#does this mean it's discontinued? who knows

[holidaywishes]

Happy Halloween

Hate Sex Part 4

Requested: 🤷‍♀️

Summary: After a rather awkward date with Auston, the two of you decide it’s probably best to leave things alone; but Halloween brings you both back to bad habits.

Warning: smut, some fluff and a bit of angst

  Author’s Note: Yes, I’m back. To be honest, I should be writing a sample for my ghostwriting thing but I can’t bring myself to sit down and do it. As you can tell, I started this all the way back in October and kept coming back to it but I never felt like it was finished. I feel like the voice is a little different in this one, maybe less snarky? I don't know, it's just different. I personally don't know how much more I can add to this story but if people keep requesting chapters, I can write some -- maybe just tell me where you want it to go lol. This one is long AF but hopefully, it fulfills everyone’s craving though.

  masterlist

the other masterlist

xx

Auston’s P.O.V

  Hearing (Y/N) say that there could be something more than sex between the two of you was almost like having air back in your lungs. But now where did you stand with her?

  “Wait,” Morgan stuttered as he sat across from you, both waiting for your server to bring your meals to the table, “what exactly are you asking me to do?”

  “Tell me I’m allowed to ask her out…” you awkwardly scoffed

  “You’re both adults. You wanna ask her out? Ask her out. You don’t need my permission,” he said, allowing a smile to spread across your face, “but she’ll probably say no”

  “Wow. Thanks”

  “I’m not gonna lie to you, Matts,” he started, leaning his elbows on the table, “she’s really not your biggest fan. Even if the two of you have been hooking up”

  “Yeah but she said s—

  “She didn’t say anything,” he interrupted and you furrowed your brow in return, “not about starting anything. I just don’t want you getting your hopes up…”

  “So I’m just supposed to leave it, her, alone now?” you asked, hoping for a different answer

  “Ask her out,” he said, “but if she says no, yeah. Let the situation end because if you keep going with the whole fuck buddies thing, one or both of you are going to get hurt.” You bit the inside of your cheek as you took in his words. You knew he was right, you were too emotionally invested already but you thought she was too and the idea of possibly cutting that off wasn’t something you were looking forward to.

xx

  You weren’t sure what to do now. Knowing that Auston had said he wanted more and that you had said you felt something as well had become all-consuming; not that you knew what any of it meant. The two of you hadn’t really talked since that night in the bathroom and now things were getting tense amongst your shared friend group.

  “What would you do?” you asked your best friend during a lunch break, “if you were me?”

  “What would you want to do?” she returned

  “No no,” you scoffed, “don’t do that. I asked what you would do, I really wanna know”

  “It seems pretty clear to me,” she added easily, a smirk quickly appearing on her face, “you both said you have feelings for each other, so it seems clear that you should go for it”

  “That’s what you would do?”

  “That’s what I know you would do,” she urged, “if it was anyone else”

  “It’s just that things are so weird!” you said, exasperated, “I mean I legit hated him and I always thought he hated me, and he probably did, but now he’s saying he has feelings for me and I’m changing my mind? Is that really what’s happening?”

  “Apparently”

  “If anything happens, it would be a terrible idea”

  “I think the terrible idea already happened,” she teased, “whatever happens now is probably a pretty normal thing.”

  “I just don’t like making anyone uncomfortable,” you admitted, “Tessa is asking me questions because Morgan is asking her questions because Auston is asking him questions. Yet, we haven’t spoken since we had sex in the bathroom so…”

  “Why did you have sex in the bathroom?” she asked and you shook your head once before shrugging, “I just mean, you always said public sex was a no, that it would never be the thing you did”

  “And then I did it…” you added with a heavy sigh, “I don’t know. I mean, it really did just sorta happen and there was alcohol involved — I guess I just got caught up in it, in him, that I didn’t really think about where we were.” When she smiled at you with that terrible poker face she had, you furrowed your brow, “what?”

  “You don’t think that your answer just now deserves a second look?” she asked before telling you that she needed to go back to work. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? I love you”

  “Love you” you said as you hugged her back and went your own way. As you drove back to your office, you thought about everything your best friend said, searching for more clarity on everything you’d talked about but only wound up more confused than you started.

xx

Auston’s P.O.V

  You decided just to go for it. Ask out (Y/N) and see what happens. But things were different now. Aside from the fact that you hadn’t spoken to her in months, you were now starting to rethink whether or not she actually meant what she said — because, if she did, why hadn’t she reached out either? You shook your head at your own thought and forced yourself to pick up the phone anyway

  “Hello” (Y/N)’s voice sang from the other end of the phone

  “Hi” you said shyly

  “Auston?”

  “Yeah, uhm,” you replied, clearing your throat to waste time as you thought about what to say, “what are you doing?”

  “What? You called me…” she giggled, a giggle that you could picture the perfect smile with, “how did you even get my number? I’m pretty sure I never gave it to you. For obvious reasons…”

“Mo gave it to me,” you said, “and I just meant what are you doing right now? Are you busy?”

  “Depends…”

  “On?”

  “On what you want.” You smiled, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly as you paced around your apartment

  “I want— would you like to go on a date with me?”

  “No” it was almost a whisper and you could tell she was caught off guard

  “I mean a real date. In public. Sex completely off the table, not even a thought for either of us”

  “Why?” she asked, “why now? After everything?”

  “Because,” you answered, finally taking a seat, “I know how I feel but I want to be able to get to know each other. I’m really not as bad as you think I am”

  “That sounds like something a narcissist would say”

  “I promise,” you smirked, “I’m not a narcissist. I’d love for you to call me on all my bullshit but, to be fair, you’ll have to learn about me first”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Yeah…” you scoffed. There was silence on the line for a while and you dropped your head as you awaited her polite refusal

  “One date” she finally said and you tried your best to contain your surprise

  “Really?”

  “One date and if it doesn’t go well, then we stop,” she continued, “stop everything. No random calls out of nowhere. No second dates because you want another chance to change my mind. No hookups in bathrooms or hotel rooms. Nothing. It all ends”

  “That’s no fun” you joked

  “That’s the point,” she said sternly, “and that’s the deal.” You chuckled a bit at her seriousness but let your shoulders relax

  “Okay,” you agreed, your smile now beaming, “so are you free tonight?”

xx

  The date was... awkward. It was as if Auston forgot how to interact with not only you but people in general and you couldn’t seem to make it any better. You honestly didn’t know how

  “This is a nice place” you said to fill the empty space

  “Thanks,” he replied, coughing on the sip of water he had taken, “I mean, it’s not mine obviously so I don’t mean ‘thanks,’ I just mean...” You raised your eyebrows as he stumbled over his words before taking a breath, “I’m glad you like it”

  “I’m a little confused...” you whispered, leaning in so only the two of you could hear, “why are we here?”

  “It’s a date..?” he replied hesitantly as if to say ‘did you not get that?’

  “No, I know,” you scoffed, “but why here? I mean... it’s nice. It’s fancy but I don’t know, it doesn’t really seem like you”

  “Aren’t I supposed to be this super arrogant jerk who likes only the best?” he chided and you grinned sarcastically

  “Yes,” you quipped, “but this place isn’t even that. It’s... too fancy for me, yet, not fancy enough for the person you think you are”

  “The person I think I am?”

  “Exactly”

  “What does that even mean? Either I’m arrogant or I’m not, you can’t decide it’s both”

  “I’m not deciding it’s anything, I’m saying this is how it is. You have this image of yourself, an inflated ego that people gave you, and it comes across in everything you do.” Your explanation left his face contorted into what seemed like permanent confusion, “you are not a god, Auston, you’re just a hockey player. Everyone has just made you believe that you’re more than that because... they felt like it. So, you became what they wanted and now you have no idea who you are”

  “You really can’t go an entire conversation without fighting with me can you?”

  “I’m just being honest with you, Auston,” you scoffed, leaning back in your seat, “maybe I thought you’d respect that”

  “Maybe it comes across as condescending” he added, his own scoff mimicking yours

  “Maybe you’re just too sensitive”

  “Maybe you’re meaner than you let people believe”

  “And what if I am?” you sneered, arms crossed as you stared across the table at Auston, one eyebrow raised slightly

  “Then you can’t really say I have no idea who I am when no one has any idea who you are” he replied. You scoffed in return before grabbing your purse and flagging down your server

  “Hi, sorry,” you said politely, a shy smile appearing on your lips, “can I just pay for my meal”

  “(Y/N)…” Auston sighed, “come on that’s ridiculous”

  “When you have a chance, I’ll just grab my bill”

  “So.. it’s separate?” the server asked and you nodded

  “No” Auston countered

  “Yes” you insisted, smiling at the server before sending him on his way

  “Seriously?” Auston scoffed once more

  “I don’t want to be indebted to you. This way I won’t owe you — for anything”

  “I can’t tell if this is mature or petty”

  “That sounds like a you problem.” The server came over with your bill just then and, luckily, he brought out the machine with him so you were able to tap your card and go. “Thank you,” you said to the young man who clearly thought this date was going better than it had, turning to dismiss yourself to Auston, “look, we gave it a try. But we made a deal — if the date didn’t go well, then that would be it. No more. So, thanks, I guess, for the terrible decisions I’ve made these last few years. It’s been a wild ride, but one I never should’ve gotten on”

  “Okay the metaphors are a little much” he said, grabbing your arm as gently as he could to stop you from leaving

  “Let go” you said gently

  “Stay”

  “Why?” you groaned, “to argue some more? To disagree over fundamental parts of each other's personalities? No, sorry, I don’t need that. It was… interesting knowing you Matthews. Catch you in another life.” You left the restaurant hastily, sighing to yourself at the idea of wasting your time before quickly smiling when you realized this meant you could get your life back to normal. Back to when Auston was just some over-hyped, narcissistic man-child who you never asked to have in your life in the first place.

xx

Five months later

  Morticia Addams was always a good choice. Last minute or first thought, alone or couples costume, it always garnered the right kind of attention. It was one of your favourite go-to costumes and you’d always worn it well; perfecting it over the years, of course.

  “Morticia again?” your cousin, Martha, scoffed when you came out in your floor-length, tight black dress

  “It’s a classic” you laughed before fitting your black wig onto your head

  “If I had known that you were going to wear it this much, I never would’ve dressed you up all those years ago”

  “You’re just mad that it works so well on me”

  “Are you ready?” she sighed as she rolled her eyes

  “Yeah,” you smirked, “just gotta put on some lipstick. Go meet me in the car.” Martha’s heels clacked on the hardwood floor as she made her way to the car and you paced around trying to make sure you had everything you needed before going to Tessa and Mo’s Halloween party. When your cousin pulled up in front of the house, you made sure everything on you was where it needed to be — no malfunctions tonight.

  “So wait…” Martha started, “do you think Auston will be in there?”

  “Probably,” you responded, moving your coat to the backseat, “he’s part of the team”

  “Have you talked to him since that date?”

  “Nope” you replied, popping the p as you fixed your lipstick and fell back in the seat

  “So after five months, you’re gonna see him,” she said and you nodded to yourself before turning your body to face her, “what’s that gonna be like?”

  “It’ll be fine. We both agreed to go our separate ways and there shouldn’t be an issue with both of us being there,” you admitted, “we’re just going back to how our lives were before all the bad decisions.” She smirked and shook her head, pushing the car door open and walked to your side of the car

  “Alright,” Martha sighed as you got out of the car and headed toward the house. You spent the first hour grabbing a drink, talking with a few people you knew and meeting a few you didn’t before finally finding Mo

  “Happy Halloween!” he greeted, stretching out his arms and his Dracula cape

  “Happy Halloween!” you returned with a smile

  “Morticia?” Tessa asked as she handed you another drink as she approached the group

  “Yep!” you said happily before noticing her smirk at Morgan who shyly took a sip of his own drink, “what?”

