#fun fact he was originally at the top of the list but keeps getting bumped down. sorry ismark

[is-sni-ovg]

barovia's most eligible bachelors, according to my cos group:

1. dragon who has been dead for centuries

2. man who has Every Disease

3. ismark kolyanovich

[mandareeboo]

SU Music Rankings

Bc I can and I wanna start some Disk Horse rip. These are all in order of preference, with explanations, etc. It’s a long bitch. That said, I’m not counting little short jingles or small joke songs like Little Butler. This is the meat and potatoes of SU music- just under 30 songs. I might do the rest if people like my takes lol.

I scored it mostly on three bases- how dear it was to my heart, how much/often I relisten to it, and also what it means to the plot. That said, little fun songs don’t automatically go farther down than big, plot-heavy songs either! It’s a strange little balance.

Special Note: I don’t dislike any of this music! I love SU and that includes its bumps and glitches. I just pick favorite children lol.

1.) Change

Was there ever a more Steven moment than when he wiped the blood off his face and kissed it into sparkles? I think not. 

If “Be Wherever You Are” is an ode to young Steven, then this is teen Steven’s. Talking about change, and how much and how little it can do. How he holds his arms up for Spinel to hug him, so trusting. How he seems able to just. Break into soft tears at will, and not to be manipulative- it’s just his kind nature. The warmth in his voice. Fuck yesssss.

2.) Change Your Mind

This song is only fifty five seconds and it’s EVERYTHING to me. It really felt like someone was speaking the words I’d always held deep inside of me, unsure of how to say. It feels like a goodbye to someone who never really loved me. 

As much as I enjoyed Future, if this was the finale of SU, I would’ve been perfectly okay with that.

3.) Drift Away

This song gave me legitimate shivers the first time I heard it, and it still haunts me to this day. Spinel stayed, and waited, and all she got was a transmission thousands of years later. Fuck.

4.) Here We Are In The Future

THE MOVIE IS SU AS ITS BEST AND I WON’T BE SWAYED ON IT. Steven being a teen who loves his weird family but is growing just a bit sarcastic to their drama. The adorable love he and Connie share. His slow realization that he will always be working, always have things to do, is both somber and real. The Crystal Gems won’t be safe with one epic battle. They’ll be safe with years of hard work and love. HIS LITTLE HANDSHAKE WITH AMETHYST.

This is a helluva bop and a great way to summarize the main character’s backstories.

5.) Let’s Only Think About Love

Did ya’ll know that Zach Callison killed his throat with that last note? He gave his all for this performance in a vocal range he no longer comfortably do and by god did it SHINE. The FLAIR. The FORESHADOWING. All of the Gems all being awkward about Rose and Steven trying to bring them to the present. Peridot having a mini-existential crisis in a cute yellow dress. I love Zach Callison’s normal singing voice but man is that a fucking bop. Nothing will ever beat it.

6.) Here Comes A Thought

This bad boy helped me out a LOT with some mental issues I was dealing with in high school. I was unmedicated, unsupervised, and full of anxiety. I’d have break downs when I tried to speak about certain things. I couldn’t function. This song inspired me. It helped me feel okay with my intrusive thoughts.

And the episode! -chef’s kiss-. Once again bringing up the morally gray area of training child soldiers. Connie expanding her social group. Steven’s trauma hauling ass in that second half. The ANIMATION. Stevonnie’s gorgeous singing voice. GOD yes.

7.) It’s Over Isn’t It?

Just barely squeaking above Stronger Than You, this ballad is everything gorgeous. The whole episode is. I think Mr. Greg stands in the top five of my episodes for the entire show. It even got nominated!

There’s just so much about this song that I love. The gentle melancholy of Pearl’s voice. How the crew had to redo the shots for this bit bc Deedee went so fucking hard. The hard cuts between Pearl, remembering the love of her life, and Steven, who has begun to feel like he took her away. I’d recommend this song to anyone, regardless of what they do or don’t know about SU, simply bc it tugs so many heartstrings of love, loss, and responsibility.

8.) Stronger Than You

Did you realize this episode aired SEVEN years ago? This bitch was what got me into SU! Hearing about Ruby and Sapphire made my little gay heart so happy inside, and then getting a whole song confirming that they were a couple, that their love powered the strongest Gem on the team? Aaaaaaaaa

To this DAY I get excited when I hear Estelle start singing. This song is timeless. This song will live in media history. God I fucking love this song.

9.) Other Friends

I’m not the biggest musical person, so I hadn’t heard of Sarah Stiles before her casting as Spinel, but JESUS CHRIST the lady went hard. She went SO fucking hard. Sarah Stiles started on 100 and somehow just kept CLIMBING. You can just hear the sheer manic energy building in her voice, the anger and resentment. 10/10 Sarah Stiles is a queen.

10.) Independent Together

This made the list entirely bc the crew was like “you’re gonna get a himbo ass Steven-Greg fusion singing with Opal while Garnet flies across the moon on Lion while floating” and I am forever thankful to them for it

11.) Who We Are

Bismuth deserved more songs. ‘Nuff said.

12.) Peace and Love (On the Planet Earth)

It Could’ve been Great is EASILY one of my favorite s2 episodes. I love the entire concept of this song. Of Steven making music to reflect how much Earth means to him and his family. Of him teaching Peridot some self-care. Also Peridot’s singing voice is really cute and squeaky. 

I know it’s silly, but I would’ve really enjoyed a flip around of this in Future! Like Peridot reminding Steven how much he loves music, that he needs to take time to relax for himself, maybe with a new verse or just a remix of the original song!

13.) Something Entirely New

I watched this episode as it aired, and I legitimately almost cried. I love Charlyne Yi’s voice so much ya’ll- her raspy, not perfect singing voice against Sapphire’s deep soothing lull is great.

And to have Ruby and Sapphire’s meeting be the way it was- for Ruby to bemoan Sapphire losing Homeworld, to being stuck with a single Ruby, while Sapphire is a noble who has always been taught everyone in her “caste” is vitally important (and has, in her own mind, taken that to mean every Gem, as she should) and how they come together and make each other happy. Good shit good shit.

14.) I’m Just a Comet

The fact that Greg’s music career never really blasted off pisses me off to this day bc Tom Scharpling’s voice is fucking BUTTER. Also the song really feels like a jab at his parents now that we know the kind of dynamic he had growing up. “This life in the stars if all I’ve ever known” is definitely him wiping away their existence after reminding them (and himself) the things they used to say about him.

15.) Do It For Her

This episode. This fucking episode. This episode got me permanently hooked on SU. I’d just binged season 1 and was kinda meh about it overall after the bop of Stronger Than You. “Oh,” I thought to myself, foolishly, “I’ll probably just casually watch this from time to time.”

Like three days later Sworn to the Sword aired and that was it. I was hooked! Pearl’s gentle training song turning darker and darker, Connie’s accompaniment from nervous to determined to fully into such a toxic mindset. The fact that SU had the BALLS to discuss the repercussions of training child soldiers, now and later. This episode was everything to me, STILL is everything to me.

Six years and well over 100 fanfics written later, I think it’s safe to say this show swallowed me whole and never let go.

16.) System/Boot.pearl_final(3)

I debated putting this on the list because it’s not anything crazy important, just a way to show things are Wrong, but I had to do it entirely bc Pearl is so damn SALTY.

Like telling us about the Gems makes sense, she felt like she was given a duty, but she went so damn petty. WHY is that Ruby alone. Gross. This Amethyst is a trash dump. Wtf are you people.

17.) Full Disclosure

This episode really feels like a turning point for SU. Before, the show had its dark moments- but now we’re in the thick of it, and it’s not going away. Full Disclosure felt like an rebuff to the idea of returning to any normal we’d established in season 1. Gems are actually a giant species now. Gems tried to kill us now. There’s this Yellow Diamond bitch who got namedropped. Something about a Cluster. 

The song itself is BALLER, with its ingenious use of Steven’s ringtone and photos as he tries to decide whether to clue in Connie on all this nonsense. Meanwhile we, the audience, already know damn well Connie about to yeet some common sense into him.

18.) What’s the Use of Feeling Blue?

I’mma admit it- I’m a Yellow Diamond stan. I’ve always loved her- her anger, her poise, her hardworking nature. I actively argued against the “Yellow Shattered Pink” theories back in the day. But, man, when this arc leaked? I got so overexcited I was too jittery to watch it for like two days. It’s easily my favorite arc of the series. The sheer alien nature of the zoo, the Famethyst, and absolutely Patti Lupone’s beautiful ballad. Goddamn. Yellow singing to Blue to try and help her regain her old status, the warble in her voice as she reminds Blue she misses Pink too, the movement of the bubbles as she talks about attack. It gives me shivers to this day. FUCK.

19.) Tower of Mistakes

This is, fun fact, that only SU song I have completely memorized. The story itself is kinda funny! See, we lost internet at my house for a solid 5 to 6 months when these episodes aired, so I only got a very brief window to view them all. But this was the first Amethyst song in a long while, and I didn’t want to forget it! So I keep replaying it in my head for ages. And that’s still definitely a thing.

Anyway will never not be sad that this entire song was about making it up to Garnet for Amethyst’s perceived slights with Sugilite (which was a two-way road), only for Garnet to pressure her into fusion later when pissed and never discuss it again bc Garnet probably never thought twice about it and Amethyst has the emotional openness of a clam that’s just been told its ugly. Helluva way to make someone feel like shit, G. Helluva way to bottle that shit, Ames.

20.) On the Run

I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Amethyst! Needed! More! Songs! 

The dichotomy between Steven’s play and Amethyst’s honest desire to run away from home is so well-done, especially when you consider a lot of Steven and Amethyst’s actions are playing together. The song is also near and dear to me simply bc it’s my favorite Amethyst episode to exist (well, maybe second to What’s Your Problem, but not by much). Moments like these are all the proof I need that they were right to fuse first.

21.) Be Wherever You Are

This tune really just feels like an ode to who Steven was as a kid. Trapped on an island with no way home, and he’s just happy to be with his friends. The stars are beautiful and not oppressive. Also that one animatic with Lars and the Off Colors playing in the Homeworld Kindergarten to this music was iconic and made this song get stuck in my head for a solid month.

22.) Familiar

I ADORE how the crew use bright neon colors to show how alien Homeworld can be. And Steven recognizing that the Diamonds treat him how the CGs used to, and how prepared he is to “fix” a broken family. It’s a soft, gentle tune about melancholy. Also the Pebbles are beautiful.

23.) Let Me Drive My Van Into Your Heart

Such a cute little love ballad, but every time I listen to it now I just imagine the heart attack Rose must’ve had at the line “And if we look out of place/Well, baby, that's okay/I'll drive us into outer space.” like there’s a Vietnam war flashback if I ever heard one

24.) What Can I Do?

I’m kind of neutral on this one? Rose and Greg both have great voices, but the song itself lacks many lyrics. I think it was definitely a good way to show Rose’s flaws in thinking.

Also, I’m shocked they managed cram that much vaguely sexual innuendo into two minutes, followed by how Not Hetereo that dance between Rose and Pearl was, and not get their asses chewed by it. You go guys.

25.) Cookie Cat

I love a lot of the vibes this song has. The lyrics are so damn prophetic, but they also sound like the kind of weird 90s commercials I grew up on. It’s been like two decades since I saw the Shirley Temple commercial but I’ll be damned if I don’t remember “Animals crackers in my soup! Monkey and rabbits loop-de-loop.”

26.) Giant Woman

I am. NOT the biggest fan of Steven’s original singing voice. I feel bad saying that, since it was just Zach Callison as a kid, but he never jived well with me for some reason. So I wouldn’t listen to this on the fly. 

The song itself is still really good though, with all sorts of fun animation of Amethyst and Pearl being bitchy to each other. It’s a bit sad in hindsight to see tiny Steven trying to get his moms to get along. Ahh, season 1.

27.) Strong in the Real Way

This song has SUCH a strong start. Pearl reflecting on Sugilite’s problems, but the show making sure to show us that Pearl’s lack of enthusiasm towards her also lends itself to jealousy as well as just general malaise. How much she cares about Steven, and wants him to grow up strong. 

And then Steven just kinda. Ruins it? I appreciate his enthusiasm for tryna bulk up but to take what was starting as such a rich, personal song and broadcasting it to random strangers just makes me a bit sad. Almost a bit angry on her behalf?

28.) That Distant Shore

I KNOW this is gonna create some discourse, but I’m just not the biggest Lapis stan. I love her voice. I love the visuals of the song. And I get why she felt afraid and needed to flee.

But Lapis never got to take responsibility for her own actions. And, in the end, the song feels hollow to me- because we all know she’ll never talk to anyone about it, know she’ll burst back in and destroy the barn, and no one will ever question it. I like Lapis a lot, but I feel like her arc never was fully finished. She never got help. She never learned to feel safe.

29.) Dear Old Dad

I’ve yet to meet a single human being who likes this episode tbh. There’s some great discussion about what kind of parent Greg is from it, and what kind of dynamic he has with the Gems that he felt he had to fake an injury to hang out with his son. Honestly the first half was fine and dandy. It’s just that then they Greg just went out of his way to drag Steven away from missions and such. It never jived well with his character before or after.

Also, is it just me, or does Zach himself sound like he hates the song as he sings it? There’s no passion or heart in his voice. It sounds like they told him to read off cue cards and he did. Tom Scharpling’s best attempts didn’t save this one for being a skipper. But the episode, unfortunately, isn’t, so it gets a spot on here.

[waywardwrestlewritingwaif]

Raise the Stakes, Part 9

Shorter bit this time! Anyone who watched Impact Slammiversary can predict what happens here.

Previous sections (including the original that spawned this multi=part monster) can be found in the Master List.

Pairing: David Finlay x OFC x Jay White

Word count: 1,362

Content advisory: nothing really, other than cursing. there's always cursing.

You’re determined to have coffee made by the time he wakes up but it feels like you’re bumping into everything and making the maximum noise possible. As soon as you got out of bed and grabbed the first shirt you found, which happens to be his shirt, your legs felt like they were only partially under your control. It’s not just that you’re physically off but that you’re emotionally off as well. You keep peeking back in the bedroom to make sure he’s still there.

When the coffee is ready, you pour two large mugs, pleased that you remember how he takes it, and pad back into the bedroom.

His eyes open just a crack and he gives a languid smile.

“Bringing me coffee and wearing my shirt? Are you trying to kill me?”

You laugh and put his mug down on the night table.

“Put them both down.”

You oblige and he wraps an arm around you, pulling you down on top of him. He plays with the hem of your shirt for a few seconds before speaking.

“Well this has never looked better.”

You can’t resist leaning in for a kiss, which he welcomes, running his fingers through your hair and holding your face close even when you separate.

“So how long are you supposed to be here before you go back to Japan?”

“As long as I want. I didn’t ask for an excursion, David, I quit. Gedo came up with this because he didn’t want to lose me and they need help over here.”

“You seriously quit,” he repeats incredulously. “That must have gone over well.”

“I guess they really liked me after all.”

“You know that’s not who I meant.” He gives you an insouciant look. “How did he take it?”

You push yourself back up to a sitting position because you want him to have a clear view of your face as you tell him. “No idea. I left him a note thanking him for the opportunities he’d given me and telling him that the time had come for me to move on to other things.”

“Damn. Didn’t even say it to his face.” He shakes his head a little. “Doesn’t sound like you’re over him.”

You’re surprised at the total lack of resentment in his voice, like he’s just pointing out something you might not have considered before.

“Fair enough,” you sigh. “I guess some things you just have to walk away from and deal with on your own time because it would just be too drawn-out and fucked up if you tried to do it while you were still in the thick of things. Not every situation gets closure.”

He smiles again, which surprises you and also makes you feel warm through your whole body.

“I like that,” he says softly, squeezing your hip. “Now you can get off me because I need coffee.”

It’s well into the afternoon by the time he heads back to his place and once he’s gone, you have to go for a long walk just to burn off some of the happy energy you’re feeling. By early evening, he calls.

“What are you up to?”

“Nothing. Thinking of ordering pizza.”

“Can I have some?”

“No. You can’t do a cheat meal the night before a big show.”

“Fine. I’ll sit here and eat cauliflower all night or something.”

“Sounds like I should keep an eye on you to make sure you’re not eating anything you shouldn’t.”

So it’s not long at all before you’re over at his place and the two of you are cooking dinner together, which largely consists of you retrieving ingredients, chopping vegetables and herbs, and letting him handle the actual cooking part. It seems like you’re both trying to stretch out this part, trying to have a longer conversation because it’s been a while since you’ve been able to do that, but it’s also very obvious from your body language that you’re itching to get your hands on each other. Eventually, it becomes impossible to hold back.

“You have bruises,” you giggle as the two of you recover your breath in his bed.

“Comes with the job.”

“Those aren’t from another wrestler.”

“Lucky for you people will think they were and won’t know you’re beating me when they aren’t around.”

“No, they’ll think they’re from training and that you’ve been working very hard the last couple of days.”

“Well, I’ve been getting good cardio in.”

You pull him close to you, laughing. You desperately want to find a way to ask if you get to go home with him tonight, after the show. Having spent the last two nights together, it’s not exactly like he should feel obliged to be with you again, especially not if he’s sore or wants to just hang out with the guys. But you love the idea of being able to celebrate with him, and the idea that he might want to share that moment with you.

In the end, you can’t come up with a way to broach the subject without making yourself feel exposed, and the two of you go from affectionately touching each other to being aroused once again, which takes your mind off things rather quickly. Still, you make sure that you at least repeat that you love him, in case he thinks that you were in any doubt.

*

It’s been a long time since you could just be a wrestling fan and be in an audience cheering and booing and laughing. Impact has made sure you have a great seat, right in front, where you can feel like you’re part of everything. You know a lot of people in the audience, they’re mostly friends and family who’ve been invited to serve as a stepping stone between an empty theatre and the return to live audiences. Even the small group, though, makes things feel exciting, so there you are, carrying on like a 12-year-old, losing yourself in the experience.

Of course, you pop especially loud when FinJuice make their surprise (to everyone else) return. Seeing him at a remove like this, where you’re not supposed to know him outside of his in-ring persona, gives you a little thrill. It’s like the fact that you know him is your secret. He does give you a little wink as he passes and you bite your lip reflexively.

The whole show is a lot of fun and builds to a great climax. You’ve been backstage for Kenny Omega matches before but you’ve never had the opportunity to just appreciate what a great worker he is. It’s so easy to get caught up in the story he tells and Callihan, tough bastard that he is, makes a perfect counterpoint. You can feel in the back of your mind that the company has one more surprise coming. They love this sort of thing, especially as a big closer and you can’t blame them. There’s something about the faces in the crowd that makes you think that everyone senses something in the air.

And, as the despicable winners raise their hands and preen in the ring, the room goes dark. There’s a deep silence that engulfs the room for a moment and then the sound of metal scraping on metal, a sound you know all too well. It cuts right through you, down to the bone.

No. It’s not possible.

The music kicks in, every note of it like an electrical shock. You can hear the voices rising from the nearby commentary booth. “Is he here?!?”

You give a silent prayer to whatever deity might be listening. Please don’t let this be happening.

The music continues to swell as Omega and his boys stand in the ring, perplexed and anxious, until finally a figure emerges at the top of the ramp, surveying everything around him with a sort of bemused contempt as he picks his way through the last match’s wreckage and down to the ring. He looks so good it’s like an insult.

Behind you, one of the commentator’s voices cries out “It’s Switchblade Jay White!”

And as soon as you hear that, your knees buckle and everything goes dark.

[official-weasley]

Meant to Be (Charlie Weasley x OC)

What happens when Bill brings home a girl and Charlie is completely awestruck by her?

WARNINGS: cursing, mentions of alcohol, struggling with self-love, emotional self-destructive behavior, and mentions of mental health problems, mentions of death and loss

Chapter 20

Rhylee

“Are you ready for this?” Lyla looked deep into my eyes, gripping my shoulders tight.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly.

“Okay, let’s go through it again before you leave.” I nodded to let her know I was ready.

“What did Dr. Whitmoore say?” She asked.

“I have to forgive myself.” I answered.

“And?”

“Stop tormenting myself.”

“And?” She tilted her head.

“Let the past stay in the past.” I closed my eyes.

“And what do you have to be?”

“More positive.”

“And what do you deserve?” She raised her eyebrows.

“To be happy.” A smile twitched at the end of my lip as I realized that I finally believed the words that came out of my mouth.

They weren’t empty anymore. They had meaning and they were finally true.

“And you…”

“I love myself.” I swallowed hard.

“Good girl.” Lyla grinned proudly at me. “I think you’re ready.” She scanned me from head to toe. “Turn around.” She reached for my hand and twirled me. “Now go and redeem yourself.” She winked at me and smacked my arse so I let out a surprised gasp.

I checked myself out in the mirror one more time and apparated. I know I was a bit late and I was hoping that most people would already be there so that I won’t have to talk to anybody. To be honest, I was just trying to avoid Charlie. The closer I got to the tent the more nervous I got.

There was a moment where I actually thought I will never see him again and here I was about to watch his brother get married. I took a deep breath and entered the tent. It seemed I was just in time as everybody sat down and Bill made his way to the center of the room. He looked dashing and I couldn’t stop the smile spread over my lips as I saw how nervous but excited he was at the same time.

I couldn’t be happier for him. As much as I couldn’t believe he invited me to the wedding. We still kept in touch and wrote a few letters per month to one another but we haven’t seen each other for over 5 months. Not since we bumped into each other in Diagon Alley.

Since he was on my list of people to apologize to, I invited him for coffee and told him everything. His reaction was pretty much the same as that of Lyla’s. It warmed my heart to see him looking at me so understandingly. It made me feel great and bad at the same time. I was finally out of my loophole but that made me realize just how foolish I was to even fall into it.

