#forgot to post this. about to set up my team for this week let’s see what happens this time

[intoblonde6ftwbbplayers]

lil Paige one shot

im bored rn || request are open!

also yes ik none of this is accurate probs but pls dont judge.

pairing - Paige Bueckers x y/n reader

summary - you and Paige are "close" fiends and the fans are suspicious especially seeing you guys interact on Kk's live

warnings - none just pure fluff and clingy Paige

||

Looking over at KK and Ice who had stopped arguing long enough to finally start the live. You went over to them and say hi to the people.

A string of comments rolled in asking how you were and how your test went last week. Even though you weren't on the team you were always with them, on lives, in posts, anywhere.

'Y/N OMG MY QUEEN HOW WAS YOUR TEST?'

'I LOVE Y/N'

'y/n you're so pretty ilyyy'

'Y/N Y/N Y/N'

'y/n apartment tour??'

'oh to be y/n'

you always loved reading comments. they were mostly kind to you and people were pretty funny. You would especially laugh when they realized Paige was there and start thirsting over her. I mean they weren't wrong about what they were saying about her.

Distracted while reading comments you didn't even notice the fact Paige was there you until she came up and wrapped her arms around your waist hugging you from behind putting her face in your neck.

"hey ma" she said into your neck that nickname had you weak although you tired your best to hide it.

Paige loved having her head in your neck or lying on you. Ever since the first time she fell asleep in 2 seconds after laying her head in your lap she decided that leaning her head on you was the best place in the world. Only for her though.

You didn't know it but whenever your other friends would get overly touchy with you it would make her so incredibly jealous. She would make it her mission to never leave you alone long enough for the to happen but thats a story for another time.

"Hey lil Paigey" you said teasingly to her. You called her a lot of nicknames but that one was always so funny to you and it was your favorite. Paige just hummed in response taking a deep breath still in her same position.

"you okay?" you asked quieter and with a little concern as she normally had so much energy but it seamed like right now all she wanted to do was be held (by you).

"dont worry y/n she's just tired from practice" Ice said.

"yeah a certain P Boogers forgot to set an alarm and showed up late to practice so coach made her do suicides" Kk said laughing a bit as they've all been there in the past and tease each other whenever something like this happens.

"broooo" Paige said finally looking up at KK and Ice. They both laugh at their teammate knowing its not serious and go back to answering comments from the live. So you go to do the same.

'is it just me or is Paige always touching y/n'

'I NEED PAIGE AND Y/N TO DATE'

'PAIGE IS SO FINE OMG'

'nah y/n and Paige need to just admit it atp'

'KK ILYYYYY'

'they never beating the allegations'

'PAIGE IS SO CUTE OMFG'

'I need to know what Geno said to Paige when she got there late'

As you scan through the comment you just laugh slightly and shake your head. One particularly got you to actually let out a laugh and you read it out loud.

"read these comments and found out they AREN'T tg??" just making you giggle again.

"sorry to break it to you guys but me and Paige are not dating she's just a little clingy" you say ending the sentence looking over at the blonde girl who is still wrapped around you.

While your speaking Kk moves to sit on the floor going to start on her legos but not before turning the camera to face you, Paige, and Ice

"I think it's more than a little at this point" Ice said looking at the two of you.

Before you can reply you're being pulled back the other side of the couch. You let yourself be dragged by Paige having an idea of what she wants. She sits you both down on the couch and goes to hug your waist again immediately collapsing into you like you knew she probably had been wanting to.

Kk and Ice look over and shake their heads at their teammate who is gripping onto you like a koala right now and Kk catching it all on camera

"alright maybe its more then a little but I don't mind" You say looking back at Ice while your hands slowly start running up and down Paiges back making their way under her hoodie to do so like you've done a million times

you've all forget about the live that Kk has currently propped up to face the three of you

"oh we know you don't" Ice replies with the biggest smirk ever

thats when you guys all remember your one live so when you look at the screen you already know all the comments are going to be about you and Paige

Kk tosses you the phone and you catch it now holding it so the screen looks like a FaceTime

you read though the comment and reply to as many as you can

'are you and Paige dating?' "no guys we are not dating just really good friends" you say with a soft smile looking down at her half asleep with her face in your chest

'idk if I wanna be y/n or Paige in this situation'

'PAIGE IS TOO CUTE OMFG'

'Y/N UR SO PRETTY ILYYYY'

'y/n and Paige deniers real quiet rn'

'Paige and Y/n are meant for each other'

'PAIGE AND Y/N SUPREMACY'

"listen guys if you've never cuddled with friends you're missing out just saying" you say with a shrug moving the camera to Paige knowing thats who most people wanna see anyway

"Paige anything you wanna say?" you say in a different tone knowing that everyone could probably hear the smile you have while talking to her. Because yes you did like Paige but you weren't sure if she liked you.

"Nah y/n right we just friends.. and I had a long day" Paige says turning her head so only half of it is against you now

"what's that thing called love-smth with like 5 different ones?" She asks you moving her head so her chin in now resting against you scooting up so your faces are closer and you're looking right at each other (with heart eyes coming from both of you)

"5 love languages?"

"mhm those isn't one of em touch or sum shit?" Paige asks you making sure she's right and once you nod she moves back to using you like a pillow and facing the screen again

"Yeah so I think its just that me and y/n both like the physical touch one so thats why we like this" Paige said to the fans knowing thats not the real reason she's so clingy with you

all you do is hum in response and begin playing with Paiges hair while she talks to the live

this goes on for a couple minutes until you hear Paiges talking slowing down and see her struggling to keep her eyes open

You take this as a sign that it might be time to end the live as Ice has gone to her room and Kk is locked in on the legos she's building

you take the phone from Paige and she mumbles a sleepy "thank you ma"

"alright guys we're all a little tired so ima end the live. We love you guys bye!" you say finally ending the live and tossing the phone back to Kk

Paige shift on top of you trying to get comfortable and as always she ends up with her head in the crook of you neck and her hands find their way to your hips under your hoodie

"I got you p just go to sleep" you say quietly in her ear as her breathing slows down and her eyes flutter shut

once the words leave your lips you can feel your own body relaxing further into the couch and let yourself fall asleep with her as well knowing that when you wake up there will be countless photos of you both circulating the gc and possibly their stories

||

thank you for reading

I hope you enjoyed!

[fizzlehead]

laughing my ass off bcus for fantasy figure skating this week (yeah i said fantasy figure skating don’t even worry about it) i came in (out of 691 entrants) 357th for pairs, 593rd for womens and 613th for dance but for men i came in a cool 9th place. ok!

[notsopersonalcharlie]

My Belle

Biker!Bucky Barnes x Fem!reader fluff

Bucky is part owner of a mechanic shop and bar, but his girlfriend is the one who rakes in the big bucks, so who's to judge him (his friends) if he's just a little (very) whipped for her.

Notes: Based on this post and this post! In my own personal headcannon readers name is Noelle, which explains the nickname bell(e) lol. There will CERTAINLY be more installments of this story. Gif isn't mine

You muttered under your breath as you pulled your work shoes off your stockinged feet. There were runs at the toes because you were too lazy last night to cut your toenails. Too lazy and distracted by a certain biker coming home. The same biker who was waiting outside, who had kindly turned off the idling engine, but still waited on the sidewalk patiently holding an extra helmet. 

Bucky looked down at his phone. The Howling Commando group chat was blowing up about some sports game and Bucky turned the notifications off before making sure you hadn’t messaged. You hadn’t. He checked your location, you were inside the building in front of him. He checked the texts again and then put his phone in his pocket. Staring at it won’t help, is what you would say. What did you know? Everything, Bucky thought to himself. Sam would have laughed in his face if he could hear the inner monologue.

“See ya monday!” Your team's receptionist called. 

“Not a moment sooner!” You quipped back over your shoulder as you pushed open the glass double doors. All six feet and a bit of your biker were waiting on the sidewalk, tattoos peeking out at the neck and along the wrists speaking of one of your favorite features of his.

“Hi Buck!” He looked up and a grin split his usually stoic face. 

“There’s my girl.” Two long strides and you were wrapped up in his arms, a warm kiss pressed hard to your lips. Bucky spun you in a circle.

“I missed you, belle.” 

“I missed you too, Buck.” Anyone would have thought you hadn’t seen each other in days, but Bucky had stopped by only a few hours before to drop off your lunch.

“You’re not getting on the bike like that, honey.” You rolled your eyes, setting down your bags. 

“I know, I forgot to grab my overpants this morning. Do you have extras?” Of course he did, you knew that, but it was the sweet pout and big eyes just for him. You knew he loved to take care of you, so if you “forgot” the pants, maybe it was just because he liked to know he was always prepared. 

“Of course I do.” He waited as you slid the cargo looking pants up over your work bottoms. He stored your bags away as you did, and then sat down on the bike, making sure your helmet, the black one with muted flowers sprouting along the edges that he bought especially for you, was secure on your head.

You slid onto the bike behind Bucky, taking a deep breath of the mechanics grease and sweat smell that always seemed to live on his biking jacket, before snapping your visor shut. Bucky couldn’t help the way his heart leapt a little like always when you wrapped his arms around his middle and rested the chin of your helmet against the middle of his back. Two squeezes to check that you was ready or okay, two back to tell him you was good to go. Three squeezes to say I love you, four back to say I love you too. 

Bucky started the bike and took off back toward the little house they shared just two blocks down from the Howling Commando. You watched the scenery passively, relying on Bucky’s expert riding to get you home safe. You was so glad it was the weekend. Work had been busy, all week you had found yourself calling Bucky, letting him know that you had to stay late, that you would call a rideshare home so he didn’t have to come. Of course every night by the time you were ready to go, Bucky was sitting outside, leaning against his bike. The only day he wasn’t, it was because he had to drive a few towns over that afternoon to pick up a special part for your car.

Instead Steve had been waiting with his own motorcycle, grinning ear to ear as he recited precisely the text Bucky had sent to make sure you was dressed properly and your helmet was on correctly. 

“You know he has never, since childhood, through the service, after, never once, acting like this with a girl.” You just rolled your eyes, followed the instructions as you always did, and sat on the back of Steve’s bike and let him drop you off right in front of the white picket fence Bucky had insisted he would build when you first moved in. 

“You there, belle?” You blinked and found that they had already gotten home. 

“Yeah, just... thinking.” You slid off the bike, gravel driveway crunching under your feet. Bucky pulled your helmet off your head and his blue eyes were intent on your expression, his adorable little pout on his lips.

“What’s up?” You took the helmet from his hands, setting it on the bike before pulling his gloves off his fingers and then intertwining your fingers together. 

“I love our life, Buck.”

“I love our life too.” He looked worried, the little crease between his eyebrows so endearing as always. You lifted one hand to rub your thumb to the spot, eliciting a smile from him. 

“That’s all, baby. I want to spend every day of my life with you.” The grin grew, and you found yourself lifted in the air again, and seated back on the bike. His sweet demeanor towards you and his friends made it easy to forget that Bucky was six feet tall and made entirely of muscle, even if he had built up a healthy bit of relationship chub since you started dating. Bucky kissed you, soft in the dying light of the evening. 

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you too, belle.” You stood like that for a long while, till the glow of the sun was barely left in the sky and the automatic yard lights had turned on. 

“What do you want to do tonight?” Bucky asked. Sweet, as always, but it was the same thing you did every night. 

“I can get changed and we can head over to the bar.” And as always, “Only if you want, honey.” 

Bucky put your things away, dirty lunch containers in the dishwasher and bag beside your desk in the living room, while you got dressed. It felt like it was a fresh start to life when you pulled on comfy jeans and one of the well worn and soft shop t-shirts. You grabbed a sweatshirt, and then paused and got another one for Bucky, before heading back into the kitchen where Bucky was looking at his phone. 

“Howling Commando, huh?” Bucky joked. You nodded with a grin, tossing him one of his gray Army sweatshirts. 

“Only if you'll let me be one."

"You're already an honorary member," Bucky responded, pressing a kiss to your temple. You walked down the road less than a half mile hand in hand. The bar must have been getting busy on a Friday night, because you hadn’t even made it within view before you could hear the rowdy sounds of your friends and regulars. The front patio was full of folks, some spilling over into the front driveway of the shop. 

“Oh! Can I check on my baby?” You asked, popping up on your toes to try to look into the tinted glass of the garage doors. 

“I thought I was your baby!” 

“She was my baby first,” you shot back, already heading for the side door between the bar and shop. Bucky tossed the keys to you. 

“Do you want your usual?” He was already headed toward the front door of the bar. 

“Mmm, how about whatever cocktail special Sam is whipping up today?” He nodded and you unlocked the door, pushing into the dark mechanics shop. The side door led right into the garage, as opposed to the neat front office, or at least Yelena liked to keep it neat, and you fumbled in the dark momentarily to find the lights. They were slow to warm up, but you started toward where your car had been sitting for a few weeks, inoperable while Bucky painstakingly replaced every piece of the engine to make sure it was as safe as possible for his girl. 

Bucky walked in the front of the bar after saying hello to a handful of regulars and service buddies who still stopped by. Steve was leaning against the front of the bar, and clapped him on the back when he sidled up beside him. 

“Where’s your better half?” 

“Checking on her baby,” Bucky waved for Sam’s attention, “Where’s Nat?” 

“Trying to get her to take a break.” Yelena scoffed from where she was sitting on a stool on the other side of Steve. 

“As if you could ever make her do that.” 

“I said trying to,” Steve shot back as Sam walked over. 

“Where’s your belle?” Bucky scowled at his friend. 

“Wants whatever cocktail concoction you’re making. I’ll take the usual.” 

The custom painted powder blue vintage Mini Cooper was more assembled than it had been when you checked in on it a few days ago, and as you got closer you could see that it was almost done, a few pieces were still sitting on Bucky’s workbench. 

A slightly Russian accented call of your name identified it as one of the two Romanoff sisters, one who ran the front of the shop and the other the front of the bar. 

“Yeah, I’m back here.” 

“I figured.” Natasha appeared from the other side of a Cadillac SUV. 

“She’s almost done!” You grinned. 

“I heard. The guys put me on break and when I was refusing, Bucky said I should come make sure you didn’t linger too long.” You laughed. 

“He hates when I mess with his work.”

“Then maybe you should come let him mess with your make up,” Natasha suggested. 

“Are you flirting with me for Bucky?” you asked incredulously. The redhead laughed as you followed her out the side door, locking it behind you before going into the bar from the front. Multiple of the regulars called out your names, offering waves and grins, and the cacophony doubled inside. 