  “Nothing,” Tessa smirked, “you look great.” You weren’t sure what was going on but she wasn’t telling you something. You decided not to let it get to you in order to enjoy the rest of the party; that’s when you saw him.

  “Of fucking course” you whispered to yourself when you noticed Auston in his Gomez Addams costume

  “You guys knew about this, didn’t you?” Martha asked Tessa and Mo with a small laugh

  “Oh yeah” Mo replied

  “I mean,” Tessa corrected, “we knew about his costume, not about hers. It really was all a happy coincidence.” Overhearing Tessa, Mo and Martha made you roll your eyes as Auston made his way to your group, finally stopping softly in front of you. He stood silently for a moment before outstretching his hand to you, grabbing yours to continue the coincidence; this was not a couples costume but he seemed to have everyone else fooled

  “Cara Mia” he smirked before kissing the back of your hand

  “Well isn’t this a… strange coincidence” you scoffed

  “Or it’s fate” he teased, leading you to shake your head and walk away toward the kitchen. “Oh come on,” he groaned as he followed you inside, “why not just play along?”

  “Because,” you replied as you poured yourself another drink, “we agreed to go back to normal life. Normal life didn’t include us playing along with anything.” When the music changed to a slowed-down version of the Addams family theme, courtesy of Martha and Tessa, the group around you and Auston began encouraging you two to dance.

  “What’dya say?” Auston said softly, his palm open toward you and the chanting began to get louder, the peer pressure setting in; you groaned and took his hand with a glare. As he placed his palm flat on the small of your back, you corrected the train of your dress from where it had wrapped around your own legs.

  “I’m doing this so I don’t get shunned,” you chided, “not because I want to”

  “We’re back to that, are we?”

  “We never really left it”

  “Yeah, well...” he paused, leaning in to whisper in your ear, “you look stunning tonight”

  “I know” you whispered back, hoping he didn’t hear the blush you were trying to hide. Your bodies moved together seamlessly and you forgot how terrible that date was for a second, only to be brought back to reality when he moved his hand just an inch down onto your ass and you pushed him away; promptly ending the dance. You walked quickly past him so you could get back to your cousin and enjoy the rest of the party, doing your best to ignore Auston... yet again.

xx

Auston’s P.O.V

You were happy you decided to go as Gomez Addams tonight, if for no other reason than (Y/N) as Morticia. She looked beautiful and bringing her out into the middle of the room for a dance made you flashback to the moments that made you fall for her and when she walked away, you couldn’t help but follow her; even though you knew you shouldn’t.

“Stop” you whined as you ran after her, reaching out to grab her arm but not before she could run up the stairs

“Auston, go back downstairs,” she said, “back to the party. I’m just looking for a bathroom”

“You’re sure you’re not just ignoring me?”

“Can’t I do both?” she smiled sarcastically and you scoffed to yourself. Her pacing between closed doors to find a bathroom proved fruitless and she was soon brought back to you. “You can’t seriously still be trying to do something…” she scoffed, “it’s been five months and that date was a disaster”

“That’s very true. It was a disaster,” you admitted, moving one step closer to her, “and, yet, I haven’t stopped thinking about you once”

“That’s your problem, not mine. I told you that if the date didn’t go well, we’d go back to being nothing to each other”

“Is that really what you want?”

“Are you trying to coerce me into backtracking?” you took a step back in surprise at her words

“What? No, of course not”

“It sounds like you are”

“Well I’m not”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Jesus (Y/N)!” you groaned, exasperated, and threw up your hands, “why can’t you admit that you felt something during that dance?”

“Because it was just a dance!”

“Why can’t you admit that you had feelings for me?”

“I didn’t. I felt… something. But they weren’t feelings for you. It was all lust. Everything between us has been just sex and you know it”

“BULLSHIT!”

“Keep your voice down!” she yelled in a whisper as she pulled you into a nearby room, “my god, you’re so dramatic”

“You’re lying to yourself if you think it’s all been sex”

“Auston, we haven’t seen or talked to each other in five months! I think that makes it pretty clear”

“I don’t,” he said, “I wanted you to stay but you left so I gave you your space”

“Because you thought you were too good that I wouldn't just break and call you?” you groaned and rolled your eyes

“Because I knew there was something there, that we had something, but I wasn’t gonna force it.” You admitted and you hoped she could hear the softness in your tone, “and yeah, sure, I guess I thought you’d realize that too.” You could tell she was hesitant but, once again, the two of you moved together like magnets. You set your hands on her hips, staying there while she stared up at you, a look so intense that you gulped in return.

xx

“Fuck,” you thought to yourself, before feeling his hands slowly climb your body until they cupped your face and, unintentionally, left you breathless. He leaned down with a smirk before kissing your forehead first as if to build the tension and your hands instinctively fell on his waist. When his lips finally met yours, you stepped into him and it wasn’t long until his hands were roaming your body, the kiss intensifying to the point of heavy breathing. “Wait,” you broke the kiss harshly and turned away from him, “we can’t keep doing this. This is dumb. This is bad. Toxic.”

“You’re toxic, I’m slipping under” he teasingly sang as walked over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist

“I’m serious” you whispered, feeling his hands move up your body until they cupped your breasts and pulled your body into him, earning a moan from you. His teeth grazed your neck as he placed kisses from your ear to your collarbone, his hands still firmly holding your breasts

“You look so fucking good right now,” he said breathlessly into your ear, your hands now finally raising to lay on top of his while your head dropped back onto his shoulder

“Fuck” you moaned, moving one hand to the back of his neck as he massaged your breasts. You finally turned back around, hastily removing his clothes with lips intertwined. Your dress wasn’t as easy to remove, being so tight, so Auston had to pull away from the kiss again to find the zipper on the side of your dress and let the fabric fall to the floor. He lifted you up and brought you to the bed, placing you on the edge so he could remove his pants. You pushed yourself back onto the pillows and Auston climbed on top of you shortly after, pulling him down to push your bodies together as his lips crashed into yours.

“Are you okay?” Auston asked suddenly, making you furrow your brow, “I just mean, should we keep going?”

“Yes,” you smiled, twirling your fingers in his hair as he kissed your neck. You hadn’t noticed his hand move down your body until he slid his fingers into your underwear, his calloused fingers moving up and down your folds. When Auston slid his long middle finger into you, you dug your nails into his shoulders and bit your lip to hold back the volume that would surely come out.

“The music’s loud,” he whispered, “you can be loud”

“Someone will still hear,” you said breathlessly, a small moan escaping your lips finally, “fuck”

“Come on,” he urged, planting kisses on the backs of your hands that clutches his shoulders, “be loud. You’re so wet, I wanna hear you scream my name.”

“You always do,” you breathed, “oh my god”

“Scream,” he said and you caught his smirk when you looked down, shaking your head before letting it fall back on the pillow. “Scream” he repeated

“You sound like a serial killer” you laughed, placing your hand on his cheek, bringing his face to yours and planting a kiss on his lips, his fingers working faster to bring you to your high. Your legs began to shake as he put a little bit of pressure on your clit, leading you to bite his lip in pleasure

“Cum, baby”

“Don’t call me baby”

“Cum” he repeated firmly. You continued the kiss, grabbing his hair so tight that you were sure you were going to tear a chunk out. He broke the kiss one last time, biting your collarbone and kissing the inside of your wrist before whispering one more time, “cum.” Something inside you unlocked and you moaned loudly as your body arched into him and your climax consumed you. “There she is” he smirked

“Shut up” you scoffed as Auston rolled onto his back, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and settling in. “What are you doing?” you asked

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t what this is” you sighed, adjusting your head on his arm before gesturing to where it lay behind you

“Just taking a break…” he scoffed, forcing you to look up at him and furrow your brow, “that okay with you?” You shook your head, deciding to climb on top of him

“Just… shh” you whispered, Auston’s thighs tightening under you while his arms stayed behind his head. His eyes boring into yours as you began to ride him slowly

“Fuck” he breathed, moving one hand from behind his head to explore your chest, fingers trailing from collarbone to breast to nipple. You moaned quietly, hands resting on his chest as you kept your movements slow, feeling Auston’s breathing increase as he took his other hand from behind his head and placed it on your waist; squeezing your side as you moved up and down his length. You began to pant as you rode him, slightly faster now, letting your head fall back as you took in the pleasure you were feeling.

“Fuck” you moaned through heavy breaths and Auston rose up, bringing his chest to yours, halting your breath in your chest as your breasts were pressed against his body; hands gripping your sides intensely. The only thing going through your mind, when something could get past how close you were to your climax again, was how wrong this was. Knowing how terrible the two of you would be as a couple after that date, how he could so easily use someone to make you jealous, the way neither of you tried to make anything healthier if you really wanted to make something work. Because, damn, the sex was good. You brought his lips close to yours, planning on muffling your moans with a kiss when Auston grabbed your hips and kept himself deep inside of you, leaving you nearly shaking at the sensation.

“Don't” he breathed against your lips, making you furrow your brow in confusion as you rocked desperately against his hips; was he seriously telling you not to cum? “Don't say this is the last time”

“What?”

“You always say that this is the last time,” he sighed, hands still on your hips, keeping you in place, “that we can't keep doing this, but then we always end up here. Like this. Doing this...” he kissed your collarbone as you rode him slowly

“You know it's true”

“That doesn't matter”

“Yes it does” you scoffed

“Why do we keep ending up like this then? Naked and moaning in a dark room together?” With one strong thrust, you let out a small whimper and your legs went limp; you slid off his lap to lay on your back as you caught your breath

“Everyone makes a string of bad decisions in their 20s. I'm getting it out of my system”

“Oh is that what this is? Why didn't you say so?” he scoffed, jumping out of the bed to start getting dressed again, “I never would've taken you on that awful date if I knew that's all this was”

“Don't be a baby” you groaned

“You're stringing me along”

“What?!”

“You agr--”

“Do. Not!” you growled as you interrupted him, finally getting out of bed, and taking the top sheet with you to wrap around your body, “I never said that we should be something. I said that this was always a bad idea but for some reason, I couldn't stop myself from doing it”

“And then you said that you were feeling something!”

“Because I thought I was!” you yelled, dropping your head to your hands, “I was wrong. It was the post-sex high I guess. We're not the people who end up together. We fight, we fuck and we go our separate ways. That's it”

“It doesn't have to be...” he practically whined, “I mean if we just tried”

“What is it you like about me?” you asked before leaning down to grab your clothes from where they were strewn on the floor, “tell me honestly because I'm genuinely curious”

“You're smart,” he started, “you're... passionate, fiery, and infuriating but beautiful in spite of it”

“In spite of it?” you scoffed, hastily pulling up your underwear under the sheet and turning your back to him to put on your bra as the fabric fell to the ground, leaving you feeling more exposed than you thought it would. “Real charming,” you finally said, an eye-roll pairing with the harsh tone of voice you gave, “that's really what I would want my partner to think of me. That I'm beautiful in spite of everything else about me. As if that mattered the most”

“That's not what I said” he scoffed right back at you

“Oh but it is”

“No it's not!” he raised his voice slightly, putting on the last bit of his costume before approaching you once more, “I said you can be infuriating because you can be, just like you are now, but that I don't care because-”

“Because I'm beautiful” you sarcastically smiled, arms crossed over your still nearly naked body

“Fine, yeah, that's what I said,” he conceded, “but what's wrong with me thinking you're beautiful? And did you miss that I said you're smart and passionate?”