A few seconds after Bill took his place ready to get married, Charlie has positioned himself next to him. I was looking at him as if I have just seen the most beautiful creature on the entire planet. As I caught myself staring at him with my mouth slightly open I knew it was pointless denying the fact that I was still madly in love with him.

He was the man of my dreams and he was everything I could ever wish for in a person. Realizing all that shook my nerves even more. I snapped out of it just as Fleur started walking down the aisle. I have to keep it together and I have to keep myself from running away. He was the last one I needed to talk to. The last one I needed to apologize to for my stupid mistakes.

—

I sat down after dancing with yet another of the Weasley family members. I have no idea who the man was, I just knew he had to be a Weasley because of his fiery hair. I scanned the table to find my glass.

“Good evening.” I lifted my head to follow the voice.

“Hi, Bill.” I grinned at him. “Congratulations again.”

“Thank you.” He sat down next to me, his smile bigger than ever. “What are you sitting here all alone for?”

“Well, I danced with half of your relatives, your mum, and your dad and I think all of your brothers.” I laughed wholeheartedly.

“Most of my brothers.” He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head at the table where Charlie was sitting.

“I don't think he'd want to dance with me.” I swallowed hard. I felt my palms getting sweaty. I have been avoiding looking at that table for the last 2 hours. “He probably hates me.”

“Oh, I bet he wishes he could.” Bill murmured so fast that I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly.

“What?” I asked bluntly.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing.” Bill pressed his lips together, trying hard not to smirk. “Come on, invite him to dance.”

“What would his girlfriend think?” I tilted my head, waiting for the answer.

“Girlfriend?” Bill asked puzzled.

“I saw them dancing before, Bill.” I rolled my eyes playfully.

“The girl with pink hair?”

I hummed in response.

“That's one of his best friends, Tonks. They went to school together. She's married to Remus, who is sitting...” He scanned the room, looking for someone. “…right over there.” He pointed at a man with a lot of scars painting his face and a mustache.

“Oh.” Was all I could manage and rubbed my lips together.

“You didn't hear it from me but he's single.” He winked with a cheeky grin on his face.

“Thank you for the tip.” All I could manage was a nervous smile.

“Now are we just going to pretend that you attended my wedding just because of me or are you going to do something about you and him?” His eyes moving from me to where Charlie was sitting again.

“He is clearly having fun with his friends, I don't want to bother him.” At this point, I was just searching for excuses.

“Yeah, drinking and singing with the Hogwarts Game Keeper.” He chuckled. “Come with me.” He indicated with his hands that I should stand up and I followed him outside the tent.

I was getting more nervous by the minute. I had no idea where he was taking me until we suddenly stopped in the garden behind the Weasley home and he offered me to sit on the wooden bench, which I almost didn’t notice as it was mostly covered with vines and flowers. Without a single word, he started walking back to the tent.

I sat down slowly, swallowing my nerves. I didn’t like the expression on his face before he left. He looked as if he was up to something and I wasn’t big on surprises. I bit my lip and closed my eyes. My legs were shaking, my heels making sounds as they tapped against the ground.

I lifted my head as I heard someone coming my way.

“What is so important Bill and why are we going to the gard...” My heart clenched when I heard Charlie’s voice. “Oh, hi.” Was all he managed to say when he saw me.

His expression reminded me of the one he had on his face when he saw me at the gate in the Sanctuary.

“Hi.” My voice was barely audible.

“Oh, would you look at that, I think my wife is calling me.” Bill giggled and before either of us could say anything to him, he disappeared.

Charlie slowly made his way to me, the surprised expression still on his face. He sat down next to me, leaving a gap between us that was too big no matter how small it was.

An awkward silence fell upon us, both searching for words. This was my chance. I came here to talk to him, to apologize. I have to do it now.

“Charlie, listen...” I put my hands on my knees to stop my legs from shaking.

“How are you?” He interrupted me, staring at nothing in particular in front of him.

“I-I'm good. How are you?” I wanted him to look at me so I didn’t take my eyes off him.

“Not bad. Was a nice wedding.” He nodded towards the tent.

I calmed down as I felt that he was just as nervous as I was.

“Yeah.” I let out a hollow laugh.

Why was this so hard?

“I'm sorry I didn't say hello to you before.” He turned his head to me and our eyes finally met. “I know I passed you a few times.” He scratched the top of his head, embarrassed.

“It's okay.” I smiled slightly. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to bestow him with a smile. I had no idea how mad he was at me. “I understand. You probably hate me.”

“I don't hate you, Rhy.” I closed my eyes when he said my name like that. He was the only one who called me Rhy and I never wanted to forget how it sounded. “I just wish I understood what was going through your head.”

“Trust me, I wish things went differently.”

This was a good start, right? He just said he wanted to understand and I was here to explain everything.

“Yeah.” His lips curved just a little before returning to their original state.

We fell silent again. We always had so much to talk about and it was never hard. He was always the easiest person to talk to. I felt as if I could tell him anything.

“So where do you work now?” He broke the silence.

“I'm kind of in-between jobs right now.” I pursed my lips.

I didn’t want to talk about me not having a job.

“You know, you can always come back to the Sanctuary. We didn't ban you from it and everybody misses you.”

Including you?

I wanted to ask but let the question die in my mouth instead. It warmed my heart so much that he offered me to return to Romania.

“You look better.” He scanned me with his eyes and I felt my heart beating hard against my ribcage.

I knew exactly what he meant. The last time he saw me I looked like shit. I let myself go completely.

“Thank you.” I gave out a soft smile. “I feel better too. Lyla got me into therapy.”

“Into what?” His face screwed in confusion.

“It's something Muggles do when they have…well mental issues.” I explained.

“You had mental issues?” I liked the concern in his voice a bit too much.

“You couldn't tell?” I asked sarcastically.

“I knew something was up but you didn't want to talk about it so I thought it was because of Nick.” He answered honestly.

“Nick was the least of my problems.” I said quickly.

Nick was the last person I wanted to talk to him about.

“Oh.” The word escaped from his mouth as if I caught him off guard. “That's...yeah...good for you.” He nodded, pressing his lips together and I knew what I said hurt him.

“Charlie, I hope you know that everything that happened between us...”

“Don't.” He lifted his hand at me. “You don't need to explain yourself to me.”

If it was any other time I would stop talking then and there but this was it. It was time for him to know the truth.

“Yes, I do.” I said, determined. “You were right that day in front of the Ministry. You deserve answers. As I said, everything that happened between us was as real for me as it was for you.” My legs started shaking again.

Did I say too much too quickly?

“Okay.” I could see his cheeks turn scarlet and I wanted to kiss him so badly at moment.

I wanted to kiss the hell out of him.

“I just...” I inhaled sharply.

This was it. No turning back now. Here’s my story, Charlie, and please don’t run away when I’m done talking.

“I was in a really bad place. In my Seventh year at Beauxbatons, I didn't read the instructions properly and made a poison instead of a Calming Draught. My boyfriend at the time drank it and he died.” I was staring into nothingness.

I could see with the corner of my eye that he turned to me slightly as I said the last few words and I could feel his eyes on me.

“I wasn't charged for murder even though I begged them to lock me up because I couldn't see how I could forgive myself. It was marked as an accident. I barely finished school and got the job at Gringotts and gladly took it just to get away from everything.” I shook my head.

I was doing better. It got easier to talk about it every time I said it out loud.

“I was fine for 3 years, I thought I was over it. I promised myself that I will never brew another potion and that I will never be with anyone ever again.” I bowed my head. Saying all of this used to make me cry but I forgave myself. I had to. “I thought I didn't deserve it after what I did. And then Bill brought me home and I met you.”

He was still looking at me. I wanted to turn and look into his beautiful eyes that were always so full of compassion and love but I couldn’t. I didn’t dare. I didn’t know what he thought about everything I just said. I didn’t know if he was judging me or not and I wasn’t ready to find out just yet. He didn’t say anything either so I continued talking.

“I know what you felt that day, Charlie.” I said in a whisper. I wanted to talk about us, about what that night meant to me for such a long time. “You think I didn't? I know that what happened between us that night was so far away from a one-night stand. I have never felt such a strong connection to a person before and my curiosity got the better of me.”

I shook my head. I always said it was a mistake but I have to forgive myself for that too.

“I had to see if there was something between us and it killed me when I was right. As much as something was pulling me toward you that much did I want to run away because all that guilt came right back.”

“All this drama between us happened because of something you did at school?” He failed to comprehend and I didn’t blame him.

“I killed a person, Charlie.” I said through my teeth.

“It was an accident.” His voice was so soft, so full of understanding of my situation.

“How would you feel if something you did killed Emma back then?” I finally looked at him.

He told me about his first love Emma one morning when we were looking at the sunrise together. It was a tragedy that they had to break up because of long-distance. He seemed really happy with her.

He didn’t reply to my question but I could see it in his eyes that he was trying to put himself in my shoes.

“See? Now you know how I felt. You felt so guilty about what you did to Bill when we slept together now imagine how it would be if someone lost their life because of a stupid mistake you've made.” I tried to explain further.

“Okay, I'm sorry.” He said gently and placed his hand on the bench, filling the gap between us. “I understand. Continue.”

“What I felt with you that night Charlie, was what I imagined every time someone asked me what do I want in a person. It was just as I imagined it would be with someone I would want to spend the rest of my life with.” I slowly removed my hand from my knees and placed it next to his on the bench, our fingers almost touching. “It was even better than that.”

“Why didn't you ever tell me this before?” He breathed.

“Because I couldn't. I know what I did to you was wrong. I know I was playing with your feelings but I was just so drawn to you I couldn't help myself.” I was telling the truth.

There was no point in hiding it anymore.

“I guess.” He bowed his head, turning it to look straight ahead of him.

“After that, I couldn't stop thinking about you. It came so far that I applied to work in Romania.” I continued.

“That was because of me?” He turned back to me with an incredulous expression.

“Of course, it was because of you.” I gave out a faint smile, our eyes locked again.

“But you also applied for the American Sanctuary.” He frowned.

“To make myself think that I was doing it to switch jobs.”

“And I thought I had battles in my head.” His lip twitched as he moved his hand slightly closer to mine.

“I decided to go to Romania anyways but I knew what I was doing was wrong so to stop myself from doing anything stupid I started dating Nick.” I gave out a deep sigh.

“So you knew he was a prick?” I wanted to laugh at the nickname he gave him but stopped myself just in time, placing a hand over my mouth.

“Of course, I knew!”

“Then why in the bloody hell did you go out with him?” He failed to understand.

“I wanted to punish myself.” I admitted.

Saying it out loud sounded insane.

“What?”

“Look, he wasn't all that bad but he did have a big ego and he only cared for himself.” I wasn’t trying to defend him but I had to make him see why I did what I did.

“So, you thought that being with him was better than being with me?”

I felt something break in me. How could he even think that? How could he even compare himself to Nick? Did he think so low of himself? Did I make him think that way?

“No.” I shook my head hard. “Nothing can compare to being with you in any way, Charlie.” I looked him deep in the eyes and moved my hand closer to his, our fingers finally meeting. “But I thought that if I'll be with Nick then I will stop feeling guilty. I couldn't forgive myself for what I've done.”

“I'm trying to understand you, Rhy, but fuck, do you know what you put yourself through here?” He scratched the top of his head. “What you put me through because of your past?”

“I know. I'm sorry.” I felt tears burning my eyes.

My past didn’t make me cry anymore. I was over it and I was proud of that. The way he said what I put him through. The pain in his voice even though he tried to understand what I was telling him. That’s what brought tears to my eyes.

“Please, continue your story. You're telling me everything.” It made my heart beat faster just knowing that he was still willing to listen.

“When I got to Romania and saw you, all those feelings came back and I hated myself for it. I saw the way you were looking at me, I'm not blind. I just didn't dare to do anything about it. I was falling for you as fast as Bean eats his dinner and it was killing me because I didn't allow myself to tell you.” His lips curved into a smile when I compared my feelings to a dragon.

“But why didn't you? What did you think would happen? That you'd poison me too?”

“I thought I didn't deserve you!” I blurted.

“Rubbish!” He scoffed. “You made a mistake. You are allowed to be forgiven.” He entwined our fingers and I wanted to melt at his touch.

Fuck, I missed him so much.

“I didn't think that.” I said slowly, my eyes on our hands. “I thought that you were too good for me, I still do.”

“Rhy...” He tilted his head, bringing his shoulder closer to mine.

“I know. I said I'm better I didn't say I'm all there yet.” I bestowed him with a smile.

“So why did you sleep with me after the party in the Sanctuary if you felt like you weren't good enough for me?” He continued.

“I was just drunk enough. It was the same as at the Burrow. I wasn't brave enough to do anything about it while sober. The booze got me just enough courage to bury all the bad feelings and just give in.” I closed my eyes, reminiscing on it.

“That you did.” He chuckled.

He actually chuckled!

I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest by hearing that noise. His laugh was always my favorite. He never gave you more than a smile if he didn’t find something worth laughing for.

“Charlie, that night...” I bit my lip and locked my eyes with his.

“I know. It was amazing.” He bent his lips inwards and I could see the night rolling in front of his eyes.

“It was so much more than that.” I couldn’t find the words to describe it.

No one could. But I know we both knew exactly what it meant.

“Then why did you tell Nick? Why didn't you just stop all the madness then and there if it meant so much to you?” He squinted his eyes.

“Don't you get it?” I chortled. “I did it because it meant so much to me. I felt too happy. I couldn't allow myself to feel that. I was terrified of how good it was, Charlie. What I feel for you is something that people describe in romance novels, I didn't even know it was real.”

“So you went back to your boyfriend to torture yourself.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. But not a judgmental one.

“Yes. Trust me I know how it sounds. I thought I deserved to be in pain. I constantly searched for something that would hurt me so that I could redeem myself for what I did at Beauxbatons. I thought that by telling Nick I will make you see that I'm hurting you. I wanted you to get over me, to be with someone better. With someone who won't hurt you.”

And in the process, I hurt him more instead of setting him free.

“There is no one better for me, Rhylee.” He said with a soft voice that woke up all the butterflies in my stomach again. “Don't you get it? Ever since we slept together at the Burrow there was nobody that could compare to you. And you only hurt me because of the things you were doing to yourself. If I knew the reason behind all your actions I would've done things differently myself.” He pressed my fingers together with his, his eyes full of understanding.

“I know. I'm sorry.” I shook my head. “You have no idea how sorry I am about it. I thought I was doing you a favor but I didn't put myself in your shoes. I didn't...” I choked.

“You didn't love yourself enough to be with me.” He finished my sentence.

“You sound like my therapist.” I chuckled.

“So, I am finally understanding what you're saying?”

I replied to his question with a hum.

“And what does your therapist think about your relationship with Nick?” Something in his eyes shifted.

They weren’t soft anymore, they were angry.

“Nick and I broke up in February.” I said.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” He murmured.

“I know you don't mean that. It was for the best.” I assured him.

“So, is Lyla helping you with the baby then?” I turned to him abruptly, blinking.

“I...I lost the baby.” I said with a husky voice.

“What?” Charlie jumped in his seat.

I don’t know why I thought that Bill told him.

“Yeah...” I tried to smile but failed. “The healers said there was nothing they could do. Sometimes it just happens.”

I tried to act strong but this was one of the few things I wasn’t over yet. Yes, it was Nick’s baby, and being pregnant at the time wasn’t something I planned or wished for but something changes when you’re pregnant and it still hurt that I lost the baby. I felt my eyes water again.

“I am so sorry, Rhy.” I could hear how sorry he was in his voice.

Without saying anything else he pulled me into a hug. How I missed his hugs and his smell. He always smelled so nice. Like how I would describe a summer breeze if it had a smell.

“Thank you. It's the reason Nick and I broke up. He blamed me for losing the baby.” I mumbled into his shoulder.

“He what?!” Charlie barked, pulling away from me.

“It's okay, Charlie. I brought this on myself and I had to deal with it. Losing the baby was my breaking point. I knew I had to get out of it. I hit rock bottom. That's why Lyla got me into therapy. I was in my bed for days and she lost it.” I tried calming him down.

“I would too. She did the right thing and since you look better I assume it helped you.”

“It did wonders.” An appreciative smile painted my face. Getting into therapy was the best decision I have made in years. “I’m not done with therapy but I am making progress.”

“So did you put yourself through enough shit now or do you still have a wish to torment yourself?” He asked in a serious voice.

“No, I'm done. I wouldn't be at this wedding otherwise.” I got shy all of a sudden.

I told him everything he needed to know and this was it. It was time to see if he can forgive me. I know what a bombshell I dropped on him and I know it’s a lot to process and I wouldn’t want to rush him. I just wanted us to be on speaking terms again. I knew I would never get more than that.

“I don't understand.” His brows got closer together.

“I came here to apologize to you besides being here for Bill and being happy for him being so much in love.” I said truthfully.

“Is that the only reason you're here – to apologize?” He gently bumped into my shoulder and leaned closer to me.

Was he going for a kiss?

“Are you sure?” I couldn’t believe it.

I didn’t dare to dream about us ever being anything more than friends again.

“I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life.” He placed his hand on my cheek and I trembled under his touch.

“But I hurt you so much, Charlie. Can you really forgive me for everything I put you through so fast?” I had to know that he was sure.

I had to know that he forgave me for all the pain I caused him.

“I'm still in love with you, Rhy.” He brushed his nose against mine and rested his forehead on mine.

We never said the words. We didn’t have the chance to but then again we never had to. We both knew how we felt about each other.

“If Bill could forgive me for sleeping with you without even thinking twice about it, then you have to know you are already forgiven. I was never mad at you I just felt sorry for you because you were ruining yourself when you could have everything you ever wanted with me.”

That was it. That’s what I needed to hear. I pressed my lips hard against his and I felt my body melting when he returned the kiss. It was just as I remembered. His lips were soft and he tasted like Fire Whiskey which made my lips curve.

“Damn, it feels nice to kiss you and know nobody's getting hurt for it.” He said after pulling away.

“Tell me about it.” I kissed him again.

I finally don’t have to feel guilty for kissing him. He doesn’t have to feel guilty. I could feel the happiness and the realization, that we can finally be together, without the drama without thinking of anyone else, vibrate through my body.

“We needed a long time to get here, didn't we?” I giggled. “Only a few years, give or take.” I joked and kissed him again.

I will never get enough of this.

“Give or take, yeah.” He laughed and kissed my forehead.

“It took us a while but at least we're here now and it feels right.” I couldn’t stop smiling.

This was the best feeling in the world.

“I thought we would never get the chance to be together. There were so many obstacles in our way. Always a reason why we can't be with each other.”

“Is it bad if I say I wouldn't have it any other way?” I cupped his face and searched for the answer in his eyes.

“No.” He shook his head lightly. “It's kind of nice if you think about it. You have to go through hell sometimes to get to the good stuff.”

“Yeah.” He was right. We’ve been through so much. I made us go through so much but in the end, we still ended up together. “Makes you think that perhaps, we were meant to be.”

His lips curved as I said that and I knew he was thinking the same as he leaned in for another kiss.

THE END

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read this story. ❤️ I know it's shorter and it didn't have that much fluff in it and some of you thought I was cruel to Charlie for breaking his heart so many times. I know - my brain comes up with weird stories and I promise in the next one our bean will be nothing but happy. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! ❤��

I know this story isn't as long as the last one but this is how I pictured it. The wedding still gets disturbed by the death eaters. Peter gives Rhylee her job back and she moves back to Romania. Rhylee helps with the Order and she fights in the Battle of Hogwarts. Because of everything that went down and with all of the war trauma she and Charlie move to Britain for a little while to be closer to family and friends and they both go to therapy. After a few years, they move back to Romania and they move in together.

For all of you, that ship Theodore and Gerta (I got a few messages about them and it amused me so much because I love them together) - after Theo never giving up and asking her out all the time, Gerta finally gives in saying yes to a date. She can't believe how sweet Theo is and what a romantic he is. They were dating for 6 months when Theodore popped the question and when they got married all his teammates were his best men.

And as I said yesterday: I know that what Rhylee went through can't be solved with 6 months worth of therapy as is stated in the story. I needed to fit it in the timeline to align everything with Bill's wedding and is the only reason why I picked 6 months. One of my best friends has a Ph.D. in psychotherapy and she told me that with Rhylee's situation of feeling so guilty and wanting to torment herself it is very unrealistic that she would be as fine as I wrote her to be - I am fully aware of that. I apologize if I made anyone uncomfortable with it or if anyone finds it offensive in any way.

[itashiro-hitsuchiha]

Ship bias for Saber Artoria, Saber Mordred and Erza Scarlet

Send ‘Ship Bias’ and I will share up to 5 Ships I have a bias for for my muse!

@lemusegallery

Alright this may be a long post but I'll gladly do it. For you see simply listing the ships I have for them is too easy and boring. So instead I'll be giving reasons behind the ships and why I typically have a bias towards them. Also the ships I list may not all be romantic ships. I will list the type of ship I am referring to with each muse. Mostly because with these muses in particular I do not have that many romantic ships with them. Also putting a read more into this cuz of how long it may be and I don't want to clog up the whole dash.

Alright I'll just start with Mordred since she has the weirdest line up imo.

Mordred x Fran (BrOTP) - I just fucking love Mordred and Fran being in unison when it comes to kicking ass. That gif of them fist bumping just makes me excited every time. So naturally when writing Mordred if I can get my Fran up in the thread those two will act as pretty decent friends after awhile depending on the thread of course.

Mordred x Artoria (Notice me Senpai) - From all that I gather from playing FGO Mordred has a strange relationship with Artoria. Although if the two were in their normal minds and they are summoned together then things can get interesting as while Mordred may be somewhat hostile at first, they can actually talk and get some closure as after the events of Apocrypha Mordred has come to understand Artoria's position a little better so she won't be as bitter towards her. If anything it was fun in the first summer event to watch Mordred essentially try to get Artoria to notice her and get her praise only to get one-uped each time. They can have a nice wholesome, yet disfunctional dynamic at times and I'd like to see if I can explore that a bit more.

