#cos it feels like they've always been with me. in a way

[kindrewind]

van's laughter tangles with taissa's, a genuine happy laugh for the first time all night, possibly in weeks.

being back in new jersey puts them in knots. wears them out. they're looking forward to returning to the comforts of their home, to the rewards of their store, and to showing tai around town. showing her someplace new like they used to imagine they would one day. all of which would have been out of the question — hardly a thought — that first time in oberlin. they had closed themself off to her, tense and frustrated as van had been when taissa dropped into their life unannounced after all these years.

the most van had given her were lies and half-truths, not thinking for a second that they would stay in each other's company.

but they've still got it, don't they? whatever it is. seeing as tai flirts in that self-assured way that wraps van right around her finger. "oh-ho, that right?" their cheeks burn. they work against this by giving as good as they can get. van lays on the charm, slowly and smoothly, "'cause you haven't really seen me in action yet over there to know..." a bashfulness sets over them. winking an eye closed, their face scrunches up at her like it's them who can't actually take it. taissa turner is a woman who has always known how to knock van palmer right out.

— there's that, and there's how van's under the warm lamp of her attention. tai is taking a real interest in them, and in the interests which have made them who they are today. they've missed that. the way she would look at them when they were acting the most authentic to themself (not that van's ever been very good at hiding themself away), and how, in so doing, tai made them feel like they were somebody special. if she's wanting to know the person that van has grown to be, there is no better place to do that than in van's stomping grounds.

"we'll map it out tomorrow." van suggests. they will save for the trip the lecture they are forming on: the soul-searching road trip genre vs. hitchhiker horror, because it humors them to think that if this were a movie taissa would, in fact, be starring (hey, co-starring?) as the protagonist who discovers herself by taking america by wheel. but this isn't a movie; and van wants to drive most of the stretch; plus this is an eight-hour car ride, -ish, which is like. an hour in lesbian time.

taissa's whisper leads them both into another hush. as van gazes, they try not to gaze for long at her lips. they're sure she can hear their heart beating fast. they echo, "can't avoid it forever," like they're talking about multiple things at once. they have to pull themself away, "but i'm beat," they whisper. "and we both could use some sleep." a nod.

they are to carry out their usual routine. say goodnight. van will take their medication. they'll retire to separate bedrooms. these walls will not block out their thinking about each other. van tries to focus on now. not on how that could change in ohio where van is comfortable, embodying the person they are nowadays, away from a house where it wouldn't feel right to take it further. away from a state that feels like an open wound. one mile at a time.

that’s not a question she’s ever really asked herself — because it’s always been more important to know where she needs to be rather than where she wants to be.   if she’d followed the things she wanted rather than just what she thought she needed,   she and van would be having a much different conversation right now.   and it might be easy for taissa to claim that what she wants is simple — just to be where van is —  but none of this is as simple as she wants it to be. 

in the past few months,   taissa’s life has completely crumbled around her,  leaving her with seemingly no choice but to seek out van again —   and when she did that,  it was more about herself than it was about them.  it’s different now, though.   she is choosing this,  choosing them,   and even though taissa isn’t ready to ask herself that,  she knows she has to go about this the right way.   it just so happens that that way seems to still have a lot of obstacles in their way.

she nods,  a silent promise to van that she will do that.   a promise to herself,  too,  that she’ll actually work to figure that out.  so many of the decisions in her life have been made by measuring the quickest route to success—  she had that,  and she lost it,  and now,  looking back at it all,  she realizes how empty it was.  she has to start from scratch again,  even with them.   

tai’s eyes follow van around her house,  and her shoulders deflate,   because the truth is,  this doesn’t feel like much of a home for herself anymore,  either.  the day simone left her  (rather,  the day taissa told her to go, unwilling to accept her help instead),    taissa realized that as much as it had been a home for the family she loved and was proud to be a part of,   it was hardly personal.   as much as taissa always wished for control over anything in her life,  so many decisions made for this home — and for their family — had been left to simone,   tai’s own way of keeping an emotional distance from it all,  disguised as her simply wanting simone to have everything she wanted.   taissa never intended to have kids,  certainly never wanted a pet — and even marriage was something she didn’t exactly imagine for herself,  not beyond what she had in the wilderness with van,  their own version of a marriage.   

it all came together anyway,  components in what she believed was supposed to be her perfect-life,   at least from the outside.   she lost it all now,  so what’s really left for her in this house?   a part of her thinks she could do it — pretend the history of this house doesn’t haunt every corner as she moves van in.   she also knows,  looking at the way van glances around,  that’s not an option.  it’s not what van deserves,  and it’s not what simone deserves,  either.  

beyond that,  she knows van.  she knows the extravagance that taissa flaunts around to prove her worth isn’t their style.  van has always loved her for what’s at the core of who she is — van’s also the only one who’s really seen it.  so she knows, she understands, that they can’t stay here,  not if she wants to prove to van that she is in this.

❝  i know,  ❞   she says with a certainty,  despite how quick she’d been to bring them here in the first place.   ❝  it’s not you.    and maybe—   well, maybe it’s not really me anymore, either.  ❞   because maybe that was inevitable.   she hurt her entire family in this house,   she scared them,   and they were right to leave her here alone,   even if it’s something she doesn’t wish to admit out loud.   how could taissa stay in a place like this — especially after what she’d done to it,  how she turned it into her own altar,  created her own ritual with no recollection at all?  

she doesn’t know that ohio is the answer.  she just knows that for the first time,  they should figure it out together.    it’s not just up to tai anymore, the way she’d treated their relationship in the end.

her eyes start to light up again,   because it’s a start,  and she thinks she can still read van enough to understand when they’re trying to give in carefully.   she’ll take that.    ❝  of course.  of course,  ❞    she insists,   nodding almost too eagerly,    because while she wants to figure all of this out,  she also needs to get out of here — even if just for a few days.   especially if it means actually, truly getting a look into van’s life now,  the way she hadn’t really gotten  (or even given herself)  a chance to before.  

taissa grins,  ready to be delightfully endeared while also terribly confused by whatever collections they’re referring to.   she’s never minded—   she always liked listening to van go on and on about something taissa wouldn’t understand otherwise,  even if more often than not,  she’d get lost in enjoying van’s excitement,  forgetting to keep up otherwise.   ❝  that a challenge,  palmer?  ❞    she smirks,  tongue pressing to the roof of her mouth as she raises a brow,  as if preparing herself,  but she laughs a second later.   ❝  i can take it —  as long as you’ll tell me all about them,  ❞    she flirts effortlessly,    falling into this groove she missed so much with them.

but then they say her name that way again,  and though her smile fades,  there’s still an innocence to her gaze,  pleading eyes begging them not to turn her away again.   they stay locked with van’s,   head tilting slightly as van reminds her they can’t figure it all out tonight—  of course,  that’s what tai needs,  not to lay awake in bed one more night as she wonders where this will or can go.   she takes a deep breath,  accepting her defeat,   but it’s even harder when van stares at her like that,  her own eyes peering back at her,  longing,  wishing van didn’t still feel so far away from her.   

❝  okay,  ❞    she whispers after a long moment,  her eyes not daring to look away from theirs.   ❝  i’ll…   work on slowing down.   but you were right.   we got a lot a shit we have to talk about.   can’t avoid it forever.  ❞    that’s some bravery on tai’s part, too—   there were too many times in their past together that tai jumped straight to ‘we’re okay’  to bypass the hard part:   actually talking through it.    that’s not an option anymore;   they’ve grown up,  they’ve grown apart,   and their limited time together hangs over tai’s head like a dark cloud.   van gets to call the shots,  not just because of her diagnosis,  but because of the choices that tai made for both of them long ago.   if tai has to spend the rest of the time they have left together proving to van that she can be worthy of them again,  she will,  even if it means having the conversations she hoped to avoid for the rest of her life.

[holdyourhandinmine]

𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕤 | shauna shipman

♫ 𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘: cherry waves • deftones

⍟ from the beginning of your relationship you've always known shauna never really loved you ⍟

toxic!shauna, gaslighting, shaunas in love with jackie but with you, you love shauna anyways, i love toxic bf shauna

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀

it starts off small at first- hardly noticeable unless you're actively looking for it. and had it not been for tai- you probably wouldn't have figured it out until it was too late.

shauna never really was committed to you fully- she'd blow you off for jackie at any moment.

sure, you understand it, they've known each other for as long as they could speak- and jackie, jackie is impossible to be mad at- she's the living embodiment of a ray of sunshine.

and shauna looks at jackie like she hangs the stars, moon, sun- hell, she looks at her like she's created the goddam universe.

she looks at you like that sometimes too- but there's something in her eyes, something in the way she moves that have an underlying sense of hesitation. her hands don't linger on your skin like they do with jackie- she recoils from you like you burn her, her tones clipped sometimes when you two talk, it's as if she can't wait to get the conversation over.

yet you still really love her.

and deep down, deep in your bones- you know she only loves jackie.

you dont think jackie means it- means to intrude on your relationship. she's just too wrapped up in this little perfect bubble she's created to notice her actions cause any harm.

jackie seems to be entwined in your relationship- even when she's not there, it's like a ghost of her lingers- thick, suffocating.

you ask shauna about her day, she says what jackie and her did, you ask how she's feeling- she mentions jackie was sad; and like some sort of fucked up co-dependent, symbiotic relationship, shauna is now sad too.

it's always jackie, jackie, jackie.

you remember the first valentines day that rolls around after you first got together- she gifts you poppies; jackie's favourite. you hate poppies.

you accepted them with a tight-lipped smile and gift her a new book, one she's been talking about for weeks, she kisses you hard- hands grabbing your cheeks to pull you in.

you get butterflies in your stomach.

it's the first time she's really touched you like she meant it.