“No,” you said, stance firm in disobedience, “but it doesn't mean anything. Not once you mentioned how I looked”

“Why?” he asked and you could tell he was honestly curious. As if he was a student learning something new for the first time; like he'd never known that there could be something wrong with complimenting a girl on her appearance. You furrowed your brow, softly, as you thought about your words

“Because it negates everything that you said before it. I can be beautiful to you, sure, that's great. Thank you,” you explained, as politely as you could muster, “but if it's following that I'm smart and I'm passionate and I'm strong and I'm brave, for me, it's as if you're saying it's amazing that someone who is all those things is also beautiful. Like they're mutually exclusive. One or the other.”

“Okay...” he started, scrunching his eyebrows together in clear confusion as he sat down at the foot of the bed, “but if I don't say you're beautiful then you'll be offended. There's no winning!”

“Relax,” you teased, “look, maybe there's a girl who feels differently than I do. Maybe she wants to be told she's beautiful and maybe that's all that matters to her. But I would much rather hear someone say 'You're beautiful but I care more about your mind and your heart than your body.'” Your voice was softer now, you felt a sudden need to nurture this man who'd pretended to be so macho this whole time. You moved toward him until you were standing in front of him, placing the palm of your hand on his cheek, “I've spent too much of my life worrying about how people think of me based on how they look at me. I'm tired of being pretty or not pretty enough to someone and I don't want to be with someone who is still caught up in 'appearances matter.' Does that make sense?”

“Yes,” he said clearly, deep brown eyes piercing right through to your soul and you could feel yourself being pulled in again, “I'm sorry. I just... I want you to know how amazing I think you are and how amazing we could be if we decided to give us a shot”

“Auston...” you sighed, finally sitting down next to him, “Passion, desire, comes from a lot of different places but ours came from hate. It made the sex great, amazing even, but it's not like that means we're on track to start a relationship. I mean you don't really believe that, do you?”

“I mean, I could,” he admitted and you tilted your head, “I've grown legit- legitimate feelings for you,” he corrected his abbreviated word in what you considered to be his way of sounding more mature. “You can't argue with me on that because you're not me”

“You can see how this wouldn't work though, can't you?” you tried, hoping to somehow, someway, get through to him. Knowing that the two of you could easily end up in the same place another five months from now but that you would always leave feeling the same way -- like you were purposely running toward red flags because it meant you didn't have to commit to anything real.

“Maybe,” he sighed, rubbing his face harshly before dropping his elbows on his knees and looking straight ahead at the door, “but I also know what I'm feeling and I think we'd be stupid to ignore that you're feeling something too.” You took a deep breath, annoyed at the loop you'd found yourself in, and stood up to find your black dress strewn on the floor. Stepping in and shimmying into it slowly so as to not rip the zipper - a very real fear at this point in the night.

“Help me with this, won't you?” you asked, referring to the zipper that you could clearly do up on your own but you knew it would force you to feel his breath on your skin. Auston finished zipping your dress and placed his hands on your hips for a moment before kissing your temple

“I've never met anyone like you before,” he whispered and you turned your head slightly toward him, “I don't want to lose you.” You stood there for a minute, facing forward, Auston's hands on your hips, his chest against your back and his breath cascading down your neck. You took a minute to embrace the moment and appreciate how solid he felt behind you, scanning your mind desperately to find the same... hope he seemed to have about you with him. You fell back against his chest, a motion you'd done before when you needed to feel reassured; his steady heartbeat let the once chaotic mood in the room settle almost instantly.

“I wish I knew what to say here...” you admitted, finally turning to face him, your eyes slowly scanning his body up until his caught yours

“Say that you don’t wanna lose me either” he leaned down a little, fingers grazing your arms slowly

“I want…” you hesitated, turning away from his kiss at the last minute, “something normal. Something easy, uncomplicated,” you said simply, looking away from his eyes only long enough to watch your palms flatten on his chest. “I don’t think that’s with you.” His eyes searched yours and all you could do was give him a look of sympathy, knowing that’s not what he wanted to hear

“So I guess that’s it…” he huffed, backing away and you nodded, “or just until next time? Yet again?” You took a step toward him, feeling the train of your dress drag on the floor before you stopped in front of him, holding his hand in yours as you kissed his cheek. Whether it was the end or not, you couldn’t be sure, time had proven that you weren’t as strong as you thought you were, but right now, at this moment, you knew it had to be goodbye. You let go of his hand and turned to walk toward the door, looking back at him once you stood in the open frame, his stillness telling everything you needed to know.

You weren’t used to seeing him this vulnerable, even in times when you wished he would be, and you hated that you knew how much this was going to hurt him.

[navybrat817]

Bucky Barnes Masterlist - 2

Welcome to my 2nd Bucky Barnes Masterlist, lovelies, and I hope you enjoy! Here you will find some of my darker fics. These may include triggers such as noncon, dubcon, violence, dark themes, etc. Please heed the warnings. Header and banner by @sgt-seabass​ and dividers by @firefly-graphics​. Check them out! ​

Main Masterlist | 1st Bucky Barnes Masterlist

I have discontinued my tag list. Please follow my sideblog @navybrat817-sideblog and turn on notifications to see new fics! I will only post fics, writing ideas and updates there.

🔥 smut 💓 fluff 💔 angst 💞 AU 🛑 dark content 💙 Navy's faves

Mini-Series and Universes

Soldat and Sparrow Universe (Ongoing)

Your fire burns for the Winter Soldier. And one day, you’ll be free. Both of you.

Winter and Fire  🔥💙

Summary: You didn’t choose to be with Hydra. Neither did the Winter Soldier. 

War and Peace 🔥

Summary: Your first mission together brings inner war...peace.

Soldat and Sparrow  

Summary: No one touches his Sparrow.

Night and Day  🔥

Summary: Will you be another one of the Soldat’s lost memories?

Dark and Light

Summary: You learn the real reason why Hydra wants to keep you.

Black and White

Moon and Sun

Past and Future

The Pakhan and the Printsessa - Mob Newlyweds Universe (Ongoing) 💞

You’re married to Bucky Barnes, one of the most powerful men in the world. And all he wants is you.

Harmonious  🔥

Summary: You may think you’re a pawn in Bucky’s life, but you are his queen.

Hollow  🔥

Summary: Bucky touches on memories from the past and wants to start a new tradition with you.

Husband and Wife  🔥💙

Summary: Bucky has to have you before you get to your wedding reception.

Honeymoon Suite 🔥

Summary: Bucky takes a call during your honeymoon, but you should know that you always come first.

Home Again  🔥

Summary: Your husband opens up to you about his past as you fall more in love.

Honesty and Lies

Honor and Obey

Hope, Faith and Love

Vampire Mob AU (Ongoing)

Power and money mean nothing to the powerful vampire ruler if you’re aren’t by his side.

Around Your Throat  🔥

Summary:  Bucky has the perfect accessory to go around your throat.

Lay Me Down  🔥💙

Summary: You look to the past and future on your last night as a human.

Disturbia - Dark Suburbia AU

You have a beautiful home and a loving partner. So, why does it feel like something is wrong with your neighborhood?

A Plum a Day  🔥🛑

Summary: You wake up beside Bucky, but you don't know how you got there.

Winter and Kisa - Mob AU 💞

The mobster doesn't care that you're an agent. He wants you to be his.

Give Me a Name

Summary: Someone put their hands on you and Bucky can't let it go.

Almost Like Home

Summary: Bucky told you his place would be your home one day. You see it firsthand with his closet.

Dark Club AU (Tagged as Turn It Up AU)

Hold You Tight  🔥🛑💞

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

There's Something in the Water - Coming Soon

One Shots and Imagines (over 1k) *Some fics may get additional parts

Run Like Hell  🔥🛑

Summary:  You weren’t supposed to see the Winter Soldier that day. So you ran. The Soldat loves a good chase though…and you’re not getting away from him that easily.

First and Last  🔥🛑 💞 (a/b/o)💙

Summary:  Masquerading as Beta was an easy choice. Too bad Bucky Barnes had other plans for you.

You’re My Obsession  🔥🛑💙

Summary: You’re the light in Bucky’s darkness. And he doesn’t want to share you with anyone, including Steve.

Best Man 🛑

Summary: Bucky found the girl of his dreams and Steve couldn’t be happier.

Remind Me  🔥💙

Summary: The apocalyptic world is crumbling around you and you need a reminder of who you belong to.

Push and Pull  (features Nick Fowler x Reader)🔥🛑💙💞 (Club)

Summary: Nick wants what Bucky has.

Prized Possession  🔥🛑 💞 (Librarian)

Summary: You’re Bucky’s rare treasure, his most prized possession.

A Debt to Pay  🔥💙💞 (Mob)

Summary: Bucky isn’t a man to be crossed.

What Goes Around  🔥💙 💞 (DBF/BFD)

Summary:  Bucky is your friend's dad and your dad's friend and nothing more. Until he isn't.

Send Me an Angel  🔥🛑 💞 (Bartender)

Summary: Bucky thinks you’re an angel.

Follow You Home (Stalker)

Summary: Bucky just wants to see you smile when he visits you at the flower shop.

Two Sides of the Same Coin🔥 (Bucky and the Winter Soldier)

Summary: A night of passion awakens something beneath the surface of the man you love.

What Happens in Vegas  🔥🛑 💞 (Fae)

Summary: You get more than you bargained for when you decide to get married in Vegas.

Within You  🔥🛑

Summary: Bucky shows a different side of himself when you venture into a corn maze.

Ficlets (under 1k)

Read Between the Lines ~ (threat not by Bucky) 

Summary: Things are left unsaid with Bucky during your recent mission.

Loyalty  🔥 (features Dark!Andy Barber x Reader)  

Summary: Loyalty is something you’ve learned to both loathe and appreciate.

Collateral Damage  🔥🛑

Summary: You pay the price when the Avengers try to undo the snap.

Long Night

Summary: Bucky is waiting for you when you come back from a night out.

A Hero’s Reward  🔥 🛑

Summary: Bucky is a hero and every hero deserves a reward.

100 Word Drabbles

Secret Admirer Secret Admirer - Part 2 Secret Admirer - Part 3 Secret Admirer - Part 4 Forced Bond 🔥🛑 Last Call  🔥🛑 His Sparrow  🔥🛑 Stalked

[nudityandnerdery]

[Image Description: A series of sixteen tweets by John Rogers @jonrog1 that say:

1) A moment at the Teamsters/UPS rally this morning clarified our current struggle with the studio CEO's (among other bosses). Teamsters got a lot of wins, but one of the main sticking points is the pay for the 65% of local UPS workers who are part-time …

2) If you read the SAG-AFTRA demands, a truly STUNNING amount of their points involve protecting background actors, and trying to improve conditions for the 87% of their union who makes less than $26,000 a year.

3) As WGA members know, this is not a strike for the showrunners. We're trying to fix the fact the the current younger generation of writers can't even afford housing and their pathway to advancement has been cut off.

4) Like … folks, I'm fine. There are maybe two proposals in there that affect me. I'm walking in 90% weather and losing over 50% of my income for the year because I want the younger writers to get what I got at this stage of their careers.

5) Our unions and the CEO's and various negotiators have a fundamental cognitive disconnect. Because CEO's types only succeed by FUCKING THEIR PEERS.

6) Zaslav, Iger , those types of execs, etc have never gone without so a fellow exec or a junior exec could thrive. A fellow exec failing is the moment to use your own leverage to advance past them, if not destroy them.

7) Part of it is the money but part of this, I think, is a genuine inability to grasp even the concepts of any labor action. Because it is always other-directed.