Mordred x Shirou Emiya (???)- I am not sure how to describe this ship. It wouldn't be romantic per say, but I do feel like these two could have an interesting relationship develop. Mordred can appreciate Shirou's determination and stubborness as it mirrors her own, but also with his relationship with Saber it could form a good bridge between them. Idk. I just like to see how this sort of ship could go.

I don't really have any more than that for Mordred as I don't see her as a romantic type. Being a homunculus she doesn't live a very long life regardless so her time is usually short unless summoned as a servant and then she could theoretically live as long as her master, like in Chaldea. Though some crossover potential does exist that I love, but I won't discuss that here. To add to that she has shown no real interest in romance that I can derive from what I've seen of her, so therefore my Mordred can be classified as mostly aromantic and possibly asexual. She knows of sex, but she doesn't have an interest in it as that sort of thing was not taken into account in her creation process and with how she was raised she REALLY had no room to consider it or even want it. It's not impossible to get her to do it, but it is very challenging and will require a LOT of effort.

Now for Artoria.

Artoria x Shirou (OTP)- needless to say I watched the first Stay Night as my introduction to the series. Even into UBW I thoroughly love this ship the most with her. The two just click on so many levels and their dynamic is amazing. Plus Shirou loves to cook and Saber loves to eat (as she kinda needs to eat a lot). Idk if there's anything else I can say about this ship that hasn't already been said, but yeah its my favorite one.

Artoria x Rin (BrOTP)- Seeing how Rin originally wanted a Saber class servant and how she was a friend of Shirou these two can be pretty fun together as well. Rin helps the two get out of their shells and explore the more fun side of life and what it has to offer. I think they're cute as a Bro sort of duo.

Artoria x Mordred- See ship above

Artoria x Lancelot (???)- I mostly like to see how things can go if they can have closure after the events of Zero and actually sit down and talk. (Saber needs to do that with a lot of people).

Much like Mordred Artoria never really had much time to consider romance, but interacting with Shirou definitely helps her grow out of her shell so she can at least consider it. When trying to ship romance with her, if you're not Shirou then you may have a tough time, but really you just need to earn her respect to spend more time with her and perhaps she'll grow on you and give you a chance. Much easier than how Mordred is.

Lastly Erza, Who is admittedly easier to ship with than the other two swordswomen.

Erza x Natsu (BrOTP, or possible OTP)- Erza and Natsu have this fun relationship dynamic. She almost acts like an older sister to him (as well as most of team Natsu) and she definitely has no problem telling him off when he really needs to get punched. Though I can also see them growing romantically (Fight me!) and I would like to see how that would actually go. (Plus the hentai of the two is top notch)

Erza x Jellal (Duh!)- I like the history that those two have together and seeing how they make each other flustered just by talking and feeling awkward its just great. While yes he has hurt her in the past (very badly I might add) Jellal doesn't try to pursue a romance with her because of that fact and he doesn't want to hurt her again, which I believe she is aware of it and fully understands and doesn't want to force him to try anyways. If he feels like he can safely pursue something with her she will be there waiting for him and happily accept him.

Erza x Mira (BrOTP)- Oh my god! these two are just great when they get the chance to sit and talk with each other. Their history allows Mira to talk to Erza about things that no one else could get out of the great Titania. Not to mention all the teasing Mira can do to her and get away with it unlike if Natsu or Gray tried it. Anytime these two get together for girl talk its just great.

Erza x Kaza (OTP)- I know its kind of cheating to list my muse with another of my muses, but hear me out. You see Kaza was someone I once had as a character several years ago, but then dropped for a long time and focused on Vorona for years of development that Kaza did not get. He was my first OC and I wanted to bring him back. Originally he was made for the Naruto universe, but when bringing him back I figured I'd change him up a bit. So I tinkered and decided to make him a Fairy Tail magic swordsman from Edolas who stayed in Earthland. So after making that I realized he may be best suited to be shipped with Erza or Kagura as they are the main swordswomen in the Fairy Tail universe. Her bluntness and occasional lewd minded thought process (really if you look at some of the things she says its pretty funny how thirsty this girl can be, also seduction armor....need I say more?) could pair well with Kaza's shyness towards the subject. I just think these two can be pretty funny and cute together as well.

While it may take me time to get used to it. Shipping with Erza can be pretty easy so long as you keep in mind that she does have a tendency to react violently if the wrong things are said. Easiest way to start shipping with her, be a member of Fairy Tail and/or be a swordsman of some sort. From there it's just a matter of how well the chemistry can be.

Alright. Hope this is sufficient with the meme and that you enjoyed reading this. :)

[wehavethoughts]

Jingle Jangle Review!

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey David E. Talbert (2020) Netflix Original Movie Fantasy, Holiday, Musical, Children’s Movie

Rating: 5/5 Waves

“I think it’s time for a new story.” – Journey

This review CONTAINS spoilers for Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Summary: Jeronicus Jangle is a genius toymaker who has everything he’s ever wanted until betrayal and tragedy strike and rip away his magic and inspiration. Jingle Jangle follows his journey with his bright, spunky granddaughter to finding his way out of darkness and towards family, love and inspiration.

No content warnings apply for Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Last year was a mess and 2021 is already on thin ice, but one of the best things to happen to me this season was my girlfriend sitting me down and convincing me to watch Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. While the trailer looked fun, especially since it was a musical Christmas story featuring a primarily black cast, I hadn’t prioritized watching it. I tend to feel that everything has already been made when it comes to Christmas movies and I don’t want or need another retelling of the same stories. If I need a bump of Christmas spirit around the holidays, I indulge in a classic and move on. Fortunately for me, she wanted to watch it and we needed a Christmas Eve movie.

I loved so much about this movie that I could write tens of thousands of words singing its praises, but I wouldn’t do that to you, so I will narrow my praises to the most important parts of this movie to me. At the top of the list is just how good this movie looks.

Jingle Jangle is one of the most visually appealing movies I’ve ever seen. From the set to the costumes to the choreography, every single shot of this movie was pleasing to the eye. The clothing was sharp and colorful in a way that I expected to get on my nerves, but it ended up stunning. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson described the fashion as “Afro Victorian”. The characters’ hairstyles are another part of the costuming that stood out. They were creative and fun while also adding dimension to the characters’ looks. And let me just take a minute to personally thank the creators of Jingle Jangle for allowing all of these black characters to have natural hair. I have never seen that in a movie and it almost made me cry. Both the clothing and the hairstyles mirrored the characters’ arcs and added depth to the narrative.

The beauty of this movie can mostly be attributed to its fabulous designers, but I also want to point out that everything looked and felt fabulously expensive. I could not find the budget of Jingle Jangle in USD, but with every set piece, CGI shot, song and outfit you could tell that someone who loved this project spent a whole lot of money on it. It is refreshing to see a story like this getting the financial backing to do it properly.

The visuals were so stunning, in fact, that even if the actual story had been terrible, I would still have been happy to just sit and watch it on mute. Fortunately, Jingle Jangle’s story was phenomenal; heartwarming and inspiring with just enough humor to keep it light without feeling overly juvenile. It also had such meaningful emotional themes that I cried at least three times (in a good way).

The emotional core of this movie is the relationship between Jeronicus and his granddaughter Journey. Jeronicus is a grumpy, disillusioned inventor who abandoned his aspirations after achieving his dreams lead to nothing but betrayal and heartache. Journey is a bright, talented child who wants to learn from her brilliant grandfather, but she realizes she has to reignite his belief in himself first. The story centers around belief in the impossible, like most Christmas stories, but instead of asking the audience to believe in something like Santa Claus, Jingle Jangle reminds the audience to believe in themselves and their own abilities. Personally, I’ve never felt more inspired than when a small child belted about how “The square root of impossible is me!” The story digs into how depression can destroy a person’s creativity and inspiration and sometimes what we need is other people believing in us so we can be reminded to believe in ourselves.

My whole deal is reviewing fantasy though, so I feel like I should mention magic. Like most things in the movie it is very pretty to look at. When Jeronicus and Journey use their magic it is glittery, dazzling and very obviously a metaphor for imagination and creativity. Personally, these characters could have probably just have been very smart, but having a visual to see them thinking in new and exciting ways was nice. Math-but-its-glowing as a magic system is not something I’ve seen much of recently, but I know just enough math words to delight in what is coming out of these character’s mouths when they talk about their inventions. This might be a difficult movie for haters of math or people who study it for a living. If hearing characters say things like, “Belief! It collapsed the wave function.” and “Take the circumference of spectacular, divided by the second derivative of sensational…” is a deal breaker for you, then maybe skip this movie.

Also, I should note that this movie is a musical. This came as a surprise to us the first time we watched it, but luckily we love musicals. The first time the music swelled and Jeronicus started singing we were swept away by the magic of the moment, delightfully surprised and in awe of the musical talent. Every single song in this movie is energetic, fun and refreshingly Black. Director David E. Talbert said that he was inspired by southern soul and gospel music as well as Afrobeat and other primarily black genres. The mix of inspiration creates joyful and fresh new songs for the holiday season.

As a whole this movie got my highest rating because the things I love about it outweigh the flaws. That being said, there are a couple pieces of the story that either didn’t make sense or it feels like they did not think all the way through. First of all, the main conflict revolves around the villain Don Juan, a toy matador who has been given sentience through Jeronicus’s miraculous inventions, not wanting to be mass produced. While the story tries to convince us that the conflict revolves around Don Juan’s narcissism, if you think about this plot point too hard you realize that our protagonist plans to mass produce and sell his creations that are clearly alive and intelligent. Obviously the movie doesn’t dig into the ethics of this, since Don Juan is more concerned about not being one-of-a-kind rather than worried that he is going to be bought and sold as a commodity, but it is a concerning angle that implies some very uncomfortable things about this universe.

Another piece that I found falls apart when you think about it too hard is the framing of the story within a story. Jingle Jangle is told a bedtime story being read by a grandmother to her grandchild (similar to the Princess Bride). The first scenes introduce us to a couple of cute kids who ask their grandmother for a Christmas story and in opening the book we get some spectacular CGI and animation to introduce us to Jeronicus’s world. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this method of storytelling, I found it to be unnecessary since the children listening to the story and the grandmother don’t add much as independent characters. Unfortunately, the story seemed to feel the need to justify these characters’ existence and so in a big reveal at the end we discover that the grandmother is Journey, Jeronicus’s granddaughter.

While seeing Journey with her grandchildren is cute, it leads to questions that I personally did not need to have at the end of this otherwise tied up narrative. For example, the children seem to have never heard of Jeronicus Jangle, Don Juan or Buddy 3000 (another important toy character), yet we are meant to believe that Jeronicus’s story happened in the universe that the children live in? Why wouldn’t they know stories about their rich and famous great-great-grandfather? Why had they never heard of Jeronicus Jangle when it is implied that the toys they have grown up with would have been his or his family’s inventions? By making the children related to the people in the story, the writers distracted me from Jeronicus and Journey whose story is much more interesting and heartwarming. Jingle Jangle is a movie that asks me to think and reflect, so I don’t feel bad poking holes in the story, but I don’t love that they left me hanging with all these questions.  

Additionally, there are also some things that I wish the writers hadn’t included in the movie at all. For example, they fridged Jeronicus’s wife almost immediately which was completely unnecessary and I hated to see that in a movie that got so many other things right. Also, having the only obviously Hispanic character (Don Juan Diego) be the villain in such a cartoon-y way left a bad taste in my mouth.

But Jingle Jangle still got my highest rating because as the sum of its parts, it was a fantastic story and I am so glad I got the chance to watch it. My very favorite part of this movie that has stuck with me even weeks after my first viewing is the relationship between Jeronicus and his family. There are sections of this movie where Jeronicus falls into the stereotypical absentee black father trope, but this story allows his character space to talk about what he did wrong, how he is hurting and Jeronicus learns to do better which is so important. I love the current trend in movies where parents apologize to their children because that can be such a healing experience and Jingle Jangle gives us that, but additionally, it makes the parent work for it and prove to their child that they are healing themselves. It offers hope to children struggling through painful situations like this and give parents an example of how they might be able to fix what they broke.

Overall, Jingle Jangle left me with a feeling of joy and contentment while inspiring me to remember what I used to love and rethink my self-imposed limits. The core message of this movie is a reminder that sometimes our lack of belief in our own skills is enough to stop us from achieving our dreams. Jingle Jangle reminds us to believe in our own capacity and lift each other up even when times are difficult. I don’t know if this movie will become a classic in the general consciousness, but it will certainly become a tradition in my family.

~TideMod

[captainallthingspurpleme]

Good Girls 3x09 Thoughts

So I had to really take some time after the episode last night to process how I felt. Because there were a lot of things that I enjoyed about last night’s episode, and a lot of things I DID NOT enjoy about last night’s episode.

So, starting with some of the things I enjoyed (because starting and ending this post positively is my goal):

Ruby’s entire story line this episode -- of the 3 women, Ruby’s arc this season is probably my favorite

Annie and Greg’s conversation -- up until the moment Annie kissed him (which people like @pynkhues have pointed out appears to be deliberate, as a reaction to Annie’s grief over Marion) I actually LOVED this scene. It was raw and honest and something that I really think Annie needed to hear. And it shows me that regardless of how messed up they can be, Annie and Greg really do care about one another AND they BOTH love their children

Ruby IN PURPLE -- I mean, HELLO, LOOK AT MY BLOG NAME! She looked FABULOUS! Yes, Queen!

Beth, Annie, and Ruby after Beth visits Rio at his bar -- this entire conversation was hilarious, and Beth just openly lamenting how dumb she was made me happy (she CAN learn.....VERY.....VERY.....slowly sometimes, BUT....it still happens)

And now, in terms of the things I didn’t like this episode, what I really want to dissect in this post:

Beth and Dean

To be fair, I actually enjoyed most of their scenes this entire episode because they really underscored how NOT invested Beth is in their relationship and HOW MUCH Dean has started to notice.

And then their final scene together happened.

I was excited and ready for a “break up” between them in this final scene, even though realistically looking back on it and the synopses for episodes 3x10 and 3x11 I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER.

And then the scene was so HEAVY. Like, don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with Dean quitting his job. I do actually agree with him telling Beth about Gayle, but I DON’T believe it’s for the reasons he said (but I’ll unpack that in a minute). But just the sheer caliber of Matthew and Christina’s acting in this scene made me feel a LOT of emotion, and it was really hard for me to deal with right after, so I spent a lot of last night and today processing why. And I finally figured it out.

We start this scene with Dean at the island, drinking, bag packed beside him. Beth comes in, starts talking, doing their normal thing. And Dean leads with quitting his job.

And before I can fully process what others (@lunafeather and @foxmagpie in particular) have articulated so well--THEIR FAMILY IS FINANCIALLY DESTITUTE; Beth is ONCE AGAIN the ONLY breadwinner--Dean tells her that he and Gayle kissed.

It took me A WHILE to figure out why those two ideas, in that order, sent me into such a rage, even as I watched Beth’s LACK of reaction, which was also HEAVY--she’s just TIRED at this point; she doesn’t even CARE that he’s telling her this; SHE IS NOT INVESTED AT ALL.

For all Dean’s talk later in the scene about “I don’t want her. I want you.” he is ADMITTING that to stay at his job means he would cheat on his wife. Like we’re supposed to applaud him for finally having the basic human decency to tell Beth what happened, while in the same breath telling her he doesn’t have enough professionalism or self-control to continue on in a job until he finds another one. Because while I definitely empathize with not wanting to work where your predator works, Dean never once considered LEAVING 4 Star until after HE initiated sexual contact with Gayle.

Beth’s (lack of) reaction to all of this news is so telling, for the reasons listed above and more articulately by others than what I’ll try to re-hash here.

Dean goes on to say that he wants Beth. Which I think he GENUINELY believes. But my issue here is that he wants BETHIE. He doesn’t want who Beth is now because he doesn’t KNOW who Beth is now. Part of this is because she refuses to tell him, and the other part is because he refuses, even now, to really see her for who she is.

What I also think is telling her is what Dean DOESN’T say. Dean doesn’t bring up Rio ONCE in this moment. And I think that’s deliberate. Because to bring him up is to admit to himself and his wife that he KNOWS that she has feelings for Rio, and that those feelings are NOT what she has for Dean (regardless of what Dean does/does not know about Beth and Rio).

And then he goes to leave and she stops him. And for a very long time, that part of their conversation kept playing in my head and making me EXHAUSTED because everything about this scene just illustrated to me how DONE they are even though they both (Beth, okay, it’s Beth at this point) refuse to see it.

But Beth’s words stuck with me and they actually give me some hope.

When Beth stops Dean from leaving, she says “Don’t go.” And I think that is REALLY significant, because this whole scene Dean is talking about how he wants to STAY.

Telling someone not to go is vastly different than asking someone to stay.

I think Beth knows, in this moment, that she’s not upset in the way she needs to be if she’s actually invested in her marriage. With all of the bullshit and craziness and her own PTSD, those words actually sent me back to 2x13 when she cried and collapsed into Dean and 3x06 when she cried in front of him after hearing Au Jus (her name IS NOT Dorito, okay) might die.

Dean is Beth’s security blanket. He’s not someone she actively counts on. Ever, at this point. He’s not someone she entrusts with any more information than she has to. But when everything else is falling to shit, she goes back to their history together. Because it’s safe. Because it’s a known quantity. Because it’s the only source of comfort she has.

And then THAT thought made me exhausted. Because I GET it. Adding a divorce and custody and the upheaval for the kids on top of everything else would probably push Beth to her breaking point. It’s just also heartbreakingly exhausting for me to watch Beth try to keep fitting herself into this box that she doesn’t actually want.

But I genuinely don’t think she’s going to be able to keep up this front for much longer. Especially with the new FBI agent and the failed (God, I hope she’ll actually tell him not to, but I’m not putting money on it) hit on Rio. I think those two things are going to act like a wrecking ball to her numbness this season and she’s finally going to be forced to confront how she feels. Not just about Dean, but about Rio.

Because her silences on that subject and over-the-top denials just speak volumes, at least to me.

So I am tentatively hopeful that this last scene actually does help propel Death towards its final end. Or at least, that it would have in a full 16-episode season 3. For now, though, I’m just gonna try and focus on the other things in this episode that made me happy.

PHOEBE -- as stated in my original post, I already love her. She’s understated and messy and clearly knows how to do her job. Not a huge fan of her FBI partner, mainly because I think he’s very stereotypically cast, but Phoebe is going to be FUN

THE ENTIRE SCENE BETWEEN BETH AND RIO IN HIS BAR -- do I really need to explain this one?

Dean STILL bringing up Rio and being the biggest undercover Brio stan

Beth primping and showing her cleavage to Rio -- I died! They ARE THE WORST AND I LOVE THEM!

Ruby and Sara’s scenes together, especially the conversation in the car -- part of me is so sad that Ruby had to have that talk with Sara, but at the same time I think it was needed. Sara, if she’s going to judge her mother so harshly, should have all the fact.

Basically the entire Hill family -- they have been the most beautiful contrast to the Boland family this season. While I do actually enjoy the Boland kiddos (especially Jane!), we don’t get to see them enough for me to really tell what each of them is like. Sara and Harry are somewhat more distinct, and Ruby and Stan, for all their bumps, are #COUPLEGOALS

[diyunho]

The Joker x Reader - “Ghost” Part 2

Bane’s wife is a mystery to everyone, including her husband. Ghost also happens to be The Joker’s little obsession, not that she ever pays attention to him. Maybe that’s why The King of Gotham should stop messing around: when you push too much, you might get more than you bargained for.

The Joker and his girlfriend left about 15 minutes ago; Kara was in a bad shape and you offered to drive her car back tomorrow. You have no idea how she made it to your house after the events at the club. You could tell J was fuming and for once he seemed to care about what happened to his woman: maybe it was a little wakeup call The King of Gotham needed. Hard to tell when it comes to these matters due to his spectacular personality.

One thing’s for sure though: after his arrival Kara couldn’t stop crying and Ghost knew why. The Joker’s girlfriend merely escaped assault and him giving a damn about the ordeal made her overemotional: it was the first time he showed some real interest outside the bedroom; he held her hand all the way to the car and didn’t even mind a kiss before she got in.

“You’re awfully quiet,” your husband points out. “You’ve been staring out the windows at the empty parking lot since they left. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah…I’m fine,” you turn only to see him signal for you.

Bane is not stupid; he can tell you’re distracted and he can guess the reason. As soon as you straddle his lap he rests his forehead on yours, choosing to dig a bit dipper without sugar coating his objective.

“Are you thinking about that day?”

You take such a strenuous breath there’s no need for a verbal confirmation.

“Wanna talk about it?”

You are aware of the meaning:  your spouse is not asking for details, he’s just bringing it up in case you want to share your feelings regarding Kara’s unfortunate experience.

You caress his bald head and sigh, prepared to describe the facts.

Bane never mentioned anything about the first time you’ve met simply because he always assumed he understood what he saw five years ago. The truth is he didn’t.

“When…when you found me…” you gulp and he distinguishes the struggle.

“Hey,” your husband whispers. “That’s not why I brought it up. You don’t have to re-live the past; I was trying to hint that if you want to discuss…”

He twists a strand of your white hair around his finger while you interrupt:

“When you found me behind the truck, that guy wasn’t trying to rape me; he was trying to kill me.”

Bane’s not wearing his mask and you can read the conflicting emotions written all over his face.

“Vee was my ex,” you continue and pause in order to gather your thoughts. “When I learned he was involved in human trafficking, I urged him to quit. The money was great and he refused so I planned to disappear and help some girls flee in the process. I was very careful yet he still perceived my intentions and when you bumped into us… he was trying to finish me so I won’t be any trouble for his boss and their line of business.”