-

you aren't apart of the team- but you've always orbited the same space as them. even before you liked shauna.

it's how you met her really- growing up near nat and van meant you would always sit and watch them kick a ball around. they tried to rope you in, but you've always been more graceful with your brain than your feet.

then they join the yellowjackets in high school- they meet lottie and tai, and now you've become a permanent fifth wheel.

lottie throws you an invite to a team bonding night, and you hesitantly show up.

you see her for the first time then. you remember it vividly- jackie wasn't there, she'd been out of town for the whole week and shauna looked liked a kicked puppy.

you've always loved animals.

you manage to crack a smile on shauna's face that night- and when van and you, are making your way home, she mentions shauna hasn't really been happy since jackie left.

your chest swells with pride.

-

it all comes to a head one night- you're up in her bedroom. her hands are tangled in your hair and you're sat in her lap, feverish in your make-out. it's quiet, so quiet you almost think you've misheard, but the way she stops for a second to gauge your reaction is unmistakeable. a quiet, little moan.

"oh jackie."

you pull away, reeling back in hurt.

shauna looks at you annoyed- like you were the one to fuck everything up.

"what?"

she says- annoyance seeping through, she taps her fingers on the bed, willing you to reply.

you want to cry- want to rip your hair out and slap her across the face.

"what?! what do you mean what?! you just called me jackie!"

"no- i didn't- you're being dramatic."

her voice is low, you reply to her, voice shaking.

"no- i heard you."

"i don't think so- come on, we've talked about this. you need to stop being jealous of jackie- she's just my best friend."

"i am not jealous."

"well why do you sound it then? if we're not going to make out you can just leave you know-"

she gets up from the bed- walking over to you, she grabs you by the hips softly.

"but i really don't want you to- i love you."

her big, stupid, brown eyes melt your dignity away and you stay.

-

you're at a party, leant against some car with shauna- she's brooding next to you, her dark eyes staring down jackie whose dancing with jeff.

you try to talk to her, but it seems nothing is sinking in- only when jackie turns in his arms and dances against him, does she down the rest of her drink and grabs your arm- pulling you towards her car in a hurry.

you can barely keep up, tripping over your feet trying to match her pace.

shauna shipman is relentless.

she shoves you into the backseat- climbing in after you.

she kisses you- hot, heavy, needy.

"tell me you love me."

"i love you shauna."

-

youre okay with being in love with shauna, even if she's in love with jackie.

you're happy to play along, happy to swim after her when she drowns in her infatuation with jackie.

cause she's good a pretending sometimes- good at pretending to truely love you, and it makes your heart fuzzy, and your knees weak. pathetic really.

[starlightbuckk]

my heart won’t start anymore for you (cause you’re losing me) | written_promises on ao3

five times Buck and Eddie almost get caught cheating plus the one time they actually do get caught.

she’ll never get to eat you like your heart's a pomegranate | @colonoscopys on ao3 and tumblr

Five Times Buck was the Weird Parent, and One Time Eddie was

The secret's safe with me (there's no right time or place) | RubyIsla on ao3

Buck and Eddie talk about dates they've been on with each other, but the team don't know they're together yet.

clear to us (blurry to everyone else) | Icantthinkofagoodusername7 on ao3

3 times Buck and Eddie are very obvious about their marriage + the 1 time they actually announce it

platonic co-parents don’t kiss like we do | @thelikesofus on ao3 and tumblr

5 times other people see Buck and Eddie kiss + 1 time they really mean it.

shapes and spaces | prettyunhinged on ao3

Five times Christopher calls Buck his dad to other people, and the one time he finally gets to say it to Buck.

Eddie Diaz wants the whole world to know he is Evan Buckley's (And Buck is his too) | Mar2610 on ao3

Five times that Eddie was possessive over Buck. And the one time that Buck got to defend his man as well.

Eddie Diaz Has the Patience of a Saint (Until He Doesn't) | smileytrackpants on ao3

Five times Eddie Diaz daydreamed punching Tommy Kinard in the face and the one time it became a reality.

evan buckley and the art of crafts | Beezethe on ao3, @evanpercy on tumblr

Five times Buck gives Eddie a handmade gift out of love, and one time he actually means it. (or: the craft fic)

I used to call you my best friend (way back before you were my everything) | SumKHBi on ao3

5 times Chimney and Hen try and set up Buddie +1 time they do it on their own

i hope you enjoy these recs, 5+1s are one of my favorites to read!

feel free to add your own work, and as always, make sure to reblog!

if you have any prompt/trope fic list recs, just drop them in my ask <3

[comradeocean]

"I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me" is a bonkers way for a celebrity to begin a public memorial statement less than 24 hrs after the death happened by someone who has possibly not personally spoken to the dead person in question for almost ten years. I cannot stop thinking about it.

In 2013, Channel 4 did a documentary called Crazy About One Direction that featured a number of high octane waaaay out there fans. I think the band was asked about it during an interview; Louis and the others basically disavowed it, saying it was an unfair representation of girls who like One Direction and the fanbase in general. He wasn't being totally selfless in sticking up for the fans, because some of those girls were profoundly sad and lonely, maybe unwell. And if your mission is to be marketed as a fun-loving carefree boyband, the last thing you'd want to be associated with are young, maladjusted, friendless girls.

Anyway, at one point, one of the girls interviewed says:

Twitter is like a prayer place. When you go to a prayer place, you feel like you’re connected to God. So when you’re on twitter, you feel like you’re connected to 1D. You just have hope. [audio description alt-text: an image of Louis as Jesus Christ]

Zayn is also the only one of the boys to have crossposted his message to twitter.

The thing about One Direction being an accident, sure, a manufactured accident, but an accident nonetheless, is that they were guileless going in, and it showed. I've been mainlining old videos this week, trying to compare those early xfactor days with their contemporaries who were trying to break out around the same time. With everyone else, it was always a band full of Liams: intensely driven little freaks. Sorry, freak is maybe too mean a word to describe that particular mix of hunger and desperation to be accomplished, to be famous, and at the bottom of it all: to be liked. There's been a conscious shaping of the persona in service of those goals: they've learned to dance, to perform, to give pitches, soundbites, hit camera marks on cue. Most of them were also older, in their early to mid twenties. It's not inconceivable to imagine such a trajectory for the most diehard theatre kid you knew from school who decided after uni or whatever ~ to follow their dreams ~. That was the more typical boyband background. (not Liam though. lad was fourteen. he was closer to another subspecies of the genus: the child star)

And 1D in contrast were unpracticed, unstudied, as Zayn put it in that slightly off-kilter way of his (which I always imagine to be indicative of a disjunction between the vocabulary one encounters in school and what everyone around them is used to speaking), "novice children."

Like, truly, they did not give a fuck cos it hadn't yet occurred to them they were supposed to. Liam aside, industry norms were a complete mystery to them, and for many years, they managed to inhabit that sweet spot of flippancy without contempt, whether it was about the project, themselves, or their audience. Liam tells the story about being the go-between for xfactor stylists and the boys and getting into so much trouble on their behalf for wearing human-sized babygrows during a video diary. "Because Westlife would never wear those." [The punchline he then delivers is that Westlife members were pictured wearing onesies soon after. (quite possibly due to how viral anything 1D-related got)]

The boys were so immature. The whole boyband thing had fallen into their laps. They were just happy to be there! This thing that they didn't even know they wanted, they somehow got, and it took the shape of four other boys in exactly the same situation. It comes across very strongly how taken they were with themselves and each other. Find yourself a guy who looks at you the way blah Larry Stylinson blah blah Ziam blah blah blah. Never mind that cos they were all actually so hyped with each other. Any time any of them says anything remotely clever, or funny, or notable, the rest of them lose their shit like they're in on the same hilarious joke. Even if there was no actual joke. Their entire existence at that point was the joke bc how on earth had they landed from where they'd been — small deadend towns hollowing out from deindustrialization — to where they ended up — the xfactor house headed for the very top about to win it all, in the way they did — saved from bootcamp elimination at the last minute, with who they did — four other working class boys they would have never been friends with in another life. It must have been a high like a kind of limerence, like finding long lost family members on the exact same wavelength, like love.

And that was the other key thing about the stratospheric rise of One Direction. We didn't love One Direction only because we loved this or that member. We loved them because they loved each other, because they loved themselves, because they loved us. And they used the internet to show it.

In 2010, mass social media platforms were in their nascence, which is to say, the exploration of how to be a person, with other people, online, at a broad level not limited to specific subcultures, was in its nascence. For many years now, given the levels of extreme over-exposure, the dominant mood has become the mortifying ordeal of being perceived and so on. We've somehow all adopted mini-celebrity mindsets of our own, weary of being exposed to the maw of an unseen public. To be known is to be surveilled.

But the boys individually and at the collective level invited surveillance back then. Because the inverse — to be surveilled is to be known — seemed more relevant for that moment, at the beginning. They made a point of living their newfound lives at least partially online.

They were constantly on twitter, they livestreamed with a dedication that rivaled x-factor video producers, and none more so than Liam. It was already reality tv, this was just the next bleeding edge of "real": the unfiltered, unedited, direct sharing of yourself and what you loved in the last days of the old free-as-in-freedom internet.

When they said, over and over again, that it was all about the fans, it was meant in a very literal sense. Social media and the reality it created produced a feedback loop between the love they had for each other and the band, and the love we had for them, until it was inseparable: their relationships, our relationships, the process itself. Parasociality as it is currently manifested might have found its first mass expression through One Direction.

In separate interviews from This is Us (2013) deleted scenes, Liam and Louis say that Zayn wears his heart on his sleeve. Yet within the best-friends-slash-brothers-for-life schema cultivated as the One Direction vibe, he did not seem necessarily exceptional in his frequent declarations of love and fellow-feeling for various band mates. What he did ultimately end up doing was pulling the trigger on the contractual form their relationships were bound within, such that the I-love-you's inevitably passed from unpracticed to rote to a mandatory matter of their livelihoods. Someone had to be the first to explicitly and consciously decide that this "love" was no longer something they could continue participating in.

From the same set of deleted interview, in a somewhat fitting twist of symmetry, Louis and Zayn go on and on (much longer than Niall or Harry) about how Liam had been the serious and sensible one, but they've managed to corrupt him a little. It makes sense to assume that Zayn is referring to the band in general, but one can also read it to mean the two of them specifically, being the eldest, and their meta-cognition of the terms and conditions imposed by One Direction as a phenomenon.