“Finally! The better one! I have your drink right here!” Sam called. You smiled, taking the drink. 

“Thank you, kind sir.” The bar was reaching capacity, pool tables in the back already in full swing. The waiters were a constant blur, Howling Commando Bar shirts identifiable in the bustle from the star logo in white. 

“Buck said you had a long week at work,” Nat said, returning to her spot at the front of the bar waiting to intercept underaged looking patrons. 

“It was a busy one. We’re tr- Actually, you don’t really care and I don’t really want to talk about it. Where is Bucky?” You responded good naturedly, trying to spot the brunet in the crowd. 

“I think I can see Steve’s blond ass over there,” Sam said, pointing further into the bar. You took your drink and headed toward the general direction. Steve and Bucky were in the corner near the office, heads together. 

“Hey Steve!” Both men looked up, eyes wide, at your appearance, and quickly took half steps apart. 

“Not at all suspicious guys. Good thing you were special forces.” Steve smiled, and Bucky looked a little shy. 

“Buck keeps trying to hustle me in pool,” Steve responded, “I have fallen for that many many too many years in a row. Your turn to carry the burden.” He pushed into the crowd, leaving you beside Bucky. 

“What was that about?” 

“Just business stuff. How is the Sam special?” You eyed him as you took your first sip, pleasantly surprised by the lack of a remarkable burn on the back end of the taste.

“Better than the last one.” Bucky's hulking presence should have been stifling or claustrophobic, but instead it was comforting. You looked up into sincere blue eyes and he leaned down, pressing warm lips to yours. Your hands slipped up around his neck, holding your drink out so the condensation wouldn’t drip down the back of his shirt. Bucky’s arms were strong and warm and one hand palmed your ass before pulling away. Bucky’s hand found its way around your back as you looked across the bar.

“You know, you guys really did something,” you said, “I know I say it all the time. But it's just amazing.” Bucky and Steve had wanted to start something after they left the service and with their penchant for drinking and ability to fix nearly any mechanized vehicle a bar and mechanics shop made the most sense. Three members of their team, Tim Gabe and Percy, had moved on with their lives, even though they stopped by when they rolled through town. Sam, the Romanoff sisters, Tony, and a half dozen more had joined the family since the start, but there were still plaques honoring the fallen Commandos above the bar. 

“All we knew how to do.”

You spent the rest of the night drinking with regulars, Bucky beating them in pool and not taking money from them, and you running drinks and convincing one of the girls at the bar that Sam was actually sweet and coming by again couldn’t hurt. 

“If that’s what kinda wing woman I get when I make a good cocktail, I should really do it more often,” Sam joked when the group of women moved off. Bucky appeared over your shoulder, sliding his pint glass over to his friend who refilled it. 

“What’s that?” 

“Just trying to get Sammy a girlfriend, since he blew his shot with all our friends.” 

The bar was still in full swing when Bucky and you said your goodbyes, and if Bucky picked you up and carried you over his shoulder fireman style while you giggled the whole way home so they could get back a little faster, that was between the two of you.

Wonder what Bucky and Steve were talking about... Find out here right now!

[mediocre-shark-tales]

Mental Healing with the Race

Doohan Sister Reader F1 Driver Reader Cadillac Formula 1 Reader

Hey Guys, I just wanted to say I am still super sorry with every chapter that takes longer than I used to be to get them out. I asm currently in the middle of the last 2 weeks of college, so lots of studying and prep for our huge Final Projects or Tests. On top of that my FSAE team and I are prepping to leave for the Big Competition three weeks from now. However, I do not want any of my chapters to lack in the love and work that I put in to writing them. So I will do my best to try and get them out more regularly, but I will not post anything early or with any less love than the last one. So should they continue to take longer please remember this. No one has said anything about this but I still want to make sure that everyone knows I am not done with this story, just a little busy right now. With that said please enjoy...

The gym lights flicker on just before sunrise, humming low above my head like they’re still waking up, too. My hoodie is heavy with sleep and my shoulder twinges the second I shrug it off, revealing the newer, thinner brace beneath. It’s progress — less restrictive, easier to hide under my clothes — but it also means I’m out of excuses. The world thinks I’m still resting. But rest never made me stronger.

I roll out my mat in the same corner of the performance room as always. Familiar. Quiet. Grounded. Axel lays just a few feet away, head on his paws, eyes tracking my every move like he knows this day is going to be rough.

Because it is.

Today is cardio and strength. And no cast means full-arm weight again. It’s the first real milestone — a make-or-break kind of day.

I sit on the mat for a moment, my back pressed against the cool wall. My fingers find the scar on my forearm, tracing it absentmindedly. A reminder.

The crash didn’t defeat me.

"Alright, warrior,” Diego calls, stepping into the room and clapping his hands once. He’s grinning, but there’s a crease between his brows — the one that always shows up when he’s worried about me. “Scale of 1 to 10. Pain?”

I crack a tired smirk. “About a 4. Maybe a 5 when I raise my arm too fast.”

He raises a brow. “And how much of that are you downplaying to look cool in front of us?” Slightly nodding towards Axel.

I glance over at my dog, who immediately perks up like he knows he’s being talked about. “A solid 60 percent.”

Diego laughs, but he kneels down next to me, softer now. “Y/N, you’ve made insane progress. But we’re still building up. You don’t have to prove anything today.”

“I’m not trying to prove anything,” I say, even though it’s a lie. “I’m just trying to… feel strong again.”

He doesn’t challenge me. Just gives a nod and offers his hand to help me up. “Okay. Let’s do this. But the moment I see that shoulder falter or your breath get shaky, we’re pausing. Deal?”

“Deal.”

The warm-up is fine. Easy even. Jogging laps around the indoor track with Axel trailing behind me like a shadow. My lungs are steadier than they’ve been in weeks. I feel… almost like myself.

Then we shift to shoulder presses.

“Let’s start light,” Diego says, passing me the small dumbbells — the baby ones, I tease in my head. I hate how small they feel in my hands.

“Come on,” I mutter to myself, planting my feet. “You’ve done this a thousand times before. Hell, you used to double this weight for warm-ups.”

“That was before your bones tried to throw a party and forgot to invite safety,” Nico pipes in from the corner where he’s leaning against a table, flipping through my training notes. “Let’s not reenact the crash scene here, yeah?”

I shoot him a look but secretly, I’m glad he’s here. He grounds me. Keeps me from letting the fire inside burn too hot, too fast.

I managed the first set. My form is shaky on the second. By the third, my shoulder screams. My breath catches.

Diego notices before I say anything. “Stop. Drop ‘em. Right now.”

I obey, lips pressed tight. My pride stings more than my shoulder.

“Sit,” he says, nodding to the bench. “Now tell me what your body’s saying.”

I slump onto the bench, sweat trickling down my spine. “It’s saying I’m not ready.”

He kneels again in front of me, tone low and honest. “No. It’s saying you need time. Which isn’t the same thing.”

Nico steps closer now too, crossing his arms. “You’re not failing by resting, Y/N. That’s the bravest thing you could do right now — listen.”

I exhale shakily, brushing my sleeve across my face. “I just… I don’t want them to worry. The boys. They were scared enough. If they knew I was training again, they’d—”

“—They’d be proud,” Diego finishes for me. “Because you're doing this smart. You're building up again. You’re not throwing yourself into a cockpit half-healed. You’re working for it. Quietly. Strongly.”

I don’t respond right away. Just nod and lean forward, elbows on my knees, eyes on Axel who’s still watching me with that serious, almost human stare.

“Just… don’t tell them yet,” I finally whisper. “Let this be mine a little longer.”

“Of course,” Nico says, his voice softer now. “Your story. Your pace.”

“Besides,” Diego adds, grinning again as he hands me a bottle of water, “when you finally show up at the garage again and toss your helmet on like nothing happened, they’re gonna lose their damn minds.”

I chuckle. “I can’t wait to see their faces.”

I pick the dumbbells back up before they can stop me. Not for another full set — just one more press. One more reminder that I can. I lift them once, clean and steady, before lowering them again.

“That’s enough,” Diego says gently. “Today, that’s enough.”

And for once… I believe him. Because I know I’ll be back again tomorrow. And the day after that. I’m not chasing the old me anymore. I’m building someone stronger.

—

I hadn’t realized how much I missed the scent of race fuel and burnt rubber until I stepped through the paddock gates again.

The buzz. The noise. The heartbeat of a track that never really goes quiet.

The second my shoe hit the pavement inside the circuit, it all came rushing back — that itch in my fingers to feel the steering wheel again, the thrum in my chest that didn’t hurt anymore but still pulsed with memory. I wasn't driving today — still under the "you're technically held together with sports tape and medical optimism" clause — but I was here.

That counted for something.

Nico was walking just to my left, sunglasses on, hands in the pockets of his black team jacket, looking every bit like my silent, slightly too-calm bodyguard. Meanwhile, Paul practically bounced beside me on the right, grinning like a rookie who’d been handed keys to a spaceship.

“I swear, I thought you were just a myth,” Paul said, shifting the duffel bag on his shoulder. “They said ‘Ghost will meet with you before FP1’ and I was like, cool, should I also expect a unicorn and a sentient AI?”

My voice changer cracked slightly as I tilted my helmet toward him. “Sentient AI would be less chaotic than most of this team.”

Paul snorted. “And here I thought you were gonna be mysterious and intimidating. You’re… kind of hilarious.” I shrugged beneath my oversized hoodie. “Don’t get comfortable. I bite.”

“That would explain never taking that helmet off.” he said with an exaggerated look of fear. “Let me just go prep for my debut with the racetrack cryptid watching me from the pit wall.”

“Exactly,” I nodded. “Your job today is to not crash my car, Aron. It likes being pampered.”

“Anything else I should know?” he asked, just as we turned down the garage hallway.

I smirked under the helmet, then nudged him with my elbow. “Lots. Don’t downshift too hard into turn six — it’ll get twitchy. There’s a subtle bump on the exit of nine, trust your rear to hold but don’t overcorrect. And if you talk back to Diego during the debriefs, I’ll personally short-sheet your bed for the rest of the season.”

Paul stared at me, eyes wide. I tilted my head playfully. “What?” “That was… disturbingly specific. How do you even know about short-sheeting beds?”

“Because I’m creative and mildly vindictive.” Nico coughed — poorly disguised laughter — and muttered, “He learned it from Oscar.”

I pretended not to hear him and turned my attention back to Paul. “You’re gonna be fine. I’ll be on the pit wall the whole time, headset on, translating Diego’s feedback into ‘Paul Speech.’ He’s been dying to lecture someone other than me.”

“Oh great, I’m the replacement victim,” Paul said, mock sighing. “But really, thanks. This means a lot, Ghost. Being the reserve is weird — you never know when you’ll actually be used. I thought I’d be invisible.”

I reached up and tapped the visor of my helmet, voice softening through the modulator. “Invisibility doesn’t mean unimportant. You’ve got this.” He smiled then, really smiled. That bright, pure grin that reminded me so much of Jack it almost stung.

“Alright, cool,” he said, straightening his posture like he was trying to match the height of his moment. “Let’s go make you proud.”

“Oh, you’re already halfway there,” I replied. “You didn’t trip coming off the shuttle. That’s one more point than I had on my first day.”

“I knew you were a disaster once,” he laughed.

“Once?” Nico muttered beside us. “That implies improvement.”

“Rude,” I said flatly through the voice changer, flipping him off.

We turned into the garage then, the loud hum of tools and chatter dimming the second we stepped through the threshold. The mechanics looked up, a few nodding in recognition as I passed, others just giving me that respectful kind of glance — Ghost’s back. Even if I wasn’t driving, I was here.

Paul peeled off to go suit up. I took a breath, looking over at my car — technically still mine, even if someone else would be behind the wheel for FP1. It gleamed under the overhead lights, waiting.

My fingers twitched. Soon.

Nico said something, but I didn’t hear him — not really. Because just then, the gravity of being back settled in my chest. Not pain. Not fear. Just this warm, solid weight of home.

And I didn’t even realize how tightly I’d been holding onto that until I let myself feel it again.

—

The hum of the garage had dulled to a low buzz after FP1 wrapped. Tools were put back in drawers, pit boards were stacked, and Paul was somewhere in the back being debriefed, grinning like a kid who’d just aced his first big test.

I stayed where I was on the pit wall, not wanting to really speak to the media or answer questions. I didn’t need to hide here. But, it still gave me that edge of comfort… a thin line between me and the rest of the world. Especially when emotions threatened to press a little too close to the surface.

“You looked good out there,” a voice said behind me — calm, familiar, warm.

I turned slightly, already recognizing Franco’s tone before my eyes landed on him. He gave me a soft nod, leaning his elbows against the barrier beside me, helmet tucked under one arm.

“I wasn’t out there,” I said, the voice changer wrapping my words in static.

He tilted his head, blue eyes sharp and quiet. “Didn’t say you were driving. I said you looked good out there.”

I paused. Then exhaled through my nose and pulled out the mic cord completely, letting it hang from the railing as I leaned forward a bit, matching his posture.

There was a moment of silence before I added, softer, “You know it hurt… at first”

He didn’t interrupt. Just waited.

“It hurt a lot to sit here and not be the one buckling in. To know that the car — my car — was about to be driven without me. And that I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Couldn’t fix it. Couldn’t fight it.”

My hands clenched slightly at the memory — the ache in my ribs still faint under the surface, the scar on my arm pulling a little under the hoodie.

“I kept thinking about how many races I might miss… how slow recovery’s felt. How I used to fly in that thing. And now I’m grounded. Watching. Coaching. Like I’m some kind of whisper in the background of my own team. Truly a ghost by name. ”

Franco didn’t say anything. He just reached out and tapped his knuckles lightly against mine — an anchor.

“But…” I said, slowly, breathing in deep. “Then Paul started talking. Asking me questions. Getting excited. Like… full-on spark-in-his-eyes excited. And I realized I could still be part of it. Just from here. From the wall. From the headset.”

I looked down at my gloves, flexing my fingers. “He listens. Like really listens. And seeing him figure things out… watching him light up after his first laps? I don’t know. It felt… right. Not perfect. Not the way I wanted to be here. But right… okay.”

Franco nodded once, voice soft. “You’re still racing. You never stopped.”

I looked at him.

He smiled faintly. “Just because you’re not in the seat doesn’t mean you’re not driving this thing forward. He wouldn’t be out there doing so well without your help. You’re shaping him. You’re shaping this whole team.”