“Shit…” HB mumbles, hating that his Ghost looks upset.

“I wasn’t defending myself from a rapist, I was fighting for my life. What do you think about that, hm?” you throw the question at him and his reply doesn’t fail:

“That whatever- his-name-was-your-ex had it coming. You can’t kill a Goddess! A man is lucky enough to encounter one and if he fucks up, then he signs up for the bitter consequences.”

A few moments of complete silence, then Bane hears his favorite words:

“I love you,” Y/N pecks the thin scars across his nose and decides to turn the gloomy night into a more accommodating situation. “We were having lots of fun when the unexpected guest barged in; we should stick to the original schedule and reprise our activity.”

“Agree,” Bane squeezes you in his strong arms tighter. “A tiny Ghost might be already in here,” he softly rubs your tummy.

“Or a handsome little brute,” you giggle and he has to underline:

“However, it doesn’t hurt to keep practicing.”

“U-hum,” you wink and he likes the smile forming on your lips, infinitely better than having his wife distressed about an incident that almost ended her existence.

*************

5 Years Ago

Bane was done loading the supplies he wanted in his truck, lingering at the spot chosen for that evening’s transaction. It was consistently a random place where everyone that wanted to buy or sell could get together and exchange merchandise; under the radar of course, since the negotiations were less than legal and the individuals present could have easily be enlisted on FBI’s most wanted list.

A lot of turmoil and movement at the campsite, but he still detected a woman’s scream; he carefully listened when it happened again. Bane circled his truck and walked between the vehicles stationed there until his heavy steps abruptly halted: there was a lady trying to get from under a limp body collapsed on top of hers, still holding the rock she used in order to defend herself.  

You crawled from under Vee and froze when you noticed Bane glaring at you. Y/N recognized the masked man: he was starting to gain a certain reputation, not that it was his purpose; he only stuck to his agenda and didn’t give a damn about anything else.

Your future spouse believed that one of the imbeciles tried to sample the merchandise and got more than he could chew; he also knew they didn’t like the girls to rebel and the price paid if they did.

That feral look in your eyes reminded him of the same fire that fueled his veins every time he attempted to get out of the accursed Pit; made him take a decision he never regretted: instead of alerting the others and score a nice bonus for cooperation, Bane gave you a choice.

“If you want to survive, come with me.”

You hesitated: was he toying with you before sounding the alarm?! The pile of muscles indifferently distanced from the scene and you got on your feet, stumbling from the aftermath of almost being assassinated by your former boyfriend. Vee was out cold and you dropped the rock by his feet, not bothering to check if he was dead.

You followed Bane to his truck and he gestured for you to hop in the back; it was difficult to fit in between the boxes yet you managed anyway. He covered everything with the tarp and advised while sealing the way out:

“Stay put!”

It was a nerve wracking couple of hours: Bane drove away immediately and you had no clue about what will occur next. Where was he taking you anyway?

**********  

He pried the door and Y/N strolled inside when she realized he was keeping it opened for her. “This is a gated, private property; we’re right outside Gotham, north of Willow Creek. You should lay low: by know they must have identified the guy and they might be searching for the responsible party.”

He was thinking you were “one of the girls” and you didn’t correct him.

“I had no clue I’ll find myself in this mess,” you skeptically brought it up. “I should go to my apartment and pack suitcases.”

“Bad idea,” the distorted voice huffed. “You should disappear, it’s safer. Those are not the type of people you want to cross!”

You nervously played with the hem of your torn dress and Bane added:

“There are clean clothes in the bedroom; you can use one of my t-shirts. I’ll bring some items your size tomorrow.”

“You’re not staying?!” you inquired, perplexed.

“Nope, I’m busy. Give yourself a tour; I’m positive you can cope with my absence.”

He saw the doubt and muttered:

“You’re not a prisoner; you can leave. Close the gates if you do. If I were you, I would linger on the premises.”

That’s all he said and left a very confused Y/N in the middle of the living room. You wished to ask why he was aiding a total stranger, but you figured it was dumb to do so: Bane seemed like the type of man that didn’t do things unless he felt like it. Period.

You curiously inspected the house, marveled that it was neat and organized: four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, the spacious living room, another bathroom and the kitchen downstairs. The dust settled on the counters indicated the hideout wasn’t used very often; the decorations were minimal, mostly functional, basic furniture.

You were grateful when you opened the fridge and found some food that was still eatable: the precooked kind but you weren’t picky at that point. After warming up a container in the microwave, Y/N took a sit at the table; with the crazy events that spiraled out of control she didn’t have time to reflect about her current predicament.

It hit as you were munching on your ravioli: how the hell did you end up there?! A sudden, unbearable sense of isolation washed all over you, the numbness that protected you from the initial shock gradually dissipating in thin air.

You had no plan. None whatsoever.

Was it better to go with the flow until you could outline a strategy aimed to get you out of the deep whole you accidentally sunk in? Maybe…

So you did.

**************

Next morning, Bane popped at the residence as promised; at 10:12 am he discovered a hyper Y/N tidying up the kitchen: after a sleepless night and six cups of coffee, she was pretty much invincible. You were wearing one of his military print t-shirts: it was big and he was somehow amused to see you swim in the garment.

“I brought you clothes, shoes and food,” Bane grumbled and arranged boxes on the chair closer to you. “I estimated on the size.”

“Thank you,” the sincerity in your voice proved you meant it. “Thank you for helping me.”

“U-hum,” he intensely gazed at you and maybe because you weren’t in your best shape you misinterpreted his demeanor: was your savior expecting some sort of reward? Since you didn’t have much to offer at that time, Bane probably wanted sex as compensation for his services. If he would have taken what he wanted by force, you reckoned it wouldn’t have been pleasant, not with a man his size; not putting up a fight could have made it at least bearable.  

Your logic was way off though: as soon as you took your t-shirt off he came near, picked it from the floor and dressed you back himself.

“You don’t have to do that,” he emphasized and saw how embarrassed you were. “Do you know how to load guns?” Bane switched the dialogue without making it awkward.

“Not really…”

“I’ll show you; I have a project coming up and you can assist.”

“OK,” you were fast to accept as it was an easy way to repay him.

“Besides cracking someone’s skull with a rock, do you know how to defend yourself?” the interrogation continued.

”If I have to.”

“Comes in handy,” he muffled the words beyond the mask and promptly took it off so he can enjoy the coffee too.

It was the first time you saw Bane minus the breathing device; definitely not what you imagined: he was good-looking. HB had a few thin scars across his nose and a thicker one above the upper lip that added a certain flair to his wholesomeness. 

He caught you staring and misjudged:

“What?” he growled, pouring hot liquid in a mug. “Is the view not up to your standards?”

Y/N has always been a direct person, that’s why she described exactly what was in her mind:

“I was actually thinking that you’re handsome.”

One of Bane’s eyebrows went high and he huffed at the candid remark:

“Hm… … I’ve been called worse.”

You bit on your cheek and waited for him to finish his coffee in silence, but he had more to say.

“You should change your appearance; it’s safer if they’re searching around for the runaway girl that dared retaliate.”

You nodded a yes, wondering how you could accomplish such task. He wasn’t wrong: it would have evidently aided if they were indeed hunting for you.

“I know somebody,” Bane insinuated the path of action. “I can bring Zorina here and she can work her magic; the woman’s a pro.”

“Sure,” you welcomed his proposal and instantly blurred out: “I have money stashed at my apartment; it’s a hefty sum, all cash. I’ll have to retrieve it then I will be able to reimburse you for everything you’re doing for me.”

He snorted, entertained at your passionate tirade:

“Reimbursed!” Bane repeated and slammed the cup on the counter, preparing to bail. “Don’t worry about that; they might have the condo under surveillance or maybe they already raided the rooms and took your money.”

“I hope not…” you frowned, swiftly tense at his warning.

“Wait for Zorina,” the suggestion alleviated your anxiety a bit. “I’ll text her and she can be here in one hour. I am going out of town in the morning; I will return on the 27th,” he grabbed his mask from the table. “If you have an emergency, call the number I uploaded as an emergency contact,” Bane handed you a brand new cell phone.

“Will you be the one answering?” Y/N asked.

“Yes,” he confirmed and noticed how relieved you seemed at his affirmation.

Bane came back after 10 days, on the 27th as scheduled. You were outside on the porch and he stopped in his tracks when you emerged from behind the wood pillars.

“How do I look like?” you presented the new Y/N to the stunned man instead of a conventional greeting: your hair was completely white, shaved on the left side and the fresh skull tattoo inked on the exposed skin completed the ensemble quite beautifully. The dark red eyeshadow and black leather suit scored extra points with your future husband.

Bane was a straightforward person and didn’t utter words unless he meant them, yet the unpredicted reply still made you smile:

“Like a Goddess.”

*************

For the next six months you helped with whatever was necessary: it kept you busy and while you understood everything was a test, you were able to form your own opinions too.

Bane wasn’t a mindless brute: he was intelligent, outspoken and articulate; the crew didn’t question his decisions not necessarily due to his physical appearance that indicated he could level anyone to the ground with one punch, but because they respected him.

You blindly plunged into an unfamiliar environment: in the great scheme of things, your ex Vee has invariably been a pawn struggling to find his way up to the top. Weren’t you the same now? Another small piece of the puzzle trying to figure out where it belongs?  

You weren’t positive so you kept your distance from the team members and never really talk to them; Y/N only did what she was told and stayed away from social interactions. After your disappointing past experiences, one could have said you didn’t like people. Why bother?

Even Bane was probably going to send you on your way soon: he kept on coming to the house more often and your best speculation was that he was getting ready to tell you to vacate the property. Which was fair; you couldn’t rely on his hospitality forever. And for some reason it made you sad.

It was true that Bane dropped by more often: from barely visiting the hideout once a month before your arrival, he multiplied his visits to 3-4 times a week. Under the pretext of checking up on his protégé and give her assignments, of course. It had nothing to do with how much he liked seeing your face light up every time he was around.

One night you fell asleep in front of the fireplace: it was cozy to pile up blankets and watch the longs burn until they turned into ashes. You woke up around 2 in the morning and stretched, surprised to see Bane passed out on the couch a couple of feet away. You didn’t hear him sneak in and assumed he had a motive for being there: to finally tell you he wanted the residence evacuated.

You rolled over and got on your knees, carefully placing two more logs on top of the dying fire.

“Add more,” the deep tone made you jump. “It’s getting chilly.”

“Hi,” you tilted your head to look at him. “I didn’t mean to awake you,” you apologized and did as requested.

“You didn’t,” Bane rubbed his eyes, totally used with short power naps instead of dozing off for hours.

You delayed more conversation, but it had to be addressed although you dreaded the subject; maybe he was expecting you to get the hint so you gathered the courage to speak up:  

“I was debating… I should…e-hem…” you fakely coughed, “… find a new establishment…”

“Don’t you wanna stay?” he cut you off.

“I do,” you admitted, “but it’s not fair to take advantage of…”

Bane’s laughter at the statement made you halt your small presentation; it was his strategy of disguising how discouraged he was at your arbitrary idea.

“I doubt I’m the type that can be taken advantage of,” he got on his elbow and you abandoned the warmth of the fireplace in order to sit down by him on the sofa. “You don’t have to go anywhere…unless you wish to,” he gave you choices once more.

You glared at each other for a few seconds and then you demanded:

“Can you please take your mask off?”

“Why?”

“I want to kiss you.”

Bane unsnapped the leather straps without a second invitation: God knows he seldom dreamed about it without paying attention to what it truly meant.

Your lips touched and the intimacy made him slowly pull you in his arms; it seemed natural that the woman he was in love with belonged there.

“My name is Y/N,” you suddenly moaned in between kisses and Bane paused, eager to mention:

“For your own safety I suggest to never disclose it to another living soul. It’s better if you don’t exist; a ghost doesn’t have a past or present thus can never be seized.”

“I like the notion of being a Ghost,” you intertwined your fingers with his. “And you have to call me something; the rest of the world also.”

“Sounds like you got yourself a deal,” Bane grinned and instantly cautioned: “I also have to bring up to your attention that I’ve never slept with a Goddess before.”

Your mouth got close to his ear and you whispered:

“I’ve never slept with a Handsome Brute but I believe we’ll manage.”

************

Today, 1:13 am

Your cell phone keeps on vibrating on the nightstand; attempting to ignore the insufferable noise might wake up Bane: you exhausted your husband last night and he has to recharge. You’ll probably need his services by morning time so… might as well make an effort for his sake.

Great, it’s The Joker.

“Hello?” you keep your voice down.

“I was thinking,” the insomniac King of Gotham gets straight to the core of the issue without apologizing for the late call. “Next time Bane’s out of town and you don’t accompany him, I should take you out to dinner; then we can get some stuff out of our system.”

Is he for reals?!

“I have a better proposal!” you hiss, irritated. “Next time Bane’s out of town without me, you’ll take your girlfriend out to dinner and then you can get whatever you want out of your system with her!! I’ll wait for my husband and then when he comes home he’ll know how to take care of my system!! GOT IT??!!” you hang up and J is displeased at your behavior:

“How fucking rude!” he puffs, cuddling next to Kara; she’s snoozing after her misfortune. 

“Who’s that?” your spouse groans.

“Uggghh,” you snuggle to his chest, aggravated by J’s crap.

“Idiot…” HB wraps both naked bodies tighter in the fluffy cover since he guessed the name; your reaction is enough clue.

Ghost pecks his shoulder and gradually relaxes, 100% convinced of the only truth in her life: if she ends up with nothing again, as long as he’s there she will still have everything.

Part 1: diyunho(.)tumblr(.)com/post/187322128171/the-joker-x-reader-ghost-part-1

Also read: MASTERLIST

diyunho(.)tumblr(.)com/post/153664676321/joker-x-reader-masterlist

You can also follow me on AO3 and Wattpad under the same blog name: DiYunho.

[wichols]

This is my first time ever doing any type of fan prompted writing event for myself and let me tell you I have some thoughts!!

But before thoughts let’s talk numbers.

Start Date: 1/8/2020

End Date: 1/24/2020

Total Fics Created: 9

Total Word Count Posted: 11,935

Prompts Received Anonymously: 5

Prompts Received By Users: 4

Longest Fic: Burning Intentions (2,203)

Shortest Fic: Attorney First, Wife Second (754)

Thoughts:

It was interesting to see which pairs and couples my general audience was requesting. By far the two most popular requests where anything to deal with Kyoya (my OTP) and Mori. You wanted my two favorite boys to get some comfort and happy endings and I was happy to supply them. Now that I step back and look at them, I will give you little fun facts or interesting thoughts I had while writing each one (mostly because I think it is interesting how writers explain their process of writing or their opinions on their own writings). The list starts chronologically from first to last fic posted.

1. Bland Cereal & Pregnancy Brain (Mori x Haruhi) 

I imagine that of all the hosts these two will have the closest thing to what Haruhi would deem a normal life. They will make time for each other and always try to check in on each other. If Haruhi wants normal life filled with a steady stream of love then Mori is her guy. I giggled my way through this prompt at Haruhi and her oblivious nature (my favorite quality about her). This prompt took two sittings to complete. The first to write it and second to edit. Overall one of the quicker ones I wrote in this batch.

2. Attorney First, Wife Second (Kyoya x Haruhi)

 This fic is one of my favorites that I have written.  It is also the first posted fic where stuff gets steamy. I was gasping and eeping the whole time writing their steamy elevator interactions. This story took 1 sitting to write, edit, and post.

3. Solemn Tears (Kyoya x Mori)

As stated in the original post this is the first-ever M/M fic I have written. IT WAS SO HARD. Not because it was M/M but because both characters don’t really ever let their guards down long enough for them to cry. Not only that, I really had to dig and analyze what would really push them to the point that they would cry. Have you ever seen two brick walls cry? Cause I sure haven’t! Their dynamic is interesting and I am glad that I got this prompt to stretch my writing skills. Multiple sittings required because I had no idea how I was going to write it.

4. Shrouded Kiss (Kyoya x Haruhi x Tamaki)

Oh, the angst! Out of all the fics posted this one felt the most OOC. My first thought when I received the prompt was, “Kyoya never does anything by accident.” Haruhi was a little OOC in my opinion but that’s because of how Kyoya proposed the idea of finding love. Do I believe what he says about only knowing once you have tried things with different people? No, but there is merit to say that each relationship and person you are with is going to feel different. Some people are just naturally passionate people while others are more subtle with their love. From what I recall this was a pretty easy write and edit.   

5. Obliviously Pregnant (Kyoya x Haruhi)

Haruhi probably couldn’t even surprise Kyoya with a pregnancy even if she tried. She might not have married a doctor but when you marry into a family who is a leader in the medical business nothing will stay a secret for long. On top of that, I am sure that Haruhi is so focused on work that she would actually just convince herself that she is sick rather than being pregnant. Now reader, I know you are curious as to why I decided to bless them with twins. Well, you see…..plot device. That’s really it. Plus, after I asked Google about multiples and pregnancy I was plagued with diaper ads. Note to self, use incognito more often when asking questionable questions.

6. Salmon Side Effects (Tamaki x Haruhi)

This was the first “Free Space” prompt. And I was in the thick of writing and posting. By the time I got to this prompt, I was tired. Not long after I got this prompt I experienced a depressive episode and spent the week slowly crawling out of the pit. I just couldn’t bring myself to work on this fic. I knew I would have to write Tamaki super excited and all I could think about was trying to make it throughout the day without crying. But I got out of the pit and finished it. Multiple sittings needed for completion.

7. Unyielding Devotion (Mori x Haruhi)

I am not sure when it comes to other writers but I cannot read and write fic at the same time. And after binge writing the last few fics I needed a break. I needed to read some fic! One night I was scrolling through FF.Net and decided it was time to start working through my 70+ fics waiting to be read. Picked a fic and I was off to the races (Something Honorable This Way Comes by ilovemori9). It was sweet and wonderful and totally the opposite of a break-up prompt. I think with the break up he was trying to do right by her, wanting her to not be held back by what was required of him. When I first started brainstorming this prompt I was going to have Kyoya lurking in the shadows waiting to take Haruhi as his own but the story wrote itself and it wrote Kyoya out of the story. I think it is better that way.

8. Broken Banner (Mori x Haruhi)

TINY HAMMER! Running joke between @ohshcscenerios and myself. This was such a fun story to write! Once I started I just had to finish. I don’t normally lean towards cute and innocent so it was a nice change of pace. Mori is held in high regard but he is, after all, a high school 3rd year. And he has a soft spot for Haruhi. Also, did you know that Mori is 6’2” while Haruhi is 5’1”? How do you accidentally kiss someone who is a foot taller than you?? So part of the issue in creating this story was how to get their mouths close enough to bump lips. I think the outcome suited the prompt. This was a two sitting story. 

9. Burning Intentions (All Characters)

The final prompt….this prompt I tell you what. I will be honest I loathed this prompt in the beginning. I was utterly at a loss as to how I was going to write this. I opened the doc, stared at the prompt and closed the doc multiple times over the span of a week. It was like that episode of Spongebob where he had to write an essay and he felt like he was doing so much work but all he did was the fancy-looking “The”. I almost gave up on it. I almost posted an apology instead of actually trying to write something. In a last-ditch effort, I pulled up Pinterest and searched the word ‘fire’. And then an idea hit me! I wrote part of it one night and finished it up the next day. This story quickly became a favorite because of the witty banter between the hosts. I was laughing at my own writing. I am now very proud of this story!

Final Thoughts & What’s Next?

Throughout the last 16 days, I have accomplished many things when it comes to writing! I went from only having posted 4 fics to now having 13 fics. Today (1/24/2020) on FF.Net Boundless Opportunities (Kyoya x Haruhi) reached 200+ views. On top of the 11,935 words I have posted I have also written an additional 9,124 words for other projects I am currently working on. That is a grand total of 21,059 words written from January 1-24! In my free time, I also finished The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and am 13 chapters deep with The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. On top of everything else, I created a beta profile! I have done so much this month and I want to thank everyone for their support and kind words! They really do me so much to me!

January has been busy! So I am looking forward to celebrating Freedom February!! I am giving myself permission to do whatever I want in February. I still have 11 more paper books to finish as well as 100+ fanfiction stories waiting patiently waiting to be shown attention. Basically what I am saying is I want to spend more time doing other hobbies as well as work on some of my wips that I have been neglecting since I started this project. 

Speaking of wips I will be spending February obviously working on my Kasanoda x Haruhi fic but also an idea that sprung up into my head this past week produced a very interesting idea for an AU bad boy fic with Hikaru x Haruhi that has some potential to become another multi-chapter story. Too soon to say if anything will come of it but I want to keep my options open!

TL;DR: January was crazy. Lots of writing. Background information for each fic posted from the bingo prompts. A list of January achievements. Don’t expect me to post anything prolific in February. Using my free time to explore hobbies other than writing. Diving headfirst into digital and paperback stories. Hopefully, make progress on my two main unposted projects. Stay tuned for updates and questions regarding my wips. Thanks! 

Special shout out to @ohshcscenerios for helping me out so much! Half of my stories wouldn’t be nearly as good without your help!! Thanks for pushing me to write some fluff instead of just sad angsty fics! Go check out the blog for all your burning host club asks.

If you would like to read any of these fics you can find them on Tumblr, AO3, or FF.Net.

[atinyidea]

Glitch | Ateez Gang! AU | FOUR

⟶ gang!au, hacker!au, love triangle? poly? female!original character

How curious it is, the fact that the police just gave a media conference, confirming ATZ’s involvement in Kyungri’s families newly-appointed murder, just as she sat down for her best friend, Jaehyeon, to be tattooed by one of the gang members?

⟶ glitch ml! main ml!

⟶ prologue | previous | next

⟶  note! @atinyluna @iis4d @untainted-memories !! if anyone wants to be on a tag list for this fic just let me know!

