#i didn't finish but it is still the best show i have ever seen dog

[pascaloverx]

NO LIGHT

SUMMARY: Your life is simple. You are a pastry chef who has just opened a bakery near your home. A new life, being a new person. But when James Barnes shows up at your bakery injured, asking you to offer him shelter, your life takes a sudden turn.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The characters in this fanfiction are not my creation and all belong to the Marvel universe. This story will feature scenes of violence, brief intense intimate moments, and inappropriate language. To the readers, I wish you a good read and ask that you engage with the fanfiction if you like it. Do not interact with this fanfiction if you are underage. Enjoy reading.

TWO FOUR

THREE

You're sitting on the floor of your living room, waiting for Barnes to finish scanning your apartment for any signs that someone might be watching you. The most ironic part of this is that he's doing it just minutes after discreetly placing a camera above your door. The message this sends to you is that only he can watch your every move.

"What can you tell me about your life?" you ask while serving a glass of wine to each of you. You're certainly nervous about drinking wine near the expensive rug you received as a gift from a bakery customer, but it seems worth the risk when you think that drinking wine while sitting on the floor seems romantic.

"Well… non-confidential details. For example, my middle name, which is Buchanan, by the way. I was born on March 10th, a beautiful spring day. My mother used to say I was the most patient baby she ever knew. On the other hand, during my teenage years, I became a troublemaker. And I only started to behave better when I met my best friend. Steve was definitely the best person in the universe. Always thoughtful, trying to be cheerful even when there was no reason to be. The rare times he lost his temper, I knew the other person was in the wrong." Barnes sits down next to you. He smiles sweetly, as if he's fondly remembering the past. Then he takes a sip of the wine and looks at you, as if he's expecting something. You don't realize that you've been staring at him or making the atmosphere a bit awkward until he clears his throat, as if prompting you to say something.

"Your best friend must have had to put up with a lot to keep you in line… considering you're still getting into trouble even today. By the way, do you guys still keep in touch?" you ask, as if returning to reality after losing your train of thought while staring at Barnes. But how can you avoid getting lost in the most beautiful blue eyes you've ever seen?

"He wouldn't be proud of what I've become. But we lost contact after, let's say, we went our separate ways. In my mind, he's living a peaceful life, maybe with a house near some lake where he can fish. Maybe he's married, with at least one dog. But part of my job was saying goodbye to what was valuable to me before, well... before I accepted the job. A sacrifice I was willing to make." Barnes says, this time between sips of wine, seeming to get emotional. It's probably the wine taking effect, or maybe it's the longing for those he had to leave behind.

"And do you regret it? Giving up being with those you loved most for a job that obviously puts your life at risk? I don't mean to criticize you, but it's not too late to have regrets. We could have died when that guy attacked the bakery." You end up judging Barnes' life a bit, without intending to, but you know you've crossed a line when he looks at you with a certain anger, saying nothing.

"I didn't realize I was here to be judged. What else do you want to criticize about my life? The first time I fell in love with someone? Or maybe something more spicy, like like the time I fucked my partner while we were on a plane? Do you want to know if I managed to make her cum or would you like to criticize me because sex in a public place is wrong?" He takes another sip of wine, emptying his glass. You feel a mix of emotions as you listen to him speak. He wanted to humiliate you, that's obvious. So you don't think twice before throw the rest of the wine in your glass in his face.

"I would have apologized for intruding on your life in an untimely manner. But you can't talk to me like that. Now, I'd like you to get out of my apartment." You say angrily, getting up off the floor and hoping your expensive carpet stayed intact after you throw your wine at Barnes. You assume he can leave on his own, so you head to your bathroom to wash your hand. It's stained with wine, so you clean it off. Your thoughts are in turmoil, wondering how something that was supposed to be romantic lost its meaning. Maybe Barnes was better in theory than in practice; maybe your hypothetical Barnes was just an illusion. You only refocus when you catch a glimpse of Barnes standing near the bathroom door out of the corner of your eye.

"I overreacted. You didn't mean to be disrespectful, and I was out of line. It wasn’t my finest moment." Barnes says as he approaches you, and you watch him through the reflection in the mirror. He quickly moves to stand behind you, not close enough to touch, but close enough for you to feel the warmth of his breath against your back. You get goosebumps, unsure if it’s because of his proximity or the huskiness in his voice as he speaks.