The words hit me harder than I expected.

My throat tightened a little behind the helmet. “I think… for the first time since the crash… I don’t feel broken being here. I feel like I still have a purpose. I want Paul to do well. I want him to prove himself. I want him to have the chances I had. And if I can help him get those… then maybe this isn’t all just pain and waiting.”

Franco reached up then and gently knocked on the side of my helmet. “That’s the champion mindset. And the good teammate mindset.”

He grinned. “Even with the scary voice mod.”

I huffed a laugh. “It’s for dramatic effect.”

“You’re terrifying,” he deadpanned. “Inspiring, but terrifying.”

We both chuckled, the kind of laughter that eases tension like a pressure valve finally letting go.

Then Franco leaned back and said quietly, “It’s okay to feel both, you know. The pain and the pride. You’re allowed to miss it. And you’re allowed to find joy in what you can do right now.”

I swallowed hard, but nodded.

“Thanks,” I said. “For saying that.”

“Always,” he replied, and for the first time that day, I let myself take my helmet off — slowly — and just breathe.

He didn’t look surprised. He didn’t stare. He just offered a genuine smile, no different than the one he gave me when I was Ghost.

“You’ll be back in the car soon,” he said. “But until then? This version of you — the strategist, the leader, the teammate — is just as badass.”

I blinked at him, then smiled.

“Don’t tell Diego or Nico that. It’ll go to their heads, like some mother duckling they might pull me from my seat.”

Franco smirked. “My lips are sealed.”  I smiled back before following him back across the pit towards the garage. 

—

It was race day when the others finally found me.

Sure, they knew I was here. The media had caught glimpses of "Ghost" in the paddock all weekend, whispers and blurry photos circling online. But catching me for a real conversation? Actually pinning me down? That was a whole different challenge to them.

Until a very familiar flash of papaya orange caught me out.

I was tucked away in a quiet corner behind one of the hospitality buildings, sitting on a crate, sipping from a water bottle, my legs stretched out in front of me.

A shadow fell over me, and I looked up — only to see a smirking Oscar Piastri standing there, arms crossed.

“Well, look who I finally found," he said, tilting his head at me with a grin. "Thought you were supposed to be taking it easy during your injury. Yet here you are. Hiding like a delinquent.”

I didn’t get a word in before he stepped closer, peering dramatically at me.

“I hope you at least have your brace on under that hoodie," he teased, tugging playfully at the sleeve. "Would hate to have to carry you back to the medical center and explain to the physios why you’re broken again."

I scoffed behind the voice modulator, batting his hand away. "Relax, Mum," I said dryly. "Brace is on. Doctor's orders. I’m being good."

Oscar chuckled, dropping down onto the crate beside me with a quiet oof, bumping his shoulder lightly against mine.

"I dunno if sitting here in your emo corner counts as being good," he quipped. "But it’s good to see you. Missed you, you know."

I smiled — small, hidden — but it was there.

"Missed you too, mate."

We sat there for a beat, the sounds of the paddock — tools clanging, fans yelling, engines roaring in the distance — fading into a quieter hum around us.

"You look good," Oscar said suddenly, voice softer now. "Healthier. Stronger."

"Feel stronger," I admitted, fiddling with the hem of my hoodie. "Still a long way to go. Still can’t race yet. But it’s... better being here. Even if I’m not in the car."

Oscar nodded, watching me with that patient, careful look he only ever used when he dropped the sarcasm.

"I’m proud of you," he said simply.

Before I could say anything back — feeling dangerously close to getting a lump in my throat — another familiar voice floated over to us.

"There you are!"

I turned just in time to see Charles approaching, helmet in one hand, hair a little messy from pulling it off, suit half-zipped down. His face was lit up with relief, though there was a thin line of worry etched between his brows too.

"I have been looking everywhere," Charles said, crouching in front of us, resting his elbows on his knees so we were eye-level. "You are impossible to find sometimes, you know that?"

"Occupational hazard," I joked lightly, voice still crackling with the modulator.

Charles huffed a laugh, but then his gaze softened as he studied me.

"You are really here," he said, almost to himself. "And you are doing well."

"Trying," I said honestly. "It... wasn’t easy at first."

Oscar nodded beside me, nudging my arm. "But she's kicking ass. You should've seen her, Charles. Advising Paul like a damn pro. Ghost engineer era unlocked, I can’t wait to see what they can do during the race together."

Charles smiled — a real, warm smile — and reached out to squeeze my hand where it rested on my knee.

"I am proud of you, mon amie," he said. "More than you know. It takes a lot of strength to be here. To stay when it hurts."

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing gently into my chest — not painful, not overwhelming. Just... steadying.

"I needed to be here," I whispered. "For the team. For myself. Even if it’s just helping from the wall. It feels like... I'm still part of it."

"You never stopped being part of it," Oscar said quietly.

Charles nodded, squeezing my hand once more before letting go. "And you never will."

For a moment, the three of us just sat there in the shade, the chaos of race day spinning on without us. It didn’t matter. It could wait.

Because here, hidden behind the noise, tucked into a small, forgotten corner of the paddock, I was reminded that even when I couldn’t drive, even when my body wasn’t at a hundred percent — I wasn’t alone. And that was enough. For now at least.

—

The race was chaotic.

From the second the lights went out, my heart thundered in my chest, the noise of the engines vibrating through the pit wall. I sat perched on a high stool right beside Diego, headset snug over my helmet, live feed on the monitors in front of me.

Paul's voice crackled through the radio — tight, a little anxious. His first F1 race. His first real chance. He'd qualified P14, and while it was a hell of a debut, he wanted more. We all did.

"Focus up, rookie," I murmured into the radio, voice softened by the modulator but still carrying the firmness I knew he'd hear. "Eyes forward. Breathe. You’re better than half the grid out there."

"Copy," Paul answered, clipped but trying to sound calm. I could hear the nerves anyway, layered under every word.

The first few laps were brutal — midfield battles that could turn ugly fast. Paul held steady, sharp and clean even under pressure. But he hesitated at key moments — lifting just a fraction when he could’ve pressed the attack.

"Car ahead is struggling with rears," I said, low and steady in his ear as Diego fed me data. "Watch him out of Turn 7. You’ll have him on exit."

A beat.

"Okay," Paul breathed. "Okay, Ghost. I trust you."

I smiled behind the visor, chest tight with pride.

And sure enough, two laps later, Paul slipped past in a beautifully patient move, climbing to P13.

The race ebbed and flowed, the pit stop cycle throwing chaos into the midfield. Every time Paul's focus wavered, I was there — guiding without overwhelming, steering him without grabbing the wheel.

"Car in front weaving under braking. He’s nervous. You stay clean. He’ll crack first."

"Brake balance forward two clicks. Save your fronts, we’re gonna need 'em later."

"Trust your exit speed. You’re faster in S2. He can’t stop you if you set it up early."

It was like music, almost — this silent, invisible dance we did together, woven between the roar of the engines and the crackle of the radios.

Lap by lap, Paul clawed his way forward. P12. Then P11.

When we hit the final stint, fresher tires on and the car lighter on fuel, Diego leaned toward me, excitement flashing in his eyes.

"One more position," he said into my private channel. "We get points."

I keyed my mic again, calm even though my heart raced like mad.

"Paul. Eyes up. P10 ahead. You are faster. You are faster. Stay close. Pressure him."

Paul’s breathing was heavier now, the strain of the race wearing on him, but he responded instantly. "Copy, Ghost. I’m on it."

I watched, fists clenched, as he chipped away at the gap — lap after lap, tenth by tenth.

Finally, into Turn 4, he made the move — bold, late on the brakes, perfect.

P9.

Inside the points.

The final few laps were a blur of adrenaline, shouting, encouragement.

When the chequered flag waved, Diego practically threw his headset into the air beside me, and I couldn't hold back the yell that ripped from my throat over the radio.

"YES, PAUL! YES! THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT!" I screamed, voice cracking with pride and joy.

Over the team radio, Paul whooped, the pure exhilaration pouring out of him.

"OH MY GOD, THANK YOU, GHOST! THANK YOU!" he shouted, breathless. "I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!"

"You did that," I said, grinning so hard my cheeks hurt under the helmet. "You kept your head, you fought smart — you earned this, Paul. You earned every bit of it."

He was still yelling and laughing as he pulled the car into parc fermé, tires screeching slightly. The mechanics and engineers around us were clapping, cheering, and I stood frozen for a moment, overwhelmed.

He did it. We did it.

I pushed through the crowd toward the car, heart hammering.

Paul barely waited for the car to cool down. As soon as he wrestled himself out of the cockpit, he tore off his steering wheel, slammed it into its mount, and sprinted toward me.

"Ghost!" he shouted, voice hoarse with emotion.

I didn't even have time to react before he threw his arms around me, nearly knocking us both off balance.

Our helmets clashed with a loud crack, making both of us stumble a little, but neither of us cared. Paul clung to me like a lifeline, arms tight around my back, helmet pressed to mine.

I wrapped my arms around him in return, gripping him just as hard, laughing breathlessly even as something in my chest squeezed and ached with pride.

"You absolute legend," I said, voice trembling. "I'm so proud of you, Paul. So, so proud."

He pulled back just a little, enough that our visors almost touched.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Ghost," he said again, voice thick. "You believed in me when I wasn’t sure I could do it."

"I knew it from the start," I said quietly. "You just had to see it for yourself."

For a moment, the noise of the world faded away — the shouting, the music, the celebration. It was just the two of us, standing there in the middle of it all, holding onto each other like it mattered.

And maybe it did.

Maybe it mattered more than either of us could say.

Masterlist

Taglist @widow-cevans @honethatty12 @wierdflowerpower @imlonelydontsendhelp @thatsnotaddy @freyathehuntress @angelluv16 @littlesimps-world @dozyisdead @mizzy-pop @lost4lyrics @anunstablefangirl @nikfigueiredo @reiluvr @mymmyrym @ferrarisstrategy

[magnificentbirb]

okay so i wrote a little thing. this is just some mild post-abu dhabi charlos angst, mostly charles overthinking, but after seeing the photos of carlos all in white for the williams tests, i couldn’t get this scene out of my head, so… jazz hands. here it be.

idk if this will turn into anything longer, but i figured i’d drop it here for anyone else having c² feelings this week. 🫠

enjoy~!

*

The first photos of Carlos in a crisp white race suit hit Charles like a punch to the solar plexus.

He sees the shots while scrolling absently on Instagram, attempting to stave off the remains of a mild hangover with mindless social media. Charles knew the test was happening today, but apparently he forgot his own promise to himself to avoid social media so soon after an emotional race weekend, and now he’s paying the price with a rush of breath from his lungs.

Carlos looks… good. Of course he looks good. His skin is still tanned from days on the beach in Qatar and his hair is perfect, as always, and his broad shoulders and slim waist were basically made for the clean lines of a race suit, but the white—

The white feels wrong.

And if Carlos is wearing a race suit, that means he drove the car. A car that, for the first time in four years, is not the perfect match to Charles’s.

Charles stares at the photos, gnawing on the inside of his bottom lip. Against his better judgment, he opens Twitter. The videos and photos of Carlos in the sleek blue Williams are easy enough to find. Carlos’s fan accounts are posting them with wild, reckless abandon, posts full of exclamation marks and blue hearts and genuine excitement. Charles’s heart pangs a bit at that—at the idea of these fans so easily abandoning legendary red for legendary blue—but he can’t find it in himself to blame any of them. Carlos’s fans are loyal, and seemingly as delighted by the prospect of a new journey and a new challenge as Carlos is. Charles can’t really begrudge them that. He’d also follow Carlos Sainz to the ends of the earth, if he could. A new team would be nothing.

Charles watches the videos of Carlos driving the Williams. He’s not sure whether he’d be able to know without prior context that it was Carlos driving until one clip shows Carlos taking a corner where he brakes a bit later than Charles would, because he always brakes later than Charles at that particular corner, and—yeah. That’s Carlos. The white 55 emblazoned on the nose of the car confirms it.

White on blue. No more white on red.

Charles closes Twitter. He stares at the golden-lit ceiling of his hotel room, then over at the clock on the bedside table. If there are photos of Carlos after the test, then that means his laps are done, right? He should be free.

Charles has his phone unlocked and opened to Carlos’s contact, his thumb hovering over the call button, before he finally pauses.

Carlos is probably debriefing with his team. He’s probably focused on the car, on the potential improvements, on the tests lined up for tomorrow, on the unfamiliar engine and a new racing engineer, new mechanics, new possibilities.

He’s probably not thinking about Charles at all.

Charles lowers his phone. He shouldn’t interrupt. He’s no longer Carlos’s teammate, no longer a priority, and that’s… fine. It makes sense. Charles should let him get on with his new team. He knows how much Carlos has been looking forward to these two days of testing. He doesn’t want to get in the way of that.

Charles sets aside his phone and stares at the ceiling some more. Eventually, he’ll meet his mother and Arthur for dinner, and before he knows it, it’ll be tomorrow morning, and he’ll be back at the track and maybe—maybe—he can see Carlos then. He doesn’t need to bother him tonight. It’s been less than twenty-four hours since they were teammates. Charles doesn’t miss him that much. He’s fine. He cried it out a bit with Carlos on Sunday, both of them laughing at themselves through their tears, and that was that. Charles is fine. He can wait.

He closes his eyes and sees Carlos in blinding white.

He can wait.

*

[sailorsplatoon]

I am still going to be on vacation when this comes out, but thanks to scheduling posts I can still get you chapter 15 of An LED Light at the End of the Tunnel!

You can slo read it on ao3!

First

Previous

Next (Coming May 9)

(fanfic below cut)

Four leapt onto the station platform, a large bag draped over their shoulder and a wide smile on their face.

“Holy shit, you guys weren’t kidding, Splatsville is huge!” They exclaimed as they took in the towering buildings, a vast array of different shops, restaurants, and entertainment. The skyscrapers were so tall, Four thought they might fall over from staring at them.

“Told ya,” Nell teased, dragging a bag of her own. “Although, I don’t think I’d want to live here. I think I still prefer Inkopolis.”

“You got a soft spot for Inkopolis now, Nell?” Phal teased. Spore seemed to make a laughing sound, though it could have also been a burp.

“Shut up,” she grumbled in response. “I just appreciate that Itys has shown us enough hospitality to let us stay at their apartment for the time being.”

“Everyone, Neo’s been waiting for us for the past several minutes,” Atra pointed out, gesturing to the inkling and faer smallfry standing a few yards away from the station.

