrifying encounter with Kylo Ren and the way he had stopped a shot from his blaster mid air.

When he came to, his face hurt severely. He opened his eyes to be met with Kylo Ren. 

‘I didn’t know we had the Resistance’s best pilot with us. Comfortable?’ he questioned.

‘Not really.’ spat Poe.

‘I'm impressed. No one has been able to get out of you what you did with the map.’ he stated.

‘You might wanna rethink your techniques.’ Poe sneered.

‘Oh, but I did. I’ve been going through that head of yours for quite a while.’ smirked Kylo as the door to the interrogation room opened.

‘Bring her in.’ he ordered.

Poe saw you being brought into the room, your face covered with bruises and you looked like you were struggling to barely stand. There was blood on the side of your forehead and mouth, a black eye, the rest of you showed many signs of torture. Yet you looked him in the eyes, with the kindest emotion you could manage to muster.

Kylo grabbed you by the hair and brought his light-saber dangerously close to your neck.

‘Where is it?’ he demanded and Poe now looked visibly frightened. 

‘You won’t get anything out of me. Nice order you’ve got going on here, turning on your own.’ Poe stated boldly. 

‘She has such a pretty face, it’ll be a shame if it were to be ruined.’ he grinned burning your cheek with his light-sabre.

Your screams filled Poe’s ears as his mind started panicking like crazy, the hadn’t prepared him for this. His mind was equipped to fight against a mind probe but no one expected his heart to be the one to give him away. 

‘A droid, on Jakku. Perfect.’ he grinned letting you go and throwing you towards Poe.

He turned around and walked out of the room, without looking back as he said.

‘Enjoy your last moments together, you execution awaits you.’ 

The moment the door closed, you rushed to free Poe from his restraints. 

‘I’ve got you, here let me help.’ you said through a blurry vision, helping up and leaning his weight against yourself.

‘You’re hurt.’ He said cupping the other side of your face and turning it to him.

‘No, you’re hurt I’m just scratched.’ you smiled weakly.

Suddenly the door wooshes open, and a trooper guard enters along with a storm-trooper. 

‘Ren, needs the prisoners.’ he says to the  trooper guard.

With a blaster to your backs, he leads the two of you down a narrow hallway.

‘Listen carefully: you do exactly as I say, I can get you out of here.’ says the storm-trooper.

‘Why are you helping us?’ asks Poe and you looked at the trooper.

‘FN-2187′ you smiled at him.

‘This is a rescue, can you fly a TIE fighter?’ he asked looking at Poe.

‘I can fly anything’ replies Poe.

‘Hey, I’m actually here, been flying a TIE since forever?’ you asked, obviously offended.

‘You’re hurt.’ they reply in unison and you just roll your eyes.

FN-2187 took the two of you past a few guards and then to the main hangar, where you found a two man special forces TIE fighter.

‘This is for two people.’ you groaned as FN-2187 looked worried.

‘We’ll just make do sweetheart.’ said Poe as the three of you rushed in.

The scenario inside was rather uncomfortable, you and Poe both took the seat for the pilot, Poe mainly on the seat of you seated on his right leg with your legs between his to give him enough room to move.The TIE Fighter lifts off from the bay, and rips charging cables! Storm-troopers unpack and aim mega-blasters at the ship as it pull out of the hangars. 

‘Woooahhh! This thing really moves. All right, we gotta take out as many cannons as we can or we're not gonna get very far!’ grins Poe.

He aims the ship in a way that FN-2187 gets clear shots at most of the cannons.

‘YES.’ you all yell in unison.

‘Ugh that was great, whats your name?’ he asked FN-2187. 

‘FN-2187.’ he replied.

‘FN-whaaat?’ Poe asked, obviously confused.

‘FN-2187.’ you replied.

‘That’s it, I’m calling you Finn.’ he said loudly before turning to you, ‘and you’re (y/n). We good?’

You just smacked the side of his head lightly.

‘Dumbass.’ you giggle.

‘We’re we going?’ Finn asked slightly worried.

‘Back to Jakku.’ replied Poe.

‘BACK TO JAKKU?’ you and Finn yell in unison?

‘Yes, we need to go back for BB-8, my ship is there too.’ Poe states.

Whilst entering into the atmosphere of Jakku, your ship suddenly starts getting fired on from behind. You were being attacked.

‘Ugh I’ve had it with crashing.’ you grown as all three of you try to escape your inevitable fate.

After ejecting, you find yourself in the hot sand, in a whole new world of pain. You get up trying to look around but can’t see anyone.

‘Poe? Finn?’ you scream. 

‘This is just great.’ you groan in frustration kicking the sand.

‘(Y/n)!’ you hear from a distance, a figure running to you. 

‘POE!’ you cry, running up to him as he engulfed you in a hug. You held onto him for dear life even if every inch of your body was in pain.

You noticed a figure moving towards and suddenly were on guard. They looked like a scavenger.

‘I’m Naka Lit.’ he introduced.

After Poe and you explained what had happened, he was so impressed by your stories that he offered to give you a ride. You were going to the Nima Outpost where suddenly other scavengers began to shoot at you. Poe taking the pilot’s seat expertly maneuvered all of you out of that situation. Naka took the two of you to his merchant friend.