"I should have guessed it would be like this. You clearly have no intention of letting me get close to you. And you know what? Right now, it seems to me that you're doing just fine on your own." you say cynically, which seems like the right thing to do at the moment. Barnes gives a crooked smile and then moves closer. You turn to face him, as if you don’t want to make this moment more dramatic than it needs to be.

"Want to know something about me? I push away most of the good people I know because, most of the time, I have no idea if I deserve to have them around. But somehow, I don't push you away as easily. I eat your bread every day even though I don't like bread that much, just because I noticed you like to test new recipes when I stop by your bakery. Your coffee isn’t your strong suit, but I drink it almost religiously. Not everything I know about you comes from the fact that I put you at risk. I just took an interest in the lovely baker who smiles at me every morning as if I were the most important person in the world." Barnes says, looking into your eyes, and you’re surprised. All this time, you thought you were the only one noticing him. But he was noticing you too.

You have no immediate reaction, processing what he just said. Then, a surge of confidence takes over you; you place your hand gently on Barnes' face and caress him. But something awakens in Barnes. He places his hands on your waist, pulling you closer, and in moments, he brings his lips to yours. The initial contact is delicate as he explores every part of your mouth. It takes you a moment to believe that you're kissing James Barnes, but once you realize it, you pull his neck closer, deepening the kiss. It's as if your mouth is waging a war with his, as you both savor the taste of each other. You let out a soft moan as he presses you against the sink, but you quickly wrap your legs around his waist. He runs his hands down your back until he reaches your ass and holds it tightly. Urging you to climb onto your sink, you feel his hands release you onto the sink and then touch your thighs and leg. You are however interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. Apparently she was worried about the lack of news. He takes a breath while you watch him text Natasha, probably reassuring her. Then he looks at you, but this time with a hint of regret. It’s obvious it was too good to be true.

"Let me guess? You need to leave, and it’s better if we don’t talk about what just happened because you shouldn’t have done that?" you say as if you already know what he’s going to say, which you probably do, because he doesn’t make any move to deny it.

"It seems that, in the end, you know more about me than you realize," Barnes says awkwardly before quickly leaving your apartment, leaving only a lingering tension in the air. Soon after, you decide to take a shower and go to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, and thinking about Barnes won’t do any good right now. The next day, you head to work earlier than usual, wanting to make some muffins and éclairs to sell at the bakery. Your first customers compliment your coffee and muffins, and you can’t help but wonder if your coffee is as bad as Barnes made it seem.

"What would you recommend to a new customer?" A man with a kind look, blue eyes, and blonde hair approaches your counter while you’re pulling a batch of fresh bread from the oven. He is muscular, well-built, and has a wonderful scent.

"I’d recommend almost everything here except the coffee; I’ve heard it’s not that great. And welcome to Y/L/N Bakery. My name is Y/N; I’m the owner and also the baker. If you want my honest recommendation, this new bread recipe turned out great, and I’ve made some éclairs if you’re interested in sweetening your day." you say subtly as you watch the man place his backpack on the floor of the bakery. It looks like he’s just arrived from a trip.

"My name is Steve. Steve Rogers. I heard that an old friend of mine used to frequent your bakery, and I came here hoping to find out where he might be. Have you by any chance seen Bucky?" Steve asks gently as he approaches the counter. You look at him thoughtfully.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" you ask, not quite understanding who he’s talking about. You’ve had many customers, but none named Bucky. Steve then pulls a photo of his friend from his pocket. Immediately, you recognize him. It’s Barnes, in military attire, in a photo that looks like it was taken a few years ago. And then you realize that Steve must be the best friend Barnes was talking about last night.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[youlikefanficdontyousquidward]

Colonel's orders!

Summary: Lyle doesn't show up for your date, Quaritch rectifies the situation.

Human!Miles x gn!reader, Human!Lyle x gn!reader

It was an odd situation you had to admit. Lyle and you? No one would have seen it coming, well no one except your roommate.

"He's a dog y/n! You're a fine piece of ass and he's sniffin!" She called to you as you got ready by the mirror. Her head didn't even pop up from her data pad as she chewed on her pen.

"What the hell does that even mean Kim?" You didn't have time for her nonsense warnings. Your own shift had run late and if you didn't leave now he'd be waiting. You just wished your hair knew that.

"Means what it means." She said crossing her arms. "You shouldn't go. AND if you do I'm not clearing out so there'll be no hanky panky" You rolled your eyes. Cheep as RDA was you were lucky in your station to only have one room mate to deal with. She could be a pain in the ass but at least she kept her side tidy.

"I have no idea what your saying half the time." You grumbled mainly to yourself, having a last once over in the mirror before heading out.