The love the members of One Direction had for each other and the band and the fans was undeniably "real." The making of that "realness" was conditioned by the x factor throwing together four boys who had very little reference for what the fuck they had gotten themselves into, and Liam. Liam was the intermediary. He was already a creature twisted up and contorting, trying his level best to wedge himself into whatever spaces there could be found in the juggernaut of the entertainment industry. His neuroses and anxieties made the rest of One Direction possible, made One Direction "real" and "not like the other boybands" because that DNA, that what-not-to-do instruction manual could just be crammed into him, and the rest of them could be let loose into the world, unburdened by expectation, free to not give a fuck.

Louis and Zayn's raw, unpolished, typo-ridden letters were the most direct and irrefutable way they knew to swear fidelity to the boy they knew, the band they built, and the lives they lived together. The unfathomable ether of the internet, of the fans, of the massed publics seen and unseen made them, it destroyed their senses of self in ways they could weather until they couldn't, and it's into this ether they send their words, their grief, something real of themselves. Because in the universe of One Direction, this is the orthopraxis by which one proclaims one's faith and one's hopes. This is the prayer place that transcends distance, time, even death. This is how their brother could somehow, some way, still feel their love.

[curious--curations]

You're My Safe Place

Winter Soldier x Reader

Summary: After the Winter Soldier sneaks into your house in search of medical supplies, you decide to offer him a place to stay

Part 1

You saw the news reports on the winter soldier on TV and they made him a terrifying person to behold. He was a dangerous assassin that was on the run from the government and should be reported on sight.

They constantly replayed a highlight of his latest incident on a highway where he used an explosive weapon to blow up a few cars before fleeing. The sight of the masked man walking calming through the fire if the chaos he created sent chills down your spine. But after your co-worker Steve Rogers, yes that Steve Rogers, was given the same villain treatment on TV you began to question everything. It was why you were so open to his proposition when Steve approached you at home late one night.

He looked sad and desperate on your doorstep with tired puppy dog eyes staring at you. You invited him without a second thought and made a meal for him before sitting down. He seemed grateful for your assistance and you had a feeling it was the first real break he had for days.

“So. You've been on an adventure since the last time I saw you.” You attempted to joke. He smiled in response.

“Yeah. Guess you could say that.” The air went silent.

“Ok. Out with it. There's no good way to break bad news.” You leaned back in your chair, arms crossed to show you were not going to entertain any other topics of conversation until he said what was on his mind.

“SHIELD has been infiltrated by Hydra.” He explained. “I know you're just work a desk job there but just keep your head down ok.”

You rocketed forward from your chair, “What? How? Since when?”

He shrugged, “Since it was founded. They've been manipulating us since the beginning and I am working on exposing them.”

“Corruption at it's finest.” He was surprised that his words alone were enough to win you over, “Is there anything else I can do for you other than give you food and shelter for the night?”

“Actually. The Winter Soldier he's my best friend back from the war.”

“World War II? How?”

“He was captured by Hydra back then and put into cryo sleep. Only woken up when they need him to do their bidding as an assassin.”

“That sounds awful to be brainwashed like that. I can't imagine what that would feel like. I am so sorry.”

“I think you have a good way with words. If you talk to him and help him the way you're helping me–”

“You know it's ok to admit when you just need help Steve. You don't have to convince me up to do the right thing.”

He let out a breath he was holding and a heavy blush tinted his cheeks out of embarrassment from getting caught in a lie. “I am not saying to seek him out just....if he happens to cross your path call me not the police.”

You agreed to his terms not knowing you would be held to meet them just a week later after SHIELD was exposed and Steve himself went on the run.

You woke up to the sound of something large falling to the ground. You didn't want to leave the comfort of your bed, but knowing it was probably something important that got damaged coaxed you out. You figured the painting you hung on the hallway walls last week was not secure after all. So you stumbled into the hall and found nothing out of place. All you spotted was the light that shone through the partly opened bathroom door.

Weird. You were sure you turned it off after brushing your teeth. Still, trying to stay in a sleepy state, you slowly approached the door and opened it to find a man dressed in tactical gear raiding your medicine cabinet.

Thankfully you always kept your phone on you and dialed Steve's burner phone before slipping your own in your back pocket.

“It's Bucky. Right?” You weren't sure if it was better or worse to know his name. But you did know that you needed to stall until Steve arrived.

He glared at you with anger in his eyes, but you spotted the blood seeping through his fingers as he held them against his side. He was seriously injured and desperate for help.

You slowly approached him with your arms raised in the air. His hands were too slick with blood to open the latches on the med kit you had stashed away. Sensing you did not mean him harm, he retreated away from you to allow you to help without letting his eyes off you. It reminded you of a wild animal that was corned and desperate for help. Maybe that's what he was in this moment.

You wiped the blood off with some toilet paper and popped the latches opened. It was a more substantial emergency kit including those stick on sutures. With how often New York was under attack you never wanted to be caught off guard.

He greedily snatched the supplies and turned to face away from you as he attempted to tend his wounds. He rolled up his shirt until it reached his ribs and pinned it down.

His hands worked with a level of speed and efficiency that told you he had done this many times before. It took him about ten minutes to finish the whole process and you were back to stalling. To your surprise he began to clean up the mess he made.

“You know Steve told me about you. He said you're a good person.” He snapped towards you with such speed it sent a chill down your spine.

“I--I mean you're not under their control anymore.” Them, you talked about Hydra as if it was nothing yet you refused to say their name.

“I am not the same person he knew back then.” His voice was rough and gravely as if he was getting use to using it.

You bent down to help gather some of the discarded gauze he was cleaning up when your phone fell out of your back pocket and clattered against the tile floor. Steve's face was clearly shown on the screen. It was a cropped group photo you took with him from the last corporate party that you assigned as his profile picture. Your blood ran cold.

His face hardened as he glared back up at you.

“He just wants to help.” You tried to explain but he just scoffed at you.

“Is that what he told you? That I need help?”

“You're hurt. Lost.”

“Don't pretend like you know me.” He warned. “Now get out of my way before I make you.”

You stood defiantly in the doorway refusing to let him leave.

“You really think you can stop me?” He lowered his voice to try and intimidate you but it did not work.

“No.” You answered honestly despite your obvious fear. He clenched his fist, frustrated by your stubbornness. “See. You haven't hurt me even though I gave you a reason to. You're good.”

“That's not true.” He snapped at the accusation. “I could easily hurt you if I wanted to.”

“But you won't.”

“You sure about that?” You nodded in response, your convictions strong. He let out a sigh. “You're really not going to let me leave are you?” You shook your head.

Just as Bucky decided to give up on convincing you and push you aside, he heard a familiar set of footsteps approach him. His gaze darted towards the front door of the apartment where Steve now stood.

"Damnit, Rogers" he mumbled under his breath. As if he just made the decision, Bucky quickly spun you around and held you against his chest. He used one arm to pin yours to your side and held a gun on you with the other. You knew it was an empty threat.

“You don't want to do this Buck. This isn't you.” Steve tried his best to talk his friend down but he only tightened his grip on you as he felt threatened.

“Back off Steve.” He slowly backed you out of the room and into the hallway in search of a quick exit. His eyes landed on the window at the end of the hall. There was a rooftop just across the way the fall wasn't too bad. He knew he could make that jump.

Steve followed his gaze and let out a tired sigh. He knew him long enough to know where this is going. His voice sounded tired like him pulling stunts like this was a common inconvenience.

“Buck. Don't do anything stupid.” He stepped forward halfway through his sentence as Bucky made his move. Steve reached out to grab him, but he was not fast enough.

“Hold onto me.” It was the only warning you got and Bucky turned you around and pulled you into his chest. He jutted out his metal arm to make sure it was the first thing to make contact with the glass instead of you. The window shattered all around you and you buried your face further into his chest to hide. You squeezed your eyes shut as you felt your stomach drop, the wind rushing around you until you landed.

He ran until he found an abandoned building to lay low in. It was an old warehouse. He easily broke the lock with his metal arm and pulled you inside. You were inside some old storage unit.

He releases you once you were inside. He was on high alert, stuck in his head as he tried to form a plan and a hard look of concentration masked his face.

You happily sat on the floor and watched him go through his routine. Your eyes followed him from one end to the other and back again. Once he was satisfied and deemed the place to be secure, he returned to you.

He looked down at you with a confused expression. “You could have ran.”

“Like I said before. You wouldn't hurt me.”

Bucky clenched his jaw. He was annoyed by you. He didn't like being seen through like that. He liked being the unpredictable one, the one people couldn't get a handle on. But some how you managed to call his bluff.

"Don't be so sure" he grumbled, his tone was defensive as he tried to convince you that he was dangerous.

"I am not scared of you. I know you won't hurt me. You're not the monster you think you are."

He scoffed, a small smirk forming on his face

"I know it wasn't your fault. I know I can give you an opportunity to prove yourself.

"Why would you help me?"

"You don't know anything about me. You don't know the things I've done, the horrors I've committed. I'm a monster."

He seemed desperate for you to understand though he tried to hide it. It was as if he wanted you to truly see him for who he was. You had to see him as nothing more than a deadly assassin for your own safety. And part of him wanted you to challenge him. To prove him wrong.

“You can still make up for your past.” He laughed bitterly at your niave response.

"You think it's that easy? You think I can make up for all the things I've done? You think I can just wash my sins away and start over?"

You reached out to try to hold his hand and calm him down. His body tensed up as you reached out to him. He was skittish, like a wild animal that wasn't used to being touched. You wondered if he was even use to receiving a gentle touch.

"It's ok. Just stay here with me." He wanted to believe your words, he really did. But he was struggling with the guilt and shame of his past, the fear that he was beyond redemption and that he was destined to be alone forever.

"You don't understand. I'm a danger to everyone around me. I'm a weapon, a killing machine. It's better for everyone if I just run and keep running. I can't let myself get close to anyone, I'll just end up hurting them."