“Are you coming or what? The others are already my place!” Fae called. Faer Octarian was getting better, though fae still struggled with some pronunciations, and often forgot small words.

“‘The others are already at my place’,” Atra corrected.

“We’re coming!” Four called to Neo, rushing into the city. The four Octarians followed close behind.

Splatsville was being decorated for the upcoming Splatfest, with machinery and boxes of decorations everywhere. Four and the others were planning on staying at Neo’s condo for the weekend so that they could get to see what a Splatfest in Splatsville was like. Four had taken the Octarians to Splatfests in Inkopolis Plaza before, but they’d never gotten to see a Splatfest in Splatsville. This one was special too; Shiver, Frye, and Big Man were competing to see who would be the better leader of Deep Cut.

It had been about a year since Neo defeated Mr. Grizz, and the war between inklings and octarians finally came to an end. Now the vast majority of octolings were living freely on the surface, which Octavio was more than happy to see. With no war to fight anymore, he dedicated his time to working with Marina on a way to cure the octarians who had been sanitized in the Deepsea Metro, and hoped to eventually use the same method to cure those who had been fuzzed as well. The two had even asked Four and Eight to help out. Four was set to act as a security guard and help with some beta testing, while Eight would be the first official user.

“So, what teams are you all joining for the splatfest?” Neo pried as fae let the group to faer condo. 

“I’m team Big Man, obviously.” Nell shrugged a little.

“Team Frye all the way!” Phal cheered, Spore gargling in agreement. 

“I’m going to have to go team Shiver,” Atra said. 

“I still can’t decide. I think they’d all be great leaders,” Four whined. 

“Come on, Four, you gotta pick a team!” Neo punched them lightly in the shoulder, faer tone teasing. 

Four elbowed faer back playfully. “I know, but it’s so hard! What are the others going with?”

Neo sighed, trying to remember. “Captain’s going team Shiver, Eight’s team Frye, both Callie and Marie are team Big Man— I think that’s ‘cuz of the Liquid Sunshine thing. I’m team Shiver.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t narrow down my choices at all,” Four sighed.

“Well maybe everyone else will be able to help you decide because we’re here!” Neo announced, stopping in front of a large condominium complex. “Come on in!”

Fae held the door open as the Four, Phal, Spore, Atra, and Nell walked through.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Guess what? There's another oneshot with this chapter! Time to see what Four and Marie have been doing just a few weeks after this!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64590094

[michaelormewood]

How do you feel about Hugh possibly killing Lacey? I don’t think the show will go that dark either but it would be a great season opener!

well that would definitely be an interesting way to kick off the second season, and i can see the appeal of bumping off a main cast member, but i do agree with you that i don't think they'd do it. they actually seem pretty averse to the darker or grittier stuff.

i don't even think you'd need to kill lacey off for lacey-in-danger to be an interesting storyline. like... if i was writing it i'd have lacey disappear (i mean found itself kind of forgot she was on the show at some point and she and the actress deserve something to do....). i'd have her disappearance be the overarching case of the second season, with the cases of the week paralleling lacey's disappearance, i'd throw in flashbacks to gabi and lacey's immediate post-kidnapping relationship and how it developed over the years, perhaps even flashbacks of sir following both of them as they grow up to show that he was never fully out of their lives. someone continues to drop clues about lacey's disappearance and of course everyone assumes sir is behind it except gabi (let's say gabi and sir have been in contact through social media or secret meetings or something, and gabi's reasonably sure he didn't take lacey).

the truth about lacey's disappearance and ultimate fate is resolved in the finale, with annie lopez as the kidnapper (because i refuse to believe annie is actually dead). annie--who faked her death a few years earlier--has been obsessed with finding sir, and kidnapped lacey due to her connection to him. she's been trying to lure sir into the open and believed kidnapping a surviving victim would get his attention. annie gets taken in and eventually committed to a mental health facility.

the team is still fractured but with lacey back, things look hopeful for the first time all season. gabi has slowly begun to win back the trust of her team members, and she and trent have grown closer. but she still has that problem of sir to iron out. they arrange a clandestine meeting for gabi to inform him that lacey was found. sir figures the gig is up and gabi will be turning him over to trent, but gabi surprises him by saying she isn't going to immediately give him up to the police. he helped get lacey back for her and she feels some gratitude toward him. the season ends with them striking an uneasy truce; sir will keep assisting M&A from the shadows and gabi will keep sir off the radar as long as he keeps his nose clean.

the final scene of my imaginary s2 would be them sitting on the balcony of a hotel with a tea service. gabi pours the tea and sir looks at it and wonders if she's poisoned it to finally get rid of him once and for all. but gabi makes a show of taking his cup and drinking from it to reassure him she has no murderous plans (for now). they sip their tea together. you can hear police sirens in the distance. they look at each other over their cups. a tentative truce has been struck. end scene.

(you could either end the show on that final scene OR set up a deeply weird, personal, complicated partnership for s3 too!)

[soleillunne]

asking for your selfship headcanons bc we can never have enough of alyzuha and xiaolyssa content in the world <3

OH OH I HAVE TONS SBHJFKMGLH

also this is a mix of alyzuha and xiaolyssa :> also theyre all over the place

i have trouble sleeping so kazuha lays down w me and whispers to me and does the thing where you like draw shapes on smos back until i fall asleep to help me

also he wakes up before me but i always wake up before breakfast is ready bc idk i cant sleep for that long for some reason

as for xiao: he doesnt sleep that often bc of nightmares but he always lays w me (us?? id die if it was kazuha x alyssa x xiao)

i would rather die than be near bugs of any shape of form so both kazuha and xiao take care of them before i even notice (slight flashback to that one time i told vi changsheng would eat bugs for her lmao)

also in both cases i fall first and they fall harder bc heart eyes have you seen them

expanding on the fireworks hc which is here , kazuha would take me to a secluded area and would just watch the stars w me and maybe we would whisper to eachother and just talk all night

also as mentioned in vi's selfships series like twice i think (i keep going back to those theyre so cute) i make bracelets for us three!! theyre all custom made and like different from eachother but also when you look at them you can understand theyre a set if that makes sense

xiao gives us (i decided to go with xiao x alyssa x kazuha shh) like um blessed stone thibsg I FORGOT WHAT THEY WERE CALLED that like alert him when we're in danger so he can come fight w us before we can even call for him bc he worries :(

I SPEAK TO XIAO IN TURKISH JUST TO SEE HIM FLUSTERED LMAO

kazuha tries to teach me japanese at some point (since i think each nation has a language of its own and teyvats language is like a worldwide language as an extra) AND HE FAILS BC I CANT UNDERTSAND IT but i get upset bc i think hes disappointed in me and i try so hard to learn it on my own so i can impress and suprise him one day

xiao: "what language you speak doesn't matter as long as you're mine" USDBFHGIUJOH DIES

kazuha confesses first to me but i confess first to xiao

OKAY SO I WROTE THIS IN A POST OF MINE AND IT WAS EXTREMELY BASED OFF OF ME BUT!! me and zhongli def have tea on afternoons at least once a week where we talk about xiao

similarly i will talk about kazuha to beidou (and she'll try to embarrass him)

special occasions (like birthdays, anniversaries etc.) are spent w just us three and nothing else. like we dont run errands or any of that we just spend time together (kazuha wrote me a haiku on my bday - as his voiceline goes- once and i started crying lmao)

all of us prefer handmade gifts over bought ones so gifts are very pretty but also they all mean sth to us!!

kazuha lets me play with his hair and xiao plays with mine its like those pics where multiple people braid their hair at the same time if youve seen it before HIS HAIR IS SO SOFT ASBDJFKGLH

kazuhas handwriting is pretty if you can read cursive but xiaos is unintelligable so mine is the only handwriting that you can actually read lmao

we have two cats. because i love cats and i have two of them (OH MAYBE WE'LL HAVE 3 BC TOMOS CAT OMG)

kazuha cooks, i bake and xiao sits on the counter looking pretty as he taste tests the food

THEY TEAM UP ON ME TO FLUSTER ME AND I GO ///// IRL LIKE DVGBHJFGH

when im in pain™ they both hold me and kiss me all day to make me feel better :")

alyzuha is friends to lovers and xiaolyssa is reincarnation au (detailed verison here) but also xiaolyssa has insane friends to lovers with angst potential (it has angst potential in general but i dont like thinking abt it bc it makes me sad lmao)

thats all i got at the top of my head rn

[lastweeksshirttonight]

It was 95 degrees with 35% humidity today, my house feels like the inside of a blast furnace, and somehow I decided this was prime "watch and write about John" hours. So greetings from the surface of the sun, we've got more LWT to see!

Last Lee Tonight (wherein there is, theoretically, a universe where John Oliver is writing Tumblr reviews of Lee's topical news comedy) Season One, Episode Seven

(original air date: 6/15/2014) Major topics covered: US immigration reform, Washington Football Team Interview: Stephen Hawking

Trigger warning: racist iconography

"If you don't learn the recorder, you're fucked." "Seriously though, playing the recorder sets you up for life."

So uh, fun story. Remember how last week I said that the YouTube channel was finally starting to get the hang of things by episode six, aside from the occasional oddity of a one-minute clipped joke here and there?

The YouTube team didn't upload the main story from this episode to the LWT channel. At all.

We're still in prime "figuring this shit out" mode! Strap in!

That's consistent across the entire episode. After the last episode, which saw the show starting to coalesce into its modern form, this episode seems to go back to the drawing board and toss all kinds of shit at the wall to see what sticks - it's honestly most reminiscent of episode one. The opening segments are lightning-fast and don't transition into each other well, the central topic doesn't go nearly as deep as you'd expect it, and there's a random (but amazing) interview at the end of the show. I wonder if the next episode will swing the pendulum in the opposite direction again.

John starts our episode banging and then punching the desk, going in the opposite direction from our last episode. He seems to be taking out his rage on the glass countertop, which he looks very silly doing.

We begin by revisiting net neutrality, from Episode Five. (I'm linking it because I wrote this months ago, and if your executive dysfunction is anything like mine, you totally forgot everything about the episode.) In that episode, John described Tom Wheeler as a dingo, and somehow Tom Wheeler was asked about the LWT episode in a FCC meeting. He speaks like a literal robot and refutes, in the weirdest way possible, the idea that he's a dingo. How is that the thing you focus on from that whole segment. How. What? Christ.

The unsaid caption "Satire is not C-SPAN, however." goes without comment, which is unbelievable to me. That phrase cracked me up so hard I had to pause the episode. I know there was a rich vein of missing the point entirely and subsequent dingo humour to mine here, but come on John, that caption is a gift.

We then move to Iraq, where ISIS forces crossed nearly the entire country in five days and stole $400 million dollars. This bit only goes for about a minute before we move to another topic, Obama visiting the Standing Rock Sioux reservation and pledging aid. We finally then transition into a discussion of the Washington Football Team, who, at the time, were still refusing to change their goddamn racist name and iconography, which I will not be using here. (I did learn from writing this that apparently they have rebranded - FINALLY - as the Washington Commanders in 2022, after two seasons of being Washington Football Team.)

I appreciate how John lets an extremely sincere and powerful commercial made by Native Americans regarding the offensive name largely speak for itself, aside from one dark joke at the end, before discussing what an abject shitwhistle former Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder is and how pathetic his protestations are.

It did take a while, but Snyder was ousted from his ownership post of the team in 2021 after a massive expose of sexual harassment under his watch was released in 2020. He's been mired in investigations over financial conduct, fraud, and deceptive business practices as well, to which I can only say "good".

The night's main topic, which has no YouTube video anywhere (I'm sorry), is immigration. John says he has a vested interest in the topic and the audience laughs, which is funny-weird because it doesn't seem like John is trying to humorously highlight his insider nature here. The real focus here is the debate over immigration reforms, as the system is (and remains) very broken and anti-immigrant sentiment is high all over the world.

I do wish this clip was on YouTube. It's not the most informative piece on immigration, but is a nice window into how much John loved this country prior to the beginning of its full collapse. This definitely takes much more from The Daily Show mold, being a comedic monologue interspersed with news clips that allow John to riff on the state of immigration, as opposed to later LWT immigration segments, which tend to be exceptionally sobering. This one is comparatively light-hearted and surface-level, and John delivers the material with a very comfortable confidence. I don't think the segment itself is a standout, but I really like John's attitude here.

We technically get our first animal-fucking joke during this segment, which is about bears only fucking face to face and stops John cold as he helplessly giggles over it. One step closer to getting all the running jokes in order!

Somehow, the end of this with the animated Actual American Tale video is on YouTube, so please enjoy one of the most depressing things LWT has ever put together. It's genuinely far more distressing than the actual main topic segment.

The episode ends with the only appearance of "recurring segment" Great Minds: People Who Think Good, where John interviews Stephen Hawking. Interestingly, I was listening to a podcast today (gonna likely make a separate post on it) where John talked about how much he loved interviewing Hawking and how he wanted to showcase the man's wit and humour more than his intelligence. I think that the interview is incredibly successful in that regard.

I adore this interview so much. Never have I had so much fun watching John get totally roasted.

Random notes:

Lee is a very predictable man corner: today we get a black suit jacket with lavender shirt and dark purple tie, which is a great look, 9/10. The only thing keeping it from being a 10 is that it's missing an element of boldness. Maybe a deep purple jacket or a shinier tie?

Lee continues being predictable in a second bullet point: the interview outfit is a black suit jacket with a light-blue and white checkered shirt and black tie. Definitely a pedestrian but still solid look and I still love the baby blue on John, so I give this 7/10.

Please stop making me talk about American football in these, John, I beg you.

"I lost my virginity to the sound of a man ranting about Bulgarians." This is so far the best line of early LWT, I will bear no other arguments.

There are no random 1 minute YouTube clips of isolated jokes this episode! 🎊

Once an episode, someone from the past 20 years of American political culture pops up that I've completely forgotten about and am upset to be reminded of. This week, it's Michele Bachmann, who I refuse to look up to see what she's doing now. You cannot make me think more about Michele fucking Bachmann.

There is an extended interview with Stephen Hawking that adds a few nice bits, like John asking Stephen a meandering hypothetical about him being a drug lord with inconsistent staff.

[cloud-nath]

I came to FF7 fairly late. I was heavily into FF8 growing up, and didn't really give FF7 much consideration until I got older (in my friend groups, you were either in one camp or the other when it came to FF7 and FF8. It was a weird time). I got Remake just as the pandemic hit, and went into it with some knowledge of the story thanks to the internet, though I largely got it to have something to do and not out of any devotion. But I had zero opinion on any ships going into it. I went into it with an open mind.