‘I’m Ohn Gos.’ he introduced.

‘(y/n)’ you smiled taking his hand, leaving the man flustered.

Even if you were in a dismal state you could charm your way out of situation. Poe simple looked at you in child-like wander.

‘I really need to find my X-wing so we can get out of here.’ Poe pleaded.

‘I would help but I have reason to believe that its on Yavin IV’ sighed Gos.

‘YAVIN IV’ the two of you exclaim.

‘I would gladly help transport you there.’ offered Gos which you accepted.

The two of you were taken to a room where you were offered food and a chance to freshen up. 

‘Looks like we’re in a bit of an adventure.’ grinned Poe.

‘We sure are.’ You said packing something in your backpack.

‘What you got in there?’ he questioned.

‘Supplies, courtesy of Gos.’ you smiled.

‘Ofcourse.’ he chuckled.

He suddenly took your hand and looked at you.

‘It might be dangerous, how about I go alone and come back for you. You deserve a break (y/n).’ he sighed.

‘As if, I partly got us into this mess. I’m definitely getting us out of it.’ you smile, determined.

‘You really are something else aren’t you.’ he grinned as you walked out of the room, ready to go to Yavin IV. 

Authors Note: heeeeeyyyy guys, I legit wrote this while taking an online class for Religion and Politics lol, I love you all that much. 

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, November 30

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: The Kennedy family torn apart 

Page 2: Angry and isolated Caitlyn Jenner is on a downward emotional spiral that some friends believe have left her one step from the psycho ward -- she feels shunned by her own family and can’t find romance and is unhappy with with her looks -- Caitlyn is so tense and insecure and sensitive about everything so she’s diving into more and more prospective projects in a desperate effort to kickstart her flagging career and she’s flying off the handle all the time plus she’s tried to drown her sorrows in a new round of cosmetic improvements including a face-lift and lipo to trim her waist and thighs but she’s horrified she’s still not happy with her looks after all her surgeries 

Page 3: Lovestruck Halle Berry has leapt headfirst into a red-hot romance with Van Hunt but the singer is a skirt-chasing cheat -- Van and his ex-wife split in 2007 after she said he abandoned her and their only child to move to L.A. and she claimed the musician admitted adultery shortly before divorce documents were filed -- Halle would be disturbed to hear that Van walked out on his son because she’s a very family-oriented person and she could never imagine living on the other side of the country to her kids -- Van’s grown and matured since the divorce and is sure to have shared all about his situation with Halle and he’s said to be on good terms with his ex-wife but people say once a cheater always a cheater and that’s got to be at the back of Halle’s mind 

Page 4: Runaway Prince Harry is reeling after being publicly snubbed by his royal relatives and now he is having second thoughts about ditching his official duties for a glam life in Hollywood; he’s finally realizing just what he gave up when he left England with wife Meghan Markle and their son Archie and he’s wondering if it was worth it -- the simmering rift between Harry and the royals exploded after they refused his request to be part of Britain’s Remembrance Day ceremonies to honor fallen soldiers so Harry retaliated by staging a photo op at Los Angeles National Cemetery with Meghan with his military medals pinned on his navy suit; Harry was banned from wearing his military uniform when he quit royal duties and he also had to give up his military duties which devastated him -- photos from the cemetery released by the couple triggered an immediate backlash and they were accused of being shameless publicity-seekers trying to steal headlines and overshadow the royals doing their duty back home; it was a disaster and Harry was shocked -- he’s reaching out to the palace to make amends but calls to his brother Prince William and father Prince Charles have gone unanswered

* Katie Holmes and Emilio Vitolo Jr.’s hot new romance is in a pressure cooker as their families fight to claim the couple as their guests for the holidays -- things were going great for them but this tug-of-war may tear them apart because Emilio’s folks told him they want him home with them but Katie is desperate to spend Christmas with her relatives in Ohio and they really want to meet her new boyfriend and Katie is feeling guilty because she spends so much time with Emilio’s clan at his dad’s Manhattan eatery so she thinks it’s only fair that he does this for her but Emilio’s never missed a holiday gathering with his own family and there are a lot of them he hasn’t seen because of the pandemic 

Page 5: Celine Dion is finally ready to put the past behind her as the fifth anniversary of her beloved husband’s death approaches in January and she is planning to leave Las Vegas with their sons and she is pining to return to her native Quebec and give twins Nelson and Eddy and 19-year-old Rene-Charles a taste of her own childhood -- Celine had been careful to not upset her kids’ lives since the death of their dad from throat cancer but she now believes the boys would benefit from spending time in The Great White North -- she also thinks it might be more likely she’ll find lasting love in her home country 

Page 6: Defiantly plump Lizzo has ditched her diet and frightened friends are staging an intervention to get her to a fat farm to save her life -- Lizzo had committed to eating vegan after weighing in at 350 pounds but once on vacation it lasted like two days before she couldn’t take it any longer -- she has anxiety issues and uses food to comfort herself but the stress the weight is putting on her heart and other organs could have a detrimental effect on her health and cut her life short