“I bet if you let me get to know you I could prove the type of person you really are. So what do you say? You could stay with me for a while under your own terms. Steve could visit without feeling the need to keep you under lock and key. You'd be save from Hydra and the government. No more running.”

He was silent for a moment as he pondered your offer, torn between his want to believe you and his fear of trusting again. "You really think I can just stay with you, no strings attached? No hidden agenda, no hidden motives? No tricks?"

“Yes.” Your response was firm and confident.

"Why would you help me?" He couldn't believe there wouldn't be a catch.

"You seem to need a break." You answered honestly. "You can't tell me there isn't something in you that doesn't want to lay low and take things easy. Just for a little bit."

"When's the last time you slept without having to keep an eye open? Or had a real shower."

"I am doing fine without that. I don't need it."

"You don't need basic human care?" You joked.

You watched his face hardened as he thought over your offer. He weighed the pros and cons in his head.

"How am I supposed to trust you when I barely even know you? How am I supposed to trust you when I don't know your motives, your history, your intentions?"

“Steve trust me and it's not like I could stop you from leaving. If you try living with me and find it's not for you. I won't stop you from going on the run again. I am not trying to trap you Bucky. I am just trying to give you a peaceful solution.”

He let out a sigh, his face settling as he made his decision. "I...I'll give you a chance. But I'm putting down some ground rules here. No one else can find out I'm here, not even Steve. Understand?"

“Understood.”

Part 2

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Eartha Kitt (Anna Lucasta, St. Louis Blues)—My friend and I have a saying: NOBODY is Eartha Kitt. A thousand have tried, and they've all come up empty and will continue to do so. Everyone knows her for something: from "Santa Baby" to Yzma in Emperor's New Groove to Catwoman to making Lady Bird Johnson cry for the Vietnam War. She was a master of comedy and sex, an extremely vocal activist, and she aged like fine wine... I honestly don't know what I can say about her that hasn't already been said, so I'll stick to linking all my propaganda. Like what else do you want from me. She was iconic at everything she ever did. Literally name another. How can anyone even think of her and not want to absolutely drown?

Audrey Hepburn (My Fair Lady, Sabrina, Roman Holiday)—I know people nowadays are probably sick of seeing her with all the beauty and fashion merch around that depicts her and/or Marilyn Monroe but she is considered a classic Hollywood beauty for a reason. Ironically in her day she was more of the alternative beauty when compared to many of her contemporaries. She always came off with such elegance and grace, and she was so charming. Apparently she was a delight to work with considering how many of her co-stars had wonderful things to say about her. Outside of her beauty and acting ability she was immensely kind. She helped raise funds for the Dutch resistance during WWII by putting on underground dance performances as well as volunteering at hospitals and other small things to help the resistance. During her Hollywood career and later years she worked with UNICEF a lot. Just an all around beautiful person both inside and out.

We are in the quarterfinals of the Hot & Vintage Movie Women Tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Propaganda is not my own and is on a submission basis. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Eartha Kitt:

"A hot vintage woman who was not just known for her voice, beauty, poise, and presence, but also her unapologetic ways of speaking about how she was mistreated in the show business as a girl who grew up on cotton fields in South Carolina in the 1930s through the 1940s coming to Broadway first and then Hollywood."

"Have you watched her sing?? Have you seen her face?? Have you heard her talk?? How could you not fall instantly in love. She makes me incoherent with how hot she is."

"She can ACT she can SING she can speak FOUR LANGUAGES she is a GODDESS!!! Although she is (rightfully) remembered for her singing, TV appearances (Catwoman my beloved), and later film roles, her early appearances in film are no less impressive or noteworthy!! She’s an amazing actress with so much charisma in every role. She was also blacklisted from Hollywood for 10 years for criticizing the Johnson administration/Vietnam War, so. Iconic. Also Orson Welles apparently called her “the most exciting woman in the world.”

"She had such a stunning, remarkable appearance, like she could tear you to shreds with just a glance- but the most undeniable part of her hotness was her voice, and it makes sense that it's what most people nowadays know her for. Nothing encapsulates the sheer magnetism of her singing better than this clip of her and Nat King Cole in St. Louis Blues, she pops in at 2:49. Also I know it's post-1970 but her song that was cut from Emperor's New Groove is likely to make you feel Feelings."

"Even with as racist as Hollywood was in the 1950s and 60s, Eartha Kitt STILL managed to have a thriving career. She also once had a threesome with Paul Newman and James Dean, and called out LBJ over the Vietnam War so hard that it made First Lady Johnson cry. Eartha Kitt was talented, sexy, and a total badass activist."

Audrey Hepburn:

"She may be a wispy, thin little thing, but when you see that girl, you know you're really in the presence of something. In that league there's only ever been Garbo, and the other Hepburn, and maybe Bergman. It's a rare quality, but boy, do you know when you've found it." - Billy Wilder

Raised money for the resistance in nazi occupied Hungary. Became a humanitarian after retiring. Two very sexy things to do! [editor's note: not Hungary; Audrey was involved with the Dutch resistance. Source.]

"It’s as if she dropped out of the sky into the ’50s, half wood-nymph, half princess, and then disappeared in her golden coach, wearing her glass slippers and leaving no footprints." - Molly Haskell

"All I want for Christmas is to make another movie with Audrey Hepburn." - Cary Grant

where to begin......... i wont her so bad. i literally dont know what to say.

My dude. The big doe eyes, the cheekbones, the voice. The flawless way she carried herself. She was never in a movie where she wasn't drop dead gorgeous. Oh, also the fact she raised funds against the Nazis doing BALLET and she won the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her humanitarian work.

Growing up, Audrey Hepburn desperately wanting to be a professional ballerina, but she was starved during WWII and couldn't pursue her dream due to the effects of malnourishment. After she was cast in Roman Holiday, she skyrocketed to fame, and appeared in classics like My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany's. She's gorgeous, and mixes humor and class in all of her performances. After the majority of her acting career came to close, she became a UNICEF ambassador.

No one could wear clothes in this era like she could. She was every major designer's favorite star and as such her films are time capsules of high fashion at the time. But beyond that, she had such an elegance in her screen presence that belied a broad range of ability. From a naive princess, to a confused widow, to a loving and mischievous daughter, she could play it all.

Look at that woman's neck. Don't you want to bite it?

[fyeaheddiemunson]

Joseph was out in the wild, which means everyone is offended about something.

When it came to MegaCon, I went 100% for Joe. Matthew Lillard, Jamie and Matt Smith are people I would definitely like to meet again/or in general...but if JQ wasn't at MegaCon I never would have put the effort in.

I cannot recommend travel insurance enough . Man, i insured my flight, made sure i had a hotel reservation that would allow me to cancel 48 hours before check in. That way, in case he had to cancel or any reason, doesn't matter what it was, I would only be out the cost of admission into the con. It also wasn't a last minute cancellation. There was plenty of time to have gotten refunded if there was insurance on travel 🤷���‍♀️ If MegaCon was the same weekend of the Oscars i would have cancelled everything because let's be real, being at an Oscar party with co-stars in an upcoming release is better in the long run.

I am eternally grateful for my experience at Megacon, he's already forgotten but I'm still 🫠

But being totally real, he shouldn't have been there. He shouldn't be doing cons at all anymore. Why are people feeling so entitled as if they're owed things because they've watched someone's filmography?

Does a 30 year old man really need someone defending him on social media? Kind of. Some of you really need to be brought down to reality. You aren't owed anything. He's not a prostitute to pay to give you attention. Why people in the "fandom" can't just quietly leave if something is not for them anymore is beyond me. It's always gotta be post after post whining about every detail of everything that has nothing to do with them. And then talking back and forth with "anons" who somehow feel the same way but are scared to show their profile? Sure, Jan.

[charaznablescanontoyota]

"marn i missed sgdq 2024 what should i watch"

hi i decided i'm doing another one of these. it's been a minute. this past week was summer games done quick, an annual speedrunning marathon raising money for doctors without borders and also a great way to get into watching speedrunning. a lot of their content is tailored towards being both clearly explained and fun to watch for an audience outside the speedrun community, so you can jump in with basically no knowledge besides “this person is gonna play a game really fast”.

gdq has the full week's worth of vods up as a playlist on their channel, but here are some runs that i personally think you should check out:

ken griffy jr presents mlb by peanut butter the dog: look it's a dog playing baseball. i don't know what else to tell you.

the entire silly block: speedrunners get up way too early in the morning/late at night to play games that feel like a fever dream. some of the commentators are going on 24 hours of no sleep. it's brilliant. my personal highlights of what i've seen so far are stuart little 2, mad panic coaster, city bus simulator race, and the golf it wrong hole only race that the players dressed up as golfers for

alan wake 2 alan%: alan wake clips through walls and generally has a bad time while a bunch of gamers call him a sopping wet catboy. the runner for this one is really charismatic and it's very funny to see staff rushing to open up the pit as soon as we sing starts (yes they do the dance of course they do the dance). i just love joyful runs of horror games man

super mario 64 blindfolded randomizer: what if you played mario 64 blindfolded and also the stars were in completely random locations. and also you had to do it very very fast.

kingdom hearts 2 critical any%: every kh2 speedrun i've ever seen is a work of art and this one is no different. some of the boss fights go down so fast you will literally miss them if you look away for a minute. and also two of my favorite runners are on couch commentary!

balatro showcase: genuinely made me rethink how i'm playing some of the balatro decks. also great commentary and just fun all around despite (or perhaps partially because of) the absolute struggle session going on with plasma deck in the beginning

super mario world kaizo relay: kaizo is a shorthand term for a game hacked to its absolute limits of difficulty that often requires strict precision of movement and can punish the player for thinking they're smarter than it. in this segment, two teams of 4 very very good mario runners race to complete 8 kaizo levels they've never seen before in their lives

mario maker 2 troll level race: i always like the mario maker races for the same reason i like the kaizo relays. i love watching two speedrunners thrown blindly into the shit have to make up strategies on the fly via trial and error (and error, and error, and error, and...)