8) So many people treat capitalism as part of nature red in tooth and claw, but it's not. It's a human construct. There are different rules you can play by -- but not if you want to win.

9) The greatest gift capitalism ever granted was the ability to validate selfish behavior as a virtue because that's "just what's necessary, I don't make the rules!" (Look ma, it's reification!)

10) This is where I usually point out that Adam Smith wrote that you have to overpay workers to keep your labor force up, and you need to take into account the psychic damage of capitalism to the workers, and that admiring the rich is the greatest source of moral corruption …

11) But I'll stave off that diversion to just land with … this is a discontinuity of attitudes which I think was once breached by the fact that management USED to come from people who loved building their company or their trade, even if they eventually did management shit.

12) Now, even that thin thread of SYMPATHY (Adam Smith joke, get it? People?) is gone. The CEO's are working off a different scorecard, practically and morally. We're not just playing by wildly divergent rules, our lives and careers are DEFINED by those wildly divergent rules.

13) To them, we are IN FACT being "unreasonable", as our behavior does not make sense in their moral framework. They don't think they're being evil, they think they're playing by the actual rules, and we're nuts.

14) There's not great conclusion to this, other than to note that the bit about making writers homeless was described as "cruel but necessary" because they genuinely don't understand the meaning of cruel, because they are always on the other side of the power dynamic.

15) And if they're ever NOT on the top of the power dynamic, they're not suffering, they're dead. They are un-people in their own eyes.

16) These men are not irrational, but they are deranged. This isn't about money, it's about identity. And in a fight about identity … they will set billions on fire.

Because they can always get more money. But they'll never shed the stink of losing to their lessers."

end of image description]

[kimberleyjean]

Good Omens S2 Discontinuity Roundup

Hello Good Omens fans! Did you know the Good Omens team has put a lot of work into making “errors'' in the second season? Whether you were already aware, or just catching up, please take a look at the links below. Clicking any link will take you to one of the original posts that mentioned the discontinuity.

This post will continue to be updated and extended as new meta are published. Is there anything missing that you'd like to add? Reblogs, comments or messages are welcome!

Why are there so many discontinuities? Well, existing theories include different perspectives being shown, time-loops, separate timelines, a story told “out of order” and more! What's your opinion?

Discontinuities across multiple episodes:

Crowley’s sideburns.

Crowleys’ sunglasses.

The bookshop clock is frequently showing the “wrong” time (and other time inconsistencies).

The bookshop porch pillars/columns are sometimes clean, sometimes marked.

Randomly dusty streets (on a closed set no less!).

Street signage (Maggie’s and 1001 nights).

Almost every scene with visible extras, see here, here and here for examples.

Episode 1

There's TWO scrolls in Before the Beginning?

Gabriel’s/Jim’s entrance happens twice.

Crowley's conversation with Shax in the park shows him putting down the newspaper twice, and Shax's bag is all over the place.

Honolulu Roast sign.

Moving lamps inside GMCoGMD.

Disappearing eccles cakes.

Crowley's watch is set an hour ahead of his phone.

Episode 2

The lane where Crowley parks his Bentley varies between being wet and dry as well as the position it’s parked in, the colour grading, and the amount of dust on the Bentley windscreen! Also - the backdrop of the lane where Crowley parks the Bentley is impossible.

The amount of dust on Jim’s book changes in between cuts.

Job Minisode - varying wigs used for Bildad.

Episode 3

Muriel's arrival continues from a much earlier scene in E2 - see here and here.

Aziraphale parks in an unexplained location before going to the Resurrectionist pub, and also mysteriously loses his suitcase.

Resurrectionist Pub’s outdoor sign has two versions (no I don’t just mean the Jesus side!).

Bentley now 4-door (may be explained by the transformation sequence).

Awning of a new age, extras are discontinuous and standins for Nina and Maggie are visible.

Edinburgh Flashback - Crowley’s muttonchops change in size during the mausoleum scene.

Episode 4

Each time they are at the Windmill theatre, items in the background keep disappearing.

The polaroids (yes, two!) on screen are different sizes.

The polaroid itself is very confusing with Crowley’s weird arm.

The morse code in Hell is saying something slightly different to the loud speaker...

Episode 5

Nina and Maggie switch places? (Who knew they could teleport like that lol?)

High ranking demons are bottom of the barrel?

The “Surrender the angle” sign is thrown in twice?

A child randomly appears upon exit from the ball (approx 32:36).

Episode 6

Gabriel’s statue sometimes has a cross, sometimes not.

Crowley/David's stand-in is visible as Nina and Maggie leave.

French restaurant Fairy lights.

Final 15 clock shenanigans - why does the clock change from 9:25 to 9:40?

Are there two suns at the end of the episode?

These are the one's I've seen published so far and I'll keep adding to the list as more are published. In the meantime, if you spot anything missing from my list, please share the post about it :)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Erin Reed at Erin In The Morning:

On May 31, NHS England sent a letter to every patient on the waiting list for puberty blockers, stating that possession of such blockers will be considered a crime. The letter follows an edict issued by Conservative Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Mary Atkins and also mandates that transgender youth who obtained their puberty blockers through private doctors must discontinue their medication. This letter and edict mean that the United Kingdom now has some of the harshest policies targeting transgender youth of any liberal democracy in the world. On May 29th, Atkins announced on twitter, “Today I have taken bold action to protect children following the Cass Review, using emergency powers to ban puberty blockers for new treatments of gender dysphoria from private clinics and for all purposes from overseas prescribers into Great Britain.” Following the announcement, she linked to an edict declaring an “emergency prohibition” on puberty blockers in England, Wales, and Scotland.

The prohibition relies on a decades-old law that allows for the emergency prohibition of medications without the need for a full legislative process; no vote was taken on the edict, and the order was issued just before parliament dissolved for the general election, meaning it could not be overturned. According to UK-based advocate Trans Safety Now, the last and only time such powers were used was in response to deaths among users of an herb found in some Chinese medicine in 1999. Jo Maugham, who leads the Good Law Project, stated about the use of these powers, “It is breathtaking that thousands or tens of thousands of loving families are going to be criminalized by a law made by a Minister, never approved by Parliament, subject to no consultation and the media is not reporting it." On Friday, following the announcement, Lee Hurley of Trans Writes released a copy of a letter sent to families on the NHS waiting list for puberty blockers. The letter indicates that those receiving puberty blockers from the NHS can continue taking them. However, given the enormous wait lists, a substantial number of families opted to get their puberty blockers through private practitioners registered in the European Economic Area or Switzerland—a fully legal practice in the United Kingdom. For those receiving their care through those systems, the letter states, “You will need to stop taking GnRH analogues unless you are newly prescribed them by a UK-registered doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. These medications can be safely stopped and you do not need to be weaned off.”

Critically, the edict does not only target providers; it also targets patients and their families. The letter states, “It will also be a criminal offence to possess these medicines, where the individual had reasonable cause to know that the medicine had been sold or supplied in breach of the ban.” When asked about this provision, Jo Maugham stated, “It basically says puberty blockers are being treated like other illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin.” He then followed up with the applicable law, which indicates that those who violate the ban could be imprisoned for two years. The decision comes following the publication of the Cass Review, a highly politicized document developed with a secretive list of advisors, some of whom were later found to be meeting regularly with political operatives of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida. 

The UK's hateful anti-trans crusade against gender-affirming care for trans youths continue, as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Mary Atkins (Con) issues a reckless edict ordering trans youth who obtained their puberty blockers through private doctors that they must stop using them.

[seat-safety-switch]

When industry has let you down, you gotta get weird. Do you remember the last time that one of your beloved childhood candies got discontinued by the manufacturer? Someone in a regular ol' residential kitchen, much like yours, decided to just make their own version of that candy. If those corporate motherfuckers won't give it to me, they said, I'll take it. They're eating it right now, while you sob into your Wheaties about how terribly capitalism has treated you.

Me, I love to do this kind of thing too. Spite is my fuel. Sure, it's nice to have the goodies of the past again. What really gets my motor running, though, is the opportunity to really piss off the folks trying to scalp what's left.

Yeah, we got the last eighteen boxes of this kind of connector you need, and we want seven hundred bucks for each of them. Guess what, asshole? I can trick the library into 3D-printing a bunch of them, and then trick AliExpress into making exact copies of them. Now the market price is seven cents, and none of those pennies are going to your dumb market-cornering ass. Sorry. It's capitalism.

Like any good thing, though, I may have taken it too far. The other day, the dealership wanted four dollars for a replacement clip for my sunroof. Instead of paying them that blood money, I spent hours of my own, precious time on this earth cloning it. Now, after all this effort, I can make them myself for about three dollars and ninety-six cents. Unless you price in all the failed prototypes, which nobody does. Also, they don't work as well as the real thing, so I have to make a lot so I have spares. Sometimes being a warrior against the forces of entropy means having to make a sacrifice.

If you're also into this weird hobby, let me know. I've been looking to get a new house, and I don't like the idea of paying people who know what they're doing for it. We can probably make some kind of enormous 3D printer and just crank out an entire bungalow out of microplastics. Call me.

[aethelwyneleigh27]

Your Husband John "Soap" MacTavish

To all you Soap lovers, this was fucking due after how much they did Soap wrong in Mw3.

I could really write something about those last two scenarios, I just can't promise you a happy ending AHAHA.

Taglist: @puff0o0,@katz-chow,@celestialhole.

(Mostly gender neutral Reader hcs)

Your Husband John MacTavish who does everything in his power to protect you, he feels as if it's the one of the only things he can provide for you because you take care of him and he can't ask for anything more from you. You refuse to let him think that's it's the only thing he's good for and that he means everything to you.

Your Husband John MacTavish who loves like he means it, never ever failing to express how much he loves you in every way possible.

Your Husband John MacTavish who wipes your tears in the most gentle way possible even with his calloused hands.

Your Husband John MacTavish who doesn't realize it but stares at you like his life depends on it. You often find yourself patching up his injuries, straddling his lap while you do what you need to. You feel him run his hands through your hair, hoping to see more of your face while you look up at him and smile. Fuck, you looked amazing.

Your Husband John MacTavish who loves it when you rub his back, he pouts and give you puppy eyes whenever you two are in bed and you stop rubbing his back while you two cuddle.

"Bonnie..." John whines, burying his head further into your chest.

"What..?" You asked, almost laughing.

John let's out a soft grumbling noise before giving your backside a light smack.

You roll your eyes playfully and continue to rub his back and discontinue the teasing.

Your Husband John MacTavish who shows his love mostly through praises and serving you. This man will NOT let you lift a finger most of the time, he thinks that it's enough alone that you take care of him and that he wants to repay that. He still of course appreciate that you do these things however more often than not he'll be the one pushing the cart while you two are shopping for groceries. No buts, he'll be the one to carry them and bring them inside the house.

Your Husband John MacTavish who will continue to support you with whatever you choose, whether that'd be a job and career or to be a stay-at-home spouse. Which honestly he thinks you deserve to be spoiled and pampered no matter what.

Your Husband John MacTavish who keeps a photo of you in the breast pocket of his tactical gear, he makes sure he never loses it. You were the one who suggested to him to keep it with him while he's deployed. It's been with him for so long that it's a bit worn down, the seems of folds being visible and the date and note written at the back with the ink of a pen being a little smudged and chunky looking.

"I miss you bonnie" John whispered, talking to the photo...

John smiles, flipping the photo over to see the note you wrote almost 6 years ago.

"I love you Johnny, I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes. I'll be here till the end <3"

"I promise, I will come home soon bonnie, just you wait.." The sergeant says before kissing the picture and folding it back up to keep it. He knows to himself that if it goes down to it, he'll crawl home to you...

