#conflicts which btw pulled the family apart so like

[worstloki]

i just feel like ending Thor 4 on a note which mirrors his own childhood where a parent was taking him into battle (because now he takes care of Love and takes her to battle on random planets) is not a great message when Thor's parents' parenting caused the conflicts of the first three Thor films

[theresattrpgforthat]

Been on a werewolf kick recently. Any recommendations to scratch that itch? Love the blog btw

THEME: Werewolves

Thank you so much! Heck, have I got some werewolves for you!

Wolf Hounds, by Devin Fortman.

Wolf Hounds is a historical fantasy roleplaying game about the Benandanti, a society of werewolves dedicated to protecting their communities from supernatural threats. Uses a lightweight Apocalypse system based on John Harper's World of Dungeons: Turbo.

If you want a more action-based game about werewolves, then I definitely recommend Wolf Hounds. As members of the Benandanti, you play shapeshifters and magic users fleeing the Inquisition while also protecting your local communities from vampires and other supernatural threats. The game feels very similar to Powered by the Apocalypse games, but in specific circumstances, allows you to roll with advantage, or disadvantage, represented by a third dice. You then take the two best or worst results, depending if the situation was advantageous or detrimental.

The creator for this game has also created a campaign sourcebook, called Let Us Prey. There are some very interesting campaign hooks in there, including one in which a young monk has just discovered he is a werewolf - and is being framed for a recent murder. I absolutely recommend that you check it out!

Bite Marks, by Becky Annison / Black Armada.

The Pack is a deeply intimate and close family; like a family, sometimes it is full of love and happiness and sometimes it is brutal and dysfunctional. But love it or hate it, you can’t ignore it – it will shape you. Fearless Alpha, dedicated foot soldier, pacifist scholar or rebellious cub – your relationship with the Pack is the cornerstone of who and what you are.

In Bite Marks you’ll uncover the story of the Pack, exploring the relationships between Packmates, drawing out their loves, rivalries and betrayals. What are the cracks that could shatter the Pack and drown you in hate, and how much stress can those pressure points take before they explode?

PbtA games excel at examining relationships and the relationship of a werewolf pack can be used to explore a number of different kinds of familial relationships. Bite Marks will push your characters together and pull them apart, challenging them to honour or chafe against the role of a pack alpha. If you want gritty interpersonal conflict and collaborative storytelling, this is the game for you.

Howl at the Moon with Friends, by Litza Brown.

This is a TTRPG about catharsis. This game is a power fantasy. It's about running wild and free and facing no consequences and knowing that no roll is a bad roll.

If you want a game full of intimacy and wildness and freedom, this is probably worth checking out. Yet another PbtA game, you are saddled with only two stats, and given full license to go wild and break stuff. Your characters are encouraged to transform, to go berserk, to lash out, and to be really fucking cool. Litza Brownyn has a number of evocative and interesting games in her repertoire, so when I saw her name on this game, I definitely got excited.

Women are Werewolves, by 9th Level Games.

Women are Werewolves is an ENNIE-nominated card-based story game where players portray nonbinary characters in a family where only the women transform into werewolves. Using a beautiful deck of tarot-sized cards containing roleplaying prompts, players explore their relationships to gendered spaces, family customs, and queer and non-queer family members.

As a GM-less game, Women are Werewolves relies on a deck of carts to give your characters prompts. As a group, you’ll decide the setting as well as the level of bigotry you’re willing to explore in play. This is specifically a story about gender and what it means to be non-binary through a werewolf metaphor, so expect more stories about family relationships and less about dramatic transformations. The structure to the game gives you a lot to work with if you’re unfamiliar with this kind of game or these kinds of themes, and I really appreciate that.

Wolfspell, by Dig A Thousand Holes Publishing.

A prophecy told in your youth dictates that only fang and claw will rend your destiny, so you must be reborn as beast. You gather with friends and transmogrify yourselves into wolves and place your destiny in the hands of the dice of Wolf and Blood!

Wolfspell looks like a game of deep emotions and grand action. You are young people burdened with a heavy prophecy, requiring you to take on wolf flesh to fulfill it. How exactly you became a wolf is up to each player. The storytelling is meant to be very collaborative, so I’d recommend picking this game up with folks who don’t mind providing a bit of their own narration as they play. The rules system is, along with a number of other games on this list, PbtA. This means that your characters will be faced with hard choices and mixed results as part of the process of play.

Games I've Recommended In the Past

Lesbian Werewolves on a Beach, by WhatNames

Silversworn, by fret.

[daisyishedwig]

Im 80 pages in, quick rundown of everything that doesnt make sense in this book.

First off, I know books are encouraged to have a good hook to pull you in. But what the fuck is this opening.

She's a twin. That's what she's saying. She's a twin. And identical one to be exact.

Now this woman also has a severe anxiety disorder. She is nervous about everything. It's a miracle she has a job and acts as stable as she does with how cautious she is about everything. She really is just "I'm terrified all the time but in a quirky way that somehow doesn't actually seem to affect my life that much at all"

Also she has to fly to New York because her sister is dead and that's where she was living. And of course this happens on the plane.

The plane is not crashing. It's turbulence. Because of course a singular bang and a nosedive is exactly how turbulence feels. Instead of, y'know, the more genuine fear that the plane is going to shake apart. Also, this author loves to end chapters with these ridiculous cliff hangers that aren't actually dramatic at all.

Next up I had to Google whether or not British people eat pancakes (they're British, btw) to try and make sense of this scene. It did not help, these people are just not written like people.

If they told me that Katie (dead twin) /loved/ pancakes and she raved about American pancakes all the time and this was a food heavily associated with her, I could accept this bit making sense. But that's not the case so instead this is just badly written tension because... Reasons.

Another dramatic chapter ending.

To them be immediately followed up by... Nothing. nothing at all.

She just went to sleep without a single doom spiral thought about what her parents could be hiding from her. At least not that we get to hear about, because why would we get to see the anxiety spiral at a time when her catastrophizing would be very very relevant to the plot.

And what, dear readers, do her parents need to tell her?

Ahh, yes. The "company". The generic company we will likely never learn any details about. Because her dad is a business man but it is fully irrelevant what that business is. Definitely wouldn't help us connect to and understand him as a character. Why would we want that.

Speaking of telling me nothing important about a character other than making them so incredibly generic:

Yes indeed. Coffee, bread, milk. Three of the most commonly purchased grocery items. All the interesting facts I am learning about Katie here today. Definitely couldn't have told me something more specific about her.

Also, what fucking broke college student has a regular dry cleaner. Like I know it's New York but pretty sure that stereotype is for the business class and above people, not the study abroad college student scene.

I think this author is allergic to true conflict which seems wild since he's writing a murder mystery thriller.

Yes, the most bland anxiety moment from a woman returning to the place where she found her daughter dead like two days ago. We certainly have no reason to expand on her emotions or even really see her having them in the first place.

Next we get introduced to the first suspicious person that isn't a family member.

And I /think/ this is supposed to be an incel Tshirt? But it genuinely makes no sense even In that context, let alone any other context.

But when it comes to Shawn, end chad is probably the closest thing to understandable he says.

Yes, Mr. Dean, my dear author, I would really like to know who read this and said, that's a sentence a person would say. Is it because he's an incel you needed him to say something snarky about Scott being good looking when it was entirely unnecessary and didn't flow with any part of the (already very choppy) conversation that was happening? Also why does everyone keep repeating his full name?????? This is literally the like fifth time someone has said it in less the twenty pages.

Ugh, hit the image limit, gotta do another reblog.

I'm currently in the middle of the first book I have read in years that is written by a cis straight white man (that isn't Rick Riordan) and oh boy is it just... Bad. It's just bad. Like, imma make this a thread of some of the ridiculous moments in this book because none of these characters feel like people. It almost feels written by an AI for how entirely unnatural all of these characters act.

[pandajaye]

Todoroki Family Ties (Part 8)

Characters: Enji Todoroki, Stepmom!OC!Ivy (Ivy is black btw), Child!Shoto Todoroki, Teen!Touya Todoroki, Preteen!Fuyumi, Child!Natsuo

Warnings: mention of abuse, sexual themes

After the short conversation over the phone, Enji came back inside and explained everything to Ivy after sending the boys to bed. “So, I’m taking Shoto and Touya with me to pick them up from their grandparents’ house. If you don’t mind, I’d like for you to stay here. I want Fuyumi and Natsuo to have a little more warm up time with their brothers before they meet you.” In three days, Enji’s other two children, his second and third born, were to be put back into Enji’s custody. He was filled with excitement and missed them so much but he kept his stoic expression while talking about it.

Two years ago, Enji’s ex-wife, and mother to his four children, Rei, was admitted to a mental hospital for assaulting Shoto. Of course this was kept under wraps from the press but those closest to the family knew what happened while the outside world assumed she was murdered. Ivy herself wasn’t made aware of the situation until recently either. It made the number two hero look bad and gave him a terrible rep. Everyone was scared to look his way and lots of people wanted him fired from the position of hero, but their simple opinions weren’t enough to budge the idea.

Rei’s parents were horrified by the real news and saw how people were reacting to the situation. It influenced them to ask Enji to give up custody to them for the time being until they saw Enji fit to be a father again. He loved them dearly and that’s why he didn’t fight on the decision. Touya and Shoto would need training for their abilities but Fuyumi and Natsuo would be better off with the ice side of the family. On the upside, the boys got to see them when they visited every other weekend.

Enji was allowed to see them too but in a more supervised visitation way before he had to leave. Every time he had to go, the little “Bye, dad.” from Fuyumi as she hugged him tight broke his heart. She’d often shed a few tears about it but Natsuo wasn’t as vocal about how he felt. He’d only give half hugs and keep his head down the whole time. But when that car turned and went in the opposite direction of the house, he never stopped watching it. Even after it was out of view. No matter what feelings he showed, on the inside, he wished he was in the car with him. It’s not that his grandparents were bad in any way, they were great! He just hated the way they talked about him behind his back. When they thought Natsuo wasn’t listening. But he always heard it. And it always made his mouth taste bitter and his head hurt. Sure his dad messed up, but he was still just that. His dad. Soon, lost time would be made up for, and he and Fuyumi were over the moon about it.

Three days passed by quicker than expected. Two more children would enter the four person household Ivy was used to and nervous was an understatement for how she was feeling. Enji had already left with Touya and Shoto and for the time being, Ivy was alone. She spent the entire morning preparing for Natsuo and Fuyumi’s arrival. There were treats set out in the living room and in their own rooms, generous gift baskets filled with more treats and some trinkets she hoped they would enjoy. Even a nicely decorated banner up that read ‘Welcome Home!!’ in big letters.

Now she just anxiously sat on the couch. Waiting. Imagining how they would react to this new woman in their lives. Wondering if they’d even like her. To be honest, if they wanted her to leave, she would. Their family already needed to heal, it’s not fair that this random person just showed up and joined in and they’ve never even met her before. What if they hated her? Oh god. She’d fall apart. “Fuck. Now I’m more anxious than I was at first.” Not that it was a spoken rule, but something about your new step kids seeing you having a panic attack for their first impression that didn’t seem right to Ivy. So a few deep breaths, and she was able to stop one before it started. Until the panic was revived when the door started to open. She scrambled to her feet and picked up a plate of snacks from the table. ‘Here we go.’

“Ivy, we’re home!” Enji opened the door and Shoto and Touya entered first. She wondered if the other kids came until she saw two more small beings behind Enji. First, a beautiful young girl with glasses. Hair white and eyes grey like Rei’s with small bits of red for decoration. She held on to Enji’s hand while he closed the door. Another kid appeared next to her. A boy. A bit taller than her. Though he was younger, he inherited Enji’s height genetics. For a ten year old, he was as big as Touya, maybe even an inch taller than his fifteen year old brother. Then again, apparently Touya took a while to have his growth spurt. The tall boy’s hair was white like Touya and his sister’s, three little stripes of red on each side just above his ears.

Ivy immediately wore a smile as warm as the sun. “Welcome home, guys! I’m Ivy, nice to meet you!” The two just looked at each other and then their dad, who nodded towards her. Their gaze went to her but they still didn’t respond. Ivy just stood there, frozen, too scared to move. Touya took the opportunity to take the cookies out of her hand and head to his room, Shoto gorged on all the other snacks and Enji reprimanded him to not spoil his dinner. “I-I’m sorry,” Ivy got down on her knees, “I guess I’m a little obnoxious. So much for a first impression, huh?” Her head rested in her hands. Maybe she could just turn invisible so they wouldn’t see her blazing embarrassment.

During her internal breakdown, a small hand rested on her shoulder. Ivy looked up, the 2nd oldest standing in front of her and giving her a small smile, her brother not far behind. “Hello. I’m Fuyumi. This is my brother, Natsuo. Or just Natsu for short. Nice to meet you.” After Fuyumi’s introduction, Natsuo stepped forward and smiled down at Ivy. “Hiya, stepmom!” He glanced and pointed at the table where his little brother was enjoying himself. “Is all this for us? For reals?” She nodded, a huge grin on her face. “Heck yeah, dude. I ain’t no evil stepmom. I’m fun and spoil my step-babies.” Shoto stuffed another treat into his face before giving a thumbs up. “It’s true! She’s really nice and sweet. You’re gonna love her. I know I do!” Natsuo took a second and hugged Ivy before running to join his baby brother.

Fuyumi stayed, kneeling in front of Ivy. “So.... you love our dad? Is he nice to you?” Obviously, Fuyumi was smart. There was no need to be dishonest. She knew how her father was, what he did, and know she was asking if he was the same as he used to be. “Well.... he’s had to work on his attitude and how he expresses himself. But he’s definitely gotten a lot better from when we were first together. He wants to be a better man for his family and atone for his actions. He’s really winning my forgiveness everyday.”

Ivy turned to look at Enji who had taken a seat on the couch and was watching the boys indulge. There was a content smile on his face. Seeing their happiness gave him some of his own. It was definitely a nice change from the dejected faces of the past. “Fuyumi,” Ivy continued. “You don’t have to forgive your father if you don’t want to. But if you ever find yourself wanting to, and you have questions, or really questions about anything ever, you can talk to me. I want to be here for you and your brothers as much as I can. I know what it’s like to have a conflicting childhood. I wasn’t surrounded by love like you have been, but that doesn’t lessen the significance of anything you guys have been through compared to my situation. I want us to be a family and I hope I can grow on you in good time.” Fuyumi hesitated before hugging her new stepmother. “I already know you will.” Ivy embraced the hug. The rush of oxytocin was so satisfying.