kirby air ride race: two high level kirby air ride speedrunners race for an actual physical title belt. the trash talk game happening here is of the insane variety that only two very skilled people who truly respect each others' talents at their game of choice can provide

kaizo mario galaxy: what if mario galaxy hated you even more than usual and would stop at nothing to kill you. also most of the commentators are only familiar with the vanilla game and their reactions to the added-in bullshit are hysterical

tony hawk pro skater 1, 2, 3, and 4: i fell asleep watching this and woke up in a cold sweat to the sound of a bunch of people singing superman by goldfinger. good run

super mario rpg remake: this was the finale block and it's just great to see a bunch of people who really really love the original mario rpg get to hang out and talk about how good it is and also watch a world record level player absolutely stunt on the game

halo 3 four-player co-op legendary: dudes rock

[xgraavyx]

I feel like a lot of people ignore Mariana's role in Sherlock and Co. I understand that the bond between Sherlock and Watson is a heavy focus in the original acd books, but Sherlock and Co is it's own thing. Mrs Hudson may not have played a large role in the books, but in Sherlock and Co she is one of the main characters. Ignoring her prominent role in their dynamic just so you can focus on Watson and Sherlock's dynamic is strange. You can still talk about their dynamic without ignoring one of the main characters. In Sherlock and Co I have always seen them all three as being like a family. Regardless of how you percieve their relationship, you cannot ignore the fact that Marianna is important to both of them. People shit on those who ship John and Mariana bc it "gets in the way of sherlock and watson" but that is such a stupid reason to hate a character. People can ship Watson with whoever they want. It isn't hurting anyone to have people ship him with Mariana.

Watson has a very lovely dymamic with both Sherlock and Mariana. I've seen people genuinely angry to see the podcast focus on Mariana and Watson for even a second. Sherlock and Watson have also had many one on one interactions. They've had a lot of focus on their dynamic and how it is built throughout the podcast. People being mad that Mariana also gets those growth opportunities despite her also being a main character is WILD. A man and woman can be platonic friends without being a threat to the "main ship" This reminds me of what happened to Mary in bbc sherlock. While I agree that Mary is a poorly written character, people give her way too much hate. Hating a character is fine, but hating a character just because she "gets in the way" of your ship is dumb. I don't like Mary in bbc sherlock. I think her being a spy was weird. Her death was only there to kickstart sherlock and watson's discord and I think that is a stupid reason to kill off a main character. It had no proper impact to the story and she only existed to contrast with Sherlock. Those are valid reason to hate her, but I don't just ignore her existance. She was still a part of the bbc sherlock canon regardless of how buchered her implimentation was. Mariana is a fun character and a lovely addition to sherlock and co. She has been given the same if not less focus than Sherlock and people still rarely include her in fan content. Yes Sherlock and Watson have a very interesting dynamic but I'd love to see more love for Marianna. She is a part of their family. Regarldess of if you see the dynamics between characters as romantic or platonic Marianna is still an important person to both Sherlock and Watson and I would love to see more of her. She is like the "straight man" of their dynamic. She handles the business aspect of their organization. She canonically eats with them at 221b very often. So much so that she doesn't even have a dining table in her flat. I love seeing different interpretations of her design. She is such a fun character and her personality flows very nicely with the others. Tldr I want to see more love for Mariana, and people who hate her unjustly get on my nerves lol. You can ship two characters without ignoring or hating on the girl character.

[moonlightmornings]

hannah's buddie fic recs || pt. 3 💫

soooo 8x10 drops tonight how are we feelin... next part of this series will be love languages edition!!

as always, if you're the author of one of these please reply and i'll tag your tumblr! and check the tags and warnings before reading!!

<- PART TWO: hannah's buddie fic recs

put my heart inside your palms by markofalover / @markofalover | 3.0k words | teen+ How an accidental pet name, a thoughtful dinner, and a shared shirt gets their shit together.

i found love where it wasn't supposed to be (right in front of me) by finduilas / @ronordmann | 5.0k words | explicit It’s such a long time coming and still it takes Buck by surprise. It takes him by surprise even though he is the one that leans in and finally kisses Eddie. His second surprise is that Eddie doesn’t push him away, doesn’t even look at him with confusion. Or worse, rage. No, Eddie kisses him back like Buck is a tall drink of water and Eddie is severely dehydrated. Buck knows the feeling.

sick with it by taegyungie | 13.7k words | explicit The sound that Eddie makes is mortifying. It’s kind of like a whimper, but mostly he’s just crying. “Buck, I think I’m dying" [....] “You’re not dying.” [....] “Don’t judge me,” Eddie heaves, “but I’m so horny I think I’m dying.”

the distance to the stars by cloudydaisies | 27.2k words | general Everyone knows Eddie is dating Buck except for Eddie, literally.

invisible string (tying you to me) by bookinit / @bookinit02 | 5.2k words | teen+ Buck, Eddie, and the intimacy of a properly-tied shoe.

never known comfort like laying next to you by thelikesofus / @the-likesofus | 2.6k words | general A long shift ends with a quiet pizza and movie night within the walls of the Diaz house followed by a quiet confession beneath Eddie’s duvet.

made for a greater love by casfallsinlove | 1.9k words | teen+ It’s a good kind of ache, standing there with his chin on Buck’s shoulder and his arm around his waist, like digging a thumb into a bruise to feel alive, and Buck is so soft with him, gripping him firmly but not crushing his bad side, a heavy, steady weight for Eddie to lean into... (a 4.14 coda)

where the light enters by june_nights / @beecauseevan | 108k words | mature Chris is 800 miles away, and Eddie's house feels emptier than ever. As always, Buck is right there, ready to have his back, to catch him without hesitation if he falls. This is familiar, this is normal, this is the way they've always been. This is fine, until it isn't. Until Eddie finds himself drawn to Buck in ways he never expected—ways that might not be so new at all.

we can be saved by oracleofgarbage / @oracle-of-garbage | 87.4k words | mature Christopher's gone, Bobby's in forced retirement, Gerrard is a terror, and Buck is trying to keep his family together, at any cost... Eddie needs to learn who he is and what he wants outside of being a father, of being a firefighter. As they work to rescue the people of Los Angeles from perilous disasters, they just might find a way to save each other.

know you're not alone (i'm gonna make this place your home) by gay_internet_mafia / @queercomesthesun | 16.7k words | teen+ Buck has nightmares but Eddie being around makes it better. Cue bedsharing and a slow transition from friends to lovers that if they're honest, started long before the scope of this fic.

claim me by mickeysmyheart / @mickeysmyheart | 6.7k words | explicit New probie flirts with Eddie any chance he gets and Buck loses his mind about it since Eddie has secretly been his boyfriend for almost a month.

crossroads by hearmyplea | 65.2k words | explicit Eddie is on the cusp of breaking down [...] He comes across a flier for “Crossroads”. An underground exclusive nightclub aimed towards dark clubbing and exploration of self with full anonymity [...] Feelings he definitely wouldn’t mind exploring with that masked, tall and hunky dancer on that stage over there who just happens to remind him of Buck.

platonic co-parents don't kiss like we do by thelikesofus / @the_likesofus | 7.1k words | mature 5 times other people see Buck and Eddie kiss + 1 time they really mean it.

every thorn has its rose by anchrblack / @anchrblack | 16.6k words | explicit Christopher calls Eddie. a road trip, long overdue conversations with his mother, and a love that'll keep him safe through the dark. Eddie's boys come home.

you know i'll take my heart clean apart if it helps yours beat by bucksbicycle | 7.8k words | teen+ 5 times Buck secretly decorates Eddie’s bedroom + 1 time they decorate their bedroom together.

handle with care by writingfromforks | 5.1k words | explicit Bucks does something nice for Eddie and Eddie falls in love about it.

-> PART FOUR: hannah's buddie fic recs

[bitesyoubitesyoubitesyoubitesyo]

CW; Gn reader, smut, yandere elements, noncon/dubcon (reader starts to enjoy it near the end), somnophilia, drugging, praise, a bit of blood, bad writing, yandere is also gn and is implied to have a dick but it can also be read as a strap, not proofread

Shy and perverted yan (degenerate loser) who spends their free time watching porn and playing ero visual novels with an Innocent and naive darling with no sense of personal space or social etiquette.

The two of you were paired up for a school assignment, despite yan's complaints to the teacher about doing a group assignment.

Your presence only heightens their reluctance. You're always finding some way to touch them, some way to compliment them- and they know it's entirely friendly but god. They already barely interact with people to begin with and then you... Sweet, pure, pretty you... All of a sudden decides they're deserving of your kind treatment? They can't help but get excited.

They really, really want to try and make a genuine friend but it's hard when every little touch and praise goes straight to their crotch.

Yan's intrusive thoughts get the better of them, so they invite you over to their house to work on your project together. Of course, you agreed, thinking their intentions were nothing more than wanting to get a good grade. You're glad your partner is passionate!

You're so, unbearably cute.

Once in their room, they offer to make you some hot chocolate. It's cold out, and everybody likes hot chocolate, right? What you didn't know was that they ground up a sedative pill and sprinkled it into your drink.

After about an hour of working together on your project and slowly sipping your hot chocolate, they were beginning to worry that the sedative didn't even work- until you started dozing off on their shoulder.

Yan was so excited, it was finally happening... They almost didn't want to follow through with their original plan because of how sweet you looked asleep on their shoulder, but eventually it just made them more horny.

They carefully lift you up onto their bed, laying you down and undressing you slowly before slipping some ropes out from under their bed. They hadn't expected to use them so soon, but you were just such an easy catch, it was laughable.

They tied the ropes tight around your body, tight enough to hurt if you struggled too much. Once they were finished, they stepped back to admire. Your vulnerable, untouched body, wrapped up all for them... Aah, they just couldn't take it! They had wanted to wait until you were awake, but you wouldn't mind if they just took you then, right?