Page 7: Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette have agreed to meet for peace talks after a long-simmering feud triggered her angry departure from NCIS and Mark reached out to her to invite her back -- Mark feels bad about how Pauley left the show and knows she played a big role in its success and he’s anxious to set things right between them and bring back one of the show’s favorite all-time characters for fans -- Mark also feels he’s been painted unfairly in Pauley’s departure and would like to know he was not behind it but the two clashed for years with Pauley charging Mark’s bullying caused her to quit the show and Pauley even tweeted she is terrified of Harmon and him attacking her -- while Pauley is not saying yes or no to returning to the show she’s definitely willing to sit down and talk 

* The drama between sickly Phil Collins and his squatting ex-wife Orianne Cevey is really getting down and dirty with Orianne charging that Phil degenerated into a pill-popping addict who stopped showering and brushing his teeth and was impotent and she also claimed Phil became emotionally and verbally abusive and refused to provide emotional support or love or care for her -- Phil’s lawyers said Orianne’s charges are scandalous and scurrilous and unethical and for the most part patently false or grossly exaggerated

Page 8: Power-hungry host Savannah Guthrie is gunning to be the reigning queen of Today and is willing to walk over anyone to achieve her goal and her blind ambition is ripping the once-invincible morning show apart and she even used Al Roker’s prostate cancer diagnosis to push her own agenda and capitalize on Al’s absence for surgery to demand more airtime for herself -- every meeting starts with the focus on whatever Savannah wants and the staff is far from happy about it and morale has never been worse -- Savannah has constantly pushed the producers for Jenna Bush Hager and herself to take the lead on big news stories and keep Hoda Kotb stuck in the fluffy stuff and Hoda’s completely pissed off -- Savannah’s rising star has come with temper tantrums and diva-like demands -- fed-up Hoda recently met with friends of Gayle King and there is speculation the two women could make a powerful pairing and revitalize third-place CBS This Morning 

Page 9: Regis Philbin’s death certificate reveals paramedics waged a desperate 40-minute battle to try to save his life -- he suffered a heart attack just after 3 a.m. on July 24 at his home in Connecticut and he was rushed to the emergency room where medics fought to save his life but he eventually succumbed at 4:18 a.m. 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Queen Latifah on the NYC set of The Equalizer, socially distant host Ellen DeGeneres went the extra mile to greet guest Jimmy Kimmel on her talk show, Steve Schirripa and Bridget Moynahan shot Blue Bloods in NYC, Kristen Taekman prettied up her pout in L.A., Tracy Morgan attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new community center at Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses 

Page 11: Smitten ‘70s TV stars Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl may owe their late-in-life romance to Zoom but according to the actress the couple didn’t rush their relationship -- the two have been friends for decades but a COVID-19 group video chat helped spark love during lockdown -- after one of their lengthy one-on-one conversations Patrick jumped into his car and drove 20 hours from L.A. to her Colorado home like a lovestruck teenager 

* Beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek left behind a final touching message for his fans and it will be extremely moving -- Alex’s final message will follow his last episode of Jeopardy! set to air on Christmas Day

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Joel Michaely at the opening of The Comeback Trail (picture)

* Kelly Clarkson’s divorce meant she booted ex Brandon Blackstock out of her professional life but he’ll still be in her work life thanks to Blake Shelton -- Brandon might not be Kelly’s manager anymore but he still manages Blake which might get awkward when Kelly runs into him backstage at The Voice

* Keeping Up with the Kardashians is notching all-time low ratings and the family is blaming Kim Kardashian saying she’s lost her sense of humor and she’s too busy trying to be taken seriously

* Nitpicky Ryan Seacrest has ditched celebrity designer Nate Berkus’ husband Jeremiah Brent as his decorator because they had a nasty falling out over the renovation of Ryan’s townhouse in New York City 

Page 13: Steve Harvey’s daughter Lori Harvey escaped jail time after cops claimed she fled the scene of a Beverly Hills car crash in 2019 -- she was charged with two misdemeanors for hit-and-run and delaying a police investigation after she walked away from a smashup that damaged her Mercedes G-wagon and nearly destroyed another vehicle but she cut a deal with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to resisting arrest and will serve two years probation -- she reportedly had been texting at the time of the accident 

* Reba McEntire confirmed she turned down a regular role on The Voice which left the life-changing gig open for Blake Shelton -- Reba said she didn’t think she could ever tell somebody that they’re terrible 

* Cancer warrior Olivia Newton-John revealed she kicked a dependence on morphine with medical marijuana -- to cope with her pain during her third bout with breast cancer that had spread in 2017 doctors put her on mega doses of the highly addictive drug and she weaned herself off the morphine with the cannabis which she thinks is incredible and says people should know that because you’re not going to die from cannabis and you can use it to wean off morphine and she’s continued on a regime with cannabis ever since 

Page 14: Crime 

Page 15: Los Angeles’ newly elected District Attorney George Gascon has vowed to reopen the probe into actress Natalie Wood’s mysterious drowning and her husband Robert Wagner could finally be dragged before a grand jury -- Gascon said he’ll work with investigators from the L.A. Sheriff’s Department homicide squad to reexamine the case after the previous D.A. refused to present evidence to a grand jury -- Natalie drowned in 1981 while enjoying a holiday with Robert and actor Christopher Walken off Catalina Island 