⟶ 4417 words

⟶ edited 08.03.2020

FOUR: The Club, 22:18,

Saturday 25 October 2025,

The two girls walked hand in hand around the streets, holding each other up and letting out quiet giggles now and then, the people around them not even bothering to look at the two ‘drunk girls. When they got to X-Clusive, they dropped hands, setting off in different directions and not looking back at one another as they walked, the ground beneath them was almost vibrating under the intense bass emanating from the club.

“Remember, you two have roles to play. You’re Lee Chanmi and Pyo Hyeri, two overly rich girls who went to school together, haven’t seen each other in a while so go crazy like stereotypical sorority girls in those cheesy movies you girls like to watch.”

“Yes GM, we know. Plus we only watch those movies to make fun of.” Chaeyoung grinned as she stepped out of the car. “You’re the one that buys them.”

After she left Kyungri shook her head with a small smile, “We’ve got this. I’ll keep you updated, keep watch, will you?” She asked, tapping the hidden camera in her choker before leaving to catch up with Chaeyoung.

While Chaeyoung went straight to the front of the long and snaking queue, ignoring the shouts of protests thrown her way, grinning at the bouncer who stood at the door with a clipboard in his hand and letting her pass by – “Name?” “Lee Chanmi.” “Right this way Miss Lee.” – Kyungri used this distraction to slip ‘round to the side of the building unnoticed in her black trench coat.

She pulled out one of her phones (Huawei) which had been upgraded explicitly to a wireless decoder and started the process at the back door. The door was locked with seven different types of locks.

The first two were done in a matter of seconds, two distinct clicks from separate parts on the door sounded out in the quiet alleyway. The third lock was different, a network-based electronic lock, taking a single minute to crack.

The fourth and fifth locks were the same type of lettering password locks just with two different lengths. Each took two minutes to figure out the random letter combinations, even with Kyungri tinkering away on the phone to help speed it up. (“Oh my God, how long are these passwords.” She grumbled.)

The sixth lock was similar to the previous two only this time it was a sequence of random numbers, taking just under two minutes – to which Kyungri had to force herself not to roll her eyes into the back of her skull out of frustration because of how long she had been just standing at a door, for anyone to come around the corner and see her.

The final lock was different, taking over her phone to display a virtual deadbolt and a twenty-second timer. Kyungri raised an eyebrow, only swiping her finger over the deadbolt to unlock it with five seconds left. “Oh shit?” Her eyebrows raised as the door pushed itself open for her, having nothing to hold it closed anymore. “Glad I brought the phone and not the laptop then.”

She slipped in the awaiting gap, pulling the door closed behind her and waiting for a couple of seconds to make sure the door was locked, more out of habit than curtesy, before making her way to the cloakroom. She blended into the middle of a group of girls as she removed the trenchcoat from her body. When she found Chaeyoung’s jacket, she simply hung the coat over the same hook and exited the room after making sure her clothes were presentable and popping a stick of gum in her mouth.

Using the same phone, she sent the whole process of the hack to Gongmyung so that he could make a case for their official job. Getting the simple reply of ‘good work, switch this phone off and get to playing.’

She smiled gently, switching the phone off and slipping the electronic into the back pocket of her shorts before fishing out another phone from its place in her bra, bumping into someone she didn’t catch to say sorry in the process. She stopped in her stride, in favour of not bumping into more people, but when she looked up to the corner of the club, she faced Kyungri noticed something a little peculiar.

She found her looking at a group of boys – men? – huddled in a shadowed corner. She wouldn’t’ve noticed them if she hadn’t stopped where she did but now she had seen them she didn’t know how she hadn’t spotted them before. Especially because one of them was standing outside of the little huddle like the worst bodyguard, she had ever seen. “Be a little more obvious; why don’t you?” She mumbled under her breath.

Her phone vibrated in her hand, a text from Gongmyung, reminding her to ‘record everything remotely suspicious’ and that he ‘couldn’t focus on them from her choker’s camera’ so she decided to use her setting to her advantage. She pulled up the camera feature on her phone, almost smug because she knew how good the camera on the device was, and set it going to record a video.

“Group selfie!” She shouted over the music in a high pitched nasally voice, holding up her phone that was already on record. The camera wasn’t facing her but instead the dark corner of huddled men; she was utilising the onslaught of flashes from the tens of camera’s taking several selfies around her, the high-pitched squeals of two dozen girls almost making her wince. Kyungri slipped away from the group once she was satisfied with her video and made her way to the bar.

As she sat down she watched the video back, muting it because the sound didn’t matter – it’ wasn’t like she’d hear anything. She was grateful for the brightening tool that automatically illuminated the shadowed corner for her to see the group, which she could now tell was a small number of three plus the ‘bouncer’, committing whatever features she could make out properly to memory. She lifted a hand to play with her dangling earrings, bouncing her leg that was crossed over the other: she had a role to play.

One man stood out in particular. He was the only one to look back past the ‘bouncer’ – who Kyungri had determined was either extremely new to the task or wasn’t particularly a part of their group – and towards the commotion, Kyungri had caused. She paused the video on his face, the one-second, he seemed to be looking directly at the eye of the camera.

His hair looked silver under the blue and purple neon lights and darkened by the shadows. It was on the long side, slightly hanging in his eyes, but only on the top as it didn’t reach past the base of his neck. His eyes were dark, from what she could see, but they weren’t small emphasised by the dark eyeshadow that lined his eyes. Kyungri couldn’t deny he was attractive, with a strong jawline, Romanesque nose and full lips. She scrolled the video away from his face, not wanting to let herself think about his lips. She was here for a job, not to ogle at an attractive man she had sneakily taken a video of. As she went to send the video to Gongmyung she noticed she had stopped the video at just the right moment to see the ‘bodyguard’ turn his body to show off the gun tucked into the pack of his pants. Kyungri grinned to herself, smacking the chewing gum in her mouth, as she sent the video with two simple words. “Got ya’”

“What’ll it be?” A new voice startled her out of her happy mood, but she didn’t drop her smile as she looked up to the bar girl who had come to serve her.

“What do you recommend?”

The bar girl rose and eyes brow at her so Kyungri pulled out the card Gongmyung gave her, her grin almost turning to one that mocked her. “Actually, I’d like the–”

“Let me guess, the most expensive drink we have?”

“No.” Kyungri raised an eyebrow; now it was getting fun. “I was going to say your second most expensive drink, I know just how much the most expensive is, and I don’t particularly like it anyway.” She said, giving her card over and turning her attention back to her phone, deleting the video, so she had no option of being found with it. Honestly, she had never been to the club before, but when the bar girl looked away and took her card, Kyungri couldn’t help but feel accomplished – one point for her snobby rich girl persona.

“Take a tip too, however much you want.” Kyungri winked as she looked up again, leaning more onto the countertop. She grinned as the bar girl handed over her card with her drink, “thanks,” she said, taking a sip as she kept eye contact.

Kyungri turned, slipping out of the seat to lean back against the bar on her elbows, looking out over the club – she might as well start looking for Chaeyoung. Only when she cast her gaze over the crowds dancing, it met the gaze of the man from her video. Now he was looking directly at her she Kyungri couldn’t find it in herself to look away.

He was now in the middle of the dancefloor, under bright blues and purples and she could finally see him. His silver hair, eyeliner, hips swaying in circles. She could now also see the array of ear piercings he had, giving off little gleams every time the metal caught a ray of light. When he noticed she was looking back at him, he got cocky – rightfully so – twisting his body and biting down on his lip. As his body moved so did his shirt – such a low-cut shirt Kyungri could see just about everything – the thin material not giving much for the imagination.

She looked away for a second, not wanting a blush to raise to her cheeks, and ran her tongue along her bottom lip, biting down gently a second after. When she looked back up to him, he was closer, making his way towards her. She simply raised an eyebrow, blowing a bubble from her chewing gum.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing all alone in a place like this?” He asked, stopping in front of her. He hadn’t had to shout, the music much quieter by the bar than on the floor. His voice wasn’t the deepest thing she had ever heard, but it wasn’t high pitched either. She didn’t quite know how to describe it, especially after one sentence, but she knew right away; she liked it, which was weird. She liked the sound of a stranger’s voice?

“Oh, wow.” Her eyebrows raised, and her nose scrunched a little in disgust.

“What?” He asked, the corners of his lips twisting up as he lent on his side against the bar.

“Okay, maybe if you come up with something better I’ll think about telling you.” You teased, pulling her glass up to her lips again.

He grinned. “I would if I could think straight. Kinda hard when you’re the only thing in my head.”

She shook her head as she smiled in amusement, letting out a breathy snort of a laugh and putting the glass down on the counter and turning on her side to face him, the camera in her choker getting a close up of his face. It would be handy for later. “You don’t even know my name.”

“But it was better, Right?” He gave her a smirk, bringing her glass to his lips and watching her watch him take a drink. “I’m Wooyong.”

Kyungri waited a few seconds, deciding if she should keep entertaining him. “Hyeri.”

“Pretty name for a pretty woman.”

“These are getting worse.”

Wooyong let his head fall back as he laughed loudly. A smile lifted to her lips once again as she found herself laughing along with him. The sound was nice to her ears, his laugh was childlike – high pitched and almost innocent – and she liked it. As he calmed down his eyes descended her body, following the contour of her collar and the definition of her exposed abdomen and finally down to her long legs that were bare due to how short her shorts were. He could tell she’d be slightly taller than him at her full height and while he didn’t particularly care, he was a little grateful for the flat trainers she wore.

“Would you like to dance?” He asked, looking at her through his eyelashes.

“I hope your moves are better than your lines.”

He grinned at you, taking her hand in his and pulling to gently to the dancefloor he was just on. Then he was behind her, pulling her back to his chest and wrapping his arms around her waist, his mouth right by the shell of her ear.

“I didn’t say you could touch me.” Kyungri teased. He went to lift his arms from her torso, but she placed her left hand over his, pressing down slightly to keep his hands on her body, her right-hand curling around the back of his neck to play with the ends of his hair.

She really wasn’t that much taller than him, no more than a few centimetres anyway, but she still let her head fall back on his shoulder as the BPM of the song picked up. Their bodies moved together as one, no space between them as hips swayed and hand roamed. He was warm, and he knew how to dance, and Kyungri was enjoying herself.

“How are my moves?” He asked, his voice clouded with emotion in her ear.

“Better than your lines, that’s for sure.”

One of his hands lifted to take hold of her chin gently, their faces grew closer together, and her breath hitched. They were interrupted before their lips could connect.

“Hyeri? Park Hyeri? Seoul University Park Hyeri?”

Kyungri broke out of his hold, whipping around to come face to face with Chaeyoung – or rather her new persona – watching as her expression changed from one of curiosity to one of excitement. Chaeyoung had gotten better at acting.

“Chanmi? Lee Chanmi!”

“Hyeri!”

“Oh, my God!”

Both girls had erupted into squeals and high-pitched shouts, clinging onto one another for dear life and jumping up and down in an exaggerated way.

“I haven’t seen you in forever!”

They pulled each other in for a tight hug, Chaeyoung talking in her ear low enough only Kyungri could hear. “The deal’s going down in ten minutes. Upper east wing through the second door on the right.”

“Time to get away then. Plan A?”

“Plan B will be more effective, especially with Mr Let-me-fuck-eyes over there. Jeeze, you’re reeling them in these days.” She pulled away from the hug before Kyungri could respond. “I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“When did you get back from Italy?! Why didn’t you text me!”

“Like yesterday!” Chaeyoung giggled. Then her gaze flicked over Kyungri’s shoulder where ‘Wooyong’ stood, having not moved yet, and gave him a smirk. “I hope you don’t mind me stealing her for a bit!  I’ll give her back later, I promise.”

“I, Yeah. No problem. What?”

“You’ve got a catch of a girlfriend!” Chaeyoung winked at him, her smile widening as she noticed how shocked he was before turning and dragging Kyungri towards the bar. “SHOTS ON ME!” She screeched, holding her hand up in the air. They used the commotion of people who flocked to the bar for free alcohol as a getaway, slipping through everyone and almost running up a set of stairs in the back.

“You know you’ll still have to pay, right?”

“My card’s behind the bar. Just remind me to tell Daniel to cut it off when we get back.” Chaeyoung grinned. Daniel was Gongmyung’s name for the job – his mission name as Chaeyoung called it. It was simple and not related to his name in any way. The girls were always careful never to slip on a job.

Kyungri smiled at her best friend, shaking her head slightly but making no comment.

“So, a new boy toy?”

“Oh my God, can you not right now?”

“He was cute! All glistening like he was all oiled up. You two seemed close.” Chaeyoung said, not bothering to keep her voice down as they rounded a corner. “He didn’t even deny being your boyfriend.”

“You dragged me away before he could say anything.”

“You wanted to hear if he denied it?” Chaeyoung’s voice dropped to a whisper, spotting a man standing guard outside a door. He hadn’t noticed them – for some reason; they were quite loud – his gaze straight ahead to the wall opposite him. Chaeyoung motioned that she was going to go to him, that she had this, and Kyungri gave her a single nod, pulling out her phone – she just wanted to record this moment.

Chaeyoung was confident in her stride, her heels clicking against the tiled floor, with a sweet smile on her face as she approached the man. He was taller than her and bulkier than her, but he was the one at a disadvantage. Especially as she smiled at him before lifting her foot and stomping down on his foot with her heel, hitting his nose with her right elbow as he doubled over in pain and coming down with her left hand to ‘karate chop’ the back of his neck. In a matter of seconds and a flurry of specific movements, the guard lay on his front passed out, and Chaeyoung flipped her hair over her shoulder and shot a kiss toward Kyungri.

They two girls pulled the man into an empty room, making sure to lock the door after they left – it wasn’t a secure lock by any means, just a simple turn of the old-fashioned lock inside the door’s handle. However, the door was only lockable from the outside. It would ensure that he wouldn’t be able to get out of the room even if he woke up.

Then the girls assumed his position as if they had been there all along.

Continuing their conversation, Kyungri spoke up as she looked back own to her phone. “I don’t even know him.”

“Do you know his name?”

“Wooyong.”

“Then, you know him.”

“Oh my God,” Kyungri muttered under her breath, pressing the call button. “Daniel can hear us now.”

It was a few long seconds of silence before Chaeyoung spoke again. “You are allowed to have fun, y’know.”

“We’re doing a job.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” She paused when Kyungri sent her a look, eyebrow raised. “Okay! But you didn’t even get his number!” She exclaimed.

Kyungri closed her eyes, clenching her jaw.

“You’re getting all the attention today. Mr Tattooist and now Mr X-Clusive.” Chaeyoung continued, not caring about Kyungri’s current expression. “Too bad Mr Tattoo is shady.” She pouted.

“Everyone is shady.”

“I guess.” Chaeyoung agreed, looking over at Kyungri with a teasing grin. “You’re shady too, a match made in heaven.”

“Please shut up.”

“And Mr X-Clusive? You two are both sexy as shit. Another match made in heaven. Or Hell. He looked rather sinful, don’t you think?”

Her voice was practically a whine when Kyungri spoke. “Stop,” She said, dragging out the vowel.

“Excuse us, ladies.” Came a male’s voice, attracting their attention to a group of three. The one who had spoken, the one in the middle, had dark red hair and a charming smile upon his lips. Next to him were two men, a tall one to the right with black hair, pulled back away from his face and the other was of average height with dark brown hair.

“Should you be up here?” The tall one asked.

Immediately Chaeyoung perked up, plastering on a wide smile across her face and greeted them in a high-pitched and sickly-sweet voice. “Hi, there!” She exclaimed, waving her fingers innocently. Kyungri leant back against the wall, looking down to her phone, remembering she had called Gongmyung, so he could hear what was going down. It saved time and made her look less suspicious – if she were texting away every time the men said something they would take more interest in her and right now, she wanted to be next to invisible. Gongmyung sent her a text, ‘call muted, they won’t hear anything’ it said, and Kyungri let herself smile a little.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Can I help you?”

“You sure can.” The red-haired one smiled. “Take your pretty self and your friend here and go backstairs for me, yeah?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“And why is that, lovely?”

“Why should I tell you?”

Getting annoyed, the one of the left took a step forward, moving his jacket, so Chaeyoung (and Kyungri) had a clear view of the gun in his possession. “I think you should be more serious, little girl.”

“Oh! That’s a nice one! Sig Sauer P226 Handgun, right? I have three of them.” Chaeyoung winked, not phased even a little bit by the sight of a gun. She thanked the stars for the one helpful thing her father gave her. Kyungri couldn’t help the smirk forming on her lips, failing to stop the small giggle that left her lips at the shocked faces of the men. Gongmyung also expressed his amusement, in the form of a text. “My daddy taught me.”

“Your father?”

Chaeyoung simply nodded, the grin never fading from her lips.

“Who is he?”

“Where’s the fun in telling you that?” She teased, bouncing on the balls of her feet like a child.

“Look, girl. You need to get out here before you regret it.”

“Why would I regret it? Not looking for someone who can take it rough?”

“We’re here for a meeting not to fuck around. Forget you saw us and leave.”

“Well, finally! We’ve been waiting almost half an hour for you guys to show up!” It was a lie, they hadn’t been there more than five before they showed up, but Chaeyoung sold her lie impeccably.

“What?” The angry one raised a brow while the other two furrowed theirs.

Kyungri stepped forward, lifting her eyes from her phone, attracting the attention of the men who had almost forgotten her presence. While Chaeyoung had kept them busy, stalling them with her circular words, Kyungri and Gongmyung had got to work, hacking into their phones and downloading everything from their texts, pictures and emails to the encrypted files tucked away under passwords. It was child’s play. While Kyungri herself couldn’t hack directly, knowing it would cause too much attention, Gongmyung had been successful, downloading everything they had and finding some critical information just at the right time.

“We’re already running late, just cut to the chase and give us the password so that you can get on with the trade, and we can get on with our jobs.”

The tall one looked down at Kyungri, not that she was much shorter than him, with a raised brow and a small scoff. “You’re with ATZ?”

“That’s the wrong password.” Kyungri deadpanned, not looking away from his gaze, her face expressionless. She hadn’t hesitated, showing no indication of the shock she felt. The other gang was ATZ? Great.

While she hadn’t explicitly said she was with ATZ, her lack of hesitation and the conviction of her words had almost won over the members of NCT. The red-haired one narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought.

“I’m starting to think you just have a problem with women.” Chaeyoung giggled, running her fingers through her hair. The man of the left shot her a glare and went to step forward, being stopped by the man in the middle who stuck out an arm.

“What is at the end of a rainbow?”

“That’s the wrong password, are you sure you’re not the intruders here?” Kyungri couldn’t help the small quip.

“Listen, you little bitch-“

“Woah! Hey now! No need to be so rude!” Chaeyoung exclaimed, shoving a finger into his face. “We’re just doing our job! What Mr Boss Man says goes, no objections.” Her smile dropped now, only for a few seconds, but it was enough to get the message across. He stepped back, and the red-haired one sighed before he spoke.

“What gets broken without being held?”

“A promise! Thank you!” Chaeyoung thanked, her voice sickly sweet and her smile plastered back upon her face before she turned to Kyungri, her tone dropping to her natural deeper pitch and asked, “is Daniel Ready?”

“Yup,” Kyungri said, showing Chaeyoung her phone with the latest text from Gongmyung, the three names of the men in front of them.

“Well then, nice meeting you, Yuta, Johnny, Taeil. See you around!” The orange-haired girl lifted a hand to wiggle her fingers as they stepped aside, granting access to the door for the three of them.

The two girls shared a short look, leaning against each other and the wall before erupting into giggles as the door opened. Chaeyoung waved to the men once again this time, her expression was flirty, before she stumbled away from Kyungri, making sure she looked drunk. Kyungri followed suit, linking her arm through Chaeyoung’s and throwing her head back in a giggle as the people inside the room began talking.

“What took you so long?”

“Your girls!”

“What girls?”

The girls were thankful for the cameras they wore as they didn’t have time to see who was inside the room for themselves before they were rushing away from the hallway, gone from the wall when the three men turned back to motion to them.

They didn’t exactly run down to the main floor, but they did make it down to the cloakroom pretty quickly, pulling their jackets from the hook, not bothering to put them on, and making their way out the front door to where a car had pulled up on the street right in front of the club.

“Nice job, girls. Let’s get home yeah, I just ordered chicken.” Gongmyung grinned out at them, still dressed in his pyjamas, as the two girls shared and accomplished smiled and got in.

“We’re gonna have to change my hair tonight.”

[cavillkingdom]

‘One in a million.’

Part 2

Note: I decided to write the Platinum's events happening from Raleigh's point of view, so it'll definetly have dialogues from the original story. I hope you like it.

Part 1

M!Raleigh x MC (Juliet Evans/Angel)

Rate: G

Words count: 2252 words.

Tag list: @valtorian-duchess @perriewinklenerdie @lovedrakewalker @heauxplesslydevoted @ironsmaug @choicesgirl94 @furiouscloddonutpeanut @teamdrake27 @umiumichan @blackwidow2721 @companion-mala @emceesynonymroll @madaboutchoices @sparesomediamonds @sophrosinn @nikkisha16 @mile9213 @livedinawomansworld @emomoustache @rosaquesalz @dearlavenderwitch @ccolz88-blog @makitokito @lumielikesbooks @grumpyramsey @paidamarceline @thequeenchoices

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Another day at the backstage of One in a Million, Raleigh would never admit it, but he was enjoying himself as he watched the team trying to catch any moment of intimacy between the mentors and their contestants. While he tuned his guitar against a wall, far of prying eyes, he saw Juliet and Avery hugging, kissing as they waved bye-bye to the cameras.

“That's enough mugging for the camera. Juliet and I have got some work to do.” Avery stopped the camera man in the middle of his sentence, in a sweet way that only Avery Wilshere could do.

Raleigh put down his guitar and approached the duo.