Running their filthy hands all over your skin, they start humping your leg like a dog in heat. They've been so horny ever since you drank the hot chocolate, and they've been getting off to the thought of you like this since you were paired up together. It almost felt like this was a dream...

Yan really wanted to feel guilty about corrupting you like this, but when they were finally inside of you, they couldn't bring themself to care.

You woke up to the intrusion, crying out in pain as they shushed you. "Sshh, shh... It's okay..." They whispered to you, mouth to your ear, rutting into you with an uncharacteristic eagerness.

The stinging sensation was unbearable and you writhed beneath your ropes- and paired with the flustered confusion on your face, you couldn't look cuter to yan.

"This is normal... It hurts now, but you're gonna feel so good soon. Trust me, my angel..." Their hushed words make you uncomfortable, and somewhere in the back of your mind you know this isn't normal, but you can't help but trust them. They've been so nice to you! They wouldn't hurt you on purpose.

You look down and notice blood dripping from where the two of you are connected, pooling beneath your ass. The sight is overwhelming, but you don't get too much time to dwell on it before they thrust into you particularly harshly.

A pathetic sob escapes from your lips as tears roll down your face. Yan coos at you, kissing away your tears and reaching their hand down to rub at your sex. The thought of enjoying this feels wrong, but you can't deny the way the pain slowly morphs into pleasure.

Soon enough, more moans of ecstasy are escaping you rather than cries of pain. "Yeah... See? I told you, it feels good... Hah.. just lay there and take it, my love."

You don't know how long you're gonna be here for, but would it be so wrong for you to say that you hope this doesn't end?

[infinizero]

Ok so

There is this trope about ghosts not reaching maturity until they've been ghosts for several centuries

There is ALSO the trope that ghosts fight as a sort of way to communicate

With the power of these two tropes combined-- I give you this strange headcanon:

Ghosts become mature adult ghosts after 500 years.

Danny and his usual troublemakers are all in the same "daycare".

He's just the youngest + most unique ghost so they like playing around with him the most. In other words, it's the ghost version of older siblings ordering their younger siblings around

As far as ghosts go,

There are blobs, ghost animals, shades (those are ghosts as we know it) and ghosts (aka Infinite Realms Beings) etc etc

The blobs and etc are, well, blobs and etc

But ghosts need a while to fully grow up and be considered adult

And so, if these ghosts are children, they need guardians or caretakers at the daycare right?

Correct

Baby ghosts are under the care of the nearest authority (Ancient or Leader or etc etc)

Except baby ghosts usually stay near where they were born and Danny and Co just so happen to be near Pariah Dark

Pariah Dark is asleep

But Fright Knight is there!

Except Fright Knight is also sealed

And it's one thing to wake up the ultra powerful megalomaniac tyrant kinda parent figure but not really you're supposed to have and another to drag your oldest adult sibling out of their room to touch grass

In other words, the surrounding authorities just went eh the babies can contact fright Knight if anything happens

But then Danny defeats Pariah and inherits his authority

So he technically becomes the caretaker of baby ghosts in the area while being the youngest baby ghost himself

Hence the other ancients visiting and *playing* with him to see if it's ok to leave the babies with this other baby

And since they're ghosts who don't have human guidelines or morals, decide that since he's that strong it should be fine to leave it alone

Besides he has Fright Knight! Good 'ol Frighty will definitely help out this new baby kid ghost with doing everything!

Meanwhile, Fright Knight waiting for Danny to come claim the crown and ring: ...

Cue Danny's rogues coming up to him to show him shit they accomplished

Youngblood : Phantom look at this cool baking soda volcano that spews out real lava!!

Danny: It does WHAT

Youngblood: Look!

Danny: NO

Ember: Hey Babybop wanna listen to the new song I wrote? It compels humans to start cults based on my name!

Danny: Ember, no

Ember: I think you mean Ember YES

Skulker: Ghost boy I have skinned an alien and brought you a pelt turned into a coat

Danny: ...you did WHAt

Skulker: It is nearing winter time and one must always be ready for winter time

Danny, having an existential meltdown after seeing his parents and Vlad get it on together: Desiree what the actual fuck??? Did you do????

Desiree: I merely fulfilled a wish

Johnny: Hey Phantom look we got matching tattoos to celebrate our anniversary!

Kitty: Wait what did you just say?

Johnny: uh, we got tattoos for our anniversary?

Kitty: ...our anniversary is in TWO MONTHS. THAT was for my DEATHDAY.

Johnny: ...oh shit

Danny, about to soup them both: Man, get good

Lunch Lady: Phantom have you eaten your proteins today?!

Danny: uh... Yeah?

Lunch Lady, already throwing meat at him: EAT MORE

Danny:

Box ghost: WITNESS! THE GREAT BOX MECHA!

Danny: oh come on seriously

And on the other hand,

Walker, dumping ten piles of paper in Danny's room: Phantom, here are the latest forms that need revisions

Spectra: What do you MEAN you're not allowing me to open a beauty salon in order to dig into other girls' insecurities and maintain my own beauty?! That's why it's called a beauty salon!!

Cujo and Wulf who are both the best boys and favorites, with smug faces:

Fright Knight still waiting for Danny to accept the ring and crown:

Plasmius: What the heck is this weird feeling my ghost side keeps making me feel??

Plasmius: is it... Is there perhaps a ghostly way I can adopt the little badger??

[immoralkombat]

feeling(s)

Kenshi has been blind for maybe an hour or two.

Johnny looks over at him with sympathy. He's not sure what he could possibly do or say to make things seem any less bleak for him. The man was just trying to get his family's heirloom back and now, after months of training and dedication, one of his five senses is gone permanently through no fault of his own. If Johnny were in Kenshi's position, he's sure he'd be feeling just as desolate, if not more so.

Kung Lao is sitting in the far corner, talking to Baraka. He seems genuinely fascinated by Tarkat as a disease. Were Johnny not in the same situation as them, he would find that particular conversation topic a bit morbid. Right now, it's really all they have to talk about. They've already exhausted all the small talk options you normally go through when first meeting someone. They might as well start talking about the disease that'll eventually kill Baraka.

The salve on the cloth seems to have worked a little, because at least Kenshi isn't moaning in pain every few seconds anymore. Not that it makes things significantly more cheerful, but it does help the atmosphere a bit.

Johnny taps on his knees as he sits, eyes darting between looking at Kung Lao and Kenshi. He's kind of in between where the two have sat themselves, a visual and metaphorical median between the two ways one could possibly react to getting imprisoned by a sorcerer that's almost 100% going to kill you. (To be fair, there isn't much that connects the points of "casually talking about a stranger's terminal illness with them as though you're both standing by the office water cooler talking about whatever hit TV show is airing these days" and "rocking back in forth in the corner about how a different terminally ill stranger took your eyes and you have nothing left in this world." Johnny supposes the best middle point is "looking anxiously between your two co-workers and not saying anything because Jesus Christ, what the fuck are you supposed to say in this situation besides aforementioned terminal illness.")

He really wishes that Kenshi still had his eyes, because every time he looked at Johnny, it always seemed to make everything feel okay.

Johnny thinks for a second and then scoots closer to Kenshi. It's only once he accidentally bumps up against Kenshi's foot and scares the living shit out of everyone in the cell that he realizes he probably should've given an audible cue that he was going to be approaching the newly blind guy.

After Kenshi's done having a mini panic attack over the sudden Hollywood A-lister jumpscare he's gotten, Johnny looks at him and asks, quietly, "Do you want to hold Sento for a bit?"

Kenshi turns to face him and even underneath the newly christened blindfold, Johnny can tell that Kenshi is looking at him with the most surprised and reverent eyes in the universe. The kind of look that you'd get and say "fuck this stupid sword, I'd pay $3 million just to get this guy to look at me like that again."

Kenshi's mouth opens as though he's going to say something, but it shuts again before any words or sounds can come out. He opts to nod in response and Johnny takes the scabbard from off his back, holds it in his hands gently and passes it to Kenshi. Their fingertips graze one another, a way to indicate that the blind man is in the right spot. The touch sends crackles of electricity through Johnny and he wonders if Kenshi feels them too.

It's like the tattoos on Kenshi's hands are swirling around him, colors dancing in front of his eyes. It's more beautiful than any lame fucking Disney movie ever could be.

The yakuza's voice is hoarse as he says "Thanks." It's so small that Johnny can almost see it breaking in the air. He wants to put his hand on Kenshi's and tell him that things will be okay, that he's going to pay for a sight companion, any kind of corrective surgeries he wants, whatever it takes. He wants to tell him that he's still just as strong and fierce and goddamn handsome now as he was before. He wants to kiss him so fucking badly it makes his entire being ache.

He settles for saying "You're welcome," and then sitting next to Kenshi in silence.

He watches the way that he holds Sento in his hands, feels every single nick in the scabbard, every single imperfection. It's the first time in Johnny's life that he's ever wanted to be a sword and, if he keeps hanging out with Kenshi after this, (which he hopes he can), it almost certainly won't be the last.

Johnny wishes that Mileena had taken Kenshi's tear ducts with her after she'd stabbed his eyes out, because the short sad sobs that wrack through his body are almost too much to bear witness to. When he cries, it moves through his entire being. It sends a shockwave from his gut upward, makes him lurch his shoulders forward and hug himself.

"H-Hey, what's wrong?" Johnny asks. He knows it's a stupid fucking question, obviously everyone knows what's wrong, most of all the guy it happened to. But it's all he can think to ask as he watches Kenshi continue to awkwardly jerk alongside his cries.

Kenshi's head turns to face Johnny. From beyond the thin red cloth that covers his eye sockets, Johnny can feel them boring into him.

"Cage, could I touch you? I want to remember what your face looks like."

If Johnny were operating on his full mental capacity, he would probably explode at this question. He would become the fireworks they popped last night at the banquet over their heads as they feasted. He would be attached to one end of a fuse with Li Mei holding the other end, readying herself to spark it and send him to the stratosphere.

"Y-Yeah, of course you can, Ken-doll. Just make sure not to damage the goods - people pay good money for this mug to show up on their big screens."