Several play-throughs later, I'm now firmly in the Cloti camp. Even after the first run, it was hard not to see and feel their chemistry. I had expected to see something more definitive between Cloud and Aerith, because so many people had banged on in the past on the internet about how Aerith was his girlfriend, but I just didn't pick up any vibes at all. His interest in her seemed platonic at best, and as for her, she didn't seem too invested in him at all. I wondered if that was because of how they'd played it out in the Remake, so I have started playing the OG game to see if it's just the benefit of story retelling that's neutralised whatever interest people saw between those two.

I had vague memories of Crisis Core from when I was studying in Tokyo, and an American friend at Waseda got a Japanese PSP so she could play it. Forgot about it after I left, but when it was re-released last year, I enthusiastically pre-ordered it to see more of the back-story that lead into FF7. The plot-limited lifespan of the incredibly loveable Zack made it hard to finish (that and my level of competency in these games tends to wax and wane), but his love story with Aerith warmed my heart, and made me wonder why everyone was so desperate to see her with Cloud when she'd had such a great guy in Zack. And considering FF7 Remake seems to take place over the course of a few days, and only a week elapses from the end of Crisis Core to the start of FF7, how can people expect Aerith to just rebound from "the first guy she ever loved" (who had died) and onto someone else in such a short space of time?

But yeah, as first posts go, that's a tad wordy, but it's my history with Final Fantasy. Sets the bar for what to expect in that vein going forward.

TL;DR - When it comes to FF7, I'm Team Cloti. Let's hang out.

[pageandpanel]

(originally posted @ Page and Panel on wordpress)

Per my last post, everyone knows it’s been a while since I’ve posted regularly here. But I’m working on getting back at it so where better than with my Marvel Read Through.

But first a correction: In my first Marvel post, I claimed that it contained the first three years of continuity. Well, that was a lie. I’ve been reading these comics in chunks of around 20-30 issues at a time and I thought I could reasonably cram 20 issues of continuity into a single post and still have it be readable. That was also a lie. Instead of 20, I ended up covering only six comics. But once I came to my senses, I forgot to go back and change my intro. You think I proofread these posts before I send them out into the world? Absolutely not. We write like college English majors submitting a paper 15 minutes before the deadline or we don’t write at all!

That being said, we are starting off in July of 1962, Almost a full year since Fantastic Four #1 was published. Marvel won’t churn out the volume of comics we see today for another several years and we’re lucky if we see one or two comics a month, let alone a dozen titles a week. I also want to get better about doing credits in this. For now we mostly just see the team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at the head of every book. But, we have letterers and inkers to acknowledge and after this post, I think, we’re going to see a mix up on some creative teams. Best to get into the habit now.

The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk #2 (published July 1962; story by Stan Lee, art by Jack Kirby; letters by Artie Simek, inks by Steve Ditko) opens with Hulk wandering aimlessly through a swamp, headed for a small town. A sheriff spots him and alerts everyone to take shelter and calls back up. A bunch of sheriffs try to take Hulk down, but obviously fail.

Thankfully, Rick Jones arrives on scene and is able to calm Hulk down and lead him away, apparently using the earliest known version of Natasha’s weirdo “lullaby” from Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). How it evolved into *sexy voice* “The sun’s gettin’ real low…” or whatever, is beyond me. And I can’t relive that awful movie or that shoe-horned in fanfic relationship again, so let’s just move on.

Jones manages to coax Hulk to safety and the next morning he’s back to being regular Bruce Banner. Bruce begs Rick to just leave him because he knows he’ll never be able to control the Hulk. Rick refuses to abandon him though. There’s a lot of guilt here and Rick clearly blames himself, as the accident that created the Hulk was during Bruce’s attempt to save Rick’s life. So, I guess they’re just trauma bonded forever. That seems healthy.

We cut away from the emo-est boys of 1962 because, elsewhere, a spaceship has landed. These aliens are aptly named The Toad Men.

They have come seeking the “most brilliant scientific mind on Earth.” And that just so happens to be Bruce Banner. Though, we also have the same claim made by Reed Richards and Hank Pym, so I’m curious what metrics everyone is using. Can we get a proper rubric and a ranking system for this? In a few decades we’ll get periodically updated lists from Marvel on who the smartest people in the universe are, but these three tend to stick somewhere close to the top. Anyway, the Toad Men are here to decide if the smartest man on the planet is enough to resist their planned invasion of Earth. They find Banner and Jones in the Hulk Cave that Banner has set up to contain himself at night. The two are captured and taken aboard the Toad Men’s ship.

The leader of the Toad Men, Torrak, spills their whole plan to Banner and Jones and claims that because they have mastered the magic of magnetism, they cannot be defeated. Magneto is calling from 1963 and he says hands off my schtick. Banner refuses to talk and, because he’s of no use to them, Torrak ejects Rick Jones from the ship in a plastic tube back to Earth. Smart idea to tell a guy your whole plan and then send him home for help, I guess.

On the ground, the US Military has decided to use the classic soft touch both the Hulk and the Military are known for. By launching missiles at an unknown ship and bringing it to crash down in the desert. I’m glad even in the 60s, the US Military was known for being incredibly diplomatic and never following the orders of an absolute blowhard who wants to shoot first and question later….

The ship comes down and because it’s daytime back on earth, the Hulk is gone, leaving Banner in the wreckage. The Toad Men have tunneled underground to escape, leaving behind a scene doesn’t look great for our hero. Ross has Banner arrested for treason because he’s too busy nursing a personal grudge and inferiority complex to ask whether or not he was on the ship willingly. And while Betty Ross tries to plead for Banner’s release, more ships appear in the sky. The Toad King has taken over Earth’s airwaves to announce the incoming invasion. Using magnets, the Toad Men will pull the Moon closer to the planet and unless the people of earth surrender, they will let the moon crash into Earth and kill everyone. Not a great use of a planets’ resources or even really a sustainable invasion, but I guess live your life.

That night, Bruce Banner watches the sun go down and laments what has become of him in, honestly, some of my favorite panels in any of these comics so far.

As the Hulk, he’s able to escape prison and goes hunting for Ross. He ends up at their house where he startles Betty. Ross calls in some soldiers and a tank to the stand-off basically happening in his living room. Hulk escapes with Betty in one of the absolute funniest panels ever. (Ya’ll, Jack Kirby came to play on this book)

Hulk escapes the fight, kidnapping Betty and taking her back to his lap. Betty demands to know why Hulk hates them so much. And Hulk responds with basically “You keep trying to kill me obviously I hate you!” Rick tries to reason with Hulk but fails. Thankfully the sun rises and Hulk becomes Bruce once more.

With the Toad Men’s fleet still hovering over the Earth, Bruce realizes he must use the Gamma Gun he’s created on them. Suspense builds, as no one knows how Gamma will react with magnets! Bruce readies the gun while Rick holds back the soldiers. Thankfully it works and Bruce is declared a hero and cleared of treason. No one seems to question why they followed the Hulk to Bruce’s lap or why the Hulk is gone or how Bruce got out of prison. But at least the Moon isn’t going to crash into the Earth anymore so we’ll take the Ws where we can get them. The only person who suspects the Bruce/Hulk connection is Thunderbolt Ross, but he’s an asshole anyway. And no one really has to worry about the Toad Men because, unlike the Skrulls, we’ll never see this alien race again.

Fantastic Four

Once again, we get a main player in the Marvel Universe introduced SUPER early in Fantastic Four continuity. Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962; story by Stan lee, art by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek) gives us the glorious introduction to Doctor Doom! And on a full splash page, no less.

We’ll get to him in a minute. For now he’s just going to hang out with his pet vulture and play Fantastic Four Barbies TM.

Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben are chilling at the Baxter Building, as they do when they’re waiting for the story to get going. Johnny is reading an in universe copy of The Incredible Hulk, which is a really cool way to advertise your new book and I actually really do love it. Even if it does break continuity a little in a few issues.

Johnny harasses Ben a little, even though Ben is simply trying to enjoy his morning tea. The fight like they always do and it ends with a comic book on fire. Always the parents of the group, Reed and Sue pull them apart before they can actually fight each other. Classic FF opening shenanigans.

Reed Richards into rope play? More likely than you think. 😏

Suddenly, the lights go out in the Baxter Building despite being connected to a generator. A net drops over the entire building. 🚨ASBESTOS WATCH🚨 Johnny remarks that he cannot burn through it because it’s made of Asbestos. Seriously hope Johnny got in on those law suits and/or the smartest man in the universe helps get him some fresh lungs in a decade or two. Anyway, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Enter Doctor Doom! Who has apparently decided it’s time to stop playing with his action figures and come deal with the real Fantastic Four. From his helicopter, he calls out to them and Reed immediately recognizes the voice.

Cue flashback:

Victor Von Doom and Reed Richards were college roommates. But Doom’s interest in sorcery proved to be his downfall. During an experiment to communicate with the dead, Doom sets off an explosion and is expelled from school. More on that eventually.

For now, Doom demands to take Sue as a hostage and she agrees. Once she’s on his ship, he binds her and then demands the rest of the FF board the ship and promise not to attack him. It seems like he probably could have just bound them all up to ensure that no one had their fingers cross, but whatever. It’s his party and we’re all just invited along for the ride. He does put them in a cage though, and takes them to his castle.

This is where we find out that Doctor Doom has invented Time Travel, thus beginning a long and storied history of Time Fuckary in the Marvel Universe. His plan is to send them on a quest in pirate times to procure Blackbeard’s treasure for him. Why can’t he just rob a bank? Good question. Couldn’t tell you.

But in order to save Sue, the rest of the team must agree to this. They go back in time and land in a port where two pirates are conveniently arguing over a pile of period appropriate costumes and fake beards. Ben scares the men away and the three of them suit up to blend in, I guess.

Why do they have wigs and fake beards? Good question. Why does Ben conveniently get black hair and a black beard? Isn’t he getting super into character for a thing they don’t actually want to do? I know what you’re thinking. And trust me, we’ll get there. I promise the pay off is everything you want it to be and more.

Yeah. Ben Grimm was Blackbeard all along. I love comics.

After the fight, they acquire Blackbeard’s treasure and Reed points out that they only agreed to give Doom the chest, not the treasure inside. And that is technically correct, the best kind of correct. So they quickly exchange the riches for chains.

Ben, reveling in his new-found fame, announces that he will not be returning with Reed and Johnny. He claims that there is nothing for him in their time, but at least here he’s made something of himself. To ensure that the other two can’t drag him back to their home time, he orders his crew to soak Johnny with water and wraps Richard in a sail. While he’s preparing to set his two friends loose on the open sea in a lifeboat, a cyclone hits the ship and destroys it. Thus Reed, Johnny, Ben, and the treasure chest all wash ashore.

A time portal opens above them and they are all brought back to the present along with the treasure chest. Doom explains that the reason he couldn’t simply rob a bank is because the treasure contains gems enchanted by Merlin that will make him invincible. When he opens the chest to find nothing but chains, Ben attacks. His punch destroy’s Doom’s armor, revealing that he was nothing more than a robot all along. I can’t believe we got Doombots on Doom’s first appearance. Again, I love comics.

Doom appears on a screen from another part of the castle where he still has Sue Storm hostage. But she’s not going down without a fight. Turning invisible, she manages to short circuit Doom’s control panel and cause an explosion. She escapes and reunites with the rest of the team. Reed, because he’s definitely in the top three ranking of smartest men on Earth, says it’s not worth trying to capture Doom who very likely has traps set up all around his castle. So the Fantastic Four escape through an alligator infested mote in an absolutely nonsense way that prove to me that neither Stan Lee nor Johnny Storm understand how fire works.

Regardless, the team escapes. And once they’re safely out of the castle, Johnny sets it on fire. Because apparently he’s fully trying to murder Doom. Which, I get it. But it kinda goes against the hero code we know and love where heroes don’t actually kill the bad guys. That’s anti-hero territory and we’re a long way off from Frank Castle, still.

The team watches Doom blast out of the castle with a jetpack. We’ll be see him again very soon and for the rest of continuity.

Amazing Spider-Man

Okay technically this is Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962; story by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, art by Steve Ditko, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek) but it’s the first appearance of Spider-Man and the only issue of Amazing Fantasy I’m going to read so it’s basically Amazing Spider-Man #0. Everyone knows this origin story. We’ve seen Uncle Ben bleed out in the streets almost as many times as we’ve seen Martha Wayne’s pearls artfully break and scatter in a Gotham alleyway. But here it is, one more time, for the sake of continuity

Peter Parker is an unassuming high school student. He’s an outcast an deemed a “professional wall flower” by his peers. We open with a group of kids talking about going to a dance they would never in a million years invite Peter to. And I know we’re supposed to think these kids are mean and they’re bullying poor Pete. But let’s be honest, Steve Ditko can’t draw teenagers and Peter looks like a 40 year old divorced math teacher. I wouldn’t want to invite him to the dance either.

And it makes sense that Peter is 40 because Aunt May and Uncle Ben are like 110. Seriously Ditko? Why are they so old? Where did you learn to draw people of varying ages? I don’t love Ditko’s art in this as much as I’ve enjoyed Kirby’s on everything else. But he’s really going to shine when he gets to Doctor Strange so I’m holding out for those issues and hoping he’s learned how to draw someone in their late 20s/early 30s by then.

Peter lives with his only living relatives, Aunt May and Uncle Ben. They’re poor but happy and peter is well loved. We don’t learn yet what happened to his parents or how he ended up with his Aunt and Uncle, but that’s not important right now.

Instead of going to dances with teenagers, 40 year old divorced math teacher getting his groove back attends demonstrations of radioactive rays. While watching the demonstration, Peter doesn’t notice a spider drop down onto him until it’s too late. This is literally my worst nightmare I would simply cease to exist.

Peter handles it a little better than I would, though. The spider dies and, feeling a little lightheaded, Peter leaves the demonstration early. Nothing out of the ordinary there…

Side note: Steve Ditko also can’t draw spiders. Can Steve Ditko just not draw? Something to think about.

On his way home he almost gets hit by a car and when he goes to jump out of the way, he discovers that he can jump much further than he thought. He plays around with his powers for a bit, testing their limits and possibilities. He’s strong, he’s fast, he can climb walls. Does whatever a spider can, etc etc. You know the drill.