"If your not back by 0900 I'm inviting Prager over!" You wished the sliding mechanical doors were capable of slamming as you left.

She was one to talk about your taste seeing as she'd been making her way through the military types. Still in some ways she was right. You'd never seen them as your type before but Lyle had been a special case.

You were a jack of all trades, often flitting from task to task in where ever they felt you were needed. Your primary work load was in mechanics, which was where you met him. Lyle clearly wished to jump the queue and reckoned it was a 50/50 he'd get to the top of the order or blacklisted. His cheesy pickup lines and obvious eyeballing would have normally pissed you off but for some reason you'd found it charming.

Maybe it was his sincerity? He certainly seemed to find you genuinely attractive and was not shy about expressing it. Maybe it was the lack self seriousness he displayed? Or maybe it was simply that no one else had shown this much blatant interest in you in a while.

There were no games with him. He was clear in his intentions from the beginning. Before you'd even finished fixing his gun mount on the craft, he'd set up a date. You appreciated the straight forwardness greatly. You often found people difficult to read and wished more would be as blunt at times.

So here you were, outside the hanger leaning against the wall in your nicest causal clothes. It was a miracle you'd made it on time, better than that you were a couple of minutes early! You used the time to catch your breath, peering at your reflection in the glass.

You looked nice. It was hard to look special with what little you'd brought with you but still the effort was clear. Anyways he'd still be in his camo so he'd be a hypocrite to think you'd not bothered to dress up.

Not that dressing up was necessary, you were only going to an observation deck. It was technically out of bounds for yourself but with him as escort it would be allowed. As he told it, that catwalk had the best views of the night sky. You quite looked forward to seeing it, would be a change from the lower levels you tended to work in.

Minutes ticked by slowly. Muscular men and women in military gear filed past, looking at you with confusion as you waited. You kept your eyes down, hoping not to draw too much attention. Wouldn't want to get kicked out before Lyle even got here.

Your feet started to ache. Looking down at your watch again you noted how late he was. 15 minutes wasn't so bad, maybe he'd needed a shower first and had just forgot to message you. You rocked back and forth on your heels, staring out at the moving crane in the hanger.

30 minutes was understandable. Something must have come up and made him late. If it was work then of course he wouldn't have been able to message you and let you know. The timer lights had gone out leaving the hall dim. You slumped down now, sitting on the floor. Might as well rest a little while you waited right?

45 minutes. The cranes had stopped now, the large hanger bay stilled. Whatever workers left must have gone off to their own beds through other exits. You hadn't seen another soul in the last half an hour. Was he just not coming?

55 minutes was your limit. You could feel the frustration rising in your throat. It constricted as your chest spasmed, threatening to start you sobbing. You held the flood gates, your eyes only glassy, you wouldn't cry here.

You felt stupid for falling for what ever trick he was playing. A prank amongst his friends maybe? All watching on CCTV at the poor sod he'd tricked into thinking he liked them. Fuck them, they wouldn't see you cry. You were gonna walk back to your room like nothing was wrong and let your roommates vicious tongue say it for you.

You stood, stretching out your aching muscles, your back giving a satisfying pop. You moaned a little in the empty space as you reached high in your stretch. Then you heard someone clear their throat.

You glanced over to see the Colonel himself eyeing you. You yanked your arms down fast, adjusting your clothing that had crept up.

"Sir!" You straightened, mind racing. What could you say to excuse your being here? Did he know his own men well enough to mark you as an outsider here?

"Shouldn't you be..." He began.

"Yes! sorry sir! I was waiting for someone and..." You cut him off, trailing off with a half hearted laugh at the end there. You weren't hiding you emotion well, you could hear a manic edge to your tone. Well fuck it, your evening couldn't get worse right?

"I think I've been stood up, sir." You met his eye when you said this tears threatening to spill. This was the first time since the mandatory safety briefing you'd seen him this close. You'd done well the last few years, making yourself indispensable on base, never needing to leave its safe walls. Nor having to be in the presence of the Colonel who you'd found so frightening before.

He didn't seem so scary now. Emotions quickly passing across his admittedly handsome face. Though it was marked heavily by deep scarring he was very agreeable up close. He seemed to soften a moment, an easy smile gracing his lips.

"By one of mine? Now that won't do darlin" You blushed at the pet name, eyeing him nervously as he reached a hand out to you. You took it gingerly, staring down at his rough hand clasping your own. Then your eyes drifted to his biceps, wow he was huge.