“Back in the ring, huh?” He smiled.

“Nothing more than she can handle. Isn't this right, Juliet?” Avery smiled big to Juliet.

“If I can tackle these cameras, I can tackle this mentorship session.” She answered excited.

“That's the spirit. It's all about making the press work for you.” Raleigh said smiling as he greeted some fans who were nearby as the cameras tried to keep up with him. He had fun with that, had fun watching as they ran after him like crazy. He couldn't help to look back at Juliet, who watched his every move and laughed nonchalantly.

He approached again as Juliet and Avery talked to Fiona Syed, Avery's publicist. He got involved into that chatter and Juliet managed to push Avery and Raleigh to a possible collab.

“You barely know me and there you are, giving me a hard time.” Raleigh laughed shaking his head.

“First of all, you were the one who decided to joke about it. I just gave my opinion.” She said as she smiled slyly to Raleigh. “Second, a collab between the two of you? Oh, come on, Raleigh, I can practically see it at the top of the charts right now.” She said as she laughed. “It'll be the best of both worlds.”

“There's one hell of a chance that mothers stop loving you, Avery.” Raleigh considered and Avery laughed in surprise.

“Don't worry about it. That's very much impossible.” Juliet assured. “They'd probably choose to believe that his good manners and golden boy's ways would just be a good influence on you.”

“Oh, geez... If that's the case, I'm already sorry for them.” Raleigh said immediately.

“Keep tellin' yourself that, Carrera. You may fool all those people out there, but I'm getting to know you better than that.” She smirked at him and he laughed.

“You wish, Evans.” Raleigh shrugged and Juliet laughed.

“Well, we have to go now." Avery spoke as he laughed at the conversation. “We'll see you later, Raleigh.”

They both said goodbye and left Raleigh behind. He continued to socialize with some fans and then he found a spot where he could stay hidden from absolutely anyone trying to find him. Juliet was a constant thought, much to his own dissatisfaction.

Sometimes he found himself thinking about the way she interacted with everyone, always smiling, always making positive comments, but at the same time, she was a little bit snarky and sassy. She was fun and, not to mention, hot as hell. She was always seeing the best on everything, he tried, but he couldn't ignore the fact that she got to see beyond his barriers so easily that could be annoying.

And there were only two days since the day they've met.

“She barely knows me. It won't take long until she's just another one in the infinity list of people who have been disappointed on Raleigh Carrera.” He thought sighing as he strummed the strings on his guitar.

“Oh, damn!” She said as she stopped halfway. “Sorry, I've thought that there was nobody in here.” She apologized as she turned around facing the way she came from.

“No, wait!” Raleigh called her making her turn to face him again. He realized something was wrong. Every time they bumped into each other, Juliet was always positive, but at that moment, it was as if a dark cloud hung over her head. “What’s wrong?”

“There's nothing wrong.” She answered quickly and he laughed.

“Ok, kitten, you're gonna have to do better than that to get me convinced.” He arched an eyebrow and she stared at him for a few seconds before she sighed loudly. “So are you going to tell me what's wrong or I'll have to guess?” He asked and she gave him a tired smile.

“Why do you care?” She asked, the smile still playing on her lips. Not even he knew why, but it was strange to see her that way.

“Well, you're always butterflies and rainbows at all times. It's so weird to see you in this full ‘doom and gloom' mode. I just got curious.” He responded with a shrug and she let out a laugh.

“Oh, Carrera... You do care.” She smiled mockingly.

“That's why I don't ever deal with people.” He rolled his eyes and she laughed out loud.

“Yeah, right.” She mocked.

“Ok, kitten, you're going to lunch with me.” He informed before she could deny or accept anything. “And get ready to taste the best deep-dish pizza you'll ever have.” He guaranteed.

“Isn't this a Chicago thing?” She asked with a frown.

“You can trust me to found any food at any place.” He laughed smugly. “Don't ask too much, Juliet. The best things in life aren't explainable. You just have to enjoy.” He said and she laughed nodding.

“Fine.” She agreed. “But lunch is on you.” She said receiving a frown from him. “What? You're rich and I just quit my job. Suck it up, Carrera. You're paying for it.”

“Where did I get myself into?” He sighed dramatically, receiving a wry look from Juliet.

They went to a nearby restaurant, Raleigh ordered and asked to wrap up for taking. Raleigh and Juliet walked together to the city park, it was so desert at that time of day. It was mostly visited for teenagers before and after school time and mothers with their babies for their morning walks. They found a great spot under a tree's shadow. They sat there and started to dig into their food.

“That was a great deep-dish pizza.” She admitted and he smiled with his mouth stuffed, making her laugh at him. “Oh, God... You're such a child!”

He swallowed his mouth's content and smiled back at her “Told ya. You should have a little bit more of faith in me, kitten.”

“Why the hell you keep calling me that?” She asked as she looked at him.

“Don’t you know?” He asked her teasingly. She rolled her eyes but smiled after a few seconds.

“Oh, it's ‘cause you think I'm so cute?” She asked blinking her green eyes at him with a sly smile.

“What?” He laughed at her and she smiled bigger.

“Don't deny it!” She commanded and he laughed again.

“Actually, it's because there was a lot of tigers so ready to swallow you alive yesterday and you looked like a tiny little kitten around them.” He said expecting her to bark out a laugh, but her face has fallen apart. “What's wrong?”

She lowered her head shrugring. “It doesn't matter.” She said sighing.

“Oh, come on, Juliet.” He said annoyed. “You know you can tell me.” He didn't even know why he cared about that. He just met her, it's not like they were close enough for him to care.

But he cared, for some reason.

“It's exactly what you said.” She said sadly. “I'm a little fish in the ocean, surrounded by big sharks who are ready to eat me alive.” She looked at him seeming so weak, so insecure. “And right before I saw you, I've founded Fiona and she basically said to me that was very much likely that America wouldn't vote for me. That I needed to have a story to feed them.”

Raleigh sighed as he thought about how Juliet had crossed paths with someone as calculating as Fiona Syed before she was even famous. On the one hand, it was bad. She wasn't used to this fake world of the celebrities, so the truth could be brutal, but on the other hand... He was relieved to know that Juliet would have someone who would not bother to embellish the truth, no matter how bad it was. She would go straight to the point and probably guide her into a, ever-so-practical, path. That would probably make Juliet grow a thick skin.

“See? Kitten.” He said and she glared at him, making him laugh at her. “Come on, Juliet. Look how far you've come! You were at a big ocean yesterday, with tons of sharks ready to devour each other and here you are. You are at the top three. You see yourself as a little fish, but the biggest of the sharks, according to you, went home. Face it, kitten, you are one of the big sharks, deal with it. So, you’ll go back there and you'll ask Fiona what will you do to turn this table. Trust me, if there's someone that can make it happen, this one is Fiona Syed.”

“Are you serious?” She was looking almost offended but he laughed again.

“Dead serious.” He said. “And don't think that I'll make it easier for you. You'll have to earn it.”

“Raleigh Carrera!” She was almost smiling.

“What? I've paid for lunch. Now you'll do whatever you have to do to win this thing.” He said. “Don't let me down, kitten.”

“Will you ever stop calling me that?” She looked at him with an eyebrow arched and he smiled.

“Hell no, kitten.” He laughed and she threw one of the empty pots at him, laughing.

They went back to the building. Juliet went after Fiona and Raleigh went back to avoid all of those people. He believed he had done enough, he just stayed there “just in case". He already talked to the contestants and already flirted for the cameras with, basically, everyone he had to. He was so ready to head home, but before he could dream about it, Juliet busted into the auditorium with a big smile on her face, asking for everyone to follow her.

“What the hell?” He whispered when he got close to her.

“Shush. You'll see in a minute.” She waved a hand dismissively at him.

Everyone followed her to another auditorium nearby. The space had been decorated, there was a dance floor, lots of food and a DJ. Juliet smiled big at Avery and to the cameras.

“That's enough of work. It's time for us to party!” She said receiving excited screams of every one of the crew. Raleigh waited until Juliet talked to everyone and interacted with the cameras before he went to her.

“What's your game?” He asked smiling at her.

“I'm here to win.” She said smiling with such confidence that made Raleigh smile with her once again.

“Aw, shucks... You're growing up!” He mocked as she punched his arm. “But, if you ask me, it's not a great party if the dance floor is so empty.”

“You should be the first to hit it.” She said with a defiant look that made him laugh.

“You are so right, kitten.” He walked from her going into the dance floor. He started to dance the choreography of one of his music videos.

“That's a low blow, Carrera.” She said as he smiled at her.

“What? Think you can't handle?” He asked teasingly and she smiled.

“Well, I don't think we need to keep score.” She said softly, dancing close to him as he smiled big.

“It's like you were reading my mind.” He gave her a sexy smile as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He could see the cameras around as they caught every little movement of Raleigh and Juliet on the dance floor, but for the first time, the cameras weren't making him pissed. He was actually enjoying that. Having her so close, smiling so beautifully at him, totally relaxed as she danced in his arms. He could deal with that. If that's all that he had to do, then he was just fine.

Avery and the rest of the crew joined Raleigh and Juliet on the dance floor. They all danced together and had the best time after the day they had.

“How are you feelin’?” Raleigh asked as he approached Juliet by the buffet.

“So much better!” She said relieved. “And so grateful that Fiona and I could work something that wouldn't make me feel like a complete fraud.”

“Don't worry about it, kitten. You get used to it.” He said with a smirk. “No one in the industry is who they say they are.” Raleigh laughed.

“So, are you telling me that you're not that rebellious, selfish and irresponsible heart breaker everybody knows?” She raised an eyebrow at him. He opened his mouth to answer her, but instead, his mouth was hanged open as he figured out what to say. “Oh, my sweet Lord. Have I made you speechless?” She said with a playful smile on her face.

“Oh, shut up!” He said pushing her arm playfully as she laughed at him. “You’re better dancing than saying that senseless stuff.”

He liked her and he was happy that she had found her pace. He wasn't ready to see her go and he was hoping that this time, where they’ll need to say goodbye, never really comes.

[lailannajacobs]

Roman Holiday pt. 7

Pairing: Loki X Reader

Summary: Reader gets sick and, in dealing with their cold (that’s taking longer to shake than usual), they begin to see that maybe there’s more to their usual sparring partner than they originally thought. Maybe, getting sick was exactly what they had needed?

Warnings: fluff and um, explosions! 

Word Count: 3k

A/N: Hi!! So I thought this bit was ready for you guys but then decided to rewrite the whole thing, seems to be a habit with this series! I got inspiration for this chapter from another wonderful anon (or the same?) and am super grateful for all the feedback, suggestions and comments xxxxxx P.s the next chapter’s going to get a little angsty <3 

After an hour of learning how to be a decent enough shot to finally test out your arrows, and over another hour of almost blowing off Loki’s head each time he caught them, you had enough information to fix the problem. Late evening sun trickled into your lab, glinting off the pristine metal. It made it harder to see what you were doing but you refused to darken the windows. The first time you had done that, it was as if you had been back in that tool shed excuse of a lab and you had practically bolted from the room. You didn’t mind making your job a little harder if it meant that you could see outside and know that you could just get up and go if you wanted.

But that kind of light meant that you had been in the lab for so long that you had missed supper without realizing it. Your stomach growled in confirmation. The arrowhead in your hand was almost finished so you told yourself the same thing you had repeated all afternoon. Just this last one.

It didn’t surprise you that you had worked all afternoon, finally glancing at the clock at eight thirty. What was hard to believe that you had spent over two hours with Loki in the archery range. It shouldn’t have surprised you seeing as you spent an hour sparring with him every second day, but you were all the same. And what was even more surprising was that it had actually been…fun.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

“Clint, they’re not ready yet. If you tell me you’re only going to be back tomorrow morning, you’re only get to get your precious toys tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t believe he’s back yet.” Loki answered.

You whipped your head up, practically dropping the arrowhead. Your heart lurched at the thought of having to start from the beginning with this one, but you managed to steady everything. Loki leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and his foot crossed over the other. You might have been tense and surprised, but he was relaxed and easy.

“What are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed to be?”

“No.” You thought about it for a moment then shrugged and got back to your work. “Actually you can as long as you don’t bother me.”

He huffed a little breath.

“But seriously, why are you here?”

“I could hear your stomach growling from across the hall.” He explained.

You cut one of the wires and tucked it into a small metal pocket with your tweezers. “I know technically that’s not true but I can’t say you’re wrong.”

“I brought food.”

You looked up in surprise but managed to keep ahold of your work this time. “You brought food?”

“That is what I said.”

“I know. I heard.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“Because I don’t believe it.”

With a deadpan expression, he lifted a pizza box.

You didn’t know what to say, so for some reason you blurted out, “I can’t eat a whole pizza by myself.”

He looked down at the box then back at you. “Does that mean you don’t want it or…”

Your stomach growled in response. “No. I mean yes I do want it.” The arrowhead felt heavy in your hands, “but I can’t actually pick it up so just give me a second.”

“Don’t rush,” he said walking into the room and placing the box on the far end of the table, “the delivery time was a second so it should still be warm for a while.”

You smirked despite yourself and watched as he turned to leave. When he was in the doorway a thought occurred to you.

“Loki?”

He stopped.

“Thank you.”

You heard a another huff of a breath that my have been a chuckle and then he was gone. Your stomach growled again. Just this last arrow and then you’d eat.

Small Town Pennsylvania: About three Years and Five Months Ago

“When you said we were going on a mission, I wasn’t expecting some no name town in the middle of Pennsylvania…Not that I’m complaining.” You quickly added into the com before Clint could think you were being ungrateful.

Somehow you doubted he would think that. The excited grin on your face on the ride here had been kind of hard to miss.

But despite how excited you were, you were just as nervous. Steve had deemed you mission ready two weeks ago but didn’t want to send you on anything overly dangerous or exciting for your first one. Raiding a small Hydra base for weapons, and information you weren’t classified highly enough to know, was low enough on the danger list that you were allowed to go.

Apparently there was little security and Steve wanted the place blown up once you were done so it was the perfect first mission. You could already feel the high coming on at the thought of blowing something up and leaving destruction in your wake.

The road you had been on was surrounded by pine trees, and you had had to walk about a mile off the road just to get close to the base without getting caught. The entire base, surrounded by an electrical fence topped with barb wire, was visible from where you were perched at the top of the hill. From afar, it kind of looked like a prison.

Clint came up and crouched beside you, practically giving you a heart attack. Even if you had been expecting him, you were still too jumpy. You needed to get a hold of yourself or you were going to get yourself killed.

“How are you feeling?”

You shrugged, “A little nervous.”

“Doesn’t show,” he answered, peering through the trees in a way that reflected his alias. “Your crazy looking grin does a good job at masking it.”

You lips spread further. “I was getting tired of being cooped up all day.”

“I get that. But you know, if you think you need help, let me know right now. I need to know what you’re ready for before our lives are on the line.” There was no judgement in his voice, only business.

You knew Clint had a family somewhere and he needed to stay alive for them. This was about more than keeping yourself alive. You had to help keep him alive too. The thought of almost killing Bucky flashed through your mind but you pushed it away just as quickly as it appeared. Being distracted would get you all killed. Well most of you anyways. Dying didn’t seem to take with some.

You glanced over at Loki who hadn’t said a word the whole ride here. The tension between him and Clint was palpable but Loki had taken every command with a curt nod. At first you had been surprised that he had been so cooperative but apparently his freedom was tied to his behaviour and you guessed he had decided that being an avenger was better than being in prison.

“I’ll be fine but seriously, thank you. And anyways,” you tried to tone down your smile from crazy to reassuring, “I can’t have you losing all your explosive arrows doing my job. It just seems like a waste to me.”

“Yeah well maybe you can think of something that will solve that.” He got up and was about to take off but thought the better of it for a second, “(y/n), get ready. It’s almost time.”

You nodded and felt the grin tugging at your lips again. Clint was going to think you were crazy.

Loki pushed off the tree to follow and paused beside you.

It was barely long enough for you to hear the words, “don’t mess up” before he was walking again, steps away from Clint.

You fingered one of your smaller explosives but knew you couldn’t direct it at Loki. You couldn’t jeopardize the mission, and you knew deep down that you didn’t actually want to kill him. You were on edge right now, that was all. But one day he’d get a taste of his own medicine. Beating him while sparring would be your revenge for all of his quips. You could taste the victory. You knew you were strong enough to do it.

Settling in, you waited for the signal. Your part didn’t come in until the end of the mission and it would be a long wait. Something Clint had said rung through your mind. Maybe you could fix his little arrow problem.

You tinkered with the explosive in the arrowhead the next morning, thoughts stuck on yesterday - on the god of mischief in particular. Distractedness and explosives weren’t a good combination so you scolded yourself every time your mind wandered. But for some reason, it was harder than you would have guessed. At least you were only dealing with minor touches right now.

“Well, well, how’s my favourite bomb expert?”

“I thought we went over this Clint,” you kept your gaze on the tip in your hands, trying to suppress a smile, “I can’t be your favourite if I’m the only one you know.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re still my favourite.” he said, walking into the lab.

“I’m just finishing the last of your fancy new arrows.”

“I’m ready to see what you’ve got.”

You didn’t bother to look up. “I tested them out yesterday and hit a couple speed bumps but I’m pretty sure I fixed them so all I need now is your stamp of approval and then they’ll be mission ready.”

“That’s great (y/n). But speaking of missions, why aren’t you on one?”

“Sick.” You replied, welding the arrowhead to the shaft.

“Bummer. So which one is this?” He held the arrow between his thumb and fore finger balancing it up and down so that it looked malleable.

“Stun. The ones over there,” you nodded to your right, “are the explosive ones. They’re marked with different coloured tapes but I figured you’d let me know how exactly you wanted them identified. I also grabbed one of your old bows and added a detonator.”

He put down the arrow and found his old bow, looking at it like an old friend. Running his fingers over the front part, he found the detonator and pretended to press it. He had learned the hard way never again to press a button without permission.

He nodded slowly, seeming pleased. “How’d you know where to put it?”

You grinned. “I guessed.”

“See, (y/l/n) this is why you’re my favourite.”

“Want to go test them out?”

His grin widened so that he looked like a child on Christmas morning.

Before you could get up a large bang resounded through the compound and laughter filled the air. Suddenly you realized just how quiet the place had been, as orders were being barked - from the sound of it, Maria’s - and the usual post mission bustle filled the air.

“Looks like our friends are home.” Clint’s smile only grew. “Want to go say hello first?”

Small Town Pennsylvania: About three Years and Five Months Ago Cont.

You hurried through the building, dropping your explosives in the areas that would cause the most damage. The blueprints they had given you the day before were old and outdated but you had brought enough extra explosives to make up for any miscalculation. You only had two smaller explosives left  - small balls that were meant to cause a chain reaction rather than cause a large amount of damage.

Glancing down at your watch, you picked up the pace. The bombs weren’t set up on timers because you didn’t want to blow up any members of your own team, but you still had a time frame to stick to. You weren’t going to be late on your first mission.

Your adrenaline rose higher and higher the closer you got to escaping the building. That explosion, that high, was coming and you couldn’t wait to set it off, especially knowing that what you were doing was now for a good cause.

After turning the last corner into the small hangar that lead to your rendezvous point outside, you spotted a lone guard. His gun was out and he crept along the edge of the wall, looking for someone to riddle with bullets. You stopped and held your breath, afraid to make a sound. You tried to quash the panic bubbling in your throat but you weren’t doing a very good job. How could you think you were ready for a mission when you only had a month’s training? You were going to get yourself killed. What the hell had you been thinking?

With a deep breath, you took in your surroundings. Think, you told yourself, think. He had a gun. You had a gun too but odds were that he was a better shot. Although the space was open, there were enough crates strewn across the hangar that you could make it to the opposite side from where he was, and maybe even pass without being seen. The runway on the other end, the trees and the grey sky taunted you from the other side. Getting by on a maybe didn’t guarantee getting out alive and you needed to get out of here.

You glanced down at your watch and realized that you weren’t as empty handed as you had thought - literally. The guard was now about ten feet further away. You took in a deep breath and whispered the words that had gotten you through the month of intense training. The words that had gotten you mission ready. I am strong, I am smart and I can do this.

You sent your first explosive rolling across the hangar, toward the place where he had first been when you had entered. The sound made him turn as you scurried across the other end, ducking behind crates for cover. Your footsteps weren’t nearly as silent as the Black Widow’s but it was good enough to get you halfway out.

When the guard kept walking you tossed your last bomb and watched it roll into position. He glanced back but wasn’t as wary this time. It wasn’t like anything had exploded, and he had a target, you realized, seeing Clint and Loki under the shadows of a large tree.

The guard just needed to get into range to shoot.

You picked up the pace, caring less about how silent you were. You had a plan. You didn’t know how good of a plan it was but you’d stick to it anyways if it meant keeping those two idiots alive. All you had to do was get far enough not to blow yourself up in the process.

The meet up point was off to the right but so was the guard so you kept left. Clint seemed to be arguing about something, his hands waving as he talked to Loki, but you didn’t risk alerting them through the com.

The guard lifted his gun and took aim.

You panicked.

You weren’t quite far enough yet but he was going to shoot.

“Hey! Asshole!”

The three of them turned to face you, the guard’s gun now trained on his new target. Before he could squeeze the trigger, a blast from inside the compound went off. His moment of hesitation gave you the second you needed to get out of the blast zone when the smaller ones went off. Although smaller, the impact of the blast was strong enough to send the guard flying through the air. You could feel the heat of the blast and the wind felt like it was trying to throw you off balance but you were far enough away that you kept strong and steady, striding across the ground towards the unconscious body.

You bent down, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged his heavy body along the pavement. Debris and smoke filled the air and you could still feel the heat of the blast. All you wanted to do was smile, but your teammates stared at you wide-eyed so you kept your adrenaline in check and masked the high from your face.