Your Husband John MacTavish who always and I mean always keeps his promise no matter what happens, he keeps his word..

[ozzgin]

Yandere! Edward Scissorhands x Reader

On her quest to make at least one sale for the day, Avon lady Peg cautiously steps into the eerie mansion of a known inventor. She soon learns that it has long been devoid of life, with the exception of Edward, a synthetic human creation left unfinished. She returns to the bright suburbs accompanied by the poor young man, earning the curious stares of the bystanders. Among the colorful houses, however, Edward spots a gloomy dwelling that the neighbors seem to avoid. Who is the mysterious occupant?

Winner of the Halloween Poll! A short gothic romance in the style of Tim Burton, where two outsiders find solace in each other.

[Horror Masterlist]

The light yellow car slows down as it reaches the driveway and the engine stops. Peg makes her way out and hurries over to the passenger side, keys dangling between her fingers. She helps Edward out once she sees him awkwardly shuffling in the seat, unsure of his next step.

"You'll love it here. I just know it."

The woman hastily closes the door behind the tall, peculiar visitor. She places a gentle hand on his back and guides him down the asphalted path. 

Edward's gaze briefly wanders further into the street. The houses are slithering along neatly, their vivid colors somewhat tiring to his unaccustomed eyes. Yet one of them sticks out. Strangely enough, it reminds him of home. A rusty iron fence surrounds the property, and patches of lush, unkempt vegetation creep through the bars. The walls are dark and crooked and the black tiled roof casts a shadow over the entire abode.  

"Who lives there?" The question escapes his lips almost unconsciously. 

Peg follows his gaze, eager to introduce the area to him. Once she settles on the source of his inquiry, her smile falters for a second.

"Oh, my. That's, well..." she lets out a forced laugh and encourages him to continue walking. "I'm glad you're already so curious, Edward dear. You'll get to know everyone soon, don't worry about it."

One more push and the guest has securely entered the house. As she prepares to twist the knob into a lock, she peeks out for the last time, surveying the surroundings with mild worry. A neighbor is walking their dog, whistling in the distance. As they approach the mysterious building, the animal begins to bark and the owner scurries to the other side of the street. 

"He's so...strange!" one housewife exclaims, sipping on her lemonade.

Joyce is biting the temple tips of her sunglasses as she carefully inspects the dark haired man, currently using his sharp, spear fingers as barbecue skewers. She's batting her long eyelashes, entranced. She does like her men on the enigmatic side. In fact, she might just have a word with him. She folds the sunglasses and hangs them by the collar of her low-cut blouse. Of course, she doesn't forget her famous ambrosia salad as she departs from the rest of the fidgeting women. 

"Ed, darling. You must try out my signature dish!" she daintily holds up a spoon and attempts to feed the pale newcomer. 

He cautiously opens his mouth, unsure of how else to respond to the gesture. He tries to find Peg within the crowd, hoping she'll give him a new task away from this uncomfortably touchy person. And as luck would have it, his savior has come to the rescue. Peg doesn't hesitate to pull Edward away, cheerfully mumbling a domestic excuse. 

Once freed from the shackles of awkward social interactions, the man tiptoes his way out of the yard and down the street. He doesn't like the constant murmur of people talking. He doesn't understand the jokes, the loud laughs, the complicit slaps on the back. He feels as if he's on the other side of a glass window, separated from an audience demanding cooperation despite him only being able to discern muffled, discontinued meaning. 

None of this was mentioned in the Etiquette book. Or perhaps it has always been there, and the Inventor never got to the specific chapter. Died lamentably before he could explain how one navigates neighborhood BBQ parties.

Edward's step is clumsy and he doesn't have a particular direction in mind. In his scattered daze he nearly trips over something and turns around apologetically. You're sitting on the ground, resting against the fence. The book you were reading is now thrown aside, as you're too busy massaging the ankle that just got kicked by the sudden intruder. You look up, ready to scold the responsible airhead, but your eyes stop on an eccentric feature that catches your attention. 

"What happened to your hands?"

You're a little embarrassed by your unexpected, tactless curiosity. The man seems entirely unfazed, however.

"They weren't finished. I'm incomplete."

"Hmm. Isn't everyone?" 

Edward considers the question and recalls the people he's met so far. Peg and her husband. Joyce. The children. 

"But they don't look unfinished. They have all the body parts."

You chuckle slightly at the literal observation. 

"Well, you can't check them on the inside, can you? Most people have missing parts. Or broken ones."

"Where would you get it fixed, then?" Edward is startled by this new discovery. 

"You learn to fix it yourself. Otherwise it just stays like that, maybe forever."

He lifts his hands and stares at them. Is he going to be like this forever, too? He hasn't pondered the concept of time much before Peg had found him. Yet now, 'forever' feels unsettling. 

"Do your hands bother you that much?"

Edward doesn't know how to reply. He wishes he could resemble everyone else, that much is true. Then people wouldn't stare. And they wouldn't be afraid. As he mulls over the right words, he suddenly becomes aware of his surroundings. It's the house he noticed earlier, when he first arrived here. Which means...

He examines the person before him. They, too, look complete. So why?

"Why does everyone avoid this place?" He remembers the gathering he just left. "You weren't at the neighborhood party either. I thought all neighbors will show up."

"I was never invited."

"Why?"

You shrug.

"You're also not currently attending, are you? Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"I took a break. It's too loud. Can I sit here?"

Before you can answer, he drops himself next to you with a thud. His fingers swish together as he adjusts his posture. 

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. What is your name? I'm Edward."

"Uhh... (Y/N)." You mutter, taken aback by his direct approach. What an odd fellow, you think to yourself.

"Nice to meet you, (Y/N)." As he scans your features again, he feels compelled to add, "You look rather pretty."

A faint blush takes over your face and you twirl your hair in an attempt to hide it. Is he mocking you? You genuinely can't read his intentions. 

"You don't look too bad yourself, Edward. I think the hands add to your charm." You eventually find the confidence to blurt it out, quickly following up with a laugh.

His heart tightens and he almost forgets about his hazardous extremities, having to stop himself from touching his now throbbing chest. He's never malfunctioned before. It doesn't feel like anything is wrong, either. Your comment, for some reason, made him very happy. 

(Y/N). Looking back to everything that happened, he's glad. Maybe he should thank Joyce next time he sees her. He wouldn't have met you otherwise. 

As the sun begins to set, you remind Edward that it's impolite to leave a party for too long. He protests, stating he prefers your company. As flattered as you are, you rephrase it as Peg being worried about his sudden disappearance and he feels bad enough to agree on his early retirement. On the condition he can hang out with you again. Once you guarantee a reunion, he makes his way back home. 

As he lays on Kim's bizarrely fluid mattress, tucked into the layered pastel sheets, Edward is overwhelmed by a strange, unfamiliar warmth. A wide, childish smile is plastered on his face and won't go away. Each time he closes his eyes to fall asleep, he pictures the encounter. (Y/N). It's a nice name, isn't it? He finds it particularly charming. He whispers it out loud in the dark room, as if making sure it's real. Reminding himself you're real. 

He can't properly explain it. It's the same thick window that stands between him and the world, but you're next to him. An outsider. A rejection. The idea that someone else out there shares his struggle has cleansed him of any longing for acceptance. Why bother with a sea of foreign, smudged faces? Peg becomes Joyce, and Joyce fades into Marge, and they all become a generic crowd of smiling pleasantries. It's a funny thing, being among humans. Once he left his old mansion behind, he realized how truly alone he had been. Still, being surrounded by people he could not comprehend made him feel even more lonely. That is the tragedy; sitting at the grand table, empty handed, unseen, unheard. Misunderstood. No one's fault, really. It just happens. But every now and then, if fate so allows, one might just find another starved attendant. With the same glint in their eyes, of someone not belonging. 

Oh, he can't wait to see you again.

It's unusually noisy outside for a late evening and you can't help but glance out the window. That's when you notice the roaring crowd, trampling in a hysterical march of unknown purpose. You have a bad feeling about it. The horned moon leers down at you like a bad omen and you quickly throw a jacket on, sprinting into the street. 

"What's this all about?" you shyly ask the nearest group. 

"Witch!" Esmeralda scowls at you with a pointing finger. 

Peg notices the commotion and runs towards you, completely disregarding the prophetic warnings of the woman. 

"Oh, (Y/N). It's Edward. They..." she sighs, frustrated. "I know I don't have the right to ask you this, but you're his friend. Could you please make sure he's alright?" Her voice is pleading and regretful. 

You nod without saying anything else. Before you turn to leave, you swiftly gesture to Esmeralda, raising your index fingers up and mimicking a devilish look. She gasps and throws her hands together in prayer.

It had to be done. 

Meanwhile, Edward has reached his old mansion and just now stopped in the entrance hall, panting anxiously. He feels nauseous and helpless. It's not that he's being chased by the enraged members of the neighborhood that alarms him. He cannot stand the possibility of not being in your presence ever again. How frightful, how agonizing! He claws at a nearby column in turmoil. 

It can't be, it won't happen. He'll tear his way through the masses if he has to. Oh, what a terrible thought. His Inventor would roll in the grave if he knew the violent ruminations that plague him right now. But if he has no other choice...Would he go as far as taking someone's life if it was for your sake? Well, technically speaking, his sake, really. He wants to see you. He needs to.

Panic slowly creeps through his body. The thoughts are piling up in an erratic hum and he can't find his focus again. He paces back and forth, attempting to recollect himself, but there's an urgency that drowns him in cold sweat. 

"Edward?"

The ringing stops. A switch has been flipped and he snaps his head in the direction of the voice. It's you. Completely spellbound, he extends his hand to touch your face, verifying whether you might be an illusion of his feverish desires instead. The blade pierces your skin, leaving a bright red trail behind. 

"I'm so sorry-" he cries out, realizing his act. 

You softly lower his hand with a reassuring smile. 

"It's just a small cut. Don't worry about it. I think we have more important matters at hand, won't you agree?" you joke as you nudge your head towards the window. 

"I spoke to the police officer on the way here, so we shouldn't have any surprise guests." 

You remove your jacket and throw it over some dusty furniture before climbing up the stairs. Halfway through you briefly stop and urge Edward to join you. He simply nods.

When the issue is settled and everything has been said and done, will you return to your miserable exile? Won't the neighbors become suspicious if you're frequently seen sneaking up the hill? Perhaps even the utmost secrecy won't prolong the visits much. 

And then what?

As he considers the potential scenarios, he becomes increasingly impatient. The joy of your return has been tainted by the impending doom of abandonment. He wishes you'd just stay with him here, forever. 

Once the conclusion has been reached, he lets out a quiet apology. Maybe to you, maybe to the beloved Inventor, maybe even to himself. He inserts a finger into the entrance lock and silently twists it. 

You must forgive him. Or at least try to understand him. He just loves you too much, (Y/N). Is it truly such a hideous crime? To want to keep you safe? If so, he will live with the guilt. But not without you. 

You're home. 

[melbatron5000]

Murder Board 2.0

Updated 9/27/24

Since I've figure a few things out, I need to re-do my Murder Board. New answers, new questions.

What I think I know:

Hints given out by NG are suspect at best. (I cannot blame him or anyone else on the cast or crew -- they spent A LOT of time and energy building this very meticulous puzzle game for us -- why would ANY of them give ANY of it away? That would ruin all the fun!)

Lots of the discontinuity of Season 2 can be explained by POV switches between characters. See here and here for more. I think the title/location cards are also probably POV Clues, that needs a closer look.