“Please excuse me.” Fuyumi rose and went to sit next to her father who grinned when she joined them. This was his second chance. He already missed a few years with her and Natsuo and he couldn’t bare to miss anymore. Enji honestly felt like he needed them probably as much as they felt like they needed him. The moment he found out he could get them back he had developed a certain glow. That was the look of a man who got his babies back, and eventually, they’d have to really sit down and talk about why they had to go in the first place. As for now, they just needed to enjoy each other’s company.

At dinner, Ivy got to learn even more about her new family members. Like how Fuyumi wants to be a culinary genius one day. And how one of Natsuo’s favorite moments was when a puppy approached him on the street when he was having a bad day and made him feel so much better. Ivy hung to every word they spoke, it was all just so interesting. It got to the point where every time Natsuo thought of something new to tell, he’d interrupt his sister which Enji had to try and prevent a couple times. Though he was excited that they were already intrigued by Ivy, there was still an order of manners that needed to be abided by.

Even at bedtime, they still had so much to say, but Ivy had to ask them to wait and tell her tomorrow. They groaned but listened to her and went to bed. “They are so amazing, Enji.” Ivy smiled up at the big guy next to her, a sparkle in her eyes. “They seem to really like you. I’m glad tonight was such a success.” He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. “I know. I’m so happy, too. They’re really great kids and I wanna be the best stepmama that I can be for them. So much has happened to those sweet babies and I wanna make sure they smile from now on.” While she was talking, Enji spread little kisses on her cheeks and neck.

Ivy was quietly enjoying it, falling into a trance, but shuffled when she felt his heavy paw dragging up her thigh. “Enji-” “You’re such a great stepmother, Ivy.” He whispered into her ear while nuzzling her neck, gently nipping at the skin. “Have you ever thought about becoming just a regular mother?” She could barely hear him over the blood that started to flow around ears from how hot she was getting. “Yes. Why? Are you offering to make me one?” They worked together to move her legs so that she was straddling his waist. “If you think you’re ready for it....” His hands breached the hem of the shorts she was sleeping in, there was an ease of access since she didn’t usually sleep in underwear. The feeling of his strong digits doing nothing other than simply working her most sensitive areas made her head fall back. “I would love.... to put a baby in you, honey.” In the midst of the sudden heat rising in the room, the sounds of sloppy kisses and horny giggles began to transpire.

“Oh, Enji!~”

[terrainofheartfelt]

here from ivy's blog! why do u feel like personality-wise jenny is more like rufus than dan is??

welcome!!!

it's been my pet headcanon for a while now, that while the Humphrey sibs reflect a lot of their parents, Jen is more Rufus than Alison, and Dan is more Alison than Rufus. I wrote this line in a fic:

...just as Jenny relied on Dan to soften the blunt-edged stubbornness that she and Rufus share, Dan relied on her to smooth over the barbed wire of him and his mom. He and Alison both had sharp tongues that could be lethal when they were hurt.

I started getting pulled in by the parallels of Jenny & Rufus in s2. We don't get a lot of Rufus backstory, but it's heavily implied that he had a major talent ("Everytime" may not be a lyrical masterpiece but damn it is a BOP), and Rufus admits to Serena that he passed on college to be a touring musician. So we get some discussion of: Jenny being very talented and unapologetic about it (go off, queen), and wanting to pursue that talent even though she is very young. But Rufus being oddly resistant to that even though that was his path too (and Eleanor and Lily rightfully call him out for it). So there's this surface level parallel of artistic talent meets great ambition meets the hubris of youth.

and in s2, that mutual stubbornness that I mention above is what nearly breaks the family apart, with the both of them so convinced that they're in the right that they don't speak for weeks. It's Dan who's the one who finally says something to his dad to the effect of "you need to get her back, even if it means letting her win." they both want to win so badly. Which I think is another similarity in who they are, in that they have this ingrained sense of justice -- not right vs. wrong, exactly, but this need to always be justified in their actions, if that makes sense? Like, Rufus is always dead set on Jenny "learning her lesson" that it detracts him from actually giving her real support, which is also how Jenny operates during her "reign" as constance queen or whatever in s3.

And, I should point out, Rufus, as the parent, should've handled ALL this much, much better. You're the adult, dude!

and I think, ever since that initial schism in s1 (that Rufus never tries to understand, btw), each Jenny & Rufus conflict carries that stubbornness, those bulls heads clashing.

there's also, and this may be my self-indulgent headcanoning again, Rufus and Jenny have big frontman energy. Like it's obvious that Rufus was Lincoln Hawk's frontman, and fashion, like Jen says, is a designer-based industry, and putting herself forward and stepping into spotlight was never much of a big deal for her (see: how she operates to climb up the ladder in s1)

***editing to add*** I have this note in my fic docs about how Jenny prefers to sing/play music with Dan over Rufus, because Rufus has guitar frontman syndrome, meaning that he never learned how to follow an ensemble, only lead one, so when she & Rufus try to sing together one of em always ends up mad. Dan can follow without even trying.

this answer is getting long, whoops, but to briefly touch on the Daniel...Alison is such a mysterious character, so most of my thoughts on her are from my own writing/headcanoning/reading fic (read Ivy's Hudson series for a delicious Alison character study). But I think that a lot of the cornerstones of Dan's character: the quiet one, the natural caretaker, the artist who prefers to keep out of spotlight - or doesn't know what to do with himself when he gets there, those I think reflect back the Alison That Was, preseries. And, there's also something to be said for the trait of: when one sees a relationship begin to unravel, they act out and self-sabotage in a very destructive way -- which is was Alison does by going to Hudson, and what Dan does, like, throughout the series.

[theficplug]

Swipe Right

Tyler Lepley x Black Reader 

warnings : none, mostly fluff with just a tiny bit of smut if you can call it that at the end. i’m not too familiar with him but i tried ! to the cutie who requested, i hope you like it. alright enjoy x  Face mask on. Wine in hand. Impulsive 10$ Dark and Lovely hair dye bought at the beauty supply store already slathered in your hair. It was your time set aside out of the week for you and your best friend to complain. Although homegirl was on the other end of the phone getting ready for anniversary and was not relating to your rant of the night. 

 “Girl, I’m telling y’all right now if I get another unsolicited dick pic in my dms or another “You got the bill right? I’m just a lil in between jobs right now you know how it is right baby”? I’m joining a nunnery because I love love, but me and my bank account can NOT keep getting played like this.” you rant to your friends over a video call as you walk around your apartment tending to the foils in your hair. 

The series of failed dates and “talking stages” had left a sour taste in your mouth and put you off from dating altogether, but your best friend Layla is trying to convince you to give Tinder another go. 

“I don’t know Lala. I just don’t have another talking stage in me. I’m grown in the words of the iconic Miss New York Tiffany Pollard : I want eggs CRACKED AND SCRAMBBBLLEEDD” 

Layla’s husband Aaron’s laughter erupted from somewhere in the room on her end and you raise an eyebrow not knowing that he had been ear hustling the whole time. 

“Just give a little more time. You never know what can be right around the corner!  There has got to be at least a few foine men on Tinder. Give it one more try.” Layla encouraged before saying that she had to go because her man had the night planned for their anniversary dinner. 

You huffed and sat the phone aside as you waited for the copper coloured hair dye to process your curiosity got the better of you and you reached for your phone again.

As you thumbed through the profiles of folks “looking for a beautiful girl for me and my husband (:” and “if you a feminist, pay for our first date”. You were two seconds away from putting your phone to the side again before you noticed “Tyler Lepley” and his profile.

You nearly spit out the cheap bottle of Stella Rose on your carpet in disbelief. “No, this has got to be a whole ass catfish. Why would his fine ass be on Tinder of all places? Let’s humour him. Wait but he’s verified... At the very least this should be funny as hell.” you say to yourself before rolling your eyes. 

“Okay and I definitely got to make some single friends cause I’m really home on a Saturday night talking to myself. . . Whatever-” 

You swipe right on his profile and almost instantly your phone notified you that there was a match. 

‘Hey I just wanted to let you know I think you’re beautiful and if you’re ever in the area I’d like to take you out sometime. On me of course.’

“Oh he’s good.” you thought to yourself as you tried to think of a reply.

‘Sure, I’d love to. I’m actually driving up to Atlanta tomorrow for work. And if it’s really you. I want a Tika Sumpter autograph when we meet lol.’ you respond having a little fun with the troll at least before you log out for the evening. 

‘Oh, so you don’t think it’s me? I ain’t nobody big. Just tryna find the right one to bring home for the holidays so my nosey aunties can stop asking me when I’m gon get a wife lol.’

*attachment (1)*

“Pfft.. Anybody could’ve gotten that from Instagram or something.” you said to yourself. 

He’s good though. You’ll give him that much. 

‘Okay tattoos and lips! You’re handsome or whatever.That’s understandable. I’m looking for the same thing but I must be looking in all the wrong places cause if i run into one more dud that’s looking for a unicorn for them and their wife to “share”. Whew- it’s a lot lol.’

‘I get you. I haven’t matched with too many women on here myself. They either tryna see how they can get a job at the studio or they want me to be their sugar daddy. Which I ain't got no problem wining and dining my women btw. I’m just not looking for that kinda situationship. If you don’t mind I’d like to video call you cause looking as good as you look. I'm just tryna make sure you’re not a catfish.”

Hold up. This was just supposed to be a little fun and now this man is using the video call function on Tinder and you’re still sitting there with the dye on your head. 

‘Give me 25 minutes.’ you respond quickly before he replies with ‘take your time’.

The race was on as you began running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off as you wash out the dye quickly and inspect the colour. It was a really pretty natural ginger shade as you grab your hair diffuser and blow out your hair a little to dry it the best you could. 

After grabbing your makeup bag , you slap on the winged liner, a little highlighter, mascara, and a dark brown lipstick like you were back in school trying to get ready before class. 

You fluff and shake out your hair while looking at yourself in the mirror. With 5 minutes to spare you go to your closet and pull out a cozy warm brown cropped jumper that really stood out against your deep skin tone. 

“Alright, please don’t waste my time.” you whisper to yourself as you press the video call button and wait for him to come onto the screen. After about a minute and no answer you let out a heavy sigh feeling a little embarrassed and like a fool for actually believing that The Universe was about to hook you up like that. 

You put your phone on the table next to you and leaned back in the chair before hearing the notification go off again. 

After going back and forth about it for a few seconds you hesitantly answered the call and had to contain the array of emotions you were going through when you saw him actually on the phone, smiling at you with those pretty ass white teeth. 

You put the phone for a second before letting out a ‘thank you Jesus’.

“I should be saying the same thing about you! You are beautiful. God damn. When I first saw your profile I was like man aint no way. She gotta be some sort of catfish or something. I thought at the most it would be a funny cover story tomorrow on The Shade Room or something. ‘Tyler Lepley Catfished By Tinder Boo’. I apologize for not answering your call earlier. I just wrapped on set and I wanted to be able to hear you and give you my undivided attention. How are you this evening?” he says chuckling deeply and softly as he sits back in his trailer. 

“I was thinking the same thing. I’m like at least it’ll humour me, but I wasn’t really expecting you to want to talk. How are you? I was completely kidding about the whole Tika Sumpter thing by the way.” You say giggling nervously before fussing about with the window to try and get better lighting. 

“Oh really? Cause i got her to sign this shirt for you and everything. I can just do a giveaway with it or something else. I like your hair by the way...I’m doing good. It’s been a long day of pretending to get my ass kicked and running lines but I’m grateful to be in even better company with your pretty self. Even if it is through the screen for now. There’s something about a woman like you. I feel like I wanna know everything.” he compliments and flatters you and it’s taking your mind a while to process that this is not some extreme episode of Punk’d.

“YOU DID NOT! Of course I want the shirt. I was just fronting cause I didn’t wanna seem like that’s the only reason why I wanted to talk to you. Also, thank you. You just seem like someone who’s got his shit together and I really like that. At this stage in life people think I move too fast or that my standards are too high. I think it’s just because I know what I want. I want to be married, I want to be happy and comfortable. I eventually would really like to have kids. I want to have kids young so that I can have even more time loving them and my own little family..” you don’t like to waste time with the small talk. That’s nice too but you like to get straight to the point so that you’ll know if your views on life are aligned. 

And just like that you two begin to connect instantly . You talked and talked for hours from the time he left his trailer to drive home and halfway into the night.

You actually ended up falling asleep on the phone with him because neither one of you wanted to hang up. 

Scheduling conflicts prevented you from meeting up with him the next day but of course that didn’t stop either of you from constantly just wanting to hear from each other. 

4 weeks later after non stop talking and sending pictures and videos of your day when you couldn’t talk to each other. Both of your schedules lined up perfectly and you ended up meeting in Atlanta. 

You met him at a little cozy cafe and he held the prettiest bouquet of scarlet roses in one hand and a coffee for you in the other while standing with a huge smile etched across his face. 

“Hey handsome” you say to him before leaning in to hug him but was not expecting the peck to the lips. 

Even though you’ve discussed it and you’re both “if the vibe is right fun is not off the table” kind of people. 

You kiss his soft plump lips back and thank him for the flowers. Of course given the part of the city that you were in, he was recognized almost immediately by the barista.

“My mama and auntie love your show.They both got me into it too. We thought they were gonna kill you off this season! I was scared for you. If you don't mind, can i have a picture?’ The woman named Ericka asks as she moves from behind the desk .

“Hey Ericka, thank you. I appreciate it, of course.” He replied warmly to her before looking over at you to double check if you’re okay with everything. 

You awkwardly move to the side so that he can have his photo with the giggling fan already batting her eyelashes at him. 

He softly grabs your hand to keep you close to him and shakes his head. He’s lowkey clingy in the cutest way as he moves you behind him so that you aren’t in the photo and wraps your arms around his waist before flashing a smile at the fans phone.

“Thank you so much and you are so pretty!” She says to you before trying to quickly hustle back to work in the quiet slow moving coffee shop. 

“Me? Look at you and your pretty self ! I like your braids too!” You respond sweetly as Tyler beams with pride while watching you interact with the fan. 