Page 16: The Talk has been thrown into chaos by cast shake-ups and co-host Sharon Osbourne’s power grab and may be on the verge of being silenced forever -- staffers are expecting the worst after popular co-host Eve announced she was splitting after four seasons becoming the latest in a long line of damaging departures and while Eve blamed her exit on COVID-19 travel restrictions from England much of the blame goes to self-promotional Sharon’s relentless efforts to take over the show after former moderator Julie Chen’s departure last year -- Sharon has made it clear she’s in charge now and the other ladies are not thrilled with being reduced to supporting cast and fans have started calling for Sharon’s head 

Page 17: John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono has sparked fears she’s nearing the end after handing her business dealings off to their son Sean Lennon -- the wheelchair-bound Yoko had been managing the late Beatle’s vast $800 million holdings since his 1980 shooting death but it’s now beyond her abilities

Page 18: American Life 

Page 19: Johnny Depp is writing and planning to star in a tell-all movie about his divorce war with loathed ex-wife Amber Heard -- after a U.K. court ruled he was physically abusive toward Amber during their marriage Johnny wants to tell the world his version of the marriage and he will set people straight about what happened and clear his name to millions to fans and he believes this is a slam dunk once he gets it in front of the right producer especially as he’s more than willing to play himself 

* The family of vicious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger has filed a lawsuit against the federal government accusing prison officials of orchestrating the 2018 hit on the Mob boss -- the action accuses the Federal Bureau of Prisons of intentional or deliberately indifferent deeds that led to the murder of the wheelchair-bound mobster just hours after he was inexplicably transferred to the Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia where he was beaten to death by prisoners to keep him from singing about corruption inside the FBI and the Department of Justice -- Whitey was bludgeoned with a padlock stuffed inside a sock and his murderers had enough time to cut out his tongue and eyes to make it seem like a classic Mafia hit 

Page 20: Angelina Jolie lives in constant fear one of her six children will be kidnapped and held for ransom according to her former bodyguard -- Angie and her ex Brad Pitt are worth hundreds of millions which Angie feared provided plenty of incentive for criminals to target her offspring

* Hollywood Hookups -- Sofia Richie and Matthew Morton dating, Sabrina Parr and Lamar Odom split, Daniela Rajic and Paul George engaged

Page 21: Justin Bieber’s pastor Carl Lentz lost his job over a steamy affair with an exotic beauty -- Lentz was fired from the megachurch Hillsong and his mistress claimed the two were in love 

* Wildlife lover Bindi Irwin has announced 20 weeks into pregnancy her baby is the size of a tiny emu -- she delivered the news flash beneath a photo with her husband Chandler Powell appropriately taken at the Australia Zoo

* Hugh Grant made a bizarre confession admitting his bout with COVID-19 left him wanting to sniff strangers’ armpits -- Hugh revealed he tested positive for coronavirus antibodies and believes he contracted the bug in February and the illness caused a feeling of an enormous man sitting on his chest but Hugh also claimed he was rattled by losing his sense of smell which is a known symptom of the disease and purposely sought out putrid odors to test his useless nose 

Page 22: Jailed Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest devastating court defeat has heightened fears that the woman accused of being billionaire sex fiend Jeffrey Epstein’s madam will die behind bars just as he did -- since July Maxwell has been locked up in solitary confinement at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center where her jailers subject her to daily strip and cell searches and is monitored 24 hours a day she doesn’t suffer the same fate as Epstein whose death was officially ruled a suicide -- now the U.S. Court of Appeals has denied her bid to publicly name the women who have come forward in the media and civil actions as Epstein’s alleged victims and implicated the British socialite in his twisted sex ring so the damning decision upheld an earlier ruling and shattered her defense team’s bid to investigate and refute the claims of the unnamed accusers

Page 23: Tom Cruise’s plan to shoot the first movie in space may be in jeopardy after Russia vowed to beat him to it -- Tom has teamed with tech billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX program to film the unnamed project on the International Space Station in October 2021 -- but a rival Russian agency plans to already be in outer space by then and the Russian film is titled Challenge and its team has sent out a casting call for a female lead -- Tom sees this as a gauntlet being thrown down and he always rises to the challenge and he’s told SpaceX they have to get up there before next October

Page 28: Cover Story -- Kennedy curse rips clan apart -- the family takes sides as Michael Skakel skates and William Kennedy Smith stalls $50 million will 

Page 32: Ric Ocasek’s oldest son has blasted him as a deadbeat dad who was never there -- Chris Otcasek who uses the original spelling of the family name wrote on Instagram that his father in essence died the day he was born and he was never present and he was never there -- Ric left his mom who was his second wife Suzanne while she was pregnant with their second child 

* Lisa Marie Presley has had a medical emergency so severe it brought her bitter custody trial with fourth ex-husband Michael Lockwood to a halt 

Page 36: Health, Ask the Vet 

Page 38: Pope John Paul II was aware that disgraced and defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was a pedophile but elevated him anyway to the powerful post of Archbishop of Washington D.C. in 2001 -- McCarrick had showered over $600,000 in donations on powerful clerics including Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict while facing allegations of abuse -- Pope Francis finally defrocked McCarrick in 2019 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Mandy Moore 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in The Crown 

Page 47: Odd List 

[omg-foreverfilledwithweird-posts]

A Thin Line Between Love & Hate ♛

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Reader

Summary: Y/N, a fiery, new Avenger with the fighting prowess of Black Widow herself, and Bucky Barnes, a stubborn, ex-soldier with the demons and strength to prove it, don’t exactly get along, despite their many similarities. The two of them make it their mission to win against the other, making everything between them a competition. A sparring match gone awry and a midnight dip in the pool changes all of that. Let the games begin.