Crowley gave something to Aziraphale in his mouth when they kissed. It's the fly. Now, what else was in the fly besides Gabriel's memory? RECORDS. Incriminating records that are why the Metatron let Beelzebub and Gabriel go, but nailed Aziraphale. The Metatron knows Gabriel has those records, he doesn't know they got passed to Aziraphale.

Saraqael and Crowley and by proxy, Aziraphale are all working together. See here and here for more. That explains A. the tiny miracle blowing up into a 25 Lazarii miracle. It didn't. They had to cover for something else that did. B. Saraqael showing the archangels the book shop in 2019 in the spy hole. C. Crowley's spy turtle neck and where he went during Aziraphale's Job flashback. D. Why Saraqael helps him see the trial in Heaven. (Oh! Muriel's now in on it, too!)

Crowley's memory is fine, it's a red herring. It might mean something else, though. I think he is dissing Furfur, he is denying knowing Saraqael even after she gives him a reason to recognize her to hide that they are working together. He tells Jim he doesn't remember why they invented gravity, but that whole scene is from Aziraphale's perspective, so the conversation likely didn't actually go just like that.

Shax is on a mission besides Gabriel -- she's looking for whatever Aziraphale and Crowley are hiding. Gabriel is a side-mission.

The hand-washing comment from Crowley in the Resurrectionists minisode -- he tells DaVinci about helicopters in Good Omens the novel. It's just a thing he can do.

What is up with Maggie? Maggie's freaking Jesus 2.0. She's what Shax is looking for, and who Crowley, Aziraphale, and Saraqael are hiding. Also, where is God? God is busy being Maggie, that's where. That's why Crowley says "Oh God" before his speech in the final fifteen. He's bringing up what they're hiding, reminding Aziraphale that someone has to stay and keep an eye on Maggie. That's why he can't go. Now, how the FUCK did Jesus 2.0 wind up owning a record store she inherited from her family NEXT TO AN ANGEL?? (Ah, shit, now I'm doubting this one. Now I suspect it's Nina, and Maggie is Mary MAGdeline. Same questions still apply.)

SECRET SONGS??? Why are the songs secret?? I'm losing my mind, what is happening?? I think this is a message that A. Aziraphale and Crowley are okay, and B. We will absolutely be getting part 3 of 1941.

I still think the scenes might be out of order. Is it as simple as watching them in chronological order? Could be.

The Metatron is a naked man. i.e. he was originally HUMAN.

Aziraphale and Crowley are talking in subtext A LOT. Aziraphale's tells are easier to spot than Crowley's. He raises his eyebrows and does vocal bunny rabbit ears, says "um," and "ah." "Our Gabriel miracle," "The establishment in question," "Certainly on to something," "Haven't yet cracked the case." Crowley's tell seems to be being effusive. "Frozen peas," "You wouldn't be interested in love?" "Well, today is your lucky day!" "How do you know I didn't do it?"

We are missing the scenes that should mirror the Resurrectionists minisode. What we do have instead of mirrors to that are Crowley telling the demons they are out of order. He can tell time has been messed with.

There are two Crowleys. I think the head in the book shop is his way of keeping in touch while his twin is off doing things, and the red eyes are him, too. Now, why?? What do they need 2 Crowleys for?

What still needs answering:

The clocks jumping time. And why are the extras moving in double-time when we first arrive to Whickber street?

The weird hand in the 1941 photo.

Aziraphale's chair position being moved still doesn't make sense. Unless Crowley was talking to himself??

The extras behaving strangely.

Crowley's car being in the wrong spot on the road after Shax threatens him.

Weird sounds -- Aziraphale turns to look at a crashing sound when he returns from Edinburgh, to look at a car horn, the very loud clock in the final fifteen BUT ALSO when Jim says he will go out to the demons, nightingale singing when Crowley leaves in the FF.

I'm not sure that POV switches explain Crowley's sunglasses going from silver to black.

I don't know why Aziraphale went to Edinburgh, or why he stopped at the graveyard where Gabriel's statue is, or why he looked like he realized something important while he was there.

Why does Michael do the "nothing's in the box" thing with the matchbox? It's a petty specific action. Someone pointed out that Michael's nails look chewed and terrible, are we meant to stare at the matchbox while something else goes unnoticed? Well, duh. But what?

We most certainly did not get the whole scene where the Metatron is talking to Aziraphale. What else was said?

What did Crowley do during his ALL-NIGHT JAUNT in Heaven? Did he sneak around and steal something? Did he uncover something? Did they hurt him? I think he stole something.

What did Aziraphale do with his briefcase that he took to Edinburgh? We see it in the book shop from his POV, and Edinburgh is seen from Crowley's POV, so they both know it exists. And then it's gone.

Why does Gabriel prophecy with God's voice? IS it God's voice? It's a woman, is it Frances McDormand? It's hard to hear. When he remembers the beginning, I think it's God's voice. When he prophecies, it may be someone else. Frances McDormand has no credit in that episode.

Why the heck did Maggie and Nina go talk to Crowley while the Metatron was talking to Aziraphale? What they had to say wasn't important enough to leave Nina's shop during a rush, and I definitely don't think they derailed Crowley from what he needed to say to Aziraphale, though it might look at first as if they did. So what was that about? Were they trying to speak in husband-code to warn him about the Metatron?

When Shax stops Aziraphale for a ride, he says, "Oh, I really need to get to --" and then is cut off. He really needs to get to where? It's an easy assumption to think he means the book shop, or London. But is that all he means? Or was he on his way somewhere else? And if it was just the book shop, what does he mean he's late? Late for what?

When Crowley leaves Heaven, he tells Saraqael and Muriel to come, too. But in the elevator, Michael and Uriel are there! When the fuck did they show up??

Why does Beelzebub tell Shax to attack the bookstore? Aren't they worried about Gabriel being harmed? And they know Hell is understaffed. Maybe that's why they command it? Because they know Shax won't be able to get many demons?

What about the Masons? It's such a specific thing for the pub owner to bring up, what is the meaning of it? And Maggie has a Mason symbol on her necklace. Did the Masons carve the statue of Gabriel? When did they see him?

The only narration we hear in the entire season is Aziraphale in the Resurrectionist flashback. I believe this is to throw us off the POV character switches all season. But still, why do we only hear him narrate 1 flashback? I think he's reading the diary to himself in the present day. That would explain the end, "And that was the last I was to see of Crowley for some time." He JUST heard the story of the jukebox from Maggie. And Gabriel appearing at the pub -- same city that statue is in. Of course he thought of something important from that diary entry! Now, what did he notice?

Is the Book of Life a real threat? We hear two stories about it, that it's real and that its ability to erase beings was something to scare the cherubs with, this is inconclusive. Crowley gets nervous after Beelzebub talks to him, but I think he's pissed that Heaven and Hell have taken an interest in them again, especially since they're trying to hide Nina!Jesus.

So many promo posters show Aziraphale, Crowley, and Jimbriel together, or symbols of them. Three feathers: two white, one black. Tea cup, cocoa mug, wine glass. The three of them. Not with Beelzebub, not with Muriel, the three of them. And all three of them have been Jesus-coded in some small way. No one else. Those three. What. Why. Are they the sacrifice required to bring about the new world? Why not Beez, then?

The whole collection of Maggie's album's from the Amazon X-ray are great, big CLUES.

A post that I didn't reblog pointed out that the record Aziraphale is listening to when Garbriel shows up is neither Shostakovich nor 21 minutes long. That seems important, but I'm not sure how. (The record is opposite when Crowley gives Aziraphale the fly containing records -- the actual symphony is, according to the original blog, one written by a rebel in contempt of his government. Do the records have to do with the rebellion and fall?)

What the heck does Furfur mean by "little monkey in the waistcoat?" How does that sound like Crowley?

Why does Furfur change the subject when Aziraphale asks where Gabriel and Beelzebub would like to go?

Why does Mrs. H say "for God's sake" two times in a row? No one says that on this show without a meaning.

Shax notices Crowley going to Heaven and makes an epiphany face.

Why is the end credit music for the ball French cafe music? French must be important. And the end credit music for The Hitchhiker is old timey and scratchy, then skips and becomes the same song in a newer, clearer style. Because they repeat the bullet catch trick in the modern day, perhaps?

I thought I heard that Crowley and Aziraphale are in the fly in the opening sequence, but nope. So why are they in a cave?

Why are there multiple elevators and multiple mountains in the opening sequence??? What the hell does that mean?? And multiple Edens?? All right, what's up??

I count at least two times Aziraphale glances right at the camera, probably more. Who is he looking at? Us? Is he looking at Crowley?Why??

When Aziraphale arrives back from Edinburgh, he asks how "everything is with -- mm." Crowley says "he was sleeping, I heard him singing." I don't think they mean Gabriel. At the cafe, Crowley says when Gabriel smites you, you've been smitten. Aziraphale says he isn't "you know who any longer." Again, I don't think he means Gabriel. Who are they hiding?

What has Aziraphale's attention when he asks Maggie about Every Day? She points to the coffee shop, and all of a sudden Aziraphale can't stop looking out the window and gets very nervous.

Twos. Why are twos so important?? Repeating twos. And there's doubles of damn near every object on screen.

Repeating themes: (I am just realizing that these aren't just themes, they are all Clues!)

Beverages of all kinds -- tea for Aziraphale, wine or whiskey for Crowley, cocoa for Jim. Oh, and LAUDANUM. And coffee!

Time -- lots of clocks/mentions of time. Everyone notices the ticking clock during the Final Fifteen, but it's ticking loud when the demons attack the ball, too. Also, why is the first scene of Whickber street shown at high-speed? Is time sped up? Or something else?

Love/partnership/togetherness being stronger than separateness

Memories/forgetting/remembering

Payment -- money comes up in both the Resurrectionists minisode and the Flesh Eating Nazi Zombies minisode, but no one pays for anything in present. There is bartering, but no money. Both times money is brought up, it's Crowley using Aziraphale's money, and both times, it's to buy a life. It's funny, but I feel like there's a point to it.

Rising from the dead -- Job's kids (even though they weren't actually dead), bodies used for science, Nazi zombies, the Second Coming. I think this is all just hinting around Jesus -- sure, hinting around Jesus, who we were expecting to show up in Season 3, but she's already here. The hints indicate that she is already on Earth, not going to show up next season.

Unreliable narrators. Because we are seeing the whole show from various characters' points of view. Because of that, we can only see what they know, expect, believe, or understand, but also what they want us to see. We need to take the whole second season with a grain of salt.

Death in general -- but 8a., I'm a dirty pagan, why didn't I make this connection sooner, death always leads to REBIRTH, change, something totally new and 8b. there are tarot cards in the magic shop, and even if you're not a dirty pagan, the Death tarot card means transition, something must die before a new thing can be born. Hmm.

Morality and what is "good" and what is right

Recognition and identity and hiding one's identity. Ah! Probably at least partly because Maggie someone? is Jesus. How would you recognize them? (I think it's Nina now.)

Licenses, permits, permissions, rules, proof, evidence, what's allowed. All of the minisodes mention this, and it all gets mentioned again over and over. Because Heaven and Hell do have rules they have to follow. Which drives home my theory that Gabriel stole some very incriminating records from Heaven when he left, Crowley got hold of them and gave them to Aziraphale during the kiss, and now Aziraphale is going to nail them.

Colors. Lots of colors!! Job's kids are dressed in the colors of Nina, Maggie, and Aziraphale's shops. Jesus on the Resurrectionist Pub sign is in blue and red, blue and red crop up a lot in extra's clothing, as do yellow and red, Crowley colors. The Ladies of Camelot are in red and blue. Aziraphale says Earth will be a blue-green planet, Nina's shop is blue-green.