The smugness in his voice would normally earn him a "tch" or a groan, (or an eye roll), from Kenshi. Hearing him chuckle under his breath makes his heart soar.

He turns his face toward him and waits, but no touch comes. His eyes close, he anticipates the electricity to come back... and instead he hears Kenshi clearing his throat awkwardly.

Johnny opens his eyes and finds that Kenshi's still got his hands on Sento. He tries not to be jealous of the sword again, but as with any other time he's tried not to be jealous of someone or something that has what he wants, he fails miserably.

"Could you get closer, Cage?"

"Not the first time I'm hearing that question, won't be the last. How close you need me, handsome?"

The words come out before he can even process them. Jesus Christ, is he really that much of a disaster that he can just openly call a guy he's been crushing on for at least a month handsome without even thinking about it? He's a fucking mess. His wife left him and now he doesn't know how to act. She was gonna be the only person he'd ever be able to trick into loving him and now she was gone.

"I'm going to turn, and I suggest you do the same. I want to be facing you. You can sit with your legs touching mine if it helps."

Great, now Kenshi has a colorful blindfold that also serves as a perfect swatch for the shade of red Johnny's face turns every time the man says something that's totally fucking normal for two people that are acquainted with one another.

Johnny does as he's told, because if there's one thing he's good at, it's taking directions. (Ignoring literally every single major motion picture he's ever been in, every statement he's ever made to the press after consulting his legal teams and public consultants, and generally living life up until this point.)

His knees knock against Kenshi's and it takes him aback for a second, how giddy and childish the butterflies he feels in his stomach are. Getting to know Kenshi was so simple. He wishes he had just taken a second and been less of a dickwad back when they'd first met, because maybe then it'd be easier for him to grow a pair of cajones and tell Kenshi that he doesn't spend a single night without thinking about how much he wants to trace the tattoos on his hands and arms. Maybe if he had just given Sento over, it'd be easier to admit that the low rumble of Kenshi's voice does something to stir up the pool of heat in his stomach that he thought had been long since gone after getting married to Cristal. Maybe if he hadn't tied Kenshi to one of his kitchen chairs, it'd be easier to ask him if kissing washed-up celebrities was something he'd be interested in doing.

"I'll put my hand out, you lean forward to match it."

Kenshi's palm is extended and it takes every ounce of willpower in Johnny's aching body to not press his lips against it. He leans forward until his cheek is lightly touching the yakuza's hand.

He must be hearing things, because he swears he hears Kenshi's breath hitch when they make contact for the first time. Nah, surely not. Must've been the wind.

If Kenshi's senses are heightened because of the loss of his vision, then Johnny's senses are heightened because of the gain of his touch. He purses his lips together to stop from letting out some sort of obscene sound as he feels Kenshi's hand slowly smooth over his cheek. He thanks whatever fucked up Gods exist other than Liu Kang that he finally got on that moisturizing routine that he learned off of TikTok three months ago.

As Kenshi's hand slowly feels out every angle and curve of Johnny's face, his thoughts rush a mile a minute. He wonders if he should've done a closer shave today - maybe his stubble is gonna be too sharp and it'll hurt Kenshi and leave him with little cuts or rug burn on his pretty perfect wrap-around-my-throat-please hands. He wonders if his nose is too big. He wonders if he maybe should've invested in hair plugs after that one weird SNL dropout made a comment about his weird square hairline back when he guest starred on the Comedy Central roast of Megan Fox. He wonders if his eyes are too small or too large or too close together or too far apart. He wonders if he should smile so Kenshi can feel his dimples.

"Yep, it all feels just like how I remember it. Although the stubble has gotten a little longer."

That is certainly not the answer he was expecting to hear.

His voice is small, barely there, as he chokes out his question. "You remember what I look like?"

Kenshi nods. "I do."

Johnny goes to open his mouth to ask, "Then why did you ask to touch it if you already knew?"

But then Kenshi's fingers are on his lips, tracing them with the reverence he'd have holding Sento, and for a moment, Johnny finally thinks he's better than that stupid fucking sword. His smile has the same curves, the same edges. The only difference is that Kenshi can't accidentally hurt himself this way. (He can, however, accidentally hurt Johnny. But even that would be better than the alternative, he thinks.)

Kenshi's thumb is on his bottom lip, the rest of his hand now holding Johnny's chin. If he tilts it up even one degree, Johnny thinks it'll be over for him, that he'll be kissing Kenshi before he can even think to stop himself. He'd always had poor impulse control - why else would he have spent $3 million on a fucking sword to hang up in his living room?

"These are the same, too. I'm glad you weren't hurt in the fight, Cage."

Johnny feels so fucking overwhelmed. He wants to ask so many things. First of all, what does "these are the same, too" mean? Second, why does he care about the guy who bought his fucking family heirloom and refuses to give it back? Third, why does he insist on calling him Cage like one day he won't end up calling him Johnny and breaking his heart? Fourth, what in the goddamn fuck does he mean about Johnny's fucking lips being the goddamn motherfucking same?!

Johnny decides to play it up like he always does. "Well, 'course. Gotta keep my pretty mouth. It's what makes the big bucks. I wouldn't be the same without it."

Kenshi smirks, and thank Liu Kang's weird god siblings that he's blind right now, because Johnny is beet red, mouth agape, with his eyebrows raised (and he's fairly certain that something else also rises).

"That's true. You would not be the same without that infamous mouth." Kenshi accents the compliment(?) with a playful slap to Johnny's cheek, and then his hand is withdrawn entirely, leaving an empty ghost where he should still be holding Johnny's face in his hands.

He bites back the urge to immediately ask if Kenshi wants to know just how infamous the mouth is, and settles for clearing his throat and moving back to sitting against the wall next to Kenshi.

He looks over at him after he's gotten calmed down. His heart is still jackhammering against his ribs, but as long as Kenshi can't feel his pulse, he doesn't have to know. Kenshi seems to sense Johnny's eyes on him because he turns to face him, red blindfold all that stands between the gaping holes where Kenshi's eyes used to be and Johnny's gaze full of adoration.

The yakuza grabs Sento from his lap and hands it back to Johnny.

"Thank you. I appreciate you letting me hold it. And I appreciate your help in grounding me back to reality."

Johnny nods, taking Sento back and putting it where it so wrongfully deserves to be, strapped against Johnny's sore fucking back.

"No problem. Lemme know whenever you get the urge to feel out what an Adonis looks like, I'm happy to oblige." His comment is a means to an end. He plays up the egoism to ignore the shock that courses through him as Kenshi's fingertips touch his one last time.

He resolves then and there to give Sento back as soon as they escape from here, and they will escape.

This cannot be the last time he feels Kenshi's hands on him.

Baraka whispers, about as well as he can without lips or an inside voice, "Do they not realize how much they yearn for one another?"

Kung Lao shakes his head, putting a hand on Baraka's shoulder and immediately regretting it once he feels a spike tear into his palm. "They've just gotta be stupid about it for a bit longer. They'll figure it out."

"Surely their pining has to cause some sort of agony for you as well, does it not, Earthrealmer?" Baraka looks genuinely confused, or as close to it as he can get from what Kung Lao can tell.

Kung Lao hangs his head, sighing languidly. "Of course it does. But what else am I gonna do about it? Tell them? They're not gonna believe me. Trust me, they've got to figure it out on their own time, or they never will."

And as he sees Johnny's hand inch closer to Kenshi's, finally overlapping the tattoos and interlocking their fingers, Kung Lao thinks that maybe the agony won't last much longer.

[allisluv]

hiii i heard you were looking for finnick requests😈😈 could you do one where finnick is comforting the reader because she’s hated by a lot of people and just excluded from everything (self indulgent lol)

groupchats.

pairing: finnick odair x fem!reader

content warnings: pre established relationships, for arguments sake the districts have phones and media etc, pet names, one suggestive comment towards the end.

word count: 0.8k

Realistically, you know you should spend your time doing something a tad more productive than falling down a rabbit hole of self loathing and self pity, but that proves to be a hell of a lot easier said than done when your phone keeps on blowing up every thirty seconds with new messages. 

Earlier in the day, your work colleagues had not-so-subtly dropped into the conversation that they were going out for a couple of drinks that following evening.

A staff night out, they had called it. 

You were still fairly new to your job and getting to know the people you worked with was harder than you had anticipated--- especially when they were so damn secretive and judgemental. Honestly, it was like being back in high school with cliques and queen bees.

Still, you were trying to remain optimistic, and you had asked when it would be taking place and where. You were excited, and yeah, maybe that was a bit stupid considering that these people hadn't spared you a second glance, but you thought this was their attempt at trying to get to know you.

But the second the words had left your mouth and the conversation fizzled out, you knew that the invitation had not extended to you after all.

You felt like a fool, and you had never scoffed down your lunch so fast in your entire life. The day had went by surprisingly fast after that and then you were on your way home.

Finnick had been there to greet you at the door, just as he always did, and he could instantly tell something was up. Of course, you naturally hadn't wanted to worry him so you made up a lie about how work had been tiring.

In all honesty you just didnt want to admit the truth. Part of you knew that Finnick realized that, too, but he hadn't pushed. Instead, he had pressed his lips to your forehead and bounced off to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

Your phone beeps again, dragging you out of your reminiscing on the day. You grimace as you absentmindedly click on the photograph and a picture of your co-workers brightens up your screen.

You don't even know how they got your number.

All you know is that they've added you to a group chat that you really don't want to be in.

It's almost like they're rubbing your nose in it, but you don't want to be petty and leave the group chat, so you tough it out.

Finnick leans against the doorframe to the living room, watching you with furrowed brows and his head cocked to one side. He knows that something is upsetting you, but what he doesn't know is if he should push it or not.

He calls your name, but you dont answer, too absorbed in whatever you're watching on your phone. As quietly as possible, he crosses the room and flops down on the sofa beside you, peering over your shoulder with the hopes of getting a glimpse at what you're looking at.