“Sorry about all of that” he leans down to whisper in your ear before walking with you out of the coffee shop. 

“I don’t know about you but I ain't even gon’ lie I’m nervous as hell. I’ve been spending the last two weeks trying to figure out the best ways to spoil the hell outta you. I just think you’re incredible. From your story about all that you’ve been through to just like you. I ain’t ever had this before.” he admits and it throws you a little that he was the one nervous to meet you.  

“Nervous to meet me? Tyler, you meet about 50 different beautiful women a day. I’m not saying I’m not the shit cause I am. But no need for nervousness here. I think you’re probably the most down to Earth famous person I’ve met dude. A lot of them are real snotty when I style them and stuff. Just completely out of touch…You’re always busy doing something and I’m always working on something. How about we just do nothing? What’s your favourite way to do nothing?” I get all of my favourite foods and snacks and then I just watch all of my comfort movies and shows and forget about everything going wrong with the world even if just for a little bit.” you admit and he nods along before opening the car door for you.

The entire car ride there wasn’t an awkward moment or any tension hanging in the air. The conversation flowed smoothly all the way from the supermarket to the restaurants for to-go plates, and to his home there. 

There were plates of food of every kind of food you mention from pad thai to sushi, to indian food, mexican, and a plate of soul food cause you couldn’t visit Atlanta and not try some bomb ass soul food while you were there. Not to mention the snacks that you both also picked out. 

He had convinced you that you two should build a blanket fort and he broke out the candles setting the perfect atmosphere for the storm settling in. 

Something about the rain soothed you both as you fell over each laughing and talking about nothing and everything.  

“Okay so let me ask you would have rather been on Fear Factor or Supermarket Sweep? Because this is important. I’d have to go with Supermarket Sweep because I’d rather bust my ass on tv than be in a crate full of cockroaches or something like that. I would freak the fuck out. They was wylin in 2001” you say and Tyler ponders the question for a minute before letting out a pfft.. 

“Easyyyyyy. I will drink the cockroach milkshake over playing on Supermarket sweep. I don’t mess with grocery stores like that. That’s why I order all my stuff online now. I've spent two many of my Saturdays missing Saturday morning cartoons walking around with my grandma and mama while me and my dad trail behind trying to get them to hurry up. Besides skydiving is on my list to do at some point.” he explains and you pretend to gag as he says that he’d take the shake. 

“Good?” he asked with a little laugh as he noticed you had a whipped cream mustache from the caramel hot chocolate that he made for you. 

“Mhm” was the only response he got from you in between swigs of possibly the best caramel hot chocolate you’ve ever had. 

He leans in,  licking it off of your lips before kissing you sweetly and gently tugging on your bottom lip as his tongue runs across it again. 

“I bet you taste better though…” he says against your lips

His hands find your hips as he pulls you onto his lap. 

You learned that he was talented at several things outside of acting and being inside out beautiful and a good 8- . Anyways, something you couldn’t tell your girls about on Monday.

Leaving him was too difficult two days later because you’re both those types of people where if you know , you know that you’ve found your person and both agreed to try and meet each other twice a week. Once for sure so that you try not to miss each other too much. 

Maybe swiping right wasn’t so bad after all.

[unedited so if there’s a few typos i’m sorry i’ll edit them later! ]

[everybodyscupoftea]

keeping a secret

pike jj x reader (ft. cody and tyler)

family secret santa in which the boys can’t keep a secret

this made my heart soft btw so y’all are going to melt

(warnings: cursing, light editing)

Secret Santa never worked the way it was supposed to. The four of you drew names the weekend after Thanksgiving, and when you got together to exchange gifts, you had pretty much figured out who had who.

“There’s a forfeit this year,” you interrupted their excited chatter, clutching Cody’s name in your hand, “if I find out who everyone has before we open gifts because of y’all’s dumbasses, you all have to buy me a gift.”

Tyler scoffed, “How is it our fault, maybe you’re just nosy.”

You raised your eyebrows, “So last year you didn’t borrow my chapstick and accidentally slide your slip of paper back into my pocket with the chapstick? And then JJ didn’t literally try and buy my gift while I was in the same room?”

Cody snorted, “She may have a point.”

“Yeah, I have a point. Y’all are sucking the fun out of it, so please, keep it a secret for fuck’s sake.”

“Mhmm, sure. Um, J, what were you wanting for Christmas this year?” Cody asked, grinning at you.

“I’m going to kill you,” you threatened, flipping him off, before pulling your phone out, “everyone send what they want in the group chat.”

You watched Cody’s message roll in and had to hold back a scoff at a date please.

“Cody, you’re being difficult,” Tyler complained.

“Fine,” he huffed and sent something else.

Idk kitchen shit i guess

Now that you could work with.

-

“You know,” JJ mused from where he was lying on your bed, “I think that you have me.”

“Pardon?” you asked.

“What’d you get me for Christmas, I know you have me for Secret Santa.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, “I’m not going to ask how you came to that conclusion, but I want to make it absolutely clear that if you try and ruin Secret Santa again, I will kill you.”

“You won’t,” he answered, confidently, “but I know because Tyler obviously has Cody after the text thing. And I have-” you lunged across the bed to clap your hand over his mouth.

“Maybank, I thought I was clear.”

He smirked and licked your palm until you jerked your hand back, JJ answered, innocent tone of voice, “I was just going to say that I have someone other than myself.”

“Sure you were.”

As you moved to stand, he frowned, grabbing your wrist, “I promise I’ll drop it. Can we study?”

“That’s what you’re here for.”

-

Wanna go to the mall this afternoon

Came onto your phone in the middle of your class, and you sighed, reminding yourself to respond to Tyler once the lesson was finished. Your professor let the class out early, and you responded, walking toward your apartment.

Yeah sure. What time?

Now. I’ll pick you up at your apartment

Okay I’m not quite there yet

I know. I’m sitting outside

You snorted, not even remotely surprised. He was parked right outside your building, looking down at his phone, and you ducked, sneaking around the front of his truck before popping up and tapping on the driver’s window.

He jumped high enough that his head slammed into the roof and screamed so loud and high pitched that even you flinched. Tyler grabbed his chest and glared at you, flipping you off.

Laughing, you ran around the truck and climbed into the passenger seat and asked, “What’s up, creep?”

“Nothing much, asshole.”

“To the mall?” you said, buckling up.

“Yeah, gotta get my Secret Santa gift.” You gave him a look, and he glanced over at you at a red light, “What?”

“Ty, baby, please tell me you’re not bringing me to spoil Secret Santa.”

“I’m,” he paused, “not?”

“Uh huh. Well, I hope you’re buying one for me too, that’s the deal.”

“How do you know I’m not getting one for you in the first place.”

“Tyler,” you warned, “I swear to god.”

“Darling,” he answered, “I’m not religious.”

You groaned, “I’m going to kill you before your driving does.”

-

“I need help,” Cody told you, sitting down with a dramatic frown.

“With what?” you tossed your notebook aside to give him your full attention.

He smiled sheepishly, “Can you wrap my gift for me?”

“What?”

“I know you’re joking. Did the three of you plan this? You’ve all done this.”

“Done what?”

“Tried to ruin it for me.”

“Nope, it’s honestly coincidental and absolutely hilarious.”

You rolled your eyes, “I’m not helping you.”

“Fine,” he pouted, “I guess that my person will be very disappointed, don’t want to upset-” and before he could answer, you kicked out and hit his thigh hard.

“Cody, you’re going to make me do something drastic.”

He smirked, “Oh yeah, like what?”

“I’m going to spoil it for you. I know how much you love Christmas.”

Cody looked conflicted, “Damn, you’ve kinda got me there.”

“Wrap your own damn gifts.”

-

You showed up to the frat house in your pajamas, ready to exchange gifts. Cody was in the kitchen, finishing up some snacks for the group, and you leaned against the counter, “Good afternoon, sir.”

“Good afternoon, ma’am.”

“Excited for today?”

He beamed, “Of course.”

Tyler stumbled into the kitchen rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and you gaped at him, “Bro, it’s 2 p.m.”

He yawned, scratching his stomach, “I’m catching up on sleep.”

“From what?”

“Life, bro. It’s exhausting being alive.”

Which, fucking true. You held your fist out for him to bump, “Feel that.”

“Nap later,” he suggested and you nodded.

JJ came down the stairs next and tilted your chin up to kiss you hello, tapping his fingers on your jaw a few times before pulling back.

Tyler made a gagging noise and reached for a mug of coffee Cody poured. JJ rolled his eyes, “Don’t be bitter.”

“Can we just open gifts?” Tyler whined.

You laughed and nodded, “Yes, let’s take a seat, shall we?”

Cody looked at you warily, “Why the tone?”

“Tone?” you asked, faking innocence.

JJ side eyed you, “You know?”

“I know.”

Tyler groaned, “Literally how? Who blabbed?”

“Cody did. He drunk texted me asking what JJ wanted.”

He smiled sheepishly, “I have zero recollection.”

“Okay but how did you figure out the rest?” Tyler interrupted.

“You have me, we didn’t buy anything at the mall that time we went, but you followed me around all afternoon, trying to figure out what I was interested in.” Tyler narrowed his eyes, “That obvious, huh?”

“It was. Which means JJ has you because I have Cody.”

Pushing himself back, JJ laughed, “Got it in one.”

You crossed your arms, “So I will be accepting gifts from JJ and Cody in the near future, thanks.”

Cody sighed, “We figured you’d find out, so we actually already ordered them, just not in yet.”

“Oh my god,” Tyler muttered, “y’all are awful.”

“Hey,” Cody pointed at him accusatory, “just because you weren’t at fault doesn’t mean you get to take a moral high ground, you’re the one who ruined it last year.”

“Yeah,” JJ added on, “I’m the only one who gets to take it.”

“You ruined it the first year,” you reminded him, “well, Brooke did I guess. She texted me asking why the fuck you were spending more money on my gift than hers.”

Tyler choked on his coffee, “What?!”

JJ’s jaw dropped, and you suddenly realized you’d never told any of them about it. They all stared at you, waiting for a response, “Yeah, she was mad I guess.”

“Jesus Christ,” JJ muttered.

Cody laughed, “God she was the fucking worst. That’s why your gift was cheap sweetheart.”

After a few more seconds of laughter, JJ finally interrupted, “Okay, we should actually exchange gifts.”

“Right, so, I had Cody,” you started, passing over your gift.

He tore into it and pulled out the apron that said plant mom in a script font with plants scattered randomly all over the front. He snorted, “This is fucking fantastic.

“Thank you,” you beamed, “but there’s actually more, so don’t get stuck on the apron.”

Cody pulled out a set of hockey tickets, two for the upcoming Hurricanes Leafs matchup and gasped, “Dude, oh my god, I’m going to kiss you right now.”

Laughing, you puckered your lips, “Any time, baby.”

JJ chuckled, “Mr. Steal My Girl, huh?”

“Maybank, she’d leave you in a fucking heartbeat for a Leafs player, we both know that. I’m not quite as great, but I’m close,” Cody fired back, softening it by sliding his gift for JJ across the table. 

Picking it up, JJ shook it a few times before digging through the bag. He made a weird face and pulled out a pair of boxers. His jaw dropped and Cody was very clearly holding in laughter.

“What is it?” Tyler asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Wordlessly, he held them up and flipped them around so everyone could see daddy issues written across the ass in pink writing.

You and Tyler busted out laughing as Cody sat, arms crossed looking smug. JJ was clearly unsure how to feel, close to laughing, until Cody took pity, “Don’t worry, bro, there’s more in the bag.”

Sure enough, JJ pulled out a new wallet, one he’d been eyeing for months but hadn’t pulled the trigger on because it was a bit out of budget. Smiling softly at Cody, he told him, “Thanks bro, love you.”

“Love you too, J.”

“No sappy hours early,” Tyler interrupted, “give me my gift.”

“It’s 2 p.m.,” JJ muttered but passed the box over to Tyler anyway.

He tore into it and JJ jolted forward, “Dude, it’s breakable, chill.”

Inside was a nice tea set and a box of fancy teas. Tyler blinked a few times, in awe of the contents, “Woah.”

“I know you like tea more than coffee, and we never have any here, so I figured I’d set you up.”

“I-” Tyler cut himself off, “wow, this is really thoughtful. Thanks buddy.”

“Anytime. I’ll tell you where I ordered them too so if you like one you can order more. I kinda just got a starter pack.”

“Yeah, that would be sick.”

JJ squeezed his shoulder and Tyler cleared his throat, passing a small bag across the table. You picked it up, curious, and pulled the tissue paper out. After looking, you let out a loud laugh, “Great minds, huh?”

“Great minds,” Tyler nodded, folding his hands.

“What is it?” JJ asked, leaning over.

“Leafs tickets. Two of them.”

“Well,” Cody said, “guess we can all go now. Sitting in different places, but we can make a trip of it.”

Tyler lit up, “I didn’t even think about that!”

“Boys night,” Cody cheered.

“Fuck yes,” you agreed, clutching the tickets to your chest.

“Oh,” Tyler leaned forward, “there’s something else, but it’s in my room, be right back.”

He disappeared up the stairs, and JJ stood to grab his wallet to start switching everything over. Cody looked pleased, and Tyler came running back down a few seconds later with a box in his hand.

“This too,” he huffed out, collapsing back into the chair.

“You’re going to break that one day,” you warned him, tearing into the wrapping paper. Inside was the pair of running shoes you’d talked about the day you went to the mall with him and you smiled, “Thanks, bud.”

“Mall trip successful,” he responded, taking the last sip of his coffee before standing again, “who wants tea?”

“Me,” you answered, standing with him while Cody started pulling out plates for the snacks he’d made. 

In the loudness of everyone talking over each other, you just had to smile. Sure it was chaotic, but it was your family, and you loved them all dearly.

“Oh,” you remembered, “Cody and JJ I expect my gifts on Christmas Eve, thanks.”

Cody groaned and JJ squeezed his shoulder, “You have no one to blame but yourself.”

~

for day nine of @obxmermaid​‘s holiday challenge: secret santa

[skye-huntress]

RWBY V8 Episode 12 “Creation” Reactions

I don’t even know why I’m surprised. If there is one thing that Ironwood is consistent at it’s his incompetency. All his plans are full of holes and blindspots so of course like all of his other plans his plot to threaten Penny into complying would fall apart as fast as he put it in motion due to factors he is too stupid to consider, you know like the fact that members of his own military have enough of the integrity he lacks.