Flames were still coming out of the building but you knew it wouldn’t last long. You had calculated for large destruction but a short burn period. The nearest fire department wouldn’t have any trouble putting it out, despite how small town this was.

You let go of the guard’s collar, dumping him onto the ground in front of Clint. “I don’t kill people, but whatever you guys do with him is your business.”

Your heart was at a thousand beats a minute and everything inside you shook, but in a good way. Maybe you were made for this after all.

Clint looked at you with a proud expression on his face and you, only slightly, gave into the smile you had been hiding so that you wouldn’t look too crazy.

Loki had a look on his face that you had never seen before. It was hard to tell what it was. It could have been a countless number of emotions but for all you knew, he could have just been bored. A part of you wanted to say that he was stunned and impressed, but that was probably wishful thinking.

Either way, when you walked passed him you couldn’t help but whisper, “I forgot to mention earlier, I don’t mess up.”

Part 8

[itsachels]

Italy; pt. 2

Venice, Florence, & Rome

I have to open my heart up a bit before I post. Midway through writing this, I got hit with the most overwhelming feeling of “Who on earth wants to read all of this?” That’s part of the struggle with writing. I know travel stories are usually a lot more fun for the traveler to tell than it is for the audience to listen to. That’s why it’s so fun for me to write this, because I don’t do much “story telling” after trips for fear of boring people. I can see it on their faces and it’s a little hurtful but that’s okay. I’ve been in their place enough times to not take it personally. So anyways, this is my first opportunity to tell about Italy from front to back. To be frank, no one has to read this. A big part of keeping confidence with this blog is reminding myself that this is all for me, not to please an “audience”. But it’s hard, you know? I always want some kind of approval, even if it’s never spoken…it hurts more than it should, to think someone might read my stuff and think it’s “stupid” or “pointless”. It’s all very dear to my heart so I just want others to appreciate it the way I do. If you do choose to read this…thank you! You are so appreciated, and I hope it inspires you!

Venezia

It has been so hard getting around to typing this story out. My baby is at such a clingy stage right now, which makes it hard to sit down and do this. Normally during his naps, I get housework done, but today I’m just going to ignore the mountain of dirty dishes so I can finally write. If you haven’t read Part 1, you can find it here.

On our last day in the Puglia region of Italy, we meant to go to Alberobello, but there was major confusion with the buses. Sometimes transportation was tricky, since it was all so unfamiliar. At home, if I want to go somewhere, I just jump in my car. I don’t have to worry about reading bus schedules, let alone reading them in a different language. So that left us stranded in Bari with nothing to do. We eventually ended up on a bench outside of McDonald’s, playing Sudoku and listening to music.

When it was finally time to hop on the train to Venice, we had a 7-hour train ride ahead of us. We didn’t get to there until 10 pm, so finding our air b&b was tricky. We eventually found it down a creepy dark alley (my mom’s heart rate probably just quickened). It was a studio apartment with barely any room to walk, incredibly low ceilings, and a broken shower. But it had windows that opened up to the canal and that was honestly all I wanted. We paid $88 a night which is dirt cheap to stay on the canal in Venice. It’s senseless to splurge on hotel rooms, in my opinion, when you’re only sleeping there. The more you spend, the more pressure you feel to stay and get your money’s worth rather than going out to explore the city.

We had one of our few “American” breakfasts the next morning. I say that because breakfast in Italy usually means a pastry with a cappuccino or juice. It’s hard to find places that’ll serve you much more than that. It was delicious, and this cute little café is where I had my first real Italian espresso experience. And you can bet it was my last.

We found our way to St. Mark’s square and basilica and I couldn’t stare at that church long enough! The exterior was amazing. We opted out of Doges Palace because it was expensive. I think its important to be able to let yourself miss out on things…just because it’s on most people’s itinerary, doesn’t mean it has to be on yours. Save the time and money for things you just can’t leave without experiencing. We spent our extra time that day sitting on the edge of a canal, watching gondolas pass by and soaking in the sunshine.

We stumbled into the Galleria dell’ Accademia. It wasn’t originally part of our itinerary (we barely had one to begin with), but we saw a sign saying Leonardo DaVinci’s art was on display, including “Vitruvian Man”. Alex was so excited to see it, which made me enjoy it even more.

One regret I have is not noting the names of some restaurants we liked. Like, I still daydream about the paninis and peach bellini we had that day. Anyways, around that area we saw the Bridge of Sighs. In case you don’t know the backstory, it was the bridge prisoners were led across on the way towards their execution. The little gated windows gifted them with one last view of Venice.

After some souvenir shopping on the Rialto bridge, we napped back at the room. Not to be dramatic, but I almost couldn’t walk anymore. That was followed up with dinner at a cute little restaurant that reminded me of the Lady & the Tramp’s spaghetti & meatballs scene. We pigeon-watched in a small plaza afterwards, listening to the water flow down the canal and talking until sundown. It was pretty romantic, if I do say so myself. If I had to describe Venice in one word, it’d be that: romantic.

Thus, ended our one day there. I wish we had more time. We ate cereal and yogurt in our room the next morning, dropped the key in the box, and rode the vaporetto back to the train station. By afternoon, we would be in Alex’s #1 bucket list city: Florence.

Firenze

When I look back on Florence I mainly think of gelato, drizzling rain, ceilings covered in intricate and vivid paintings, and of course the Renaissance architecture (I’m looking at you, Maria del Fiore).

Our hotel (Hotel Lorena) in Florence was so sweet. It was basically a hole in the wall; we almost didn’t see the entrance when we were walking past. It was owned by the nicest man with the strongest Italian accent I’ve ever heard. His mother was his assistant🥺, and she while she showed me to our room she asked about my pregnancy and said a baby boy is one of the greatest gifts I will ever receive. I wish I could tell her how right she was!

Okay. I have to talk about the Medici Chapelle Ristorante. I will never forget that meal, in all my days. The best part was the cocoli…fried dough drizzled in honey…a Tuscan beignet. That one in a lifetime meal was followed by gelato, on the steps of the Medici chapel, before turning in for the night.

The next day was big because we were setting out for the Duomo. It was only a couple of blocks away from Hotel Lorena; we had a view of it from our bedroom window. It rained a good bit but we still had fun seeing the incredible exterior of the church and the inside, which was also beautiful. We were blessed to be able to attend mass there. Did you know that in 1601, lightning struck the copper sphere on top of the cathedral, and it smashed into the ground? You can not appreciate how far that ball fell until you’re standing in the building’s shadow. There’s a marble circle marking the spot where it landed.

The bell tower had an unforgettable view of the city and goes higher than the church’s dome, which is what people normally choose as their viewpoint. The stairway was so narrow, there were times I seriously wasn’t sure the crowd could get through. At least all the work was well worth the view.I am not ashamed of what we spent as Ditti Artigeniale the next morning because we were desperate for one of those “American” breakfasts I was talking about. It gave us plenty of energy for exploring Pitti Palace and all of its beautiful painted ceilings. Why don’t we decorate like that anymore???? In the backyard were the Boboli gardens, which were by far one of the prettiest sights I saw on our trip. A garden on a hill, in full bloom, with the Tuscan countryside for a backdrop? Yes, please.

No, we didn’t see the statue of David. Remember our conversation about where to put your money? We didn’t want to put it there. I just really didn’t want to spend $50 to see a statue I wasn’t very excited about. We settled for a free viewing of its replica, which happened to be near the Fountain of Neptune. If you stare at any chunk of concrete in Florence, let this fountain be it. It was breathtaking. I feel like this whole paragraph could be very offensive to an art connoisseur. Sorry!!! I’m sure David is very handsome and I am not comparing the fountain to a chunk of concrete.

Florence was a lot like Polignano a mare in the fact that we spent so much time walking around, stumbling into churches and shops and just trying to figure out where to eat next. We had a very slow pace on this trip and didn’t hesitate to stop by our hotel for a nap when we felt a yawn coming on. A nap in Italy is better than a nap at home! Our days were really simple and easy. No pressure, no running to “fit it all in”. It was unhurried strolling, easy conversation, and letting the day unravel however it wanted to.

Rome

A harsh contrast from that last paragraph: Rome was intense. My legs were bruised from all the walking. One evening I tried to wipe off what I though was bluish dirt (?) on my thighs, and when it wouldn’t give, I realized they were bruises! Not from bumping into anything but just from the stress of carrying a baby all over the city. And our b&b was just weird. People didn’t seem to understand “modesty” when walking out of the bathroom, our host was kind of a stick in the mud, and it was down a sketchy/dirty street. I know it sounds like I’m complaining, but I’m not. It was so cheap and steps away from the metro. It was also above a corner shop that sold delicious cappuccinos and pastries for only 2 euros, so that supplied our breakfast every day. We didn’t mind all the little annoyances and it just made for more memories. Believe me, Rome was beyond worth it.

We started with a free walking tour guided by a local college student. He did amazing; these tours are a good way to get your feet wet in a new city. It gives you a feel for the layout and your guide can share little things that you wouldn’t know otherwise. For example, in the Piazza del Popolo, we had sat under a big statue playing i-spy. We just thought it was a nice place to people-watch. As it turns out, we were sitting in the shadow of a 4000+ year old Egyptian obelisk. We never would’ve known! Our guide also took us to the Pantheon; Alex was so cute with how excited he was.

Before the tour, when we saw the Spanish steps (so beautiful in person), we went to the church at the very top. If you paid a euro or two, you could light a prayer candle. We lit one for Noah. It’s really special to me that he was on that trip with us, even though he was obviously still in the womb. Because we want to continue traveling as a family, it felt like the beginning of something exciting.

That was just day one…the rest of our Rome adventure included the Colosseum and surrounding areas, lots of people-watching in different piazzas, an interesting night in the Trastevere neighborhood, a fun little trip to the countryside to tour the Catacombs, and aaaall the glory of the Vatican. Rome deserves a longer piece, but I feel like I’ve exhausted myself sharing what I have so far. I’ll save it for a rainy day. Even then, though, I simply cannot tell all about Rome without writing a whole book. I wish I could share every funny story and mishap and surprise. You just have to see it for yourself.

And that is my story of Italy. If you’re debating a trip, go. It’s a gem you get to carry in your heart for a lifetime after. I hope reading this inspires some ideas!

[mittensmorgul]

Hey, mittens do you think John will meet Cas? in the photos Cas is away, not in the bunker! I will be so sad if they don't trade some words!

Hi there! I think my best reply here is gonna be a series of disclaimers:

1. I don’t like speculating on this sort of stuff, because it’s almost always entirely unfounded.

2. PR for this episode in particular is even less reliable than it is for “regular” episodes. This is The Very Special Episode of s14, for obvious reasons. This is the one they are going all out on with the PR, and have been all season. They are hyping this episode to the stratosphere, capitalizing on the fact that this is the 300th episode, which is a milestone that hardly any tv shows ever even HOPE to reach, and this lil show just keeps chugging along. The entire production crew is THRILLED to have achieved this incredible feat, you know? This is a huge reason to celebrate, for all of them. So, they are pushing the PR hard, hoping to entice new viewers, hoping to get the GA worked up and excited about watching this specific episode, and also hoping to lure back viewers that may have stopped watching over the last few years with A Very Special Episode, you know? All that PR, even more than usual, is directed toward THEM, and not toward the close-watching meta fandom viewers. Or even really toward the loyal viewing fandom folks, It is a PR STUNT in that respect, and for anyone who follows the show closely, it’s important to keep that in mind.

I mean, look at this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest-running_scripted_U.S._primetime_television_series 

Supernatural is now in the top 20 longest running US shows of all time, when sorted by number of seasons. 11 of the shows higher up the list aren’t even airing anymore, and if SPN is renewed for s15 (as most of us expect at this point), that will bump it up into the top 15 longest running shows of all time. When sorted by number of episodes, it’s 25th, and this is including several “outlier” shows that aired 100+ episodes per year, or even Gunsmoke that averaged 30+ episodes a year for 20 years... (and SPN will move into 24th place after 14.15 airs). So this is DEFINITELY something I totally support our guys milking for everything it’s worth, PR-wise, you know?

3. Because we know that PR is not showrunning, and can manage our expectations accordingly, we need to be aware that these sorts of PR photos generally give us vague-to-unhelpful glimpses at a couple of specific scenes, and not actual useful spoilers of the Big Plot Moments, you know? I mean, remember the PR photo set from 14.11? Sam and Dean with a box, Dean standing by the Impala holding a gun:

http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/182279163210/jensenackles-daily-damaged-goods-original

That was everything important that happened in the episode, right? even when you toss in these additional photos of Mary apparently grocery shopping, murdering pumpkins, and Nick being creepy:

http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/182017479745/justanotheridijiton-supernatural-damaged

or even less helpful, the photos for 14.10:

http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/181813279785/sammyhale-supernatural-episode-14x10-nihilism

Where, without explanation, we have Michael chained up in the Bunker. I mean, we had no information yet to understand that scene at all, and yet I remember a number of disappointed speculation posts that clearly the writers had no idea what they were doing because they didn’t even care about their own story’s continuity if they were just “forgetting” the scenario we were left with at the end of 14.09. And just... WHY WOULD PEOPLE JUST ASSUME THIS FROM A COLLECTION OF DELIBERATELY VAGUE PROMO PHOTOS?!

Sorry, *deep breaths mittens you can do this*. I’m just... tired. I’m 100% here for any and all wild speculation, because it CAN be fun to engage in it. As long as that speculation is understood to have no basis in reality, you know? I mean, I wrote crack fic/speculation for 14.12 based on the end of 14.11 and the 20 second promo video, and it’s HILARIOUS. But do I expect that’s how 14.12 will actually go: http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/182333868540/complete-crack-spec-based-on-the-promo-for-1412

I mean, over the last few weeks since we got the EW Cover Spread stuff (all included in my spn 300 tag here: http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/tagged/spn-300), I’ve seen people upset that it seems we aren’t getting the “how the townspeople of Lebanon see the Winchesters” episode we thought we’d been promised, because none of that stuff was included in the promo photo sets. And I mean... no? Even in the deliberately vague PR interviews, we know that there will be some scenes in the town of Lebanon. And heck, the episode is TITLED “Lebanon,” which speaks volumes about what the episode might be focusing on, you know?

But who is this EW article primarily for? For luring in fans of JDM who may never have seen Supernatural, and hoping to draw in a much larger audience than usual. For fans who may have stopped watching SPN a while back and would be intrigued about this strange return of John Winchester enough to tune in. While yes, us fans who follow the show and the fandom closely aren’t going to be getting huge spoilers from this info, nor from these photo shoots. Yeah, we have Sam, Dean, and Cas covers, but I actually saw that some people were upset that Cas wasn’t included in the “Winchester Family Portrait” cover, and just... no. Okay? Cas got HIS OWN COVER. John did not. I mean, on a meta-level, this is doubly hilarious because JDM wasn’t even there in person when they shot the Jensen-Jared-Sam portion of the photo. He’s literally photoshopped in after the fact. So... I’m taking that as my humorous wink-wink-nudge-nudge on that.

So... all that said, I am *personally* sticking to my standard policy of “heck this might be a fun episode!” and not trying to pre-convince myself to hate it via wild, baseless speculation.

Sorry if some of this comes across as bitter, but I am tired. I’m tired of folks speculating on stuff and working themselves up into a lather before episodes even air.

I am INCREDIBLY EXCITED for this episode, and would honestly prefer not to guess what we may or may not expect from it.

That said, I would not personally be disappointed if Cas and John don’t even meet in this episode. They’ve never “met” before in canon, even in the two episodes where Cas transported Dean to the past specifically to interact with young!John. I’m honestly more interested in what the show is going to use this apparently “past version” of Cas for. I am far more interested in the comparisons they’ll invite us to draw about how far Cas has come, and how this might affect him going forward. I am far less interested in what a “first meeting” between Cas and an “alternate version” of John might look like, you know?

From everything I’ve heard about this episode, from all the PR, it seems like the episode is going to be reaching into the past in search of a smidgen of closure and catharsis for all of the characters as individuals. And I am totally here for that.

Any further speculation I’m just gonna sit on my hands for. I get people enjoy engaging in it, but I find it’s far too easy to slip into negativity which gets carried through into the actual episode, regardless of if the speculation just set the bar far higher than the show ever intended, or so low that folks simply refuse to reach up for where the bar actually is. I’m not interested in poisoning the well two weeks before the episode even airs.

[0ldsold1ers]

coffee days and movie nights

Reaper76 week, MONDAY: we can be heroes / SEP

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17840567

Gabe’s had his eye on Jack all week.

It’s been a long one, even by his standards. He’s seen fifteen active war zones at this point in his prior service and training for the SEP, met hundreds of different squad members and buried more than half of them. His muscles are getting stronger and he’s faster, taller, better than he’s ever been before – and it’s still not enough.

The crisis isn’t getting better, the Omnics are getting smarter, and the SEP as a whole really doesn’t seem to be working too well.

There had been thirty of them originally, the best of the best, hand-picked and nominated by at least three superior officers each. Between them, there must have been a hundred medals. Each soldier was assigned a number according to alphabetical order, and the clandestine experiments had begun.

The mutations had followed pretty soon after.

Haroldson was the first to leave training. Had woken yelling in the night after a particularly gruelling forty mile run and been taken to the hospital wing. He’d never come back. Then Jones had started vomiting in the middle of dinner, blood spattered on the table. Williams’ fingernails had started to flake off on a mission in Vietnam – that had only been the start for her, rest her soul.

The numbers dwindled as the programme continued, until the government decided to simply recruit more. It wasn’t ethical, but they were at war and they weren’t winning. (Gabriel had spent an afternoon scrubbing latrines after arguing back. Nothing had happened to him yet, but the waiting was almost worse. Why should some other poor bastard go through the same?)

Adjustments were made to the dosages, more safety measures were put in place, and the numbers went up to fifty. And then up to one hundred before the higher-ups finally decided they weren’t going to be able to create an army like this. Besides, for the recruits who hadn’t died or ended up in the terminal hospital ward, the effects were beyond what was expected.

(Never mind the fact that only twenty-four out of one hundred had lived.)

The only bonus of there being so few of them now, is that Gabriel can actually get to know some of this squad – his squad, actually. Like Jack, for example.

He was a couple of years Gabe’s junior, the baby of the group, but that didn’t mean much in practice. The man had been recommended after saving six of his squad in Egypt and received a couple of medals to boot. He had courage in buckets, and a damn good head on his shoulders according to all reports.

None of those reports had mentioned how fucking handsome he was, on top of all that.

Sunny, golden hair shining over the bluest blue Gabriel had seen since he’d left the skies of California. And Gabriel is pretty straight, he should put that down in writing now, but if he was ever going to get down and dirty with another guy, he knows who his pick would be.

He just feels this strange need to get to know him, and he knows he isn’t alone in feeling like this. He’s discussed this with others in the squad, men and women – Jack Morrison is magnetic. There’s just something so unassuming and wholesome about him, hidden under boyish grins and stupid jokes. Gabriel knows there must be more layers there. He really wants to uncover them.

(That sounds a lot dirtier than he’d intended it to.)

But the two of them get to be pretty good friends pretty damn fast, and his opportunity to really get to know the farm boy comes sooner than expected.

It’s been a long, shitty day. The latest batch of injections is playing complete havoc with his immune system – one minute he’s feeling like he’s on the world’s highest caffeine burst, the next his muscles are aching so badly he can barely stand as he vomits out what feels like his last six meals.

Every member of the squad has a slightly different schedule, and for the first time, his and Jack’s have coincided. The younger man is still earlier in the programme and experiencing some of the nastier effects – his anatomy is still shifting around a lot. And when Gabriel bumps into him leaving the sick bay, looking particularly pale, it’s a deadly mix of sympathy and intrigue that prompts him to say:

“Hey, Morrison. Movie night tonight?”

And Jack sort of looks at him without really seeing, but replies, “Sure thing, commander.”

And that’s the extent of the conversation. But Gabe’s got something to look forward to now, something to keep him going through the day, and he spends ammunitions training that afternoon debating over what film to pick before having to run to the bathroom again and being sent back to his quarters by his CO.

It’s seven by the time he hears the doorbell to his quarters ring and he almost trips over himself to get to the door.

Jack’s stood there looking a little peaky but a whole lot more alive than he had earlier, and Gabriel welcomes him in.

“Nice place you got here, commander.” He jokes, looking around at the non-existent décor. The only reason they got individual quarters here were the vulnerable immune systems as a result of the SEP process. The organisers had learnt the hard way after a cold virus had wiped out six of the applicants.

“Thanks, I made it myself,” he replies as he made his way to the kitchenette, “And please, Gabe. Drink?”

“You got any juice?” Jack asks, and Gabriel laughs.

“Don’t worry about the doctors finding out, man, how about a proper drink?”

There’s a wry smile on his face as he replies, “I don’t drink alcohol.” Gabriel looks at him curiously. There’s a story there, but Jack doesn’t seem willing to share right now.

“Tea or coffee then?” He’s already decided he won’t be drinking if Jack isn’t. It’s no fun on your own.

“Coffee, thanks.” He says, dropping heavily onto the couch. “What film are we watching, then?”

Gabriel brings over two mugs, hands one to Jack and loads up his laptop. “I couldn’t decide in the end, so figured I’d give you a choice. Star Wars, or La La Land?” He feels he’s covering his bases here; he has to like either musicals or action films.

Jack snorts out the first sip he’d taken of his drink. “Bit of a choice there.”

Gabriel puts his hands on his hips. “Don’t tell me you’re too much of a man to enjoy a beautifully-shot love story with glorious musical numbers.”

Jack smiles, something mischievous there. “Fine, La La Land it is.”

Gabriel realises his mistake about twenty minutes into the film. It’s not that Jack doesn’t like musicals – completely the opposite.