A frown tugs at the corners of his lips when he sees the picture on your screen. You're still too caught up in your own head to realise that he's looking. "Aren't they your work colleagues?"

You jump almost as if you didn't realise he was there in the first place, before nodding. "Yeah."

"All of them?"

"Yeah." You sigh.

"Why didn't you go out with them? Are you not feeling well, angel?"

You swallow around the lump in your throat and shrug nonchalantly. "I wasn't... they didn't invite me." Finnick's face falls and you rush to console him. "It's not a big deal. Honestly, I'm just being silly."

Finnick tugs you into his arms without a second thought. "Oh, angel, it's not silly. You're allowed to be upset about them not inviting you. It sucks. But that says more about them than it does about you."

He holds you for another few minutes, just letting you feel your way through your emotions, before he pulls away and cradles your face in his hands. "Did you want to go out tonight?"

You shrug. "Not with them."

He rolls his eyes fondly. "I'm not talking about with those assholes. Do you wanna go out with me? I think we're well overdue a date night by now, anyway."

You duck your head to hide your smile. "We don't have to do that. It's fine, honestly."

"I know we don't have to. I want to. Besides, I think you deserve to be pampered, hm?" He pecks your lips. "Come on, let's go get all dolled up."

"Do you wanna know what would make me really happy?" A teasing smile pulls at the corners of your lips.

Finnick arches a brow. "Do tell."

"If you wore that white button down. You know that does things to me."

"Say less, angel, say less."

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's episode...

[Spoilers below cut]

save me SMG4 episode save me

(the following is my live reaction:)

moo-stache moo-stache moo-stache

why do I feel like Pedro's going to be here?

"bruh Pedro was just a one-time thing." they literally killed off Mickey, ANYTHING can happen

KAIZO YOU'RE BACK HI

OMG please tell me someone from the Team saw this fan animation and put it in the episode as a nod to the animator, that would be awesome!!!

btw great fan animation, go check it out if you haven't [link]

YAYYYY, c'mon Mario you gotta spend time with your brother :)

also I need to find a playthrough of this game while I work

whoops my hand slipped [*makes 4 say "I should've chosen the USB over you, 3"*] :)

Hey Shroomy :D ....oh *western spaghetti flashbacks*

like seriously, I can't hear that audio the same way again

helicopter helicopter (copter)

oh hey swag *he fades away* NOOOOOO

well, digging did (mostly, sorta) help the last episode

OMG HI HI HI MY SILLIES

Three, why are you here if you think it's stupid? unless... 🫵 🏳️‍🌈⁉️

it's giving "I'm only here to support my boyfriend's interests", like I'm starting to believe that they truly are dating behind the scenes

they're on a date, your honor 💙💜

and there they go bickering again smh /affectionate

I'd like to think that ever since Four drives a forklift, that's just his method of transportation. screw the car, we're taking this baby out for a spin :)

Mario, you need to be ✨forklift certified✨

sorry, just Three's gayass poses give me life

actually yeah why is the line not moving?

the boys :)

also that walk animation tho

HOW LONG IS THIS LINE?!

also c'mon Three, show us your dance moves :D

oooooh that editing i love that

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING

now that they've mentioned it, why are there so many conventions happening at the same time? hmmmmm *game theory theme starts playing*

SMG3: "Maybe they're lining up to go to your mom's house. That line's usually pretty long." DAYUM THREE

"the line doesn't end" ayo wtf????

shroomy, you've eaten mushrooms before and you had no problem with that

....it really is the end of the world huh

ONE WEEK LATER?!?!?!?

"there is no end" "the end will come" me, sitting in the corner: hmmmmmmmmm

whelp, it's confirmed, I kin Four now

Three's not going coo co crazy, he's just vibin' :)

THIS IS WARRRRRR

this whole fighting scene omg it's SO good!

....WOTFI? ok no :P

AWWW THAT WAS ACTUALLY SWEET DUDE

CAN WE PLEASE GET A HUG? FOR ME SPECIFICALLY?

.... yeah uh Boopkins, you're going to have to explain what the hell you mean by that

not that it's surprising, we've been through a lot. just another Tuesday (or Saturday in this case)

MY HEART CAN'T TAKE ALL THIS FLUFF

HUG HUG HUG

THAT'S MY BOYS

RAVE PARTY [*dances*]

....sonic, is that you? sorry, my mind is still in the sonadow generations phase so I can't unsee them

:O wait, Boopkins, what did you mean by that?

MARTY?!?!? WTF

SMG4: "Don't worry, Mario. There's one way we can fix this." Beat the shit out of him...? YEAH I KNEW IT HAHA

*explodes*

and congrats to samgagmincho for your art featured at the end credits 🎉

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

This was a fun episode, I loved it!! Seeing my boys is always a plus and I appreciate the return of some side characters. With how the world is right now, I really needed this episode. So, thanks Team, for keeping my spirits up.

I just enjoyed watching my silly little guys doing silly little adventures. Traffic is a nightmare so I don't blame Mario in the slightest. Anyway, 3 and 4, how was your date? /silly

Can we just talk about the animation? It was so good!!! You really see the quality they put in, especially in that fighting scene. I didn't expect MARTY of all people to be the cause of all this. I honestly thought it was going to be a gag of something harmless just being in the middle of the road for no reason (like a turtle or smth) and the Crew being like "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!" but NOPE, Marty was here and apparently A SORCERER?! I really shouldn't be surprised, what am I talking about here. And ofc the OG duo immediately beating the shit out of him is so fucking funny to me. He didn't die (I know that), but he's definitely going to be more relevant in the future.

...puzzlevision 2? ok I'm sorry

SMG4 show and jokes aside, I hope you all are ok. No matter what happens, we'll stick together. Don't give them the satisfaction that they want. You aren't alone, and we'll keep on fighting.

Going to be a Sonic fan here, Sonic 06 is famously known to be... augh. But there is a good moment with Shadow that I think is relevant now:

Mephiles (the villain of the game): "It's futile. The world will betray you. Why fight at all? Why risk your life for those who will persecute you later?" Shadow: "If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have."

Take care, my dear fellows, and I'll see you all in my next post!! Hmmm, there is "no end" [*game theory intro plays*]

[joejhang]

why kevjean doesn't work.

i'm sad about it too but hear me out. spoilers ahead continue at ur own risk.

look it makes me so sad to say it but kevjean does not work in this universe (i know, this also means it doesn't work, by extension, in any universe, considering jean is dead.) and i need y'all to hear me out on this. everyone theorising that kevjean will be the endgame ship in tsc i hate to break it to u all: not only does that not at all align with anything in canon, but it also would just be a really bad writing decision on nora's part.

LET ME EXPLAIN. jean's arc in tsc is first and foremost about healing. i think everything and every relationship jean has throughout the tsc trilogy has to lend itself towards that in some way, and ultimately has to resolve in jean being in a better place than he was at the beginning, and if not done healing, then being certain that one day he will be. (this is how jean is when he graduates from usc in the current canon ec).

following this line of thought, jean logically can't end up with kevin. and not just because it contradicts canon, because i fully believe nora is free to contradict any of the ec she wants in tsc, but because fundamentally, it would not aid in jean's healing arc.

i see the appeal, i really do. kevin and jean have insane lore, off the charts chemistry and tension and are actually extremely compatible. but that isn't enough in this case to justify an established relationship between the two of them that isn't in the past. (don't get me wrong i am a WHORE for past kevjean/kevjean situationship/unrequited kevjean it's all very yum).

i genuinely think getting into a relationship w kevin at this point in the story would hurt and hinder jean's healing arc. kevin, through no fault of his own, is so deeply entwined with jean's trauma and memories in evermore that he literally cannot be anything but a trigger and catalyst for bad memories and grief/anger in jean. y'all forget just how deep kevin's departure cut jean (not just physically), and jean hasn't even entirely worked things out with kevin yet. they have a lot of dirty laundry to air out, both between the two of them and their relationship as well as about neil and r*ko. people also forget that kevin and jean both played a role in each other's abuse. jean said himself that it destroyed him, how easy it was to fall into kevin's bystander role. they both were witnesses and bystanders to each other's abuse by r*ko or tetsuji. that doesn't mean it was their fault, and they literally could not have done anything to help or stop anything, but it doesn't mean it didn't have an affect on the other nonetheless. i feel like ppl r missing a lot of nuance in this context: kevin and jean's relationship has always been inherently tragic, even if it doesn't end with a fall out. they've always been each other's greatest friend in the worst places, and they've always been forced to witness the trauma done to both of them. their bond is complicated, even if the love is there (which i think it is). i won't call it a trauma bond but i do think their bond is deeply influenced and intertwined with their shared trauma.

even if they did work thru everything, i honestly think jerejean is the only way to go here. nora has laid the groundwork for that mutual attraction and trust there in book one, and now we're just gonna have to see how it plays out. they may not be together properly until jean graduates, but i don't see a problem with that. i think, at the end of the day, it's not a matter of if it'll happen but when. jean needs jeremy (and cat + laila) right now, and there's a reason kevin chooses to send him to the sunshine court, and it's not just cos they're the only team worthy of jean's skill. "their kindness matters." kevin says, and it does. jeremy + the trojans innate kindness and care towards jean are what he needs to heal and grow out of the ravens' shadow. being with kevin i fear would jeopardise that. at the end of the day, kevin is too deeply rooted in jean's past, which is a veritable goldmine of trauma that, while does need to be acknowledged and talked about, does not need to be dug up again. this isn't jean or kevin's fault, just a fact.

i think nora's also made it pretty clear that kevjean (whether requited or not) is a thing of the past. the love was there, and it might've changed everything and it might've changed nothing, but the love was there. and maybe it still is. but things have changed, and they're both going their own way and i think it's really important to understand that.

side note: this is also part of the reason i'm not the biggest fan of thea and kevin's relationship. i'm not actually sure if they're all that good for each other, given how/where their relationship began and developed. i don't doubt they care for and love each other, but i just don't know if they're the best people for each other in terms of like...wellbeing. anyway does anyone have any good kevaaron fic recs???