I’m not surprised by the kill on sight order. When RNBWPM set off the alarms in the military compound, Ironwood authorised lethal force against them

Vine seemed to be reflecting on their choices and was perhaps starting to realise they have been on the wrong side of this conflict all along but too little too late

Emerald playing a Penny double is something we all called, but I didn’t expect Winter to be in on the whole plan. Smart of her to coordinate with her sister in order to neutralise Ironwood

“You did the right thing.” “I have. Feels weird.” But you’re smiling so I guess its the good kind of weird, or it’s the euphoria from pulling off such a great con on a massive douche

With both JNPR and Winter ambushing Jimmy, they certainly took no chances with him, which again, smart

Meanwhile, one of the things I’ve hoped for and predicted was Marrow using Stay on Harriet! I mean, it was all three remaining “Ace” Ops, so it’s not personally targeted at her but I’ll take it

Also, BTW, I think I covered this last reaction but Marrow... Great of you for having enough integrity to understand what Jimmy was doing was very wrong, but try to think through your response to things before you got yourself in trouble, or shot. Good thing Winter managed to keep her head and knew they’d need an actual plan and help

So their plan was to use the staff to solve their other problems with the evacuations and Penny. And with the gravity dust Atlas has they have a brief window but it is as I suspected. You can’t have the staff as such an important part of the show and not use it so Atlas was always going to fall, but it hasn’t yet. This of course is going to cause all sort of problems later but more on that later

Quite the hole Oscar left. I love seeing Ruby use the new application of her semblance, it opens up so many possibilities.

I didn’t quite catch Creation Jinn’s name so I’ll call him Blue until I look it up later. May I just say, I love Blue throwing shade at the idea of a floating city. When you think about it, the then Kingdom of Mantle would have probably been better off keeping their feet on the ground.

Before we continue, I’m just going to say something so people are clear why I stand on this, Penny is, always was, and always will be a real girl/woman. As a transgender woman myself, I know better than most that the parts we are made of do not necessarily define who we are. Whether she is made of flesh or metal, human or faunus, Penny is Penny

It feels a bit like cheating, doesn’t it, like they bent the laws of the universe a bit, but hey, desperate times. I can’t pretend to understand it and I don’t even think Jinn could explain it in a way I could but the results are what matter. Besides, bending rules to save the day is very much a Team RWBY thing

I admit it was unnerving watching Penny’s old body die, the way it reached out like even though it was soulless it still had something of her left like memories of what it had lost. Not to mention a clear visual of what almost happened

So throughout this show, Penny has given and received a lot of great hugs, but never thought much about how she feels them. In hindsight, not exactly something I would want to dwell on since it wouldn’t change unless the tech in her body change, or so I thought. She is just so precious how she is now not only showing her affection but enjoying the physical act of doing so. I want to see more cuddly Penny going forward, for the rest of the show. Because Penny is not going anywhere.

Also, when of the first things I noticed about Penny was that she had a blush!

So begins the Fall of Atlas. And as Jaune begins his broadcast, it goes down. That’s probably not a good sign and the fact they weren’t able to fully explain the situation will likely cause problems further down. But also why? The likely culprits would be Watts and Cinder, and the goal would be to sow confusion as well as make it difficult to communicate via scrolls

Ah, Jacques is still around, somehow. You know, it occurs to me that with the entire Kingdom being reduced to rubble, so goes most of the SDC’s assets. While it’s not entirely clear where he’ll end up, yet, he will have still lost everything he had built up and I find that very satisfying. As for Weiss, her home is her family, that’s all she needs and more than Jacques ever had

So now the critical part, getting everyone out of Solitas before the inevitable. Already, the confusion and hesitancy going around is going to slow things down, and every second is going to count. Then there’s the pocket realm Blue created, where if you fall off, well, I’m guessing there is nothing that will ever break your fall and once the Staff is used again, that whole realm and probably everything still in it may cease to exist

Then there’s the final destination. Before the events of the show, Vacuo would have been considered the least ideal place for a whole Kingdom of refugees to go, and the last Kingdom for Atlesians to go to for help given how their ancestors played no small role in its exploitation and decline. But Vacuo is the only Kingdom Salem has yet to attack and the only one not dealing with any direct fallout. Still, resources are scarce enough in what is basically a wasteland and accomodating such a sudden influx of refugees is going to be impossible. Not even touching on the political shitshow it’s going to be

Now, the outstanding issues. It’s like some kind of cruel joke, Ironwood initially stopped the Mantle evacuations because he thought that was how Cinder got in. This time she actually has planted herself among the refugees. Neo and Watts, too, no doubt. The advantage is theirs and their targets are Ruby, an exposed staff, and Penny who is both unarmed aside from her magic and not quite as durable as she used to be. Three villains, three targets

Then, there’s Salem. Not only are they racing against the Fall, they’re also racing against her resurrection which could happen any moment. And the only way to stop her and her Grimm from following is to close the “doors” which might require creating something else. But who would make that call, and when. I suppose if they manage to keep hold of the staff, the most logical thing to create would be a “temporary” shelter for the refugees. Considering anything Blue creates is temporary, it can be as sturdy as they want

We still somehow have two episodes to go and so much that can and will go wrong. I don’t like it!

Final note, I want to hug Penny, too!

[sunnomnoms]

Hiiii I Found Your Blog In The Tags And I Never Thought I Would Enjoy Ace Attorney Imagines Before. I've Been Into It For Years And I Think This Idea Is So Adorable. I Hope Requests Are Open, And If I Can Ask For Relationship Headcanons For Hobo Phoenix Where There Is An Established Relationship Between You Two, And How It Continues Once He Gets Disbarred? I Always Wonder How Those Eight Years Would Have Been When He Had Some Light In His Life Besides Trucy. Btw I Love Your Aizawa Writing!

Aaaa ! A new anon that actually likes my AA stuff ! I’m so blessed :,) I’m truly flattered my writing is what got you interested aha, you’re too sweet ! Also, thank you!

I got SUPER CARRIED AWAY WITH THIS I AM SO SORRY

Fun fact: I actually cried while writing it 🥺🥺

Some warnings: this is female coded! Some angst, some fluff, family cuteness, family struggles, agh-! It has a happy ending though!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

You had known Phoenix for at least a year or so before you started dating. You were a witness to a crime he took, which is what brought you two together in the first place. If it’s important, yes, your testimony did help a good bit for solving the case!

While working on it, Phoenix found himself feeling a bit... fuzzy, around you. It wasn’t ever something he intended to happen, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to be in a relationship. But he couldn’t just deny the immense amount of chemistry going on between the both of you.

Oddly enough, the two of you didn’t lose contact after the case was over. Phoenix took it upon himself to go and see you sometimes when he wasn’t working on anything. This fuzzy feeling was starting to get worse, and the chemistry was slowly turning into tension...

... and within a year or so of knowing you, he took it upon himself to ask if you would be interested in something more. You happily accepted.

With you now at his side, Phoenix felt a bit more confident. You meant a lot to him, and he made sure to express it as much as he could to you. He really was a sweetheart, he made it his goal to let you know how much he loved and appreciate all you did for him. Whether it be helping him figure out a case or just making him dinner after a long day in the office, he never took any of it for granted.

The incident happened a few years later, and it wasn’t something you could have seen coming from a million miles away.

Your boyfriend, an attorney, came home without his beloved badge... and a few days later, was asked to care for a child.

Phoenix was reasonably shaken about losing his badge due to his fatal mistake, but he was more worried about someone else.

“[Y/N], she’s got no where to go...” He said as he held your hands, tears brimming his eyes. The little girl I’m question, Trucy, sat in your living room as the two of you spoke quietly in your bedroom. You felt Phoenix give your hands a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t we give it a try...?”

Truth be told, you and Phoenix had been trying for a baby for a good while now, but nothing seemed to be working. It had started to take a toll on you mentally, making you fear you would never have children at all. Trucy had appeared at a time when you were sure you were going to give up entirely. Perhaps... this could be what you needed all along...?

With tears in your eyes, you agreed happily to raising Trucy with Phoenix. He brought you into a tight embrace as you began to feel yourself cry. He quietly whispered about how good of a mother you were going to be to her, and how he’s going to do everything he could with you to give her a normal life.

Raising Trucy wasn’t a struggle at all. Though mischievous at times, she was a delight to deal with. Your stresses of how you were raising her was fading, because despite everything... she held on tight and was strong. She seemed just as determined to live a normal life as you were to give her one. That is, as normal as raising a little magician can be!

Phoenix, in the beginning, was also great with her. You had never felt so close to him until now. You felt like you had that family you always dreamed of. Granted, it wasn’t perfect, Phoenix was still struggling with coping over his lost badge. You did what you could to assure him that life would untangle itself with time, and that no matter what, you were sure things were going to end up okay. You were there on the countless nights he felt himself fall to apart, you always helped him put back the pieces.

For awhile, you were sure things were getting better. Trucy was doing great, and it seemed like Phoenix was...

Unfortunately, your beloved wasn’t always honest with his feelings. He had suppressed so much... and before you could help him, it’s as if he fell into disrepair.

The struggles came with Phoenix’s sudden and rapidly declining mental health. He had gained a habit to isolate, and you began to go days without seeing him. When he’d show up again, he was vague as to where he was, if he told you at all. It began to take a toll on you, you were beginning to practically raise Trucy alone at this point. Sometimes he’d disappear with Trucy, and that tortured your poor heart more than anything. You could only handle so much paranoia about where they were.

It got to a point in which you basically begged for Phoenix to get professional help. He seemed stubborn when it came to the topic, as if he didn’t want to better himself. You couldn’t even be mad at him, you were too busy sorting out your feelings of dispair and hopelessness. You just wanted a normal life, you wanted a lover, a child, a stable family... you were so close, why did everyone have to fall apart...?

You had ended up taking yourself to therapy to sort out your feelings. Your family and friends gave you conflicting answers as to what to do. Some said to leave him and take Trucy, some said to stay and try and talk to him more, some said to take legal action...

You couldn’t tell what was right at this point. With so many people saying so many things, you weren’t sure what you were supposed to believe. Part of you downplayed the situation, this was how all dads were supposed to be, right? Part of you felt hypersensitive to everything, part of your conscious screaming that you should have ran away the second the red flags began to appear. You didn’t know what to do... so you chose to endure. For Trucy.

It didn’t help that Phoenix picked up a habit for drinking.

The only thing you could ever thank him for was that he stayed away from Trucy when intoxicated. She didn’t need to see him like that. Besides that, he was insufferable to deal with when intoxicated. He was the “I’m not that drunk!!” type, even if he couldn’t stand up. If you had a dime for all the times you had to drag him to bed, you’d never have to worry about the bills ever again. When drunk, he wasn’t physically violent or anything, but he had a habit of saying things that really hurt. It was common for you to put him to bed and spend the rest of the night crying and wonder what went wrong between you two. It was awful that occasionally, Trucy had to come and console you. You felt safer with your daughter than you did you own boyfriend... was it truly supposed to be this way...?

When Apollo came into the picture, you were delighted to meet him. He reminded you of how Phoenix once was when he was a lawyer. Apollo often questioned the family life of the three of you, but you always responded with vague answers. Things like “it’s certainly not perfect, but when is life ever supposed to be perfect?” We’re common time hear from you. It satisfied him for awhile. You’d always hear a ton about Apollo through Trucy, and it was for the most part positive things. Whenever he and Trucy visited the house, you’d quietly thank him for looking over Trucy when Phoenix wasn’t around. He always said it was no issue or whatnot, but you knew deep down he wasn’t expecting to be lowkey babysitting as a lawyer.

As far as you were concerned, Apollo was an addition to the family. Trucy always spoke of him as if he was a big brother, and it warmed your heart to know Trucy had a positive male figure in her life now.

When Phoenix had gone away for longer than usual for his “secret mission”, you had only expected for him to be away to go get messed up in a town over or something. But when he came back, he... brang news.

It was so much to take in at once. Trucy participated in her fathers “disappearance”, her mother was still alive, and Apollo was her half sibling.... what were you to do with yourself? What was it all supposed to mean? Was Trucy going to stay with you? And Apollo, was he now... your son?

You saw Apollo a bit less for the next week or so, you knew that case took a toll on him mentally and you were sure he was up to his eyes in paperwork. You made sure to call him at least once a day to make sure he wasn’t overworking himself.

Trucy was home a bit more now. You were happy to see here in the midst of the storm passing over the whole lot of you. You could tell she was torn up inside, but she still beamed at you with that beautiful smile you adored the second she came into your life. She was so strong, you couldn’t help but tear up a little when you saw her smile in the face of it all.

And Phoenix...

He was still gone for a bit after the fact, but one night he had come home late without you realizing. You were about to go to bed when you heard him call your name from the porch.

You felt your heart drop hearing him, worrying he might be drunk again. You padded your way to the back door, opening it and walking out onto the porch. Phoenix stood from his previous position of leaning on the railing, gesturing to some of the chairs on the deck. “Come sit. I... I wanna talk.”

You sat in one of the chairs, Phoenix pulling up one right in front of you. He inhaled deeply, then letting out a sigh. You were about to ask what this was all about when he gently took both of your hands.

“I... I’m sorry I dumped a bunch of information and left for a few days.” He apologized softly. “... I’ve been getting help.”

You let out a soft gasp. Phoenix looked up at you, and you felt yourself get lost in those beautiful steal blue eyes the same way you did all those years ago. You knew he was being sincere when he said it, but part of you didn’t believe it, what was this supposed to mean...?

“N-Nick, what is this about...?” You said, your voice barely above a whisper as you felt yourself getting choked up.

“[Y/N], this is about us. I lost sight of everything all those years ago- this isn’t what I wanted. This isn’t what I want and I know it’s not what you want.” Phoenix said, his gentle gaze never leaving you. You searched his face for any sign of insincerity but it just wasn’t there.

“Nick...” you croaked, tears beginning to roll down your face. You watched the tears begin to well up in his own eyes, but he quickly blinked them away.

“[Y/N]... I want to be a family again. A real family, [Y/N], I don’t want to be a stranger in this house anymore. I don’t want you to be afraid of where I am anymore, or be afraid of how Trucy is gonna grow up. I want a real family. I want you, me, Trucy and even Apollo to function like a real family...” He said, bringing your hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to them.