A/N: since the last Bucky fic I wrote did so well and I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately :( I decided to write what I’m familiar with, and I just had the pleasure of watching Bohemian Rhapsody in theaters (GO WATCH IT IT’S SPECTACULAR) and it’s caused a stroke of inspiration XD please enjoy this little story of my favorite smol winter bean even if it’s a flipping mess and lemme know what you think and if ya want more 

Warnings: mega fluff, a sparring match with violence ensues, sexual tension to the max, language

You clutch your gym bag to your side, slung over your shoulder haphazardly with little regard for style. The tank top you threw on clings comfortably to your waist, followed by a slipped on pair of athletic leggings that leave little of your curves to the imagination of your teammates. But at the moment, that’s the least of your worries, that, on the other hand, is running into James Buchanan Barnes a.k.a the human version of a paper cut. He’s stubborn, insistent, irritatingly charming and annoyingly good-looking, making it damn near impossible to muster up the strength to be angry with him (but you find a way anyway). He also has the sole purpose of teasing you to hell and back. Ever since the first day here, you’ve been at each other’s throats. And to this day, you still have no idea why.

You like to think it’s just a game, that you’re both only joking, but sometimes he’ll say things and the look on his face tells you otherwise. That perhaps you’ve gone too far. 

Then, proving your point, while passing you, he knocks his broad shoulder against yours in the narrow hall. You frown and kick your leg out, tripping him in the process, watching as he barely catches himself, struggling to stand up straight until using the wall to steady himself. He chuckles darkly, blowing hair out of his eyes.

You narrow your eyes at the Winter Soldier, “Do you do this to all the women you work with or am I just lucky?”

“Good morning to you too, doll,” he says gruffly as he helps himself up and dusts off his deep gray joggers, his own tank clinging to his muscles, the wind having been knocked out of him.

You pry your eyes away from him and tuck hair behind your ear, shaking your head, “It certainly was,” you drink in the frustration in his eyes cerulean eyes.

“You’re a real piece of work, Y/L/N,” he sighs, glancing at you with an amused expression, the conflict behind his eyes warring when you look back at him.

You grab him by the front of his shirt, crumbling the cotton material in your fist, his smirk only an inch away from your own lips and he lets you do it. “Then next time you’re walking down this hall, watch where you’re going and don’t knock into me. Or get it through your head that I’ll do it back.”

He shakes his head with a low laugh, looming over you, “That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day and no one will be there to save you.”

“Is that a threat?”

His lips twitch, “No, doll, it’s a warning.”

You let go of his shirt and push him back, the tempting look in his eyes frightens you, “It keeps you away, doesn’t it? Me running my mouth,” his resolve flickers. “I’m also more than capable of saving myself, I don’t run away from my problems.”

He rolls his eyes and frowns, “And you’re suggesting I do?”

“I thought I made that clear,” you tilt your head, toe to toe with the man.

“Oh, you did, I was just hoping I didn’t hear you correctly.”

“I have read that hearing deteriorates first when it comes to men of your age.”

He cocks an eyebrow, “Are you calling me elderly, Y/N?”

You look him over, enjoying this far too much when you nonchalantly shrug your shoulders, “If the denture fits.”

He snorts. “Funny,” he glances furtively at your mouth, how it curls at its edges. 

You laugh, enjoying this game of cat and mouse, the highlights of your day, you think, “I’d like to think so,” you smile before walking out of the hall and into gym, where the team trains every morning, leaving a confused Bucky to stew alone in the hall.

Steve sends you a smile when you enter the room and Tony’s shoots you a wink as you set down your things and watch patiently while Steve sets up the the boxing ring. It’s been awhile since the last match between any of you, but you wouldn’t mind throwing yourself back in, with the promise of high stakes of course. You’re never one to back down from a challenge.

Natasha smirks when you look over at her, regretting your decision when you see her signature scarlet smile, “Morning, Y/N, where’s your boyfriend?”

You force a laugh when you begin wrapping a bandage over your knuckles, a genuine one escaping when you look to see Barnes coincidentally enter the room himself. Shit, “I don’t have a boyfriend, Nat,” you look up at your friend, holding your mouth tightly. “You know that.”

“Be careful,” Tony pats your shoulder affectionately. “If he hears you’re single, he won’t hesitate to throw his hat in the ring. Literally...”

“You’re not helping, Stark,” you elbow his side, not doing much damage when he catches your arm in his hand. You rip your arm back from his grasp and he pokes your nose. You scrunch your face.

“That wasn’t my intention,” he grins. “But you’re seriously adorable when you’re angry.”

Bucky smiles at that.

“Shut up,” you grumble.

Steve cracks a smile while setting up and hearing the teasing, he avoids your glare when you hear him. Bucky pretends stays in the dark as to what you’re all whispering not-so-covertly about, every so often looking over at you.