Later, using his new powers, Peter enters a wrestling match as the “Masked Marvel” and win’s $100. After the match, he is greeted by a TV producer and invited to join him in show business, like you do. Put a pin in that. Because now it’s time for a comic book style make-over montage. Peter goes home to make himself a costume. Project Runway, look out. It’s actually a pretty cool black and red suit. If you’ve seen one Spider-Man costume, you’ve seen them all. This one has the web-wings that don’t make it into every version but still look pretty cool here.

He also makes himself a batch of what he calls web fluid. No real explanation as to how or what it’s made of. But when you’re a 40 year old divorced math teacher with an interest in radiation, you’ve probably got a lot of stuff laying around to whip something up.

Later, Spider-Man has become a celebrity wrestler. One night he goes back stage to see guards chasing a thief and gives them the most fateful “Not my problem, I just work here” in history. Because as fate would have it, a few days later Spider-Man learns that his uncle has been killed by a burglar. Peter puts on his costume and chases the man to an empty warehouse. A fight ensures, the man pulls a gun that peter blasts with web. When he sees the man’s face, Peter realizes that this is not just any burglar, though. It is the same thief Spider-Man let escape.

Peter leaves the burglar wrapped in web for the police to find and goes home to ponder exactly what great responsibility comes with this great power. And that’s the last we’ll see of him for a while. Amazing Spider-Man #1 comes out in March of 63–a year in real time, several recap blog posts from now in my time.

Journey Into Mystery

That brings us to our last first appearance of a new hero for a while: Journey into Mystery #83 (August 1962; story by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, art by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by Stan Goldberg, and letters by Artie Simek) introduces us to… Donald Blake? No, that can’t be right. The story promised Thor and the Stone Men from Saturn! So, if you’re only familiar with Thor from the movies live I was, and had never really dipped into Thor comics written before a certain point, it was pretty surprising to find that Thor also used to have an alter-ego. In my head, Thor is just Thor. I read a lot of Walt Simonson’s Thor run from the 80s, Jason Aaron’s run from the last decade, and I had known about Blake in passing, but mostly through modern stuff addressing prior retcons. I didn’t realize that for the first several years of being a character, Thor was basically just a costume worn by Donald Blake, and not the other what around. And, yeah, it’s a little more complicated than a costume, but still.

The story opens with our introduction to Donald Blake, a doctor from the US who uses a cane to walk, on vacation in Norway. Conveniently also visiting Norway, are a bunch of rock aliens from Saturn (who kinda look like Ben Grimm painted green. Maybe Ben should go be on Saturn for a while?). Blake overhears a fisherman telling locals about the rock monsters, but no one seems to believe him. Blake decides to go look for himself and, sure enough, rock aliens. He steps on a twig while attempting to run away from the aliens. Obviously the aliens hear it and chase after him. And I’m just going to say it here, Donald Blake is not in the running for smartest scientist in the world. Reed, Hank, and Bruce can all rest easy knowing they’re definitely top three for the time being.

Blake runs for the hills–literally. He loses his cane and takes shelter in a cave. Unfortunately, the exit is blocked off so he’s basically trapped. Until! Magically a secret door opens to a chamber with a fresh new walking stick just lying on a pedestal. *Cardi B Voice* That’s suspicious. That’s weird. Not quite smartest man on earth smart, but smarter than your average bear smart, Blake decides to try to use the cane as a lever to move the boulder blocking his exit. When that doesn’t work, he slams the stick against the boulder out of frustration. There’s a flash of lightning and the stick becomes a hammer. Blake has been transformed into the Norse God of Thunder: Thor.

Weird, huh?

I do like that we get a quick rundown of all of Thor’s powers as Blake slowly works them out for himself. He is super strong, meaning he can lift the boulder out of his way. He can also summon storms and he figures out that if the hammer is throne, it immediately comes back to him. Which does lead to a funny contradiction that Stan Lee will start correcting in future issues.

If he’s not holding the hammer, he goes back to being Blake immediately sometimes. However, if he throws it, he can stay in Thor Form long enough for it to come back to him? Stan Lee will literally give us a countdown timer for how long he can be Thor without the Hammer in his hand later. Thor’s powers as they relate to how close Blake is to the hammer is never consistent despite Stan’s best efforts and it’s so funny to me.

Now that he has super-powers Blake AKA Thor can go out and face the aliens, whose fleet of ships has shown up in Earth’s atmosphere. Thor attacks the aliens and breaks through all of their defenses, including an incredibly named Mechano-Monster. No match for the awesome might of Thor, they flee. Thor changes back into Dr. Bake and is fully ignored by the soldiers who come looking for the invaders.

Journey into Mystery #84 (September 1962; story by Larry Lieber, art by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, colors by Stan Goldberg, and letters by Artie Simek) is where Mystery sort of becomes our anti-communist book. More on that when we unpack. But for now, it’s also our first appearance of Jane Nelson… I mean Foster. Yeah, Nelson doesn’t really have the same ring to it. I’m glad they circled back on that one.

Blake returns home from his trip to Europe and learns that a revolution has broken out against a Communist ruler in San Diablo. As a result, several American doctors agree to go and help, Blake among them. Obviously this is a problem for our evil Communist dictator (and kinda racist caricature), known as The Executioner. And he for sure cam by that name honestly, as we’ll see in a minute. His goal is to keep the peasants too sick and weak to overthrow his government. Which, yeah, that’s definitely what an evil dictator would do.

The other thing an evil dictator would do is send fighter jets to drop bombs on the ship carrying those doctors. Thankfully, Blake is on board. He turns into Thor and smashes the bombs out of the sky. There’s a lot of running back and forth and trying to make sure it’s clear that no one has realized that Blake is Thor despite how often Blake disappears right when Thor arrives which is actually pretty funny.

Despite The Executioner’s best efforts, the boat makes land at San Diablo and the doctors and medical staff come ashore to help the sick and injured civilians.

I was actually surprised to see the on-page display of the Executioner’s firing squad as he demonstrates to his soldier what their fate will be if they do not stop Blake and the other doctors from doing what they came to do. Even without seeing the blood and guts, this was a little brutal for an area that I mostly associate with extreme ✨camp✨.

When their team is attacked again, Thor tries to fight off the soldiers. Eventually, they capture Jane and force Thor to retreat.

I do love that we get an editor’s note user manual for Mjolnir. We’ll get a lot more of these attempts to make his powers make sense because Stan Lee can’t just leave it as “it’s magic, get over it.”

Appearing as Donald Blake, Thor arrives at the Executioner’s base to demand the release of Jane Foster. Obviously, not one for following orders, The Executioner takes Blakes walking stick and orders him to the firing squad. In another “smarter than your average bear” moment, Blake challenges the dictator to fight him man to man. Laughable considering how frail Blake looks. However, Blake manages to get the walking stick away from the Executioner and transform himself into Thor once more.

The storm Thor creates washes away the soldiers as they shout out exactly what we can see happening on the page. This is a writing tick that I so closely associate with Stan Lee that I was a little surprised to only see him listed as the editor on this story. It’s definitely my least favorite thing about a lot of Silver Age comics.

While Thor is fighting off the communist soldiers, democratic forces arrive with aid, causing the communists to flee the fight. Seeing his military in shambles, The Executioner decides now is as good a time as any to cut and run. He steals a bunch of gold and tries to flee. But the communist army catches him and sentence him to his own firing squad for being a traitor. Naturally, the communists realize that the Americans have been their true friends all along and the war comes to an end. Interesting.

In the last few panels of the story, we are assured that no one has connected the Thor/Blake dots yet. And Jane laments that Blake will never be as brave or handsome as The Mighty Thor. So we have our third female character who still kinda only exists to be a potential love interest for our super smart hero man.

There’s a lot to unpack here.

The Hulk Is My Surprise Favorite Comic?

I hadn’t really expected Hulk to be my favorite book of the era, but after two issues it really is shaping up to take that trophy. Jack Kirby is pulling from a lot of old EC horror comics for influence here and I love it. At this point in continuity, Hulk is much more a monster comic than a superhero comic and that has to be a lot of Kirby’s doing. If you read a little about him, you’ll find that he created a lot of the famous monsters in the Marvel Universe and it kinda feels like Hulk was always supposed to fit the horror genre.

This book is also where you really get to see Kirby draw with emotion. The “camera” gets up close and personal in a way that just doesn’t happen in Fantastic Four. There are so many panels of Bruce’s horror and despair that come through so intensely. There’s also more exploration with color in this book than any other. And it’s a little hard to talk about color when I’m reading digital copies where the color and inking have been redone completely. But, there’s just a different pallet at work here. And if you dig into superhero color theory you’ll learn a lot about how heroes mostly get colored with primary colors. Lots blues and reds, specifically. And villains get secondary colors, i.e. green.

I’m just really surprised by how drawn into this book I am, when I’ve never really cared much for Hulk stories.

Aliens and Space-Exploration

We’re getting a lot of Alien invasion stories. I think that’s just a really common plot line for serialized stories in this time period. For some historical contest, we’re in the second decade of the Soviet vs US space race. most of these comics are being published just a year after the first human spaceflight. And we’re still seven years from the first man on the moon. I’m sure there was a lot of anxiety around what exactly was out there, in a space that only a very special and highly trained (despite what the Fantastic Four may think) few could go.

I also think it’s so interesting that we’re at a point where we’re about to start seeing some recycled villains, specifically in the Fantastic Four, but we have several alien invasions and no repeat invaders. In fact, none of the aliens we have seen so far will have any staying power except the Skrulls, which will eventually become a Whole Thing.

Anti-Communist Propaganda

Thor being the HARD anti-communist propaganda book is certainly a choice. I read ahead on Marvel Wiki just to see if San Diablo ever gets mentioned again and apparently it becomes a US-backed democratic state and in 1985 we’ll get a story about Captain America vs a native San Diablan who wants to fund a revolution to overthrow the American created government in his home country. Curious to see how that story is treated, and how two decades will change the way we view American interventionism. Right now, we’re still a little deep in Vietnam for some reflection.

I also didn’t really expect these books to be SO propaganda heavy in such a cringy way. And I probably should have. Stan Lee has never exactly been an iconoclast. But knowing about Kirby’s backstory and Ditko’s personal politics, it will be interesting to see how that comes through in later books.

[iconicfitnessae]

Coach Hannes: An Iconic Legacy of Inspiration!

It’s quite a bittersweet reality, having to bid farewell to a colleague who has become so much more than just a co-worker, but also a friend, confidant, and source of inspiration. But as with any story, there are several chapters, all of which must end at some point so that the next can begin, and so we find ourselves at that transitioning moment.

Coach Hannes has left an indelible mark on our team, and his departure leaves a void that will be felt by all of us. Beyond his professional contributions, it’s his warmth, kindness, and unwavering dedication that truly set him apart from the rest (not to mention his extra special sense of humor!). His ability to uplift those around him, offer a helping hand, and lead by example has not only enriched our workplace but also touched the lives of everyone fortunate enough to cross his path!

Another thing that is well known about our dear Coach Hannes, is that he always has a lot to say! Therefore it seemed only right to give him one last chance to share with us some thoughts, insights, and parting advice. So here we go!

What inspired you to start coaching at the gym when it first started? I got into Sport, Rehabilitation & Human Movement Sciences to help people. Iconic Fitness believes in growing a client no matter what level of ability they are to be the best they can be, and my life philosophy fits very well with that – and that’s how things started!

How has the gym evolved since you began coaching?

In the very beginning, it was only Andy, Rey and myself, and we rented space in another gym in JLT where we were able to coach our own clients. From there, we grew so much that we needed our own space, which we found in the Marina. We provided not only PT and semi-private Transformation Programs, but also CrossFit, Zumba, Body Pump, and Rehab as well! After COVID, we decided to focus mainly on 2 programs: CrossFit and Semi-Private Transformation & Rehab. I’ve actually kept a log of this, but we have trained and helped change the lives of people from well over 150 different countries, so it’s safe to say I met a lot of great and awesome people, and laughed alot!

Can you share the most memorable moment(s) from your time coaching at the gym? There are so many, but here’s a few that I’ll always be proud of:

Convincing Marnus that I always forgot my wallet at home and letting him buy me a sausage roll at Almaya Super Market. This continued, every week for 5 years, and may very well be my biggest achievement in my entire professional career.

Playing my part in establishing solid movement patterns and guiding moms through the different stages of pregnancy to assist in delivery and recovery post-delivery is without a doubt one of the most important roles a coach can play.

Successfully guiding clients through various stages of rehab and seeing them complete multiple Iron Man races without pain is such a massive emotional pay check for any Rehab and Performance Coach.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked with so many young coaches, and I could play a mentoring role for them. Seeing them do so well now, years later, is something I’m very proud of.

Having my own daughter grow up at the gym and seeing how comfortable she is with movement, simply because she has seen so many other individuals train, has definitely provided a solid base for her own physical development so far as well as for what is still to come, which is something I’ll cherish forever.

What impact do you hope you’ve made on the clients you’ve worked with? Something I’ve tried to implement in each and every session is fun and enjoyment along with great and effective coaching; a client’s hour with Hannes needs to be the best hour of their day. It’s a great way to get people moving during times of stress, low energy, or when they are just demotivated. Movement heals no matter what! And running into people again that I’ve coached years ago who are looking great and injury-free because they kept at it even though they’ve left Iconic is such a wonderful and rewarding thing to see.

What are you most proud of from your time at the gym? The relationships I’ve built and people still mentioning how fond they were of the time training with me. Social media is great like that; even though clients come and go, I can still keep an eye on them and stay in contact to ensure they continue safe and effective training wherever they are in the world.

How have you seen yourself grow as a coach and person over the last decade? Iconic is the place where I grew the most. I’ve been here 25% of my life, and it’s where I became a dad, mentor and coach! Iconic has also taught and allowed me to just be myself and go with it.

What will you miss most about the gym and your coaching role at Iconic? That chain blocking the parking entrance 🙂

I have to say, where in the world can you meet people from 10 different countries every day, hear their stories, their training history and get to know them in a fun and purpose driven environment. The daily chats I have with people, be it about football, travel, world views or just their own version of business, Dubai and the world we live in keeps me engaged and buzzing. I’ve not had a mundane day here in the last 10 years, that’s both crazy and amazing to say! I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great coaches. Some have come and gone but I’ll never forget the times and ideas we have shared together.

Can you share anything about the new adventure you’re embarking on? Sure! I’m going to start working at a Polyclinic in Dubai Hills. I’ll be joining a team of Sports Medicine, Manual Therapists, and Physiotherapists to cater for Athletic Conditioning and Performance. Linking rehab with performance is what I do best. Sad to go, but very excited about another learning and growing opportunity to work in a clinic.