“... I’m so sorry [Y/N].” He spoke against your fingers. “I understand if you don’t forgive me, but I regret these past years so much... I need you to know that I’m sorry [Y/N]....”

You tried to hold back so you could speak, but your frantic sniffling caught Phoenix’s attention immediately.

“Nick, I-I-!”

He wrapped his arms tightly around you as you fell to pieces in his arms. You sobbed harder than you probably ever had for those past seven years or so. You clutched onto him for dear life, terrified he might disappear again if you let go.

“N-Nick- I-Ive waited s-seven years to hear you say you’ll come back!!! I-I-I’ve waited so long for you to c-come back home again, I-I-!” You wailed, your sobs getting the better of you as you gasped for air between your tears. He whispered gentle apologies to you as he ran his fingers through your hair.

The two of you stayed like that for a good bit. You sooner or later leveled out, your sobs dying down to gentle sniffles. Phoenix gently released you from his embrace, taking your hands in his again.

“[Y/N]?”

“Y-Yeah?” You responded shakily. He looked you in the eyes again, a gentle smile on his face.

“I... I want you to be my wife.” He said gently, earning another gasp from you. “Y-You don’t have to say yes now, I understand, b-but I don’t want to just be a lover to you anymore, I-I want to be your husband, [Y/N].” He spoke gently. You felt the tears sting your eyes again. He watched your face for a second, waiting for any sign of an answer to his proposal. You brought a hand to your face as you wiped the fresh tears rolling down your face.

“Oh Nick, I... I’d love to be your wife, Nick. I-I truly thought you would never ask...” You said, smiling as you watched his eyes light up. He let out a laugh of disbelief.

“Y-You mean it? After everything I’ve done you... you still love me..?” He asked. You nodded. “Of course I do.” Letting out another laugh in disbelief, he cupped your face and brought you into a deep kiss.

You were basically smothered with kisses, the two of you giggling like idiots, as giddy as teenagers getting their first tastes of love.

“I’m gonna get better just for you, and I’m gonna go retake the bar exam and I’m gonna fix all of this [Y/N]. I’m gonna give you the life you want and the life you deserve. I’m never going to lose sight of you again. Not you, not Trucy, not even Apollo, we’re gonna be a family and I’m not gonna let anything ever destroy that again. Maybe we can try again for another kid, maybe we can adopt another, I’ll give you anything to make our life perfect again...”

“I love you so much [Y/N].”

[clearturtletrash]

Horikoshi’s writing of Shouto and the problems I have with it

If you’re a fan of the way Shouto’s treated in the manga, don’t read, we’ll end up disagreeing on everything and you’ll probably end up offended lol. Because I’m not (satisfied, that is). 

This post is spoiler-heavy for anime onlys, and for manga readers not up to date with the last arc (and last chapter for that matter, which is 301).

So, about Shouto and how he’s handled, along with ‘his’ story.

I don’t get how Horikoshi, whose writing I respect immensely, managed to depict such an incredible and alluring storyline with the Todoroki family, with some of the most complex character writing I’ve seen, but fumbled the one character he had to actually focus on.

Literally more than half the people in the Todoroki storyline are more interesting and more developed than Shouto at this point. Hawks, Endeavour, Dabi, Rei… a good bunch of fans are way more invested in their story than his, and I am too. It’s really sad, because if you asked me two years ago Shouto would have probably been one of my favorite character. But he was completely shafted, given no internal conflict, and at this point, I have the same interest in him as I do for Fuyumi and Natsuo, which basically means his only interesting feature to me is that he’s Endeavour’s child (oh, and he does have a cool design, but that can only get you so far).  

Deku and Katsuki are more popular than him by a landslide compared to before if we believe the Japanese popularity polls, because Hori actually bothers to give them focus, conflict, and cool moments (even though, sometimes I feel like Horikoshi forgets Deku’s his main character lol). It’s a testament to how great Shouto was and how much potential had that he’s still that popular despite everything. Because, let’s be real, Endeavour and Dabi have taken the focus because they have much more emotional energy, while Shouto is just stuck in the crossfire, as a punching ball and stress relief (and eventually as the person who’ll save him I guess) for Touya (see how he was relegated to first aid during the big fight against Tomura? how he did absolutely nothing against Touya who was burning him alive? And how Touya had no interest in Shouto outside of the fact he was Endeavour’s son? Story of the way Hori treats him). He has no particular interesting insight to give on the Todoroki family either as he was too small to remember the important events, so even on this point we can’t count on Horikoshi to write something for him, everything comes from Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Rei. He's really had one great moment in S2 and S3 and that’s it. The way Horikoshi struggles to give him a personality doesn’t help either (he admitted some time ago he was hard to write sometimes, and… yeah, I can see that).  I’m really trying to like his character but the manga gives us nothing, and keeps developing Endeavour, Dabi, and Hawks, which is great (I really love all three of them) but makes no sense given who’s supposed to be the main focus.

In the Endeavour agency arc, Endeavour’s thoughts and struggles were heavily touched upon, and Bakugou and Deku are in sync for 90% of it while Shouto’s just… there. as fodder for Endeavour, and maybe as a link between Endeavour and Bakugou/Deku too. He’s supposed to be a part of both these storylines, but instead, he just ends up as a way for them to overlap. we don't even take a peek in his thoughts, even though it's supposed to be an arc about the Todorokis!

I say all this as someone who eagerly waited for the day Horikoshi would portray Shouto, Katsuki, and Deku as a trio, but yeah, Shouto feels more like a third wheel than anything. if he wanted to establish them that way, he should have done it right after the sports festival arc, but after this arc, they have no scene together, and the focus shifted on Deku and Katsuki. Too little too late I guess.  

To come back to the Todoroki storyline, I feel like Horikoshi simply woke up one day and decided Endeavour was more interesting to write lmao. at this point, it’s more Endeavour’s storyline than Shouto’s, even though Shouto’s supposedly one of the main characters. it has come to a point where, even though I know it ought to focus on Shouto because he’s (at least he should be) the main focus of this particular storyline, I’m hoping it won’t, because that’s just the least interesting aspect of this whole thing.  

I’d say even Ochako’s treated better by the story, because at least Horikoshi tries to challenge her views and beliefs (even though for now it’s not very conclusive), while Shouto’s inner growth hasn't been put into question in how many chapters?

(btw, by inner growth, I’m not talking about his problem with his fire side, because that’s just been rinse and repeat for more than 200 chapters. I mean, srsly it’s been already 3 times since this problem has caused him to lose/fail... and it's not even satisfying like Katsuki or Deku (except for the first time in the sport festival, because that was when his character was still handled very well by Horikoshi). Why? Simply because when he loses, the stakes aren’t high, it’s all training or exams, so he’s just like, "oh, I have to maybe learn how to deal with it!", but there’s no real pressure he’s under. It’s not like Deku, who, if he does not progress, will break all his bones, and who failed to rescue Katsuki because of his broken arms (=and had a mental breakdown immediately afterwards and blamed himself). It’s not like Katsuki either, because Katsuki has a personality that makes low stakes feel like high stakes, which isn’t the case for Shouto. just compare Shouto's reaction when he loses because of his setbacks to Katsuki's reaction when he lost to Deku the first time (mental breakdown), or when Katsuki failed the provisional license exam (another mental breakdown, not caused just by his failing, but yeah). And anything else about Shouto's inner growth is tied to his reaction to Endeavour’s arc, which isn’t a flaw, and 100% depends on the way Endeavour acts. Apart from this, he has 0 internal conflict).  

Sorry, I’ve gone off on a tangent lol.

To get back to the point I was making, and to further develop my analogy with Ochako, let’s look at their relationship with Deku, because there’s a major difference there, which is clearly in favor of Ochako.  Deku has a big impact on Ochako, yes, but the reverse is also true. People complain she’s all about him (which, yeah, probably), but at least, she made a big impact on him too. She was the main reason ‘Deku' became his hero name. Shouto and Deku have a nice friendship, and Deku clearly considers him one of his best friends. but... it’s all one-sided in terms of impact, I can’t think of a single thing Shouto has done who changed/motivated Deku, while Deku literally changed his life. Because of this, he’s not one of the people who’s intrinsically tied to Deku’s character development, because he’s not Ochako, Inko, Katsuki or All Might (and probably soon Tomura).

His writing feels so fast compared to the others too. Shigaraki / Deku and Toga / Ochako have been paralleled for ages, have had a conversation at least once, and have had deep encounters early on. Nonetheless, both Deku and Ochako are just coming to terms with the fact these villains aren’t so different from them. However, Shouto’s only interaction with Dabi is a ten second eye contact when Dabi kidnapped Katsuki. Dabi had more interactions with Endeavour for fuck's sake! Shouto then learns Dabi’s Touya, and speed runs the development of Ochako and Deku. He doesn’t even need 10 chapters to process they’re ’the same'. Where were all the reflection and doubts? Okay, it’s his brother, so the parallels are easier, but still, it shows Horikoshi doesn’t allow Shouto to have that much introspection, and I feel it’s because Horikoshi just doesn’t care that much. Even worse! Horikoshi introduces another hero parallel to Dabi in the character of Hawks. A parallel much more interesting and compelling, because it parallels Dabi MUCH BETTER. They’re opposites in every ways (particularly in regards to their relationship with Endeavor), and know each other. Touya and Shouto don’t even seem to have spoken to each other...

And so, the only thing that still was interesting and that Horikoshi still bothered to develop was Shouto’s relationship with Endeavour, but in the end, even that was overshadowed by the much more complex, fucked up, and challenging relationships of Endeavour and Touya (and Endeavour and Hawks) as seen in 301 and before. Clearly the one Dabi’s fixated on is Endeavour.

one last thing: Shouto's stuck in a weird loop where Horikoshi kind of makes him comes close of the Bakugou and Deku duo, and then when we start to think they’re an actual trio, he does everything in his power to make it very clear how that’s NOT where he belongs either, since OFA/All Might/Deku/Katsuki is another storyline. It’s as if Horikoshi doesn’t want him here (see: how he decided the ‘win all might’ scene didn’t have to include him), but puts him there sometimes anyway. It’s probably because Shouto’s so popular, which, yeah, would be fine, if he could stick to it!

His supposed admiration for All Might (I feel like everybody forgets it's a part of his character, and I don't blame them) is brought up once every blue moon, which compared to Deku and Katsuki, is just ridiculous. And, once again, All Might has a much deeper and more interesting relationship with Endeavour than with Shouto. At this point, I don’t even know what Hori could do to make me want to read about him. I much prefer the dynamic of Hawks/Endeavour/Touya and Katsuki/Deku/All Might.

I hope the future will prove me wrong for his character. Actually, I hope everything I’m saying is wrong and idiotic, and Horikoshi will make every scene I criticized worth it and a means to an end. I mean, he clearly has the talent and writing ability to pull off some of the best character development I’ve ever seen, so anything’s possible. but yeah, I don’t really believe it for now, and I’m frustrated, because Shouto had so much potential.

tldr; I liked Shouto as a character, but he dwindled after some time, and now I feel as if he’s not the focus of his own storyline, because this place is occupied by the much more dynamic relationships of Endeavour, Touya and Hawks. And I’m not even mad, because their dynamic is much more interesting. However, I feel like Horikoshi grew bored of Shouto, and has put much more soul into Katsuki and Deku as of late.

I’m welcoming any responses, if people are seeing an aspect of his character I don’t, please enlighten me! I miss enjoying his character, and I’m not opposed to seeing him in a different light. I just needed to put down my thoughts in writing to make sense of them lol.

[wallofweird]

hi fae, how do you feel about people saying that kevin only tolerates madison bc of kate and therefore they won't work? :/

Hi! Well, I think these people are definitely not watching This Is Us (or any type of television, for that matter) or living on Earth. Or seeing and unseeing things according to their pre-established opinions. Either way, that’s absolutely not true. On most of their interactions Kevin is polite, as you can see it here:

I love this part because there are at least three other guests closer to him but she is the first person he offers a glass of champagne... If you pay attention to the scene, he is holding THREE glasses. He gives one to Madison and he puts another on a shelf, I don’t know about the third, but there were definitely more women in the room that could’ve had that(those) glass(es), he just didn’t care, lol. Also, Rebecca is looking and smiling at him, but he doesn’t even notice it because he is too busy looking at Madi... I mean, another direction.

CREDIT: https://thisiskevison.tumblr.com (all the gifs above)

Kevin doesn’t look very happy with the idea of dancing and still he doesn’t protest.

CREDIT: https://madsdefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/616600065662926848/kevin-x-madison-height-difference

This gif doesn’t show it, but he turns his head and watches Madison as she walks away just like on gif number 4.

Siding with her during a conversation with Kate.

CREDIT: https://thisiskevison.tumblr.com (all the gifs above)

Comforting Madison.

CREDIT: https://madsdefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/618991372262916096/kevin-looking-at-madison-nothing-but-blue-skies

He isn’t smiling here, but does this seem to be a person that is annoyed with the other? He has soft, delicate, gentle eyes while looking at her.

And this whole thing about Kevin despising Madison and only tolerating her because of Kate is even more ridiculous because on this scene he is basically begging her to invite him to come inside.

CREDIT: https://madsdefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/616600065662926848/kevin-x-madison-height-difference

If he thought her company was so unpleasant, why would he accept it in the first place? He could’ve left and gone to Rebecca’s house instead, or come back after Toby got back from work, he could’ve called Randall, or Nicky, or simply gone somewhere else to make new friends because it’s not like struggles when he socializes with strangers.

And here is what Madison had to say about her night with him:

CREDIT: https://thisiskevison.tumblr.com/post/617836054621339648/do-you-want-to-know-why-i-think-i-slept-with

He made her feel comfortable enough to be her true self and he ended up spending at least a few hours with Madison. He spent the night at her place and only left the next morning... If her presence were so repellent, why didn’t he leave after the sex? Madison didn’t point a gun at him and forced him to stay. Even after he woke up, he kept lying next to her on the bed without a shirt on... Plus, there was the option of leaving without saying anything while she was asleep, but he didn’t do that.