Horses. Horse statue, horse wine label, people saying "dark horse." The four horsemen again? I feel like they already had their ride, so what the hell? I think it's because season 2 is an echo of season 1, I THINK -- I have to check -- that horses appear or get mentioned when the horsemen have corresponding scenes in season 1.

Numbers. A lot of numbers get said. Does it matter, or am I overthinking?

Repeating words and phrases:

Technically

Properly

Isn't it just?

Too late

Funny old world

Not as such

Made for each other

EVERYWHERE

Obviously

Two shakes of a lamb's tail

Dark horse

What are you/am I? As opposed to WHO. Aziraphale asks in the Land of Uz, and Crowley asks Gabriel.

Are you sure? Quite sure.

The Marvelous Mr. Fell is described as marvelous in his mysterosity, Shax says the demons have dangerosity.

Mrs. H in 1941 says "for God's sake" twice in quick succession.

Schtum

Every day

Hints:

Powell and Pressburg films

The Crow Road

Catch 22

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Terry Pratchett in general

Jane Austin

Book Good Omens

Season 1 Good Omens

The titles of episodes, minisodes, places, etc. 7a. The Arrival: a book and a movie, though the book seems far more relevant. And lovely. The Clue: a movie. Companion to Owls: a line from a Bible story. I Know Where I'm Going: a movie. The Resurrectionists: two novels, each called The Resurrectionist, singular. Both look unhinged. The Hitchhiker: a Twilight Zone episode. Nazi Zombie Flesheaters: Literally no other reference. ?? Nazi Zombies do appear in a LOT of movies, comics, and video games, usually as a dark joke. The Ball: a video game. Irrelevant? It's a puzzle-based game, so maybe not. Every Day: a song AND a movie. Some themes repeat here: Puzzle games, being re-directed from one's path to find true love, death and being brought back to life in a gruesome and unpleasant way.

Objects that get a close-up/centering:

Starmaker's nebula book -- Nebula 231,080

Shax's compact mirror

Maggie's note

Shostakovich record

Tomatoes

The box

The Bentley

Eccles cakes

The bell

Head statue

The book Jim drops

Jukebox

Gabgriel's statue

Laudanum bottle

Phones in Edinburgh episode

"Very closed" sign

Broken whiskey bottles in 1941

Hourglass in Hell

Furfur's camera

Bullet catch in the magic shop

Instruction booklet for bullet catch gets 3 close ups -- because the bullet catch trick is that important, or because it happens 3 times? Both, I think.

Puppets

Dancers' silhouettes

Mr. Fell sign

The actual bullet

Angelic beings book

Photo evidence

Shax's shoes

"Surrender the angle" brick

[sukirichi]

PLEASE STOP COPYING FICS ‼️

I am by no means gatekeeping concepts or tropes. We all know that it’s normal to see the same tropes or AUs be used differently, and that is not plagiarism. However, I recently found a fic that was oddly similar to my old (and discontinued) Gojo x Reader series, Reckless. The CEO! Gojo is nothing new, and neither is an accidental pregnancy trope. The only reason I am concerned is because this Gojo series I found has the exact same themes as Reckless that consists of: a playboy CEO Gojo with a very notorious reputation, a poor reader who is an employee and asset to the company (someone who works closely with Gojo), reader getting knocked up from a one night stand with Gojo, reader with a seemingly dead/absent mother yet still in contact with her father, Gojo with a very traditional family who does not like reader, and Gojo with an ex he struggles to let go of - which are all elements of Reckless.

The first chapter of that Gojo fic is also eerily similar to my first chapter with the same flow of: YN finding out she’s pregnant and her friend being there for her, Gojo saying he’ll take responsibility because ‘they both made the baby’, YN having to move in with Gojo to take care of the baby, and both of them coming to a mutual agreement that their ‘relationship’ will be purely for the baby’s benefit. The flow of events and specific details about the characters’ backgrounds are too similar to mine.

Again, I am not gatekeeping concepts, just as how I’ve had other writers ask me if they could write their own stories or takes based off of the NAOYA’S TROPHY WIFE COLLECTION or the BONTEN HUSBANDS EXCLUSIVE, and I’m fine with that. I’m even happy people are inspired by what I write. But being inspired is completely different from taking someone’s story and posting it as yours. Please trust your own creativity and skills in writing. You can write amazing stories and have people love them without having to steal from others.

It’s sad to say this is not the first time I, and other writers, have been plagiarized. It’s even more upsetting to know that a friend of mine who has also written a Gojo series (that I’m sure you all know and dearly love) experiences the same issues with the same person. The fact that this is happening to many writers out there is disheartening. We work hard and pour a lot of love in the stories we create. None of us are getting paid for this, and we simply want to share our passions with others. So please, let us be kinder with one another and show love and support the right way. If you love a fic, you give feedback and rb/comment + show support to the writer. You don’t steal their ideas and play it off as your own because you liked it.

[fellthemarvelous]

Staged and Good Omens: The discontinuity of a story within a story within a story.

I'm watching the third season of Staged again right now, and I think I've figured something out.

The discontinuity that people are talking about of Good Omens 2.

Staged 3 was a very modern version of A Christmas Carol. Ep 1. Is there a version? (David and Michael work with Simon again) Ep 2. Who's Playing Who? (Scrooge, episode was a farce) Ep 3. Past (Michael and David are co-dependent af) Ep 4. Present (Michael and David fail to write a script) Ep 5. Future (David tells everyone they are doing a live show) Ep 6. Knock, Knock (Simon gets even, ending is sad but not really because they are just taking a break and breaks don't last forever, and Simon gets a job offer based on his script for Knock, Knock, the one story he didn't write.)

The epic trainwreck that is David and Michael's live version of A Christmas Carol is actually a hit, but everyone else has to convince them to stop the show because it can't go on forever. So they end it with Michael and David agreeing to take a break from working together even though it makes both of them sad.

But the whole premise of Staged was that everything was filmed on iPads, computers and cell phones. And it was submitted to Simon so he could piece it together.

Simon Evans wrote Staged as a love story between David and Michael. Simon writes what he sees and finds ways to incorporate fiction into reality. He saw them on Good Omens together and he saw the chemistry between David and Michael, and he turned it into a comedy about these two eccentric actors who clearly love each other. And they agreed to star in it.

They improvised most of it, but Simon laid out the framework of the plot for them to follow, and then he let them be themselves.

The entire show has layers upon layers of meta weaved into it.

Anyway, my point is...

This post is one of several that covers the different ways discontinuity seems to occur during Good Omens 2. The evidence is very compelling.

I'm not here to point all that out because I don't have the strength of some of the meta writers in this fandom, and they're already on top of it, but if we look to Staged as an example, what is the plotline that Good Omens 2 is following?

Good Omens 2 is a modern version of.... Ep 1. The Arrival Ep 2. The Clue (A Companion to Owls) Ep 3. I Know Where I'm Going (The Resurrectionists) Ep 4. The Hitchhiker (Nazi Zombie Flesheaters) Ep 5. The Ball Ep 6. Every Day

What are the stories happening around Aziraphale and Crowley? They're the focal point of season two, but what else is happening?

Neil Gaiman has said that everything means something. They aren't just showing us these things by accident. There is a story happening outside of Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship. And we are all looking closely for that person doing a very odd thing just out of sight or objects being moved around without knowing how they got there in the first place.

There was literally an entire scene in Staged where they are trying to figure out who is playing Scrooge and Simon is so anxious that he keeps moving his plant between two different spots in the room. It also ends up with Georgia accidentally planning her own birthday party because David is in Tokyo. But then they cut at one point and you learn David was actually in his bedroom and not a hotel room in Japan and Georgia didn't really just plan her own birthday party. That chaos was scripted. David has to change clothes, they have to go several minutes back in the scene they just did, but as Anna points out, the sun is not in the same place it was when they started the scene. And then Michael loses his shit at Simon and storms off.

You think that's the reason Simon left, but then we get the episode where Georgia tells David Michael wants to write the script and then tells Michael that David wants to write the script. She does it so she can get them alone in a room together because people love watching them argue. They find out she set them up about six hours later. They are hungry and hot and annoyed and mad at her so she gets Simon to come back to work with David and Michael. Simon comes back from cosplaying as a dentist, brings the food Michael ordered hours ago, and sits down to write. Michael gets pissed off at Simon again because Simon forgot the prawn crackers, so he throws his food at Simon.

Some of these are of the past. Some are of the present. They were all filmed at the same time though so you don't know what happened when or why.

These scenes are all cobbled together. They tell a complete story though. The order just isn't exact.

The story we are seeing in season 2 isn't the real story. It was happening around Aziraphale and Crowley, but with them at the focal point, you get a romantic comedy and it distracts you from what's going on in the background.

There is more than one story in season 2. It's basically a jigsaw puzzle that we can try to piece together, but we won't know what's actually happening until we get the much needed context of season 3.

There are clues all over the place in Good Omens 2. The story is being told through so many other methods except for the one that makes the most sense to us because someone doesn't want us to see what's coming, so we get distracted by Nina and Maggie, Jim, Aziraphale and Crowley.

We know Muriel and Saraqael are up to something. We know Shax and Furfur are up to something. We know the Metatron is up to something. What we don't know is where God went. We hear God's voice in Companion to Owls and we hear God's voice speaking through and with Jim when Crowley orders him to tell them what is going on. It ties directly to the first time Crowley and Aziraphale ever worked together.

We know that Aziraphale is going to Edinburgh and he knows exactly where he's going because he and Crowley have been there before. It challenges the concept of good and evil because Crowley does the good thing and gets sucked into Hell. Right next to Gabriel's statue.

We know that Aziraphale picks up a hitchhiker even though he doesn't want to, and it turns out to be Shax. She reminds Aziraphale of the time that Furfur caught them working together. There were zombies and human magic tricks and Aziraphale uses sleight of hand to save Crowley from being dragged back down into Hell again.

The episode titles of Staged 3 all represent different chapters of A Christmas Carol. But it was more than that because Michael is upset with David for doing adverts without him after they were both asked to work together at first. They love each other and they love working together, but it's preventing them from doing other things they want to do. Hence the break from working together.

It's a story within another story within another story.

And I think that's what we are witnessing in Good Omens. Things aren't happening in the right order. Beyond the sadness of Aziraphale and Crowley splitting up, there is still the next apocalypse to deal with. The story we are getting in season two isn't happening sequentially. It's being manipulated to hide the signs that things are already underway by giving us a love story as a distraction.

And it works very damn well. Because the love story was beautiful.