What advice would you give someone just starting out as a coach? I’d say, just don’t overdo it. It takes time to become a good coach, You’ll attract the people you are best able to train, and over time your skills will grow, and more doors will open up for you and you’ll attract the clients whose needs you can fill. Be professional; be consistent; and be nice! But also remember to be a coach; change lives; and value each and every session. Invest in people’s lives because people are beautiful. And one more thing – BE YOURSELF.

Seeing as you are known as Professor Dad Jokes, can you leave us with your best joke? All I’d like to say is that my favorite machine to use in the gym is and will always be the vending machine.

To our dearest Hannes, we are so sorry that you’re leaving. The gym surely won’t be the same without you wandering around and pretending to be busy anymore! Also, good luck trying to convince your new work colleagues that you’re actually normal, haha! In all seriousness though, we will miss you dearly. Never did the term ‘bittersweet’ seem more fitting! Having to say goodbye to someone who started off as a colleague, but quickly become a mentor, friend and brother to most of us here seems almost unbearable. The idea of no longer seeing you driving your imaginary cars around the gym, being updated with the latest football fixtures, or hearing what interesting things your kids had to say over the weekend are only but a few from a very long list of things we will miss!

However, there is great sweetness that comes with the incredible opportunity that awaits you. We cannot think of anyone more deserving or capable of the role which you are about to step into, and all the lives you will be able to change, enrich and bless with the whole Hannes package!

But I think there is something even sweeter to be mentioned, and that’s the legacy which you leave behind. From all the lessons learned, laughter shared, and numerous unforgettable moments and memories, You will forever and always be a part of the Iconic Fitness family. There’s a saying that goes, “Not all heroes wear capes”, and after meeting Hannes, I finally understand what this means – sometimes they wear incredibly bright and funky socks instead!

Good luck on your new adventure. Stay as weird, wacky and wonderful as you are, and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you. Oh, and one more thing, Hannes – may the force be with you!

[yllem]

My Grandma Died

I have avoided this post for a long time. Today is January 2nd, 2024. I haven't written in several months and this is a very hard post to make.

Mid October was one of the craziest weeks of my life. Let's start with Monday:

October 16th: I hear that the first client I ever signed is looking to get out of their contract. I win $170 in an NFL pick em's league. Low. High. I receive a call from Kelli, Bruce's girlfriend. This seemed weird. It was after 11pm in Ohio and she does not call me. I answer the phone expecting bad news. My dad had been in Ohio a lot in 2023 visiting his parents, mostly my grandpa who was not doing very well. I was prepared to hear the hard words from Kelli.

She says something like: "Melly, I don't know how else to say this, but I can imagine you know that I'm not calling with good news. Grandma had a stroke. She's in a coma and it's a matter of days. We can't get ahold of your dad." I shot up in bed. GRANDMA? I immediately call Laura who I know will be across the hall. She relays the message to which he responds "whaaaaaaat" three times. I forgot to mention the coma, but he goes to call Bruce. On the phone with Laura I hear him reenter the room, she is in the kitchen with mom, and say "yeah, my mom is going to die."

While all of this is going on, Bob is in the hospital. They think he may have cancer.

The rest of the week is sad. Dad does not give any updates to me, so I hear everything from Laura. There isn't much to say.

October 19th, 2023: Dad sends a text at 1:34pm letting us know grandma has passed away. It is all very surprising and fast. Mom calls me. She says it's the best ending for her. She was a worrier and didn't have to feel scared about dying. She didn't have to deal with the pain or suffering of sickness. Her ending, while surprising, was very peaceful.

I still feel the emptiness that she filled. The sadness is different than when grandpa had died last August.

October 21st: Mom and Laura leave for Ohio. Dad calls asking if Joe can stay with Belle. He's been attacked by two pitbulls on the run and needs to get stitches. Tim continues to be a pain in the ass about when we will leave together for Ohio (has flag football and softball on Monday nights). He eventually comes to his senses.

October 22nd: I am in Chicago because Joe and I have fall ball playoffs. Our team has a chance at the championship. We win game one and go on to the 3pm game. This team has only one loss: to us the weekend prior. During the second or third inning a girl on our team has her first seizure in the dugout. Her parents were not there. She had mentioned a strong headache and then that she couldn't see. She started a groaning cry before collapsing in Bob and Joe's arms who were steadying her. A mom on the other team is a nurse and times everything. She is a great help. The player is taken away by ambulance with her younger sister. She makes a full recovery. The team goes on to win, not by one like last weekend, but by 7. We lose in the championship on the 24th, but it was a great team to be a part of.

October 23rd: Tim and I go to Ohio and it is sad. It is sad to see my grandpa who spent more than 65 years loving her and all of her quirks. They spent every day together and I'm sure she filled much of his quiet days brought on by old age.

October 24th: Everyone worried about grandpa during the wake. The casket is closed because Grandpa says that's what she wanted. Mousey, Danny, Dee Dee, Mark, Grandma, Eileen, Tom, and Anita come. The funeral is sad as Bruce's friend Frank chokes up during the funeral. Dad, Tim, Taylor, Bruce, Chris, and Mack are pallbearers. Dad, Mom, Bruce, and Grandpa sit in the front. Dad chokes up after setting down the casket about how light it is. He tried hard to keep it together, but little things get that man.

The weather is beautiful. Despite it being end of October, the weather is near 80 degrees. There is lots of sunshine. She wouldn't have to be cold.

The luncheon is at Bennetts. Tim, Laura, and I grab hamburger wagon for the non-Ohio guests to try. We spend the day at a bar later with Kaley, Chris, Madison, and the girls. It felt like good bonding.

Ohio is a sad place to be these days. A reminder that, eventually, we all must go. I am not good with loss and it is sad to see my grandpa get older and older- something we did not witness with my other grandpa given his distance. It is still nice to visit the cousins. I will be sad to update this again, eventually.

[ourotteradventures]

Your Birthday and Life Updates

I have been wanting to make a post for a while, but with our move across states and all the other things that fell out (my car being totaled :,( rip) I didn’t have the energy. Thankfully, things have slowed down a little bit before this academy starts. Actually, let’s just start from the last time that I updated our blog. 

January/February time frame our work situation began to get a little messy. I was tired of certain people at the company taking advantage of my kindness and skills. As well as my time, that was being taken from my little one and it wasn’t even for good people or a good cause. Our mutual friendships blossomed in some ways and detached in others. For that, I’m sorry that it happened how it did because I never wanted that to be the end result. It was super fun though to go out with Austin and Kiara and Nicole to just have a good time without work being involved. March we returned to finish the rounds of testing for this new career. It was fun and we got to do some trails, but we also got rear ended (in the same damn car...bro what is the deal?!) and the meth head fled. We took a picture with my bumper to laugh it off as we went back home. I think that is one of my favorite things about you and our relationship. I don’t have to consume myself with dread and misery (I know, I know, but you’re “emo” *shush*) unnecessarily (see how I closed that out?). No matter how shitty the situation is, you find a way to make me smile and we take it on together. It’s the first time in my life that I haven’t been so uptight in a relationship.

April was an eternity as we prepared for our last month before the move. It was the anticipation stress that was killing us (me...it was mostly me). The tensions kept rising and I told Jason he could basically suck my dick - which he didn’t take well in the team area. Too bad bitch boy. Then Jason wanted to go to war in Signal, which is honestly so weird. What a weird platform and principle (being wrong) to die on bro? Like are you good? May was a whole year within the first week of the month. My official last day was the second. I got a giant nail in my tire with a washer on it (that’s convenient isn’t it?) and had to get a new set of tires.... to then get t-boned with my little one in the backseat...just trying to get Dingy his damn patch. Then he had a fever of 105.6 and I had to take him to urgent care, and of course they cancelled my health insurance early. My dad was in my uncle’s plane when it crashed. Honest to god, it was a country song and if we had a dog babe....it would have died. I cried at my munchkin’s Kindergarten graduation and everyone wanted to bring that up. Then came the move, the dreaded move and the insurmountable (so it seemed) move/road trip. The Uhaul reservation kept changing because they didn’t have a 20 footer available. Then the one we got had a check engine light on it so we had to go to a different location. When you started it that check engine light came on....then they forgot the dolly. Then my mom delayed our start time because she wanted her “last night of freedom”. Finally, once we touched down at the apartment... the fucking UHaul’s battery died mysteriously. It started to hail while my new car was in the open parking for us to download the garage and the maintenance dude pulled in when I was trying to get it to cover. You got to meet Minns though! I’m so glad you both liked each other and you had a good time listening to his stories - that dude is honestly the biggest life saver I have out here (aside from you now).

And now? June! Your birth month. The month that I usually pay no mind to and don’t really enjoy as I’m not the biggest summer fan (at least out in the desert, but here it is nice!) You started your new position while you build for your future. I’m doing the admin stuff to prep for the academy and we got a new kitten!! He’s such a snuggle bug and Athena ended up loving him. Hades has grown into the home and our family. So I decided that I was going to make you your favorite meal and get some of your favorite snacks. It turned out pretty ok! Honestly, I wish that there was more magical wording and pretty phrasing to  wrap everything up but my brain is only letting me use like 50-60% capacity. This? This is the best that we are getting currently. Let’s get to the photos already!

[softieteez]

Hiii I was wondering if you can do a yunho imagine of collabing with idol s/o or crush with a dance performance which went viral and ppl start to ship them

Can you relate it to this video: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLYv3F7f/

chemistry

link

note: i was so excited when i saw the link. these are two of my favorite dancers and this dance is my favorite. i love this request *update* this is from like forever ago but with everything i forgot about it, i hope you see this anon. idk how well i like this but.

pairing: idol!yunho x fem!idol!reader

genre: fluff, slight angst, but mostly fluff

warning: hate, toxic fans (don’t be a toxic fan)

as the main dancer in a kpop group, your company often pushes you to do things like solo dances, special appearances, and now duets. you don't ever mind, you love dancing, but of course doing all these activities all the time definitely has it's flaws.

for example, stress, hate for always being pushed more than your other members, and now... dating rumors.

your company is very close with ateez's company, kq entertainment. so that meant that your songs usually get produced by their production team, you guys also get choreography from bbtrppin because the ceo of kq put in a good word. it has it's advantages. but your favorite thing about it is getting to actually meet ateez, which you've only done a couple times.

though the two of you groups aren't all that close, yet, your fandoms have caught onto the fact that there's a friendship there. so many twitter accounts to post 'crumbs' of ateez and your group. which are usually just you members talking about them or the other way around.

so it's safe to say that your fans love the chemistry that they haven't even seen, and it's brought in more attention to both of your groups. and we all know how kpop companies love attention and money.

and it seems as though the two companies came up with the perfect plan.

when you first heard the idea of you and yunho doing a duet together, you were kind of skeptical. mainly because idols don't really do that kind of stuff anymore, it's rare to see a male idol dance with a female idol. but at the end of the day, this is business, it's a professional setting. plus, yunho is a very tall, attractive man, and you would be lying to say you don't have a small thing for him. so you agree.

it was nearly shocking how good the chemistry between the two of you was, even in the beginning. now that you have been working on the dances for a while, you both have grown a pretty great friendship.

"ah! done" you grunt and fall onto the floor. you have to admit, this is one of the hardest dances you've done since your competition days.

yunho laughs, trying to catch his breath. he just stands there and looks at you laying all sprawled out on the floor. even when you're tired and sweaty, you were so beautiful to him, you always have been.

from the moment he saw your debut he had heart eyes for you. and when he met you and your group for the first time, it only grew. so you can only imagine how he felt when your ceo's told you about the duet idea.

"let's take a break, then we can go over the lift again" yunho clapped his hands laughing as you groan again.

you guys have been working on this dance for weeks, and it's been both amazing and stressful. but having yunho there made it easier, he was really good at coming up with plans, knowing when to take it slow. he's easy to work with.

the next day was the same routine, wake up, get dressed, meet yuhno at the dance studio and dance until after dark. but today would be only a tad bit different because the companies would be releasing a teaser picture today.

the picture is simply you and yunho stand with your back to the camera. your hands on your hips while yunho rests his elbow on your shoulder. you’re both wearing your performance outfits, which were quite simply but still nice.

it’s a good picture, so good that it’s your lockscreen.

“hey” yunho smiled when you walked in, he’s usually always here before you. because of this you bring him coffee and snacks to have during your breaks.

“hi” you return the smile and hand him his coffee. he finds it so endearing that even under stress and tiredness, you still find it in you to be so kind to everyone. coffee is just a small gesture, sure, but it’s more than that…

“ready to start?” he asked you as he put his coffee down after drinking a few sips. you let out a sigh and nod. you place your bag and coffee on the bench, taking your coat off and tying your hair up.

you were a perfectionist so you would always work until everything’s perfect. hongjoong and your leader, jiah, often point that out and scold which you which quite hypocritical of them. but even if yunho is in the bathroom, you’re practicing.

it’s like this for another week. for another week your members watch you get more anxious and stressed. for another week everyone gets more excited.

until… the day it releases.

“it’s up in five!” wooyoung yells, running into your groups dorms with the rest of the members following behind him. nayoon, your most hyper member has become quite close with wooyoung and san these days, no surprise to that.

“yah! you can’t just barge in peoples homes!” your oldest member, minyoung scolded. but soon calmed down when jiah explained that they were given permission to do so.

“hey! yn!” san smiled at you and gave you a high five.

“hi!” you giggle as he brings you into a hug. you greet all the ateez members, including yunho of course, before everyone sat in front of the tv waiting for the firestick to load.

“are you nervous?” yunho asked you. the rest of your members were all huddled on the couch so you two stood behind it.

“a little” you whisper, pinching the air with your thumb and pointer finger. “i just hope it turned out good”

“of course it turned out good!” jiah scolded you for thinking otherwise.

“yah! you guys have been working for a month to perfect this. it’s gonna be amazing!” hongjoong scolded as well. you and yunho chuckled at your leaders' similarities.

“they posted it!” mingi announced, seeing the notification on his phone.

the youngest member in your group, myung, nodded and loaded youtube. everyone screams when they see the video already in the recommended.

“ah! you guys look so cool in the thumbnail!” seonghwa smiled before the video started. while waiting for it to load, you got nervous. and when you’re nervous, you would usually hold your oldest member's hand for comfort. so you held yunho’s hand instead.

at first, he was shocked, but he gladly excepted without a second thought. he wrapped his fingers around yours, looking at your hands and chuckling over how small yours were compared to his.