Actually, the only time I believe Kevin was rude to her was at the hospital, but you have to analyze the context: his sister went into early labor, there was an endless list of possible complications to the baby and herself, it took hours until Kevin got some information, Kevin had been drinking, he was dealing with his failed attempt to connect with his uncle, the frustration of having relapsed after an entire year of being sober, feeling guilty for lying to everyone about it and the fear of losing Zoe because of those lies. He was going through A LOT. Those were probably some of the hardest hours of his life. Yet, at first he treated her just fine, it was the fact she wouldn’t stop talking (because that’s the way she was coping with the situation and usually what he does too when he’s sober, btw) that he said those things to her. Now, I don’t drink, but as far as I know people on hangover usually have headaches so it’s not weird that they will avoid noises and I remember Kevin saying a few minutes before that he was on hangover.

I also remember that he immediately regretted it and apologized to Madison, but she didn’t listen and left (I don’t blame her). And when she walked away he was hit by a dose of consciousness and realized his was being “an ass” and apologized to his family. She wasn’t the only one, he was snapping at everybody, because it wasn’t Madison, Randall or anyone else that was annoying him. It wasn’t personal. It was the stress of the entire situation that was making Kevin take it out on everybody. Plus, even though he didn’t specifically snap at Zoe, when he went outside to get some air and clear his head, she offered him company and Kevin shut her out.

CREDIT: https://thisiskevison.tumblr.com/post/618572824853069824/im-sorry-what-exactly-are-you-doing-here

By the way, Kevin bumped into Madison when he was getting out of the elevator and attempted to apologize for a second time.

Another scene people use as an ‘example’ of rudeness is this moment on the season finale, but I sincerely disagree. Here’s why:

Kevin was in the middle of a heated fight with his brother and that was almost getting physical when Madison arrived for the party.

And when she showed up at the door he just told her the truth: it wasn’t a good time.

Now, does that look like an angry, utterly annoyed and disdainful face for you? Because the way I see it, it’s just a guy who’s weary and not in his best state of mind, which is comprehensible since he was in a middle of an argument, his mother’s health is deteriorating, Randall had talked her into doing a clinical trial in the other side of the country despite her previous refusal and that’s just SOME of the heavy stuff he was dealing with at that specific moment.

However, Madison doesn’t bother and enters the place anyway.

And Kevin doesn’t yell at her, protest or leaves, he just lets her in and closes the door.

Again: does this look like he hates Madison so much like some people make it seem?

THIS is being annoyed and/or angry:

CREDIT: https://rostovarps.tumblr.com/post/165520445651/kevin-pearson-in-this-is-us-01x07-the-best

CREDIT: https://adyadintheforce.tumblr.com/post/177326964546/shame-on-all-of-us

And this is just being upset, tired, feeling like all your energy has been drained out of your body:

If you watch the scene, his face on the picture above and on this gif has identical expressions:

CREDIT: https://ltbelanna.tumblr.com/post/189147462109/this-is-us-4x08-sorry-im-sorry-me-too-see

And really, how did these people expect him to react? Did they expect him to smile, kiss her and propose a second round of hookup? His reaction made perfect sense to everything that was happening at the time.

Do they believe things would’ve been different if it had been someone else at the door, like Kate’s neighbor Gregory or somebody from her support group? Do they think that if it had been another person he would’ve hugged them, offer coffee and crack jokes? That the problem was Madison and not the situation he was in with Randall and Rebecca? 

Anywaaaay, by the end of their conversation he had already softened up and was even slightly smiling at her. 

CREDIT: https://millennial-mess.tumblr.com/post/613565105725194240/im-so-sick-of-chasing-ghosts-im-tired-of

CREDIT: https://madsdefencesquad.tumblr.com/post/620438418688704513/you-da-best

Sure, it wan’t a wide smile because it wasn’t like his problems had disappeared all of a sudden, but he had found a silver lining in the midst of everything.

And being exhausted, upset, annoyed, stressed or angry is part of the human experience and part of being in a relationship of ANY KIND: romantic, platonic, familial. Taking it out on someone can happen sometimes as well. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. People are not perfect. People are not robots. They navigate through negative feelings and emotions too. It’s how things are in real life and also how things are on television, specially on This Is Us, which is a show that focuses on relationships and emotions.

Jack and Rebecca, Beth and Randall, Kate and Toby, Randall and Kevin, Kevin and Kate, Nicky and Kevin, Kevin and Sophie, William and Randall, Kevin and Cassidy all had moments like this... The list goes on. Would the same people define these relationships/friendships as unsuccessful and fake because of a few unfriendly moments? I doubt it, because what really defines a relationship as healthy and successful is the people’s ability to recognize their own mistakes, forgive each other, work on themselves as individuals and as friends/a couple/a family and getting even closer and stronger after facing the hardships. It’s not smiling, talking, hugging and kissing 24/7 because nobody does that. Maybe for a few days and weeks, but you won’t last even a month behaving like this, let alone YEARS.

And the complications are also what keep the story interesting and engaging. I don’t mean something like toxicity and abuse, but if couples, relatives and friends don’t disagree, argue and face problems out and within their relationship, the show doesn’t go anywhere. There must be conflict. There must be drama. And there must be happiness. It’s about balancing these aspects out.

If they want to watch something that’s always sunshine and rainbows and where the characters are always happy, they should watch a TV show targeted to three-year-old children, because honestly This Is Us has never been and will never be this kind of show. 

And we know Kevin has a pregnant fiancee on season 5 and since This Is Us is not a soap opera, I seriously doubt Kevin will go out there impregnating multiple women with multiple children and multiple sets of twins. I reckon it’s safe to say it’s Madison. That means they will go through one of the most amazing and yet vulnerable and challenging experiences two people can ever face and instead of pulling them apart, it will only bring them closer to the point they will get engaged. For me, this sounds like a relationship that is DEFINITELY WORKING.

[devianta]

MDZS/Persona 5 xover that literally no one asked for

I just feel like there’s so much potential for this. Think about it, both of these works have themes surrounding the damage gossip can cause, getting punished for doing the right thing (no good deed goes unpunished), what constitutes justice, and the consequences of shitty parenting, amongst other things. 

Mostly I just want to run wwx’s palace. He has a palace, there’s no doubt about that, and I want to run it. I’d kill 500 men for the opportunity. Also, pretty sure his treasure would be his lost golden core. Meaning, that if you successfully steal that shit you get to give to it him and then he’d have a new one without 1) him having to die and be brought back in a new body or 2) having to fuck anyone else up. (Phantom Thievery ftw!) You’d just have to successfully complete the palace. That’s all. 

Can you imagine wwx as a boss? Like, can you imagine that boss fight? He’d have at least 12 health bars. I mean, this is the guy who got shot by an arrow, pulled it out, and threw it back, instantly killing the bitch who shot him. This is the fucker who got disemboweled by his brother, stuffed his intestines back in, and then went and bought potatoes. This guy got a super experimental operation done on him, got stabbed with his own sword by wen chao (at least in the donghua, can’t remember if this happened in the other adaptations), and was then thrown into burial mounds. Like after all that, he was literally thrown off a cliff and he was still able to move around. Wwx is not unlike a termite: there’s really not much that can kill him. During the Sunshot Campaign he managed whole battlefields on his own. He played the flute days and nights on end without rest. 

His boss fight would be near impossible but I would be so willing to try. BTW, I’m imagining this taking place after he’s moved into Burial Mounds with the Wen Remnants but before jzx gets dead. You know, before everything gets irreversibly fucked. So the Stygian Tiger Seal will definitely feature in the boss fight. Most likely it’ll be something you need to steal it during the fight. I’m imagining that he uses to summon endless waves of corpses that prevent you from getting any hits in so you have to distract him in order to steal the seal off him and finally be able to deal actual damage to him. That’ll be stage one of the fight. Stage two will be fighting wwx and shadow wen ning. You have to defeat wen ning before you move on to stage three. Wen ning exclusively uses physical attacks. Wwx never uses physical attacks. He mostly commands wen ning but throws out curse and almighty attacks every one or two turns. Stage three is just wwx and he starts hitting you with a crap ton of curse damage with some almighty mixed in to spice things up. He repels most physical attacks and all curse moves. He’s weak to bless skills but has a 50% dodge rate for them. Beating wwx earns you no money (b/c he’s poor af) but he drops 2x Shijie’s soup (restores full sp to all party members), 5x wen qing’s needles (cures any status condition), 5x curse talismans (does 50 dmg), and one (1) golden core. 

What does wwx’s palace look like? Where is it? I want to say Lotus Pier and the distortion (what he thinks of it as) is a graveyard/mausoleum/something along those lines. But an argument could be made for burial mounds. I’m not sure what the distortion would be though in that case. I feel like wwx sees burial mounds pretty clearly. No, I think wwx’s distortion revolves around Lotus Pier and his family there. Mini bosses? Jiang Cheng definitely. Maybe Madame Yu? Shijie would show up (his palace wouldn’t be complete without her) but she wouldn’t be a shadow you’d fight. She’d offer guidance or healing items. Lwj’s shadow would definitely be there but I’m not sure what his role would be. At that point in the story, wwx’s unknowingly in love with lwj and sees him as a nice guy who asks wwx questions he can’t answer. He believes that he and lwj will inevitably end up on opposite sides of the battle field but ultimately wwx does not want to fight him. He feels that a death at lwj’s hands would be a good death. So he might be a shadow you have to impress or prove yourself to before receiving help. I feel like wwx’s palace would be a bit like Futaba’s in that he wouldn’t have full control over it because he no longer has complete control over himself or his demonic cultivation. Which is why I think there would be shadows in wwx’s palace that act counter to his purpose of pushing others away (not unlike in Futaba’s palace). If anything, I feel like his palace would be like a weird mix of Futaba’s and Nijima’s palaces. Because wwx has that distinct self-blaming loneliness that so permeated Futaba’s pyramid but he also has that single-minded determination and overbearing hubris that featured so strongly is Nijima’s casino. I don’t know. Nijima, in her boss battle, repeatedly yelled “I must win! I must win at any cost!” and I can kinda hear wwx saying something similar but it would be more along the lines of “I must protect them! I must protect them no matter what!” “Them” of course being his family and the Wen Remnants. 

 Other palaces to conquer in the MDZS universe? (It might be easier to list the people who wouldn’t have palaces.) 

Jiang Cheng definitely has a palace. A very purple palace. Lotus Pier, the Revenge. But what does he see his home as? An empty house? Jyl did say in the Untamed that three of them must remain together forever. And what happened? Wwx ran off with the last of the Wens and Jyl got married and left. If anything, jc is lonely. All he wants is his family back. So his palace would either reflect the state of his existence: alone in an empty home with no one to call his own, or it would reflect his deepest desires: his whole family returned to him. What sort of palace ruler would he be? He has that inferiority complex and brother and mother and father issues. (So. Many. ISSUES.) I can see his wwx shadow being completely obedient, because that’s sort of what he wants. He wants his brother home again and fulfilling his promise, to be the other half of the twin heroes of Yunmeng. It might be fun to fight shadow!jc and shadow!wwx at the same time. The Phantom Thieves vs the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng, loser gets sent to the Shadow Realm! (Just kidding. Unless...?) The other possibility is that wwx is completely absent from the palace but his absence is blatantly obvious to anyone that gazes upon the palace, like walking into a bedroom with no bed. There should be a bed there. Everyone knows a bed belongs here but there is no bed. Jc’s palace should have a wwx but wwx is not here. But he should be.

What would jc’s treasure be? His original golden core? Probably not. As far as he’s concerned (at this juncture) the golden core in his body is his original, restored by baoshan sanren. So it’s not that. The puppies that he lost as a boy, that he was forced to trade for an errant brother? A possibility. That was seemingly the start of jc’s problems. First he lost his beloved dogs, then he lost the love of his parents. Jfm focused on wwx to the detriment of jc and madame yu wouldn’t shut the fuck up about how jc couldn’t compare to wwx. If wwx hadn’t come to lotus pier, jc’s parents might’ve been satisfied with him. But I sincerely doubt that. There were clearly problems between J-fucking-M and Mad-Yu’s (can you tell that I think nothing of these two assholes god what I wouldn’t give to kick their asses in the metaverse I’d tear their fucking hearts out to quote ryugi) marriage prior to wwx’s arrival. Wwx’s presence there only brought those problems to the surface. Whether jc is capable of recognizing that truth is another matter. (Sorry, jc but your parents are shit and their marriage was doomed to failure before they even made their bows.) 

Or would wwx himself be the treasure? Jc’s parents are dead; they can’t be returned to life and therefore are unattainable. Jyl didn’t necessarily abandon jc and I doubt he sees her leaving as a betrayal. Jyl’s marriage was more or less inevitable. She’s able to easily visit. There’s no real conflict there. Wwx, on the hand, defected from Jiang sect. Jc has to pretend to loathe him, to not want him back when the opposite is in fact the case. Most of jc’s problems, wishes, and desires center around this one person. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that wwx is the locus of jc’s world, the axis upon which all turns: the triumphs and failures, tragedies and victories. When wwx is missing, jc looks for him. When wwx drops his sword, jc picks it up and returns it to him. Whatever happens to one brother affects the other. Even if/when wwx isn’t obviously present in jc’s life, he’s still there, even if you don’t see one brother next to the other. Even though jc doesn’t know it at that point in the story, wwx is the core of jc’s body and, therefore, it would make thematic sense for him to the be the core of jc’s palace.

Other palaces? Well, Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao obviously. Su She is debatable. I feel like he’d be a Mementos run. Besides, he’s not important enough to warrant a palace. Likewise, Jin Zixun would be a Mementos case. Wen Ruohan would have a palace but we don’t get to really know him as a character so I can’t say what his palace would like look except that it would encompass the whole of Ancient China. Wen Chao would likely have a palace even though he doesn’t deserve the attention ripping his palace apart would require. Most likely it would be a cross between Kamoshida’s and Kanoshiro’s. Jgs’ palace would probably look like Kamoshida’s and Jgy’s would probably be like Shido’s. 

Am I missing anyone? What do you think the characters’ palaces would look like? Whose palace would you most like to run? Let me know! 

[espship18]

Kpop ship for BM anon

Hello one hello all (: How are we today? It’s super hot where I live so ya girl isn’t a happy camper lol. I have a ship for an anon, so without further a do, let’s go! 

Based off of your request, I learned these things about you: 

You’re 5′7 with red shoulder length hair 

You're British which is hecca cool 

Your style reflects a vintage 40s and 50s 

You have the INFP personality i’m the enfp, we’re close!