Staged 3 ending

Good Omens 2 ending

[puckpocketed]

ok the stick story is this

according to The Hockey Media, who as we know do not actually follow any teams closely so know NOTHING, ovechkin was finally hit by father time. he's finally slowing down. he's a shell of his old self. he has old man syndrome. blah blah blah

as a caps fan, i know that this is false, because our russian machine never break. he's a freak. who btw had like 13 goals disallowed or something crazy like that in the first half of last season but i digress

gee i wonder why ovechkin's goals went down? is it because his longtime center and future hall of famer nicklas backstrom retired in all but name? is it because our other top 6 center in evgeny kuznetsov had by far the worst season of his career (from point a game to not even half a point a game) and then went into the player's assistance program before being traded to the canes and then bolting for the KHL?

actually, as it turns out: no.

i mean probably those were factors, but there was another factor. a factor that many caps fans are very aware of but almost no one reported on for some reason (probably because they were too busy writing about how SiDneY CrOsBy was having SuCh an AmaZiNg season for a 36 year old despite ovechkin literally having just as a good a season the year prior at the *checks notes* age of 36. also this is a reminder that one of those two actually led their team to a playoff berth and it wasn't crosby)

ovechkin is, among other things, an elite shooter. like many elite shooters, he is EXTREMELY picky about his sticks. he has been using the same CCM model for the last 7 seasons...and prior to this season they discontinued it.

the first half of the season (roughly), ovi was constantly trying out new sticks from CCM, from Bauer, whoever. he tried quite a few different sticks. results: 8 goals in 43 games.

then, ovechkin found an independent supplier. apparently (i can't remember where this info came out, maybe 32 thoughts?), these guys have an "ovi pro curve" model based on his old stick with CCM and he bought it and tried it out. curve was identical, and it felt right to him. started using those. results: 23 goals in 36 games.

am i saying that he is going to continue on that pace this coming season? probably not. do i think that the rumors of his demise as a goal scorer are greatly exaggerated and almost surely mistaken? yes. am i optimistic that with some stability in our center depth and stability in stick choice, ovechkin will have a 40 goal season again and possibly break wayne gretzky's all time goals record? YES.

what this means for PLD our beloved failhorse wife: he's not getting some washed up old man former great on his wing. he's getting the greatest fucking goal scorer in the history of the sport. and i, for one, am excited to see what they can do together.

link i thought about this all morning during baking and while i was out!! thank you for the stick explanation and all the sources i LOVE citations i am eating them up like theyre cakes at teatime....! more under the cut but heres what i was thinking about when i read this:

thinking about how,, particular some players get about their equipment, how superstitious, it's crazy to me that a manufacturer can just do all that. if it were me and MYE special stick got discontinued id be suing for damages

i was super interested in what actually changed in the second half of the season because i saw ovechkin was back to scoring basically at-will again, so really thank you for explaining.. the bond between a hockey and their stick is so beaugtiful <3

cr-sby is my babygirl-in-law and i fear i will always be fond of him because of this, so i shall tread carefully here (pens friends look away) it DOES suck that they're not recognising your old man for his achievements while that old man gets hyped. is it like, weird anti-russian sentiment? or a more general anti-caps bias? every team fan space i dip into feels unfairly maligned one way or another - which, yeah! clenching my fist of rage.......

you spin such a tale and im VERY excited to see how next szn shakes out in light of all this and also . grabbing dubois by the scruff of his neck like i will stan either way but PLEASE dont embarrass me in front of my cool new friends kjlasdklasdkl....

thank you so much for stopping by and for the warmest welcome ever <3

[noeggets]

felt like drawing my kids, sorta AU cause i drew them kinda different half my designs, i aged up the navi's sorta

information about them bc it's long and self indulgent from me talking to my friend

Enzan

Age: 11 (but turns 12 before Lan does making him slightly older and he will use this in a argument if he wants to)

I HC him french because of his english name they just moved to Dentech city at some point

Protoman

Age: in his 40's. 2 or 3 years younger then Enzan's father.

Backstory He was Enzan's mom's Navi (her name is Glace bc i watched the dub but apparently this website believes Enzan's english translated name is a swear word but his name on his wiki means Hot Blaze or something like that but it's french so his mom is french that is the HC i will stand on) i diagress, when she passed he was given to Enzan

other information: His Navi model was discontinued because it was buggy and glitchy, nobody could fix it (nobody wanted to try) so they just stop using whatever AI brain chip he has to make Navi's like him. He dislikes Enzan's father because he feels like he should have never got his original netop pregnant because she was sickly and giving birth is what ended her life he believes because she was ill he whole heartedly believes that what it was however the exchange was Enzan and he loves that child as his own, very rough relationship with Enzan's father

Lan

Age: 11

other information: His Mom and Dad are divorced because Yuichiro loves his work more then anything excluding Lan and Megaman he loves his kids. they are still friends and love Lan equally. Lan lives with his mom Megaman used to live with their dad in his testing phase but he's in Lan's PET so he lives with Lan and his Mom now. his original home is at Yuichiro lab, the PET and Lan's Computer is his new home he is able to jump to whichever he decides. His dad is Netopian/American

Megaman

Age: age unknown youth model - He hasn't existed that long but at the same time he was created to be around Lan's age

Backstory

created from the dna of deceased twin of lan hub. technically he is a twin but he isn't Hub he is a copy created with the DNA. He is not Hub tho.

other information: he doesn't understand social cues and tends to speak his mind, he is wiser then Lan but not knowledgeable in subjects people/Navi's his age should know about. He can solve complex problems and understand wrong from right but when it starts becoming being a world experience issue he can't really help you

Maylu

Age: 11 (older then Lan younger then Enzan, taller then Lan brags about it sometimes)

other information: American/Netopian, has whatever an american accent would be called in this world, she had a hard to learning Japanese but can speak it fluidly, cannot write it that well. Very chill at the same time the loudest person in the room if bothered. Likes this kid name Zackery in their school cough Zero COUGH he has a whole story that he is Willy's son who Willy turned into a Navi but nobody knows it yet

Roll

Age: youth model around 16 or 18

Backstory

Normal custom edited Navi from base youth model in stores no interesting background

other information: adapted the traits of being kinda selfish and needy. It's hard for her to stand not having her way, very girly Maylu did not make her this way she just developed a personality outside of her environment because she does not act anything like Maylu this is not a bad thing but it isn't a good thing either lol we love roll still

[contentfarms]

ok, how about i talk just a bit about it?

"it" being...

YOUTUBE ANIME!

i'll talk a bit about youtube anime i like! this is not as fleshed out as i can make it, sorry

strap in, we're going down the youtube anime rabbit hole! or should i say... down the Plott hole?

youtube anime, as a genre, is simply low budget anime on youtube. these are NOT the same as a tv anime, and could be described as ONAs. they are also commonly called web anime

youtube anime tends to have either fully original characters, or are adaptations of existing manga or other properties, which makes them unique from other types of trend-hopper channels in this vein.

they have a unique aspect, in that they hop on pop culture trends that are current with kids in japan, so you can learn a lot about what's popular with kids overseas and what trends did make it over there

they also just have a lot of bizarre and unique content trends compared to english sphere channels, like the "trapped in a transparent house" trend, the "handcuffed together for 24 hours" trend, and the "yandere love potion" trend

there is one specific one of these that i am totally, truly, deeply obsessed with, and the manga it's adapting, but i'll dig my grave and lie in it when it's time.

but anyways, there ARE trends that overlap with english ones!

long lost twin siblings, turning into a dog or a cat, child characters growing up, adult characters aging down, all the characters being in school together, etc, etc.

now, you know how content farms will have bizarrely placed sexualized content? youtube anime has that too...

ECCHI FANSERVICE STYLE!

yeah, youtube anime is a concentrated dose of ecchi fanservice bullshit for clicks. this does include some uh, questionable content with underage characters and "pervy kid" tropes. any issue you can think of with the current state of the anime industry's various types of shows, youtube anime cranks it up to 100.

it is EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY rare for a youtube anime series to have english content. most prominent ones right now don't even have english youtube ccs.

this is mainly, to my understanding, because the market is very niche and not quite yet large enough for the money spent on english content to be worth it.

that being said, my FAVORITE english content youtube anime is the dub of "Grim Reaper Flag-chan", also known as 全力回避！フラグちゃん or Zenryoku Kaihi! Flag-chan. this was discontinued in favor of english CCs on the main japanese channel

it's about the "Flags", girls who are classified as shinigami or angels who appear to collect certain "flags" triggered by the horrid excuse of an npc training dummy, mobuo. think visual novel route triggers, that's what the "flags" are.

if you want a good english version of a youtube anime, i'll direct you towards teikou penguin's short-lived english chanel

this one did NOT end in favor of english CCs on the english channel. this one just suddenly stopped posting with no explanation

if you go watch teipen, there's something i need to explain because it's a bit lost in translation. "black company" is a literal translation, it's a term that means more accurately "evil/shady/illegal company". basically a corrupt workforce that discriminates heavily against it's employees.

i may delve into this more when more english content for these channels exists, but right now, not much is here. i'd need to translate a lot of things myself to show my followers.

but, someday. i'll talk about the one i'm insane for.

anyway. if you made it this far and have any questions, feel free to send them in!

[icantpickausernamesorry]

netflix is incredibly annoying.

(in this I will talk mostly about dead boy detectives since it's the one I have watched, but I acknowledge Kaos, Lockwood and co. and all the others. tag more in the reblogs!!)

like a lot of people, I clicked on dbd and like a FUCK TON of people, I adored it. and like AN ASS TON of people, I started crying when I realised it got cancelled.

now, there are a few things about this show that ticked me off when I looked into it. one, it's a show about dead guys and it was not released in October. Two, it is very inherently queer and was not released during pride month. the problem- it was released when the audience wasn't introduced to it in a proper way.

next, it was in the Top 10 list for a while, but then fell off. I think (!!) that the reason is because honestly, sometimes I get so mad that my favorite show is cancelled that I'd give up on everything too. also, there are people saying that netflix did not market this show well. I cant find anything about that since I don't have any other social media app, but if you have data pls post it here.

next, the main problem. SHIT DOES NOT GET FAMOUS WITH ONE SEASON!!

take schitts creak. from this article (which was also an inspiration for this post) I saw that it did not get much traction until the third season. THIRD. SEASON.

I think it's basic common fucking sense, but let's explain it to @netflix

imagine you get a taste of an amazing ice cream. it's beautiful. it hits all your taste buds in the best way. you gobble it up. then you find out that the ice cream is discontinued. the company that made it is fighting tk make more, but the head honchos at marketing don't care. they said that it didn't have a bit enough audience, not enough people ate it. After some research, you realise that the ice cream was released for a week. in an ice cream truck that was notorious to partner with the head honchos and routinely did this.

don't you think that that is a little FUCKING DUMB!?

the crew and cast and everything about dbd is beautiful. captivating. the season ended on SUCH a cliffhanger, leaving the audience wanting more, like ice cream. but that joy hoes un-heeded.

I genuinely don't know how to tell people that maybe, perhaps, things take time to work. relationships. a project.

A MOTHERFUCKING SHOW.

in short, I hate @netflix . they are hungry capitalist pigs who do not realise how much shows mean.

bring back binge-worthy television that does not get cancelled when the head honchos want it to.

@netflix @netflix @netflix @netflix @netflix

(p.s- check out the linked article! it's very informative and very well written!)

[scorchrend]

thinking about it

GARDENS ABLAZE

AU where Axis Model 08 burns down the king’s garden

❓ does flowey exist???

if he doesnt undertale is doomed so id rather he exists.

maybe the difference is alphys doesn’t take the last remaining flower and instead injects determination into the flower and leaves it there for Asgore to see

meaning unfortunately Asgore will probably know who flowey is in every timeline…

✅ somehow chujin doubles down on improving axis instead of discontinuing the project

❓ integrity?

✅ ceroba actually gets word of wtf chujin is doing because it’s such a huge incident

✅ current model is still 014. memory tends to wipe clean the moment he finishes a task. keeps only the important parts.

Axis doesn’t actually get memory wipes, they just get locked. Something something integrity incident goes down even worse than in canon, Axis model whatever the fuck killed integrity reacts badly. Like he just stores information in txt bullet points but he can’t access the memories. Blah blah this pisses Flowey off because he cant beat Axis but cant even mess with him because he keeps forgetting. Axis is aware of Flowey but doesnt keep the specifics in mind, doesn’t recall what exactly they talk about only the general idea.

The memories are accessible by the admin and since Chujin was so so royally fired he works on Axis at home so Ceroba also knows about him. Axis functions like a home security cam kinda lol. Except he can’t store video at least not for long. Not that advanced.

Also this means the integrity incident happens and Ceroba will know. This is Not Good. Lol