“See, this is my main problem. Everyone keeps banging on about this film as a musical, but the music is incidental. True musicals use the numbers as exposition and story-telling. This is a film about music, not a musical.”

And the complaining doesn’t stop. “Why is the one black speaking role in a film about jazz the villain?” when Keith arrived. “See, this would be an actual song if it was a musical, not some cruddy dance silhouette.” when they danced in the observatory. “And she actually agreed?” when Mia got back in the car with Sebastian.

“Are you able to actually enjoy films?” Gabriel finally asks, mildly exasperated (but amused).

Jack gives him a look. “It’s not my fault you can’t pick a good musical.”

“Fine, what is a good musical?” he says challengingly, because he loves a good film debate even if musicals aren’t his first choice when he’s on his own. And he’s maybe a little bit desperate to know more about the soldier as well.

“Chicago. Cabaret. Les Misérables, but only on stage. I’m a big fan of Hamilton as well.” He says, eyes sparkling a little bit as he lists them off.

“I’ve seen Hamilton.” Gabriel volunteers, getting up to make more drinks and retrieve a blanket from the bedroom.

Jack says something he doesn’t really hear as he pulls the blanket off his bed. “What was that?” he asks as he throws the blanket in Jack’s direction.

The younger man doesn’t reply for a second, blushing a little bit. “I went with my boyfriend.”

The words have a strange effect on Gabe. Finding out Jack is gay is… interesting. It doesn’t change much really. Nothing at all. It just wasn’t expected.

He isn’t really sure how he’s supposed to react, but Jack’s watching him, worry starting to turn to anxiety and resentment, so he forces himself to spit out a reply. “Sounds like he has good taste in musicals, even if his taste in men is debatable.”

Jack laughs, and Gabriel knows he got it right. This is fine. Friendly teasing. Nothing more.

“I keep telling him he’s too good for me.” Jack admits, eyes crinkling just a little at the corners.

“What’s his name?” Gabriel asks, smiling unconsciously in the face of such love.

“Vincent,” Jack says, pulling the blanket over his legs, “He’s a journalist.”

Gabriel hands him the refilled mug and starts Star Wars quietly in the background. He’s not really intending to watch it. “You sound like you love him a lot. Why’d you leave him for this hell?” It’s only half a joke.

Jack does that weird little eyebrow twitch he does sometimes – in the future, Gabriel will understand he only does it when he’s telling a half-truth. “I have to protect him. People like him. There’s a lot of people back home...” He trails off, and Gabriel fills in the blanks. Jack seems like a family guy. Probably tons of siblings, local town, saw his small life decimated by Omnics and reality came crashing in. He’s heard the story before. He lets it go for now.

*

They’re doing an endless circuit of laps of the field when Jack falls into step beside him. Neither of them are really out of breath – they’ve only been going for half an hour so far. It’ll be a while before any of the platoon are really winded.

There’s a comfortable silence between them for a moment, but Gabriel can sense it’s going somewhere.

“Why did you join the SEP anyway, Gabe?” He asks, never breaking his gaze from the field ahead.

The green grass is erased for a moment, and Gabriel is back in the broom cupboard in his mother’s disintegrating house. He’s holding his shaking little sister against his chest and praying she won’t open the door.

He shakes his head, and it’s gone again. Back in the memory banks. He thought he’d finally banished that one. “Same as you. I got people I want to protect, Morrison.”

Jack nods thoughtfully, and Gabriel knows it’s only a temporary acceptance. That’s fine – he’s got another thing coming if he thinks he can get to Gabriel Reyes’ secrets first.

*

Jack corners him as they’re coming out of the showers later. “Movie night at mine tonight.”

Gabriel looks at him, amused. “You going to show me what good film choice is?”

Jack stares back, his look calculated. “Maybe.”

Four hours later, Gabriel stares at him, unamused. “You’re a walking cliché, boy scout.”

The iconic shield of Captain America glares out from the screen. Of fucking course it does.

Jack, for his part, does go a little red. “It’s a great film!”

Gabriel just laughs. “You’re not allowed to pick anymore.”

*

There’s a bunch of them out drinking one night – a visiting special ops squad from Egypt is here to help resolve a conflict with some rebels in Sudan, and they’ve all suffered losses. Gabriel finds himself sat next to a sniper – her name’s Ana, and she’s supposedly the best in the world. It’s not even supposedly – he’d seen the enemy dropping like flies earlier and wouldn’t have been able to tell you where the hell she was situated if he’d had half an hour to stop time and observe the battlefield.

He tells her as much, and she sniffs, a smile poking at the corners of her mouth. “Americans really are wrapped up in their own little worlds.” She’s flattered though, and happy enough for him to notice as much. There’s a quiet confidence to her which Gabriel is immediately drawn to. She knows exactly how good she is. This is the sort of person Gabriel wants watching his back.

“What made you sign up?” He asks her later, a couple of bottles of beer already put away. They’re having very little effect but to make him more confident. Jack’s wrapped up in conversation with Torres from their squad, but he catches Gabe’s eye and smiles.

“I have a daughter. Fareeha.” She smiles and retrieves a picture from a fold in her armour. There’s a grinning little girl in a summer dress smiling out at him, and Gabriel feels himself smiling in response.

“She’s lovely.” He takes another swig from his drink.

“What about you, Gabriel?” She asks, sipping her own whiskey. Alcohol isn’t commonly drunk in Egypt, but they’re making an exception tonight. Tonight, is for feeling alive after so many have died.

“I… used to have a sister.” He doesn’t make eye contact with Ana. Jack is looking at him – he’s clearly heard, but doesn’t comment, turning back to his conversation. “She died when my town was attacked by Omnics.” He doesn’t mention that the only reason she was out was Gabriel had made her run away with him.

He risks a glance, and Ana looks sympathetic but not pitying. She’s probably heard a hundred stories like his, and he’s done feeling sorry for himself. There’s a whole other world of people he has to protect now. He’ll do better this time.

They leave the bar an hour later, Ana’s number in his phone, and Gabriel finds himself falling behind. He sort of wants the solitude, but Jack falls back to walk beside him. There’s quiet for a minute before:

“I only had my dad. My mum died when I was eight, and they never had more kids. I don’t think they really wanted me in the first place.” He laughs without humour. “He was never really… there. If you know what I mean.” And Gabriel does, he understands absent parents even when the space is filled. “The Omnics came and then even he was gone, and all I had to look after was Vincent. I couldn’t lose him as well.”

Gabriel nods. Jack Morrison is beginning to make a lot more sense. No wonder they click so well. “I made my sister leave home with me. She wasn’t safe staying there, and then she died. So now I have to make it up to her memory.”

“You know that wasn’t your fault, right?” Jack asks him.

Gabriel nods. “My brain does. But I guess the rest of me doesn’t?” He laughs a little self-consciously. “I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself.”

Jack throws an arm around his shoulder and pulls him into his side. Gabriel is still a little taller, hopefully always will be, but Jack’s warm and cosy against him. His skin feels like it’s on fire, and he can’t remember the last time he peeled away this many layers for another person. They part too soon and Gabriel feels more alone than ever when he stands in the middle of his empty quarters.

*

“Movie night?” He asks as he passes Jack in the corridor, and the blond nods once with a smile before they part ways once more.

He’s got something good lined up for this evening.

Jack’s face is unreadable in his quarters that night.

Gabriel is worried he won’t like the film – how can you not? “How are we feeling about Moulin Rouge?” He asks, making the coffee without really thinking anymore. Movie nights are becoming a welcome addition to his routine.

Jack looks at him. “Can’t remember seeing it. It was my mum’s favourite.”

Gabriel panics. “Do you want me to pick something else? There’s a really bad film I think you’d love, The Room, it’s-“ He gabbles, before Jack interrupts him with a wry smile.

“It’s fine, Gabe, honestly. I just haven’t seen it in a long time.” Jack smiles at him reassuringly before stealing his mug from Gabriel’s hands and dropping onto the sofa. He slings his legs into Gabriel’s lap the second he sits down. Neither of them says anything about it.

Gabriel keeps a close eye on Jack’s face throughout the film, but he seems to enjoy it. It ends up Gabriel who cries through the last ten minutes (as he always does), and Jack shifts his position, leaning his back on Gabriel with his legs hanging off the other end of the sofa. The warm weight of his friend is so comfortable and he’d be happy to sit here for days like this.

His eyes widen – that’s not a good thought. They can’t sit here for days like this, this isn’t the way their relationship works. They have banter, they mock each other relentlessly, and sure they have each other’s backs, but they aren’t the centre of each other’s worlds. Jack already has a centre and his name is Vincent, and Gabriel doesn’t even want to be a pillar for the other man.

Or maybe he does.

He realises this as the end credits roll, and Jack’s heavy breathing as he falls asleep against Gabe make him hyper aware of the blonde’s chest rising and falling.

Gabriel Reyes is possibly not as straight as he thought he was.

He’s also possibly a little bit in love with his best friend.

Shit.

*

[lia-nikiforov]

Spring 2018 Anime Watchlist

THERE IS TOO MUCH ANIME THIS SEASON I HAD TO BINGE 37 EPISODES IN THREE DAYS TO CATCH UP

Dropped

Mahou Shoujo Site: Although I originally intended to irony watch this one, expecting something like MahoIku or King’s Game, its sadistic reveling in the main character’s suffering was impossible to stomach. I felt physically ill at the end of it. I’m not, in principle, opposed to gory stuff, y’all know I sat through the whole stupidity that was King’s Game, but MahoSite doesn’t even reach the level of ridiculous over the topness to make it funny, it’s just a cascade of misery porn with not a single moment of levity or triumph for the heroine. I think I was done the moment that gratuitous “if you punch my stomach my period won’t come” line, because apparently some dudes get off on the idea of a woman being so brutalized she stops menstruating??????

Kakuriyo Yadomeshi: I was willing to give this one the three-episode trial after the first episode in spite of the godawful main love interest and the fact that the grandfather sold the MC into literal slavery wtf, because the main girl seems proactive and independent buuuuuuut fuck I hated episode 2. Not only does she seem to quickly forgive her grandfather for SELLING HER OFF, the men around her keep speaking over her and making decisions for her and she turns out to be just independent enough to not be a complete doormat, but not enough to appear defiant and I hate it. Thanks but no thanks, I ain’t here to see a romantization of being literally sold into an arranged marriage.

YOU THINK?!

Cutie Honey Universe: Before this, I’d had zero interaction with any other iteration of Cutie Honey, so I wasn’t sure of what to expect beyond knowing this was from the creator of Devilman. Certainly blatant homophobic jokes and jokes about physical abuse wasn’t in my list of thigs I expected to see, yet here we are. I ain’t here for “hyuk hyuk look at these fat/butch/ugly lesbians, aren’t they ridiculous” jokes either.

Butlers x Battlers: I completely forgot I watched this one. I don’t remember anything about it except being confused

GeGeGe no Kitaro: This one didn’t do anything wrong, but I was never gonna watch it. I just checked out episode 1 because I heard it made a dig at Logan Paul. I wish they’d gone all the way through and killed that character, but I guess you can’t have it all. It was actually a pretty decent episode, and in a weaker season I’d probably keep watching it, but there’s just too much stuff coming out. And I have watched previous Kitaro anime and it’s sometimes too meanspirited for me.

Uma Musume: I didn’t expect much from this show and was pleasantly surprised by the double-length first episode. Special Week was a nice, fun protagonist to root for and although the world-building was weird as heck, it was fun and positive. So I’m not exactly sure of what happened with episode 2/3 that it left me feeling completely dry. The pacing was super rushed, the characters all felt horribly flat, and the races weren’t super exciting because rather than any strategy or strong emotional realization, Special Week just has to start running even faster and faster in the final leg. It was also kind of implied she had gained weight? But then never brought up? And it’s not made very clear why she lost in the end? Was she supposed to learn humility and not getting too complacent? Seems too early for her to learn that when she’s supposed to be an underdog. I don’t know, it didn’t really work for me and I don’t feel like I care to watch more of it.

Because this post is long af and has a lot of gifs some folks were having trouble loading it on mobile, so you’ll have to read under the cut to know which are the shows I’m actually watching oops

Chopping Block: 

There is too much anime and I’m near the end of the semester so I’m gonna have to cut at least one -preferably two- of these shows

Sword Art Online Alternative: This was another one I intended to hatewatch? But rather than offensive or idiotic it’s so far been pretty boring. Episode one was a slog. The first half of episode two was a horrendous spectacle of hating your own body. The only think I liked was the friendship between LLENN and Pito (btw Pito meand ‘dick’ in Spanish and every time she says “call me Pito” I die). Then episode 3 was more boring exposition. FPS games are the least interesting I could think of, and I’ve never been into Let’s Play, so this show is hitting all the right notes to make me bored out of my mind. I also don’t appreciate the big dude not telling Llenn the plan and just kind of being condescending to her. If next episode is just 20 more minutes of the dude explaining things to Llenn, I’m out. (Also, Pito is 100% Elsa Kanzaki)

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Not feeling this reboot at all. It’s all very dry and just dudes expositioning strategy at each other. Also there are 30 characters in the Ending and only 2 of them are women???? I’ll give it one more episode, but tbh I’ve had problems even paying attention to 2 and 3, it just doesn’t grab me.

Libra of Nil Admirari: Although I like the heroine and she might be one of the strongest reverse harem heroines I’ve seen, the plot itself is very... eh. The guys are also very uninteresting so far. There’s also the fact that Tsumugi claims to have no interest in men or love, but this being a reverse harem with a bevy of men starved for her attention makes me worry this’ll end with her being “fixed” by an actual nice guy who is worthy of her or something. But the OP is very cute!

Hatewatch

Darling in the Franxx: Boy oh boy, the otaku have been creaming their pants and tearing their clothes off for the last three weeks, but “Don’t call it Fucking, It’s Making Love” in the Franxx’s greatest achievement in my eyes is going for idiotically offensive to just bland and clichéd. A recent AMA on reddit with the producer seems to imply that none of the themes of sex, gender and heterosexism that have been at the core of the show were even properly thought out, nor were their implications even remotely considered. I don’t know if the show’s heterosexism would be worse if it was active propaganda rather than what it seems to be: a bunch of ideas the producers thought would be “cool” and “titillating” with no particular meaning to them. Also we’re 15 episodes in and all we’ve achieved is Palurdo has finally tamed his beast waifu who is Not Like Other Girls. Oh, and I guess the monsters actually had humans in there, what a shocker, never seen that before, never expected such a clever twizzzzzzzz....

Mid Priority

Tokyo Ghoul: Re : I thought I was done with Tokyo Ghoul after trying to read the manga and being bored shitless by all the unnecessary exposition, but this one, while not quite excellent, managed to pique my interest. The conceit of Kaneki losing his memories and joining the Doves and helping in exterminating ghouls I’m super not interested in, but his encounter with Nishio has made me curious enough about what has happened with the rest of the characters to keep watching for now.

Rokuhodou Biyori: The iyashikei show of the season I guess. The guys’ personalities are a little bland, so I might bump it down to the chopping block, but it’s only been two episodes, so I want to give it a fair chance

Persona 5: My history with Persona has never been good. Episode 1 of P4 made me sleep, and I watched the first P3 movie THREE TIMES and never managed to parse wtf it was about. This show shares some of the same problems in making me struggle to pay attention, but at least so far the plot seems interesting, the visuals are creative and striking, and I really like the main character’s design. I’m also more inclined to keep watching because Sayokan directed the OP for the videogame.

Hisone to Masotan: There’s a cynical part of me that watches this show and feels like I’m watching a commercial for the JSDF. Yvan eht nioJ, come join us, we have cool dragons!!! I also don’t love the fact that the dragon turns into a plane :/ BUT the characters have a lot of heart, the dynamics so far between Hisone and Masotan and Hisone and Kanzaki have been very touching. A part of me though, wishes Hisone had stuck with Otofu because it’s such a cute name and she sounded really funny yelling “OTOFU!!!”

Safe Sequels

Although some of these sequels would go in higher categories, I was unsure about how to rank them -especially the 2-cour ones- compared to some of my top premieres of the season, so I’m just putting them all together because there are A LOT of sequels.

Yowapeda Glory Line: FINALLY SOMETHING POSITIVE HAPPENED FOR SOHOKU. I was starting to feel exhausted with all the gloominess, especially for seeing Teshima punished, HE DESERVES EVERY GOOD THING. Now we can get back on track and hopefully have a fun race without Teshima brooding all the way through the episode. ALSO THANK YOU FOR THE EXCELLENT TESHIAO CONTENT

Nanatsu no Taizai: FINALLY ESCANOR SHOWED UP. It’s felt like the first half of the show dragged a lot compared to the manga, so I’m happy we’ve reached one of the coolest parts. Though if memory serves, the rest of the season will be spent floundering around, but damn, the Escanor vs Galand battle is very satisfying to watch.

Lupin III Part V: So this time around they’ve added the social media factor into Lupin’s adventures, and so far the result has been quite interesting. I don’t have a lot to say, the artstyle looks closer to classic versions of the franchise and has lost some of the edge from part IV, but the comedy and Lupin’s plans are still creative and fun to watch, even adding a unique spin to the social media component, so I’m excited to see where they take this. But we need more Fujiko yesterday pls

Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss: A soft reboot of this magical girl parody franchise, with frillier costumes and even more ridiculous attacks and transformations, and I’m here for it. I do wish we’d get at least some cameos from the original gang. I also feel that so far, apart from the Red guy (Kyotaro?) the others don’t seem to have much of a distinctive personality. It’s only episode three, so hopefully that’s something we’ll see developed as the show goes on.

Hozuki no Reitetsu: It’s the same as it’s always been, a brilliantly dry workplace comedy. If you haven’t watched the previous seasons, you’re missing out on one of the best comedies of this decade.

Boku no Hero Academia 3: After the recap first episode, the series has gone back full gear ahead into the next story arc and so far it looks pretty cool. Although I’m never a fan of “regular MC activity gets interrupted by villains”. Idk why it bothers me a lot -a prime example being the S Class exam getting cut short in Fairy Tail and the concept of S Class mages completely ditched thereon after. But anyway, I have faith in the writing that they’ll make this villain interruption cool and worth it. I do however wish they’d let us meet the Class B guys better.

Steins;Gate 0: You know, I was 100% ready to be disappointed and abandon this one right away, but damn, damn have these first two episodes been brilliant. The nuances in Okabe’s characterization, the portrayal of his grief, and his more mature attitude seem like a mirror of the watcher who has grown all the same in the seven years since the show’s original season. I’m hoping the teases about Maho as a potential love interest are a red herring, but other than that, I’m blown away by how good it has been so far. Just delete Daru please.

Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card: Things have started happening! We’re starting to see that Akiho’s mysterious book is somehow having an effect over the events of Sakura’s life. The episode with the animals was particularly strong, with a new card that had a nice renovated design, and a really emotionally effective scene of Sakura and Syaoran embracing to help Sakura regain confidence to save her friends. It’s one of the strongest episodes of the series so far, so hopefully we’ll have more of those and less of the “finding a card that only minimally makes 10 cm from a bookshelf disappear” type. As a sidenote, I find Akiho’s obsession with Sakura’s play a bit offputting.

High Priority

Mahou Shojo Ore: Given how little I knew about this series going in and how excited I was about it in spite of it, I’m pleased to report the show has lived up to my expectations in one way or another. The weird comedy is on point and also everyone is fucking gay. I’m rooting for you Blue Girl! Easily the superior show with Mahou Shoujo in its title.

Hinamatsuri: You know, I didn’t have super high expectations for this one, but it’s turned out to be a very nice surprise. It has that charming paternal relationship between Nitta and Hina that is cute and hilarious. I have to say I’m not super into the classmate-forced-to-become-a-bartender storyline and I’m not sure how that even fits with the rest of the show, so I hope there won’t be a lot of vignettes about it.

Piano no Mori: Wonky CGI and occassionally questionable character design choices (Ajino was so BEAUTIFUL in his youth, why does he look so ridiculous in the present?!!!) aside, this has been one of the strongest premieres of the season. I know fans of the manga have criticized it, but as someone unfamiliar with the original, I’m definitely intrigued by this story.

BESTEST

Megalobox: This one wasn’t on my radar at all. It’s one of those numerous cases of me seeing a title that sounds stupid and deciding to ignore the show based on that alone. I’m glad I stumbled on all the praise the premiere episode received because damn is it good. The story behind the cameras is that this is a 50th anniversary project for Ashita no Joe, and it was meant to be a reboot, but the director couldn’t find a way to make it work, so he created something entirely new, and aren’t we glad about that. It has a unique retro look and although the plot beats do call back to Ashita no Joe, our Joe feels like his own person alright. I think my only nitpick is that I’m not entirely sure of what is even the point of the additional gear. Also, I know how Ashita no Joe ends and I hope this show won’t end like that too :’D

Golden Kamuy: How long has it been since the last time a multi-awarded manga not only wasn’t disappointing but ended up being one of the most promising anime adaptations of the season? Yes, everyone’s seen the ugly CGI bear, moving on, this is a captivating and unique historical show with a so far excellent portrayal of Ainu culture and a kickass lady coprotagonist.  I am really excited to see where this one will go. Also, it was really exciting to hear characters actually speaking ainu language. I’ve done some research on Ainu history (and kickass Ainu women) for school, so I’m very pumped about this one.

Otaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii: By far my favorite premiere of the season. So far, two episodes in, it’s all I ever hoped it would be and more. The characters are charming, Narumi and Hirotaka’s relationship feels natural and effortless -both the romantic aspect of it, and the way they easily become comfortable with one another-. Narumi is delightful and very well-rounded, being as cheerful and optimistic as she can be cynical, and her quick-developing friendship with Hanako is so violently relatable I was screaming. I really love this show. ALSO THE OP IS SUPER CUTE

I FINALLY FINISHED WRITING THIS IT TOOK FOREVER BECAUSE THERE IS TOO MUCH ANIME