You're introverted and emotional 

You can be stubborn, but also open-minded 

You’re very caring of others

Hobbies: history aye, that’s it, drawing, writing, and myths

And in your request, you asked to be shipped with BTS, EXO, and Got7! For some reason this is a classic trio for me, so I’m super excited, let’s get it on! 

BTS: Yoongi

Okay so, I see so many aesthetics in this ship, and therefore I am living for this ship! To be honest, you would be Yoongi’s little badass and like you would have this man wrapped around your pinky. I love to think about your fashion style paired with Yoongi’s fashion style. Like, I need visuals for this asap, I love it that much lol. Also, imagine this with me. You and Yoongi are getting ready in the morning. As an act of self love, you enjoy taking more time to get ready in the morning, making sure you look darn good. As you would put on some make up or even doing hair, imagine Yoongi watching you in awe at the different products and techniques you would use. He would be extremely impressed by eyeliner. Of course he’s used to a little eyeliner for work, but when you do that flick and your eyes look completely different, he’s swooning. Moving right along, you would seem like that kind of couple who prefer to hang out together rather than with others, so you two are extremely close with one another. You genuinely enjoy the company of one another and you would also enjoy the company of Yoongi’s fellow group members, they become second family. It’s actually quite sweet how the boys observe you and Yoongi and they will playfully tease you two about being love sick puppies. It’s even a bigger win-win because sometimes you get flustered and hide into Yoongi’s chest. You two are also very good at taking care of each other. We all know that sometimes that Yoongi will put work above health, that’s when you come in and set the record straight and make sure that Yoongi takes care of his health. You especially have to lay the line on him when they’re prepping for a comeback. He can get the most stressed out at those times, so you stay on top of him. AND OMG IMAGINE DYING EACH OTHERS HAIR I’M SCREAMING. At first, Yoongi would be nervous, since he can be picky about his hair, but you would assure him that hair dying isn’t your first rodeo and he’d relax. Yoongi would love the end result though, you wouldn’t get stains on his skin or anything. You two would spend a lot of time in Yoongi’s studio. Yoongi would find himself having an easier time at work with you around, since you would calm him down real easy. You would be good at keeping quiet too, so you don’t disturb Yoongi as he works. You normally use that time to relax and write, and you lowkey like to feed off of Yoongi’s inspiration! Lastly PDA, soft but a little possessive. Yoongi would be protective over you, so he’d normally prefer to have his arm around your torso or holding your hands. He also prefer to peck you on the lips, ya know, so all the peeps can know he’s in love. *eyebrow wiggle* 

EXO: Suho 

Okay so, when I made a decision, I threw my pen on my book and literally said out loud “yes ma’am we are DOING THIS!” If you have ever had a domestic dream, this ship my friend, is the one for you. First off, you two are adorable emotional bears together, cuddly and snuggly bears that is. Suho is the all around package, we all know this, and this man will tell you how amazing you are and how perfect you are. Bottom line, you would never have to worry about not being loved with this man, because if you think that Suho is affectionate with his members, imagine how he would be with you, love overload. Like this bub would pour his heart out to you nearly everyday, he’s just so full of love. Another cute thing that I think would draw Suho to you is the fact when he get’s excited, he nearly pops off like an excited puppy. If the roles were reversed and you would get excited about something, Suho would love it if you got excited. The only difference between you and Suho, you prefer to smile and just let Suho do his cute little excitement rant and you look at him with the most loving look on his eyes. And if you’re excited about something, Suho is all up in that gig. He loves to hype you up even more, aka your number one hype man, and he loves to poke at you to get even more exciting information about what you’re excited about. That may sound like a cluster heap of words, but I hope that makes sense. OMGOMG OKAY LISTEN, couples. outfits. Imagine how freaking cute it would be if Suho did some research and he would purposely try to match outfits with you, with the amazing aesthetics that the 40s and 50s brought us. Along with your domestic fantasy, you’re gonna get your vintage fantasy too! Which by the way, Halloween is the best with him. I wanna focus on date night as well, with Suho more in control. This man will pay attention to the details you like when it comes to your interests. And as a lot of us have noticed, Suho has a thing for galleries and museums. This man will take you to the latest and the greatest museums ever. You even get more spoiled if you travel with Suho and you two go to a museum in another country or something like that. Small coffee shops are also on the date night roster btw. Lastly, PDA, buckle up. Holding hands would be Suho’s FAVORITE thing ever. Suho would love the versatility of hand holding, mostly so if he was holding your hand, he could pull you close to him and hug you. Forehead kisses are on the roster too, can’t forget those, hehe. 

Got7: Mark 

Oki doki, for the last ship for the day, I really really like this combo. When I think of you and Mark together, you two have this quality about you two that makes you two great for each other. You both are very soft and loving people and you two are very caring people. I know this sounds kind of weird, but you two would bond over being caring. I can see that you would be friends with JB or one of Mark’s group mates and you would hang out with the boys often. You would be sort of like almost friends with Mark, you two would talk, but it would normally be over like roasting JB or Yugyeom. But then, one day, the boys would devise a plan where all of them except Mark and you would go and pick up dinner. Since you wouldn’t want to make things awkward, you two would start talking and then eventually you two would find out you have things in common! You two would take your friendship slow, then would the mushy gushy feelings would come, you would still take things slow. You wouldn’t want to rush things then end up hurting each other, that’s the last thing that Mark would want, trust me. But to be honest, you two wouldn’t have that many problems or difficulties. You two are very easy going people, so you wouldn’t have many conflicts, and you two would have such good chemistry, there would be nothing to worry about. You two also have that studio apartment as plant parents vibe. And of course, we can’t leave out coco! Little coco would absolutely love you, so that was also a contributing factor as to why Mark would like you so much. And to be honest, now that I think about it, if there was ever a disagreement between you and Mark, it would be over cute bicker sessions over something silly, it would never be that deep though. Mark would also highkey enjoy pushing your buttons playfully to see how stubborn you can get, he would think it’s super cute, he knows you’re always right though. Oh! I can’t forget that Mark is super close with his family. You would easily get the Papa Tuan seal of approval. Papa Tuan would love you so much, and he’d be so eager to meet you too! Date night with Mark is normally in the apartment, mostly to just spend time with each other and good off. Sometimes you would try to cook, which Mark would do a great job and he would highkey enjoy cooking for you. You two would also have deep talks. Since you can be good at listening, you would let Mark pour his heart out to you and you would help him in anyway you can. Pillow talk sessions are a must btw. Lastly, PDA with Mr. Tuan, here. Super soft PDA, mostly with Mark being a smol clingy bean who enjoys curling up to you. You never mind it though, because you literally have your own personal teddy bear!

~STA

[survivingsusac]

Link, my Alinker

ALINKER!

Well, you guys did it! You helped me fundraise enough to order my very own Alinker! If you recall, I learned about this mobility aid through Selma Blair’s transparency about her fight with her own autoimmune disease, Multiple Sclerosis. She and I like the same things about it: It provides a way to move about when your body just won’t. Do. It. On. Its. Own. The height keeps you just about your normal walking height. Trust me, I spent most of my life as a person who was of normal physical ability and then spent quite a while being pushed around in a transport chair after a disabling disease kicked in. Being the height of peoples faces (like when standing) instead of their butts (like when in a transport chair) is MUCH. APPRECIATED. Because an Alinker is directed and moved by me to where I want it to take me instead of requiring another person to move it when they are available, it gives me drastically more independence than the transport chair did. No knocks against you, transport chair, you did me a solid when I needed you. I just am moving on to Alinker. I’ve been calling him Link. So what’s it like to use Link, you ask? Well pull up a chair, grab a drink or a snack and I will tell you a story.

Alinker Assemble

So Link shows up in a box that my daughter, Abigail, immediately claimed as her new playhouse. It was a big box. I assemble him according to the instructions and complete the warranty activation forms online. Link’s looking spiffy and I’m dying to try him out so I pump up his tires and Ab and I go for a little walk. I’m juiced and I love Link right away. I adjust the saddle (that’s the seat portion that your butt is on) height because I am short, and the placement to be right for my weight.

The State Fair

My mom/rock, Ab, and I use Link at the state fair, where he draws attention and admiration from security guards, strangers, and friends we ran into. Every now and then I caught a teen saying something along the lines of ‘I wanna ride one of those things!’ or ‘Where can I rent that?’ People in wheel chairs were fascinated and one county display attendant explained how the Alinker would be helpful to her on days when her fibromyalgia renders her body useless. She wrote down the Web site. It is so helpful that the Web site is just ON the Alinker! I noticed that by the end of the day the saddle was making my bum bleed from the semi-firm cushion rubbing my flesh raw and that one of my legs was scratched on the inside from frequent contact with the frame. I made a mental note: ask the Alinker help desk how to avoid that and/or get a replacement saddle. Once home I asked the Alinker folks my question and got instructions for optimal saddle positioning. I made the adjustment and tried it out. I could feel the difference.

Disneyland

My family and I took Link with us to Disneyland so we could all survive a day at the park. Me so I could play without being exhausted. My mom so she could play without her hands and other parts of her body aching from pushing me in a transport chair around the park, and Ab just cuz Disneyland makes her happy. Period. And she wanted me to be there with her via Link. Like at the state fair, the Disneyland security team was enamored with the Alinker and wanted to know all about it and how long I had had it. They labeled it with this blue tag f officialness so that other park security people would know that it was already approved to be used in the park. I even had a couple of the original security guards see me on later days entering the park and come up to me to talk about it some more. Then we get in the park. That’s when things took a turn for the worse. Turns out the turn radius on Link is much too wide for the line cues at Disneyland. You know the zig-zaggy switch back type turns and folds the lines make? Yeah, Link doesn’t do well with those. I learned this when I took him with me through the line for the Smugglers Run at Galaxy’s Edge. There was a lot of back and forth happening to make turns. After that experience Link was parked in stroller areas and I just walked the line cues without him. And guys, look, I know it’s described as a walking bike. I got SO tired of people telling me ‘sweet bike,’ ‘I like your bike,’ ‘how much was your bike?’ ‘Did the park give that bike to you when you got here?’ It’s a mobility aid bro. Not just a bike. I need it to live with a decent quality of life. I may just make a shirt or sign that says “Alinker: Not Just A Bike” and wear it when I use Link.

Flat Tire

It was the morning of our third day at the park, which was technically Link’s fourth day out in the world because he had spent a day at the state fair. We get back from breakfast and I hop on Link and my mom says something like, ‘How pumped is the back tire supposed to be?’ Long story short, it was flat. I stop by the wheel chair station and fill the tire with air according to the instructions (which I had brought with me because I try to be a responsible adult). The back tire then goes flat within five seconds. It’s got to be the tire tube we say. The tube must be shot for it to go slat like that so quickly. Something my mom said after the cue turn radius and the flat tire had culminated, “The Alinker is not for family outings.” It was said in frustration and I feel, is not true, but I see where she was coming from at that time. I also see how to avoid that sort of frustration in the future. We fly home later that day. I contact Alinker to share what happened and ask for a copy of the warranty that I activated. I receive it and tires aren’t covered. So I pop on over to my local bike shop.

Bike Shop

Five stars for the local bike shop. They measure and order Link a replacement tube. When the tube arrives turns out it’s the wrong one because of how the inflation valve lines up with the frame. So they patch and reinstall the ruined original tube for me to use until the correct one is shipped and arrives. The guys said they caused the delay, so they won’t charge me for it. They also didn’t charge me for installing the new saddle I had ordered. Which is excellent, BTW. Nose free saddle so no flesh being rubbed raw, my hips sit wider apart than on the original one so my inner leg doesn’t get scratched by the frame any more, and it’s memory foam so it’s nice and squishy comfortable. They did this for me at no charge, too. They also ordered the right tire tube, and gave me a call today saying that it had arrived and I can get it switched out so Link will be up to 100%. For this second surgery I am going to insist on paying them.

Reflection

So circling back to when Link arrived and I assembled him, a hand pump for the tire and a replacement tire tub for a front tire came with him. I think it may be wise for Alinker to offer replacement tire tubes for sale on their site, especially considering that that smaller rear tire is an atypical size tube with a valve that needs to be at a specific angle so it doesn’t conflict with other parts of the Alinker structure. That last sentence is pretty much just me parroting what the bike guys told me about the tire tube, I honestly have no extensive personal knowledge about tires or their tubes. I give Link the Alinker a huge high five and a hug for being the mobility aid that he is, I give Alinker the company a firm, vigorous hand shake and a smile for being professional and prompt in their responses to my many queries, but also a disappointed shake of my head for providing a warranty that doesn’t seem to serve a purpose when the product arrived with what appears to have been a defective tire tube. I mean, come on Link. You walk with me for three days and on the fourth day your back foot is broken!? Puh-lease. Five stars to my local bike shop though, they are coming through big time for me. Will try to update after Links second surgery this weekend!

[fiftyshadesofsleigh]

The Convenient Groom

Starring: Vanessa Marcil (General Hospital, NYPD Blue, Beverly Hills 90210, Las Vegas, The Rock, the list goes on and on) as Dr. Kate Lawrence and David Sutcliffe (Gilmore Girls, Private Practice) as Lucas “Mr” Wright.

Street Cred: Vanessa Marcil is a Goddess (Brenda and Jagger from GH were my teen OTP) and has had a long career of doing shit well, including a few movies in this genre, and as much as I hated Christopher on Gilmore Girls, David Sutcliffe is a solid actor with a great resume. I leave my little black heart in their hands. 10/10.

Official Synopsis: A young celebrity marriage counselor discovers herself left at the altar of her own highly-publicized wedding. To save face, she accepts an offer from her contractor, who secretly has a crush on her, to step in as groom and marry her.

What Really Happens: Okay, there is a lot wrong with this synopsis. First, Kate isn’t a marriage counselor, she’s a relationship blogger who introduces herself as “Dr. Kate Lawrence, Ph.D.” in every segment, which is fucking weird. Second, she’s not left at the altar, she’s left at the set of one of her videos, right before she can announce her engagement and introduce her fiance, Bryan. Third, Lucas isn’t a contractor, he makes custom wood furniture. Very different. He’s also known Kate most of her life and they kind of almost dated in high school. 