"Colonel Miles Quaritch." He drawled out, laughing a little. Your eyes shot back up to his, busted.

"Uh, y/n, sir!" You squeaked out. You tensed as he pulled your arm in, hooking it through his own. You followed his movements, allowing him to walk you through the doors off limits to yourself.

"Gave you my name for a reason there darlin'. Just Miles will be fine." You just nodded to him, the whole situation rapidly getting away from you.

"Now what had my no good dog promised you huh?" he turned his head to you, flashing a brilliant smile. You settled against him, content he wasn't going to yell at you and happy to be closer to his muscles.

"The stars." You spoke, more steadily this time, a dreamy hint touching your voice. You'd never seen them so clear as the first night you arrived on Pandora and had been squirreled away ever since. "We were going to go look at them."

Miles hummed to himself, leading you to an elevator on the far wall. An assistant had made to approach with paper work, he shot him a look you couldn't see. The man almost jumped, fumbling with the papers before scampering off. Maybe a little apprehension on your part was warranted.

He seemed a little lost in thought as you entered the lift together. Maybe mulling over who's place he'd taken tonight. Part of you wanted to keep it a secret, after all he did seem annoyed you'd been left waiting. Maybe Lyle deserved what ever his Colonel would do however. Likely be better than your plan of never helping him again.

The lifts sliding doors brought him back. Charming smile slipping back into place as he stepped out with you.

"You'll be wanting a mask for this spot." He removed himself from your side, stepping ahead to the evopacks hanging on the wall. He took one down turning to you.

"After you." He placed the mask over your head, drawing you in close as he adjusted the straps. He tucked hair off your face, hands tracing down to tilt your chin up with his finger. Your breath caught in your throat, he was close now, his eyes darting to your lips. If it wasn't for the glass between you, you'd have felt his breath. He smirked down at you before pressing the seal, it hissed startling you back to reality. Where it didn't seem like your Colonel wanted to kiss you.

You hadn't realized quite how hot you'd become until the door hissed open and the cool night air hit you. It was refreshing, not so cold as to be uncomfortable.

"Up here." Miles lead the way climbing the ladder first and taking your hand when you reached the top yourself. He pulled you up sharply making you bump against his broad chest. He held you there a moment, hands on your elbows, before stepping back.

"Well, there's your stars." He smiled and you raised your head up.

No earthly sky could compare, not even the old photos of desert skies. Millions of pin prick lights, splashes of blue and purple nebula, another moon and the huge expanse of Polyphemus.

The night here glowed brilliantly. You couldn't help the glee that bubbled through you. You jumped a little, waving your hands trying to disperse the feeling. It was so beautiful, beyond anything you'd expected from your brief glimpse.

You twisted back to Quaritch, suddenly bashful from your display. He was simply smiling back at you from where he'd decided to sit. You joined him, flopping onto your back to better take in the view.

"As promised?" You turned your head to his, stars sparkling in his icy blue eyes. You grinned at him.

"Better!" You shuffled closer pressing your head to his shoulder. You wondered briefly if that'd be okay but he didn't move. You stayed like that for a time, letting him speak. He'd apparently learnt a bit from navigation, important out in the field so he said. He pointed to clusters, constellations changed quickly on a moon planet but certain groups could be spotted and used to navigate.

You told him about your fear of the forest. That you'd known a friend who died their first day out there. That you'd found every excuse to stay inside since. He listened, nodding to himself. You supposed he understood, he'd seen first hand what was out there, though he'd chosen to fight it.

When you began to yawn he suggested you go back. Ever the gentleman it would seem, he took your hand. Helping you up then escorting you back. You protested lightly, that you could return yourself but he wouldn't have it. Taking you right to your room door.

"Well y/n, it's been a pleasure." He raised your knuckles to his lips, leaving a soft kiss. You giggled a little, debating a curtsy when you noticed the time. 1100 and as expected your darling roommate had left the customary warning of her sock on the floor.

Miles caught your sudden change of expression, quirking a brow at the sock you glared at.

"Sorry...uh my roommate... she has company." You fumbled. It wasn't against any rules or anything but it felt like grassing her up to the big boss. He paused a moment before he caught your meaning, barking a laugh at the situation.

"Now wouldn't it be funny if I just..." He trailed off before quickly opening the door. You barely had time to react before you saw a half dressed Prager flail and fall onto the floor. Your roommate was no where in site, likely in the bathroom.

"Private!" Miles half yelled, causing him to scramble to his feet and salute. You couldn't help but laugh at him standing there in his underwear, beet red.