“it’s starting shut up” nayoon hushed everyone.

“no one's eve-“

“shhh” nayoon cut myung off as the music began playing.

throughout the whole video, the members would scream out ‘woah’s and ‘oooh’s. wooyoung would just scream. you smiled the entire time, suddenly feeling an inner pride in yourself. yunho smiled every time you excitedly tugged his hand or made a face. he wasn’t sure what he looked at more, you, or the dancing. probably you.

he felt so happy to have shared the experience with you. the person he’s liked for so long. and even if you two remain friends, nothing more, he’s perfectly happy with that.

he snapped back into reality when everyone began clapping and cheering, suddenly becoming shy as everyone’s eyes were on the both of you. he felt his heart crack a little when you let go of his hand, though he understood.

“our yn-ie did so good!” jiah cheered and walked over to you, squeezing the life out your ribcage.

“unnie, can’t breathe”

after that, no one really checked the comments, knowing that it’d have some sort of effect on someone in the room. even if it’s not you or yunho, someone will get pissed.

ateez stayed for dinner before leaving back to their dorm. you and yunho texted until three in the morning that night talking about how happy you were. you were so so happy.

the next morning was the first one in a while where you didn’t have to do anything. so you slept in until minyoung walked into your room, shaking you awake.

“yn-ah, get up. we have something to show you”

you nod and wait for her to leave before getting up, changing into something warmer than what you wore to bed. walking into the living room, you notice the laptop is out. this usually happened after something would drop. the day after, you all would read comments so that nothing ruined your night of celebration.

“not a single bad comment found” myung smiled giddily at you and she drug you over to the laptop. she was right, all the comments were nice. and most of them were shipping you.

“people like you guys together” nayoon teased, wiggling her eyebrows. you chuckled and shake your head.

‘they’re chemistry is amazing!’

‘they’re so clean!!!’

‘wait but they’re so cute together!’

‘omg… new ship??’

you couldn’t believe you were being shipped with your crush, it was almost nerve-wracking. even though the idea of you and yunho dating made you smile a little, you can’t help but think it would make him uncomfortable.

your stomach churns as you read more, mostly english, comments on how you and yunho would make this cute couple. power couple.

“people really like you together” nayoon teased, earning a glare from your leader. they hadn’t seen those comments. they know your feelings for yunho, they also know that things like shipping with anyone makes you uncomfortable.

it’s not that you hate all shipping. no you’re pretty okay with people jokingly shipping you and your members, and jokingly shipping you and your other idol friends. as jokes. but these people aren’t joking. maybe most people would be over the moon happy about this, it only made you anxious.

“we didn’t see those ones” minyoung swore to you, and you trust her on that. they would never have you look at these comments if they saw them.

“it’s fine, i’m gonna go shower and stuff” you smile at your members and escape to the bathroom. you wash away your worries and stress of it all. finally just having a moment to breathe since you even started working on that dance.

when you got out of the shower, you just put sweats on again and relaxed. you had no schedule but you knew yunho did. he usually does honestly. but you wonder if he’s seen the comments, how he feels about them, if his members tease him the same way nayoon and myung have been.

you haven’t read from him yet today, which only made you more anxious. the worst case scenarios were running through your head. you sat in your room until you had the energy to leave it. you don’t want this to bug you too much, i mean it was expected with such a dance. a lot of skin contact, not to mention the amount of emotion it holds.

no one has really seen this type of dance from yunho either. from you? sure, but this was pretty new to him. some people knew he was taking contemporary classes, but you’re not sure if people realize just how fast he picks up choreo. the video gained millions of views in the first few hours, both fandoms combined showing just how powerful they are.

you were rewatching the dance, pointing out anything you might have messed up. but you can’t find much, you thank the camera work because the day of the filming you didn’t feel too confident. you were watching the lift when you get a text.

yunho:

did you see the comments???

you:

yeah…

yunho:

can i come over later?

you:

yeah.

yunho:

don’t worry, i’m not mad

i just wanna tell you something

you:

oh… okay… what time are you planning?

yunho:

around 5? if that’s okay with everyone

you:

yeah, see ya then

it would only be you and minyoung home. jiah already left to the studio early, which is no surprise. myung planned to go to dinner with her dad since he is visiting town. and nayoon is going shopping with some friends that she graduated with. minyoung had no plans, but you do now, kinda.

“hey” you call out, grabbing the oldest attention.

“hey, what’s up?” she asked, filling her cup with ice water.

“yunho’s gonna be over around five, you and i are gonna be the only ones home so i figured i’d let you know” you said, watching her face turn a little smug.

“oh, okay” she smirked

“what are you thinking” you squint your eyes at her

“oh nothing…” she continues smirking as she twists the lid onto her cup “just keep it pg” she completes as she leaves the kitchen

“unnie!”

a few hours have passed, it was now five but you lost track of time so you’re sitting on the couch eating grapes. minyoung was in her room, either sleeping or reading you never know. but she seemed to catch the time a while ago, she up and left to her room around 4:30.

you’re minding your own when you hear a knock. you look at the time and realize that it was indeed yunho. “coming!” you yell out. you place the bowl of grapes on the coffee table while getting up.

you open the door, seeing the much taller man standing in front of you. “hey” you breathe out and move out of his way to let him in. “hey” he repeats.

“we can go to my room if you want, minyoung is the only one here so…” you felt so awkward. you really didn’t mean to be though, you and yunho have grown a great friendship since you both began the dance. but the comments and the anxiety of why he was here in the first place was killing you.

“that works” he nods, following you to your well-decorated bedroom. you shut the door behind him and turn off the music that was playing in the back. the taller sits on you bed, waiting for you to take a seat next to him. you sit at the end of the bed, facing him with your legs crossed “so…” he looks like he’s thinking really hard on what to say.

“so?” you chuckle. he only lets out a deep breath, rubbing his hands on his sweats nervously before looking you in the eye. you begin growing even more anxious. ‘please just say something’

“uhm, the comments… i’m sorry about some of them. i know a lot of atiny-“

“it’s both our fans, it’s fine” you chuckle, thinking he’s talking about the shipping… but you can tell by his face something else is up.

“what- what comments do you think i’m talking about…”

oh?

“the-the shipping one’s… the girls showed me this morning…” your voice suddenly becomes small, what else could you be talking about?

his face drops slightly, a frown forming on his face, "i-i thought you seen the other ones," he said, more to himself rather than you.

"what other ones? i've seen the shipping ones and i thought maybe you were uncomfortable and thats wh-" you rambled on until he stopped you.

"no, no. i mean i've seen them but those aren't what i'm worried about, i was coming to make sure you're okay" he said worriedly, still shocked to learn that you haven't seen all the hate you've been receiving

"yeah, why wouldn't i be? what are the other comments?" you ask, reaching in your back pocket for your phone, but yunho grabs your arm just as you pulled your phone out. he reached his hand out for your phone. you hand it to him confused, but you don't question it. he takes your phone and puts it in his front pocket where his own phone was.

"it's nothing, if you haven't seen it that's good. i don't want you to see them" he said looking into your eyes with such sincerity that you've never experienced before. you knew there was going to be hate, but was it really that bad?

you nod your head and let it be "okay..." he smiles at you and gives you a hug.

"i'm glad you're okay" he sighed. you've received a lot of hate in the past, you're not sure why, but it's just part of the job. and as you gain more traction, the more it comes in. you and a couple of your members have been greatly affected by the hate before, you had to take a hiatus not too long ago. so you understood why yunho was so worried about it. "and the shipping comments, i really don't mind them" he comments as you both pull away from the hug.

"oh, w-what do you mean?" you thought he would be annoyed by it by now. all of you have been shipped with each other for so long, it gets old sometimes.

"i-i mean... i don't think they're wrong" he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. what does he mean? "i feel like we have great chemistry" he chuckled a little bit.

you giggled a little, the comments were quite silly. "yeah?"

"y-yeah. uhm, i have to confess something actually, if that's okay?" he looks at you as your heart rate raises, you nod and continue looking in his eyes "i really like you, y/n, and i was actually wondering if you wanted to go out sometime? maybe when the shipping comments die down" he chuckled at his last comment, hoping to lighten the awkward air.

"i really like you too yunho, i'd love to go out with you."

[densi-mber]

A Friendly Competition

A/N: Now for some pure silliness. Set post Deeks’ time at FLETC.

***

“Ah, the returning hero!” Sam said grandly, standing like he was announcing the entrance of royalty.

Deeks accepted the the teasing with good grace, pausing in the middle of the bullpen with Kensi by his side while the rest of the team applauded. It was his first, official day back from FLETC.

Grinning, Sam gave him a firm hug, squeezing his shoulder.

“So, how’s it feel, Investigator Deeks?”

“A little surreal, difficult at times. Glad I don’t have to take anymore tests,” Deeks summed up, and Nell scoffed.

“Oh, please. Deeks, you were gone for weeks. We need more than that!”

“He’s been surprisingly reticent,” Kensi spoke up. She patted his shoulder. “But I’ve been able to weasel a few things out of him. From all accounts, his performance was very impressive.”

“Kens.” Deeks dipped his head in embarrassment, but Kensi ignored his protest.

“From what I heard, he was at the top in all his classes, he tutored some of the other candidates, and, they even asked him to present one time,” Kensi filled in proudly.

“Wow, that is impressive,” Callen commented. “Especially from a guy of your advanced age.”

“G, you’re older than Deeks.” Sam game him a perturbed look.

“True, but I was not the one who had to pass FLETC. Because I’m not a glutton for punishment.”

“Well, congratulations, Deeks,” Eric offered, speaking over Sam and a Callen as they continued to bicker. “It sounds like you did really well.”

“Thanks, man.”

“I’m just sad I wasn’t there to see it all,” Nell said mournfully. “Especially your final run.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention that Deeks also had the fastest time for his last run.” Kensi grinned up at Deeks. “He’s going to get a little plaque and everything.”

“Nice. I was very much middle of the pack during my training.” Making a face, Nell made a gesture to her body as a whole. “I can’t keep up with you people and freaking long legs.”

“You know, I think I could still keep up if I had to do it all over again,” Sam mused. “I’ve kept in shape.”

“I seem to recall that you had issues with speed. Something to do with being too bulky, wasn’t it?” Callen said. Sam’s expression turned truly menacing, but Callen just grinned, completely unbothered.

“I tripped over a root. My speed was fine.”

“Yeah, I think I ran into that root a couple times, too,” Deeks said, chuckling.

“What about you, Kensi?”

“For sure.” She answered without hesitation. “I bet I could even beat Deeks.”

He raised his brows in surprise, not sure when she had gone from supportive to competitive.

“Oh, really?” He crossed his arms, staring his down. “Would you like to put a wager on that?”

“What did you have in mind?”

Deeks considered the possibilities for a second.

“If I win, you have to fill out my expense reports for a week.”

“And if I win, which I will, you wash my laundry for a week,” Kensi decided. He chuckled, because of course after all this time, she’d still do anything to get out of housework.

“I accept your bet.”

“I’ll put two weeks of coffee runs on Sam,” Callen added.

“Why the hell are you bringing me into this?” Sam asked, quickly switching from amusement to disbelief and annoyance.

“Are you saying you can’t compete?” Callen raised one eyebrow in an obvious taunt.

“Of course not. I’m in.” Sam scowled at everyone, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Now let's get this over with.”

“Anyone else want to join in?”

“Oh no, I am completely fine just keeping everyone time,” Nell said, naturally appointing herself as racing secretary. “I’ll grab my stopwatch, you guys better change.”

***

Half an hour later, they’d gathered outside behind the mission. While the participants changed into running clothes, Nell and Eric marked off a mile-long track.

Kensi was performing a series of stretches while Sam paced angrily. Deeks decided on a set of warmup squats, in part because it helped loosen up his joints, but mostly because every time he sank towards the ground, Sam muttered under his breath.

“Alright, runners, on your marks!” Eric called out. They lined up, Sam on the far left, Kensi in the middle, and Deeks on her other side. “Set, go!”

They all took off, staying pretty even for the first quarter mile. Then Kensi pulled ahead, lengthening her stride to its full limits, and Sam put on a burst of speed to keep up. Deeks kept the same pace, the same way he’d learned in high school track, and then relearned at FLETC.

He blocked out the sound of Nell and Eric’s cheers, as well as Callen’s playful taunts directed at each of them in turn. He kept sight of Sam and Kensi, to make sure they didn’t get too far ahead.

At the quarter mile marker, Sam began to flag. He growled, pumping his arms even faster, as though it would increase his speed. Deeks easily passed him, then caught up to Kensi.

He really should have warmed up more; his muscles were beginning to tighten up a little, but he pushed on. As they approached the last tenth of a mile, Deeks extended his stride to its full limit, bringing him in line with one another.

For several seconds, they were neck and neck. Kensi growled, desperately trying to force her legs a little faster. It wasn’t enough though, and Deeks crossed the finish line a couple strides ahead of her to the sounds of cheers.

Kensi followed him a few seconds later as Deeks bent in half, hands on his knees, and dragged in deep breaths. Sam brought up the rear, sweat dripping down his temples.

“Damn it!” Kensi gasped out, looking at him in disbelief. “You didn’t used to be this fast.”

“Well, something about having the equivalent of a very large drill shouting at you puts the fear of God into you. Plus, I don’t have the energy to run like that every day.”

“I want a rematch,” Sam said.

“I’m afraid not, the times stand as they are. Deeks is the winner,” Nell decided, and no one had the nerve to argue with her. “Congrats, Deeks.” She them at the finish line and hugged him.

“Don’t you think that’s a little biased for the grandmaster of the race?” Kensi asked.

“Oh, the grandmaster always congratulates the winner.”

“Don’t be jealous I’m the favorite,” Deeks teased, winking at Kensi.

“Don’t worry big guy, maybe you’ll win next time.” Callen stood up with a massive grin and gave Sam a conciliatory pat on the shoulder.

“Why are you so happy?” Eric asked. “You lost your bet.”

“I don’t care, it was worth it,” Callen decided happily.

“This is all your fault,” Sam grumbled.

“You’re welcome.”

“Congrats babe,” Kensi said reluctantly.

“Thanks. You know, I think I’ll have that plaque framed. Maybe put it up on behind my desk.” He spread his hands out like he was describing a marquee. “Marty Deeks, Office of Special Projects Fastest Runner.”

He ignored Sam and Kensi’s groans, addressing an amused Nell.

“I’m thinking gold plate is absolutely necessary.