I should start off by saying this movie has terrible reviews, most of which take issue with Marcil not being the usual cookie-cutter Hallmark girl they’re used to. If you’ve seen her act before, you know she’s good, but her work usually has a touch of standoffishness and (gasp!) layers. It’s also noted that Marcil and Sutcliffe have zero chemistry which I think can be explained by the feeling that there are scenes missing from this film. Every time we get to what would normally be a ‘bonding’ scene for the leads, it cuts away to either right after the bonding or the next day. It’s weird.

Anyway, Kate is a celebrity in a tiny demographic (Seattle-ish) who gives super hetero-normative dating advice and believes a successful relationship should have no conflict. We find out later this is because her parents fought a lot and got divorced, leaving them bitter and angry. (Insert eye roll gif here). We never find out how unreliable a narrator Kate is because (surprise!) her parents are dead. 

Kate’s agent is in the middle of securing a publishing contract for her and insists they make the engagement announcement a spectacle, even though Bryan really, really doesn’t want that. Lucas shows up just in time to hear Bryan break up with Kate moments before the big, live brouhaha. Bryan admits there is another woman and Kate now has to break it to her “public”. She freezes on camera and Lucas steps in, declaring himself her fiance.

Kate’s agent is all on board for the fib (He’s literally Mr. Wright!!!), but Kate is less sure, especially since she thinks Lucas is trying to make up for being an ass to her on their one date in high school. She’s pretty happy holding onto her feelings about it. It’s a theme. This is when we get the amazing scene with Kate and Lucas slow dancing while extras bounce around in the background like they’re in a Ke$ha video.

The agent books them into the fancy hotel the shoot is at, apparently not bothered in the least that they’re planning to lie to several businesses in this small town, as they plan a fake wedding. “That’s what cancellation policies are for,” right? She assigns them a cameraman and instructs them to make like they’re in love, which they absolutely do not do. Maybe this is why people gave it bad reviews because Kate is super not into pretending to be engaged to someone she barely likes and Lucas is just a super chill guy who doesn’t want to piss her off. Plus, she just got dumped. Layers. 

While cake tasting with their wedding planner, a wonderfully deadpan woman named Phyllis, strawberries and champagne are delivered. A romantic gift from Bryan from the before time, in the long, long ago. Kate is understandably upset and calls him, asking him to cancel anything else he ordered and to not tell anyone about the breakup so she can salvage her career, oh and also, fuck off for having your side piece answer your phone like, an hour after the breakup.

The new faux-couple are forced into more wedding/date shit, share some feelings and truths, then Lucas invites Kate to dinner with his parents, who have one of those 100-steps-down-a-cliff houses on the beach. There’s a throwaway line about having “a trust fund and a contractor” and hahaha, isn’t life grand when you’re wealthy and white? Lucas’ mother is not impressed with the situation and she makes good points, especially when we find out Lucas moved back home from being a broker in New York when his fiance died. Did he mention he went to Princeton? That’s why he can afford to make furniture now. He even lives right next to his parents in what I’m pretty sure is their bungalow or guest house or some rich shit like that. It’s called living in the moment, poor people!

There’s another cute scene where they run into each other one evening and Lucas orders a super long, super specific coffee to make fun of some of Kate’s bogus relationship advice, and Kate laughs along because she’s learning not to take herself so seriously. It’s growth. Like a tree. Kate is basically Groot at this point. When she gets home, Kate learns that her neighbourhood has no water or power and it’s Lucas to the rescue! They quickly learn they’re opposites in a lot of ways, but (shock!) it works for them! (At least until Lucas discovers Kate put a hot curling iron on his handmade table and then he’s bound to kick her to the curb.)

She burns dinner for his family (who love her now, btw) and there is much laughing, and inside joking, and tra-la-la-la-la! Kate gets her book deal, but instead of announcing a fake break up, Lucas talks her into keeping it going since it’s only another week. Kate spends her nights re-watching footage of the two of them being perfect for each other so she doesn’t put up much of a fight.

Lucas takes her on his parent’s boat (a 40-foot sailboat because wealth), which she’s terrified of because she gets seasick. This is where a scene seems to be missing as it goes from him promising she’ll be fine and pulling on ropes to him helping a green Kate through his front door. I’m guessing the budget or the insurance didn’t cover taking the boat out. Lucas makes her some tea, watches her sleep, then they almost kiss, but Bryan shows up (gasp!) and begs Kate to take him back. But Kate has learned things, like people are allowed to disagree with each other, terrible boyfriends make terrible husbands, oh, and remember how Bryan cheated on her? Yeah, she’s not taking him back. Bryan has a little snit and leaves, but all is not well because Kate leaves too, telling Lucas they need some time apart and that she needs to tell the truth, to herself and everyone else.

Lucas’ family is all “You’re in love with her, idiot, go get her”, but he’s unsure because he’s actually a decent guy and doesn’t want to force himself on her. His sister runs to Kate’s house to plead Lucas’ case and gets there just in time for Kate’s live truth reveal to be usurped by Bryan’s side piece posting a video, spilling the beans on the breakup and Kate’s lying. 

When Lucas shows up to declare his undying love for Kate, she reverts to her old self and basically tells him it’s Stockholm Syndrome and then they argue. Kate wallows in the loss of Lucas, lying in her own (movie-pretty) filth and obsessively watching every video on her blog of the two of them together. Lucas’ mother appears to check on Kate on what would have been their fake wedding day and pretty much laughs in her face when Kate tells her people in good relationships don’t fight. 

Lucas makes a public plea for people to stop hating on Kate because it was all his idea and he did it because he loves her and has since high school. I will go ahead and spoil the ending here, so stop reading if you don’t want to know. Kate finds Lucas, admits she loves him too, Lucas proposes, and they get married. That day. I’m serious. 

Teacup’s Tidbits: I really think 90% of the issues people have with this one is the scene and script editing. The story is solid, but a little watered down. The other 10% is not seeing how great Vanessa Marcil is just because she’s not Candace Cameron Bure or whats-her-face from Party of Five.

How I Would Fix This With Fic: Not gonna lie, this would work really well as a Sherlock fic. Not sure which would be the blogger and which would be the faux-fiance, but I’d read the shit out of that.

Fics Like This: Love Song by ThePathLessTrekked (Star Trek: Alternate Original Series, Kirk/McCoy), A Lifetime of Laughter by the_problem_with_stardust (Teen Wolf, Sterek), While You Were Sleeping by thisisntreallymeimnotreallyhere (Supernatural, Destiel)

[igotmysteriousmessages]

Can I request the RFA+Minor Trio reacting when they find out that MC is actually still in highschool (17-15 y.o.) but only finding out at the party

Hi there!!

I mustadmit I debated quite a lot whether to take or not this request. It’s quite a lot outmy comfort zone but  since I believe noneof them would take advantage of their MC after discovering this I decided Ishould give this a try… thought I must admit I felt quite uncomfortablewriting most of this because I’m around the age of the characters and duringthe days prior to the party they tell the MC things I would be scared/disgustedto know were told to a high school girl by someone my age.

They are ofcourse all platonic or a little romantic but always considering it as a futureoption.

Also Iwrote as they founding out about MC when they meet her on their respectiveroute (except for Vanderwood of course, for him I assumed something similar toSaeyoung’s but with more involvement of Vanderwood) rather that at the partysince the only ones that don’t meet her before the party are Yoosung andJaehee.

(Btw…if youplayed Dandelion you might get some Jieun’s route vibes because I love whatcheritz did there)

RFA+Vanderwood discover MC is still in High School

Yoosung

-Probablythe less surprised one.

-Also thesmallest age gap…4-5 years are a lot when you are on your early 20’s but not somuch when older.

-Still ablushy mess… he quickly remembers a few things he told you both in the chatroomand through phone calls that definitely weren’t ok. He apologizes a lot.

-Afterembarrassment dies out he doesn’t know how to talk to you…on one hand if hestarts treating you any different you may feel offended but on the other hecan’t keep treating you like you were his age.

-He is veryconflicted about his feelings for you so you two talk it out and decide to keepit at just friends at least for a few years.

-He ispretty ok with that settlement actually; it allows you to develop a long slowdeep thrusting relationship that you both know would eventually become romanticbut there is no rush for it… you guys are fine with things are they are.

Zen

-the exactopposite from Yoosung….Zen freaks out big time.

-He feelslike the worst human being in the world; how could he shamelessly flirt likethat with a young girl?

-He can’teven look at you into the eye.

-Big bro!zen mode: Activated

-He drivesaway every single guy that tries to get close to you, regardless if they areyour age or not. That includes himself…you’ll never catch him standing lessthan ½ meter away from you.

-During theyears to come he remains a fellow RFA and a good confident in case you arehaving problems…especially family problems. He makes sure you know that if youfind yourself in the need to run away like he had at your age his doors areopen.

-Also youmay want to be extra careful about being seen with him because you knowpaparazzi can be merciless and they may misinterpretate your relationship withZen.

Jaehee

-Sheseriously can’t believe her eyes. The girl that helped her pull her life togetheris just that, a girl.

-Since herroute is non-romantic she has less weight over her shoulders but she feels badfor burdening you with her problems.

-She stilloffers you to be business partner but she states she’ll take over till you tofinish your studies (both high school and college if you decide to do so) alsoif you want a part time job she needs the help.

-Also BigSis! Mode, she becomes the best adviser/role model/ confident/ emotionalsupport you can dream on. You know she is always there for you and that it’sinfinitely comforting.

-If yourrelationship evolves into something less platonic it won’t be till you are25-ish or something like that and even so she would be very doubtful.

Jumin

-Now it’swhen things get complicated….

-give him aglass of wine…scratch that give him a bottle.

-He wasn’texactly flirty with you in the chatroom but he knows he treated you like youwere his age, maybe a little younger but definitely not 11-13 years younger… hefeels awful.

-He mayhave pushed out his life entirely if it wasn’t for the situation you two metin.

-It waslate when you showed up at his house (it wasn’t Jaehee’s fault she didn’t knoweither) and it was way too dangerous to send you back to the apartment…he couldsend you home… wait a second…you’ve been staying at the apartment for days, doyour parents even know what you’ve been up to? Have you been missing school? Whyin the world did you follow Unknown in the first place?

-theinterrogation lasts what feels like ages. When he finally calms down you are a little annoyed and he apologizes forbeing so harsh but as the situation is so dangerous he offers you a room forthe night and to take you home in the morning.

-He remainsvery protective of you on the years to come but he ends up deciding that whathe felt for you at the beginning wasn’t love. He just cares for you as a fellowRFA member.

-Heprobably won’t question those feelings again till you are 26-27 y/o. and evenif he does it would be very difficult for him.

Saeyoung

-He is amess, like more than usual.

-He feelsawful that such a young girl gets involved in all the problem with Mint Eye.

-Hisprotective instinct kick in.

-It’s alsopainful…you are about the same age Saeran was on those photos he has…too youngto be going through so much pain.

-He pushesyou away with even more decision than in his route, you should be happy leadingthe normal life of a school girl, not worrying about the him and the mess ofhis life…also when he comes around and decides to put his faith in you he feelseven guiltier to burden you with his life story and to rely that way in theperson he should be protecting.

-Aftereverything gets resolved he distances himself a little, I mean he’d always beavailable to answer your calls and help with any problem you may have (anything…from“I had a fight with my friend and I need somebody to listen” to “Can you hackmy school’s system to make pass sports class?” and even “I argued with myparents and ran away, can I stay with you?”) but otherwise you wouldn’t see himmuch.

-Same asfor Yoosung, the age gap isn’t huge so I can see having no problems falling inlove with you after you reach adulthood and he puts his life in order.

Jihyun

-What thefuck did Rika do this time?

-The firsttime he sees you talking with Ray at Mint Eye he can’t believe his eyes…I meanhe is barely able to see but he is sure you are High school student, definitelyyou have nothing to be doing at that place.

-He feelseven guiltier than he is in his route. You are far too young to be involved withMint Eye let alone comforting him and helping him solve his problems.

-Tbhbesides that I don’t see much difference with his route because with all theshit going on there is not much flirting on his side on his route, if somethingis usually MC who shows affection to V.

-If the MCshows any romantic feelings for him he’d kindly remind them that he is too oldfor them but of course he’d be so sweet about it that you’d barely feelrejected.

-Same asfor Jumin, it’d take a lot of years for him to develop romantic feelings foryou

Saeran

-In allhonesty the first thing he felt upon seeing you in person was pity.

-You arearound the same age he was when he had been brought to mint eye, so young andinnocent and full of hope in this cruel world  –insert more Mint Eye bulshit here-

-As Ray hetreats you as a fragile princess and pampers you big time.

-AsDark!Saeran he is even crueler because he sees himself in you; the way in whichyou claim Ray will come back and how you refuse to give up on him reminds himtoo much of how he used to claim his brother would come rescue him.

-once heregains control over himself he can’t believe how someone so young can be sostrong… he is also very ashamed of the way he treated you both as Ray andSaeran.

-He’d bevery doubtful of how to treat you on the first few days after escaping mint eyebut in the end I don’t see the age being a huge problem for him… he’d be reallyrespectful of both you as a person and of your age, also if you show romanticfeelings for him he’d be pretty clear that you are too young and he is toounstable for a relationship yet.

-But the bond formed during the time you spendin mint eye is strong; with time he starts understanding his feelings, you bothmature more and I can see him still falling for you a few years later.

Vanderwood

-What thefuck did 707 do this time?

-Like thesituation wasn’t bad enough; that “harmless” fundraising association of Seventurned out to be a bigger mess than their agency, his partner’s long lostbrother came back to destroy him and everybody associated to him and of top ofthat they have work to do if they didn’t want the agency to dispose of them. Hehad so many worries in the meantime, so when he met the RFA’s newest member? Itwas just too much.

-He took alook at you, lit a cigarette, took 2 deep breaths and then turned the cigaretteoff because he was in front of a minor.

-He takes itup to him to keep you safe from the crazy situation you are in.

-He talksto you about how dangerous is to take orders from an stranger in your phone, heteaches you self-defense techniques and is around you all time till the problemwith Mint eye gets solved.

-He won’tbe patircularly nice to you and his presence is always rather intimidating buthe does his best to not scare you more than you already are.

-He’d alsocontact your parents and school to give them a believable excuse of yourdisappearance so to no light up any alarms.

-If Zen andJaehee become your older siblings this man goes a step further, his yourofficial new dad.