“What about that guy Nick who asked for your number at the bar yesterday? He seemed pretty interested in filling that position for you,” Nat brings up after a spell of silence and you look at her, knowing what she’s trying to do.

Bucky’s ears perk up, tightening his metal fist at the thought of it. He knows he has no right to be jealous or possessive over you, not after the way he’s treated you, but he can’t help it, anger he’s never experienced before. Then, before you can argue with Nat, Steve speaks up.

“Alright,” Steve starts. “Who wants a turn in the r-”

Your hand shoots up first, grinning excitedly, “I do.”

“You need a partner, hotshot,” he chuckles at your enthusiasm, an idea sparking when he locks eyes with both Nat and Tony, flashing a smile when he looks at you. “How about Bucky?”

Your eyebrows shoot up and you laugh in disbelief, “You’re kidding... Right? You must be joking. Because if not, that serum has finally reached your brain and its messed up... something up there,” you shake your head.

“I’m not fighting a girl, Steve,” Bucky wraps his own bandage over his hand, chuckling deeply, resonating from his chest. Even if his jealousy was slowly growing and he wouldn’t mind a one on one with a punching bag, he’d never take it out on you. 

But something in you clicks when he says this, rubbing you the wrong way, “Because you’d lose,” you turn around, you simply couldn’t help yourself. If only you’d kept your mouth shut... 

He lifts an eyebrow, standing up straight with his arms folded over his broad chest, squaring his shoulders, “Is that right?”

“I guess we’ll never know, because we’re not doing it,” you look back at a smug Cap. Your blood boils when Bucky takes a step towards you and you stare him down, but it doesn’t do you much good. It’s consists more of staring up at him.

“It sounds to me, doll, like you’re the one who’s afraid you’ll lose,” he maintains a thoughtful expression, sizing you up. You furrow your brow.

“I just don’t want your pretty face to get hurt, that’s all, it is all you got going for you,” you tilt your chin up.

His eyes flash and you know you struck a nerve. He chuckles humorlessly, “You’re lucky I’m a gentleman,” he tells you. “Or I’d ask you to put your money where your mouth is. Since you always have so much to say.”

“A gentleman knows how to finish a fight, not start one,” you push your hands against his chest, sending him backwards after having enough. “So finish it.”

He looks at his chest and back at you, clenching his jaw, “Watch it, Y/N.”

“Come on, then,” you tell him, swinging your leg over the rings border and climbing inside. Steve and Tony share a worrisome look, wondering what they’ve started, Nat only leans forward, hoping to hear more. “Or are you going to keep running?” you throw over your shoulder.

It doesn’t take him long to ignore the inner turmoil creating in his gut. ducking under the border himself and stepping into the ring, commanding the attention of the room when he gets into his stance.

He swings the first punch, you duck under it and swing your leg out to send him on his back. You move to straddle him on the ground, but he’s back on his feet before the thought even crosses your mind, gripping your ankle when it flies towards his face. Your fist collides with his jaw, hitting just the corner of his mouth, he stumbles back, and he wipes at the cracked lip, staring in awe at the trickle of crimson staining his calloused finger.

Guilt settles in your stomach, and your form wavers, in your hesitation, his fist curls and the blow lands painfully into your shoulder. You grasp the sore area and fall back, catching yourself against the bordering ropes. The room goes silent, one giant, collective inhale of breath being the last thing you hear before Bucky’s face falls. He didn’t want to do this. To fight you, but here you are. You asked for it, you can’t back down now.

His chest heaves, his eyes full of guilt and fear, he gulps like he’s gasping for air, “Doll, I-”

You didn’t have time to freeze, to listen to what he’s saying. The punch only fuels your adrenaline and you flip him on his back, on top of him and straddling his waist. You throw a punch, aiming for the bridge of his nose, but he blocks it, taking your wrist in his to move you so you’re the one on your back. You ignore the heat rising to your face from being beneath him, caged under his muscular arms, holding himself above your frame with little to no effort. He could crush you if he wanted to, you wondered why he didn’t just finish it right here and now, that’s what you expected, after all. It does’t help that he smells so damn good.

“We can stop here and call it a tie,” he tells you, his cool, minty breath fanning over your flushed face, noses brushing whether you like it or not. You’d never admit to the former anyway. “I’m trying to help you, doll.”

You snort, “Don’t strain yourself,” you knee him in the groin and he topples over, unable to stand once again. You’re on your feet before him, declaring you the winner of the match. He went easy on you and you know it. Your chest rises and falls with each strenuous breath and you blow hair out from in front of your eyes, swinging your leg over the ropes again.

You couldn’t stand there and gloat, something you’d usually have no problem boating, to mess with him. But you’re still thinking about how you felt, when you were pinned beneath him, how your face burned, how your skin rubbed against his own, and how you still feel afterwards. But you hate him. You hate him.

Don’t you?

★★★

Bucky leans his back against the side of the rooftop pool atop the Avengers building, muscles aching from training, the cool water and night air relaxing him. He breathes slowly, hoping this isolation will help him forget the events of today, what he did. He hit you. You of all people. He never wanted to lay a hand on you, not only are you a woman, but you’re you. Not to mention the fact you can throw one hell of a punch as well, his split lip a consequence of that, his thumb brushing over it when it comes to mind.

His mind whirs, thinking about you, and his heart tightens in an unfamiliar, unspoken way. The same ache in his chest he’s felt since you got here, hoping if he’d ignore it and you, it’d make it all go away. But it’s only made the sensation worse, thinking back to having you underneath him, a dream he never thought would bloom into fruition. Just under different circumstances. If only he hadn’t have messed it up and pushed you away in the process, everyone in the room watching.

And that he doesn’t hate you. Not even a little. Quite the opposite, actually. He’s absolutely enamored with you.

You slide open the door leading to the roof, a cover-up wrapped around your waist, hugging yourself. You turn to close it and look back to see Barnes in where you were hoping to find empty. You cross your arms over your chest and look on at him, haven’t had talked to him since this morning.

Thinking against starting a verbal altercation with him once again, you instead ask softly, “Mind if I join you?” voice lost in the wind.

He shakes his head, looking up at you, afraid his hoarse voice will give way to his emotions. Bucky attempts to avert his eyes when you drop the cover-up, revealing a red two piece decorated with cherries, the bottoms high waisted and fitted to your curved waist. Then his eyes are falling over you and he simply can’t look away. His eyes are glued to you and you want to fight him on it, say something, but you can’t either.

Bucky admires the way your y/s/c skin illuminates in the milky, effervescent moonlight, gaze flicking back up to meet your eyes when you catch him staring. You only smile and brush him off. You descend the steps inside and sit across the pool from him, the bruise on your shoulder on display, weighing on his conscious.

He’s the first to break the silence, “Doll... I-I’m sorry.”

Your eyes follow where his lay on your bruised shoulder, shaking your head, “Don’t be, was my fault. I pushed you to fight when you didn’t want to. I shouldn’t have. I’ll heal,” you offer him a sweet smile, an expression he treats as a gift, a rare sight to see, especially when it comes to him. Well, one he knows of.

He returns the smile halfheartedly, arms spread out on either side of him, gripping onto the edge of the hot tub. The tension is slowly simmering away into something new, crossing the line between love and hate, the air growing heavier by the heated second. You sigh and push yourself off the wall, if you were going to talk you at least need to be able to hear him. You wade to the halfway mark of the pool, treading water. 

Bucky’s hands grow clammy, watching you move. Just like you did in the ring, elegantly and deliberately with an endearingly awkward clumsiness he finds more attractive than he should. He forces himself to think about what’s changed since this morning, why he’s feeling these things now. Then you look at him and it answers his question.

You run a hand through your wet tendrils of hair, fighting back a satisfied smirk, “Why the long face, Barnes?”

He leans forward, sitting up straighter on his ledge, enough to make droplets of water roll down his torso and catch your eye, finally coming out with it, “Why do you hate me?”.

You’re taken aback by his sudden question and you’re brutally aware of what your answer will do to the complicated relationship between you two. You run a hand through your hair and sigh, standing up, “I could ask you the same question.”

Bucky pulls his brow together, getting off the wall, “If I hate you? You think I hate you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” you laugh, humorless and forced, you hope he’s joking. “You’ve made it your mission to tease and insult me since the moment I got here, you purposely bumped into me in the hall this morning as you do most days.” Getting so frustrated with him, you splash water at his face, earning a petty one back from him.

He runs his hands down his face, “Are you serious?” he looks at you, blinking hard like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. 

“Yes!” you exclaim. “Bucky, why else would you purposely run into me in the hallway? Or punch me in the fucking shoulder!”

He laughs loudly, slicking his long hair back and looking towards the sky as if he’d find the answer to his internal question written in starlight, “You told me to fight you. And I apologized immediately after because I never wanted to do it in the first place! You’re also the one that punched me in the jaw and split my lip first... Come on, dollface, you’re tougher than that. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you-”

“So was that your plan? Teasing me constantly, everyday, to prove I’m tougher than I look?” you snort and his face flushes red when you tug your lip between your teeth. “Mission accomplished then, Barnes, I know now. Satisfied?” 

He sighs, chuckling, “When did flirting with a dame become so damn challenging?” He smiles sadly, “Maybe I am old.”

You watch as his eyes fall on your lips even at this distance from one another and you, painfully so, do the same.

Stunned, your lips part slightly, sending him a silent, tantalizing invitation to wipe this confused look off your face and answer your question. By any extreme means possible. He groans aloud at the tempting pout of your baby pink lips, taking you by the hand to pull you to his chest, wet skin flushed together.

His calloused hands move up to cup your jaw, tilting your face towards him, he presses his desperate lips feverishly against your own, lighting your skin aflame. He kisses tentatively as if he’s walking into the home of an old friend and afraid he’s arrived too late, thumb brushing the ghost of a heart over your cheek. His plush lips taste of salt water and scotch liquor, tongue laced with smooth butterscotch candy he stole from your bedroom. And suddenly you’re craving the sweetness, too. Your arms fall helplessly to his chest, listening to the lullaby of Bucky’s slowly rising heartbeat, humming pleasantly at the thought that that’s of your doing. A whimper escapes your shaky lips when his tongue slips in your mouth just as his hands wander to grip your thighs beneath the water, hoisting you up. He eases your legs to wrap around his waist and hold on.

Both of you break away at once, swollen, pink lips still brushing with the sworn promise of meeting again, nudging your nose against his when you exhale. Your eyes flutter closed again, paired with a simple, soft smile, muttering quietly, “...Oh.” 

He cracks a smile, kissing just below your mouth, muttering a silent love letter in your skin, “Maybe if you didn’t ramble so much, you’d have been silent long enough for me to do this.”

“Screw you.”

His stormy eyes darken, complementing nicely with his seductive grin, “Maybe later, doll.”

You tilt your chin up to capture his awaiting lips with your own, wrapping your arms wantonly around his neck, a gesture he eagerly returns with a squeeze of your ass. You gasp into the kiss, The man is a human radiator, exuding heat, in his touch, in his kiss, in his skin, warming your body from the inside out. 

Bucky buries his head in the crook of your neck, kissing you in the spot sure to make you squirm in his touch. Then he stops, something coming over him when he moves up to lean his forehead against your own, meeting your lust blown eyes.

His face burns under your expectant gaze, cursing himself for not doing this sooner, “Are we... are we really doing this?” he says when you place a calculated kiss underneath his jaw, letting your tongue trace his hot skin, only fueling the fire before whispering,

“Meet me inside in ten minutes and find out.”

[amberbeach]

'WHILE HE SLEEPS'

gif belongs to operationoverdrive

You popped a chip in your mouth, smirking as Summer lined up for her next shot at pool. Dillon, Scott, and Gem were standing to the side while waiting for her.

“That’s never been done before.” Scott scoffed.

“Watch and learn, boys.” You told them.

Scott looked at you, shaking his head with a smile on his lips when you winked at him. Summer took her shot, and your eyes widened when the three men collapsed. You dropped your bag of chips and rushed to your boyfriend.

“Scott?” You shook him gently before looking at Gem and Dillon. “Guys?”

You looked at Flynn when he fell down and looked at Scott with a frown. You leaned closer and listened to his breathing before looking at Summer. “He’s asleep.”

While she went to Dr. K, you made them comfortable. You sighed while you covered Scott with a blanket. “Let me guess, Venjix related?” You sighed softer as you stood up, pushing your hands on your knees. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

That’s how you found yourself standing beside Summer and Gemma and a few soldiers - all female. You shot down Grinders and screamed when a group of three appeared behind you, running away. You shot back at them, and they fell. You sighed in relief while resting against a wall and looked at Summer and Gemma as they fought the Chemical Bot that had caused all the men in Corinth to sleep. 

You knew that Scott wouldn’t be happy when he heard you were on the front lines. Hell, you didn’t like it. But it felt good.

You grinned as the boys arrived and noticed a Grinder approaching from the corner of your eyes, shooting it down. You watched as the team destroyed the mega monster. You looked around, seeing all the Grinders were defeated and smiled when you heard Gemma cheering.

You handed the gun back to the soldiers and stepped forward, hugging Gemma while she jumped excitedly. Scott walked towards you, a concerned frown on his lips.

You, however, smiled brightly and ran towards him, jumping into his arms. “You’re okay!”

He chuckled while you put your feet back on the ground. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He said. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw a tear in your shirt. “What happened?”

You bit your lip. “Uh…”

“She kicked Grinder butt!” Gemma imitated you shooting down Grinders and Scott looked at you with wide eyes.

“You took down Grinders?”

“Yes, she did.” Summer put her arm over your shoulder, sensing a lecture coming. “And she was great. Better than great!”

You smiled at her. Scott shook his head, making you frown. He stepped forward, bringing you to his chest, holding you tightly. You closed your eyes and rested your head on his shoulder.

You weren’t like Summer. You were tough, but not on her level. You would rather run from a fight or avoid it than dive right into it. But today had been an experience. You were more proud of Scott and the team than you were before, seeing what they saw through your own eyes gave you a better understanding of what they went through.

“You should get a suit!” Gemma grinned.

Scott kept his arm around your shoulders while he turned to Gemma. “Don’t encourage her.”

You gave her a thumbs up and Scott shook his head when you and Gemma mimicked gunfire - Gem joining in.

You giggled when Scott sighed and put a hand on his chest, looking up at him. “Don’t worry, red. I’m not touching a gun -”

“Until it’s absolutely necessary.” He cut in.

You nodded in agreement. You knew that the thought of you being out there was frightening to him. Scott would fight alone if he could because he’d rather he got hurt, so no one else had to. That was how he was.

Back at the garage, you sipped your water as you watched him fix his car. He had given it an upgrade and was putting it back together. You stepped forward and moved him aside. He watched as you joined some cables before going into the car, revving the engine. Scott shook his head when you cheered.

“Yeah, baby! I’m on a roll!”

He chuckled as you got out and looked at him expectantly. It took him a moment to figure it out. But he placed his hands on your cheeks and peppered your face with kisses like you would do every time he did something clever - like fix his car.

Dillon snickered until Summer hit his arm, suppressing a smile of her own. Flynn looked over with a smirk, and Ziggy - as always - said what everyone else was thinking.

“You’re so whipped.”

Which earned him the Truman glare that sent him hiding behind Dillon. Scott stepped forward, and you put a hand on his chest, stopping him from chasing Ziggy.

“Oh it’s true and you know it!”