"You have a field mission at 0600, best get some shut eye soldier." Miles voice was light hearted, filled with humor at the situation. Regardless Prager scooped up the rest of his clothes before running off down the hall, babbling out 'yes sirs' and 'sorry sirs'.

You turned to look up at Miles, still giggling. He smiled back down at you before his face relaxed a little. He looked at you more seriously then, before his hand raised to cup your cheek. He was close again, this time you could feel the heat radiating off his skin. He stooped a little, leaning closer to you. You felt his lips brush against yours before...

"Colonel, sir?!" Miles leaned away, hand leaving your cheek, he turned to who ever called. You didn't even need to peak around him to tell, Lyle. What was he doing here now? You were still upset about him leaving you waiting like that, but he'd come to you?

"Ahh, this the date then?" He turned back to you, face tight in a forced smile. You felt your face flush, mind still reeling from the almost kiss.

"uh yeah... Lyle." He jogged into view around Miles now, red faced and out of breath. You looked at the floor, not wanting to meet his eyes incase it got you tearing up again.

"Aww y/n I..." He started, struggling to speak through his panting.

"This is my bad." You turned to Miles as he interrupted. His face and voice giving a casual impression that didn't reach his body language. His muscles were tensed. You could see his fists balled, white knuckled.

"I'm afraid my Corporal here was pretty behind on paper work and I'd insisted it be done by tomorrow. Fair to say I ruined your evening, you have my apologies." He tipped his head before marching off.

You felt you should say something but what? What do you say to your higher up who almost kissed you in front of your date. You turned to Lyle, his breathing more steady now.

"How about a rain check? Happy to show you that spot another night." He smiled sweetly, dimples forming. You remembered why you'd been so taken by him before, he really was a good looking guy.

"Yeah, rain check" You returned his smile, watching as his eyes lit up at the chance for a do over. "but your boss beat you to that date." You added laughing at his shocked expression as you entered your room.

"Wait he what?!" He shouted as you closed the door. Kim had reappeared and was grinning from ear to ear.

"Details. Now." You rolled your eyes playfully as she dragged you to sit on her bed.

..............................................................................................................................

The next morning you worked bellow an engine block. Trudy had complained about something leaking and was unwilling to let anyone but you touch her baby.

Your mind was still racing. You wanted to see Miles again but at the same time you still had a date promised to Lyle. It wasn't cheating right? You weren't 'dating' dating? He was just gonna take you out, no reason you couldn't think about someone else. Chances were he was playing the field too, no harm right?

"Knock knock" You heard someone tapping the metal and slid out from under it. Lyle stood above you offering a hand to help you up. He pulled you up and into a quick hug, before pulling back to grin at you.

"What?" you asked, the cheeky look still spread across his face.

"Someone cleared both our schedules for the rest of the day." He somehow smiled wider before scooping you up and spinning with you in the air. You shrieked, laughing as you balanced yourself holding his firm shoulders. He placed you gently back down, giddy smiles shared between you both.

"Must have made a very good impression on the boss. Maybe need to have him run into you more often." He winked slinging an arm over your shoulders. You blushed, he'd really gone and given you both a full day off? Lyle tugged you closer, kissing your temple and leading you out the hanger.

"We're gonna have so much fun!" He beamed. You smiled back, enjoying the feeling of being smushed up against his broad chest.

Unbeknownst to you Miles watched seething from the catwalk above.

[niawritesbs]

A Daddy

John "Soap" MacTavish x Poc Fem! Reader During a meeting, Ghost realizes Soap is missing. He goes looking for him and see's him having a facetime call on a computer with a beautiful woman and a newborn baby on the other side of the screen.

Notes: Ngl to yall. I think this one isn't my best but imma still post it cause I want to. Hope it isn't that bad of a read, suggestions are welcomed anytime!!

"We're missing someone, aren't we? He's usually the first one here to these meetings." Gaz sat in the chair furthest from the front but directly next to Price. He wasn't that worried since neither Price nor Laswell was concerned about the missing scot, but he was curious as to where he could be.

Someone who was more curious about where the Mohawk was was Ghost. Although he'd rather die than ever utter this out loud, Soap's gruffly accent is what he looks forward to in the mornings. It lets him know that he's made it to another day and somewhat grounds him and keeps him in tune with reality when (although it's rare) he feels himself slipping. So seeing him missing was the first thing he noticed when he was the last to walk into the room and Laswell immediately started talking.

"He's been excused for the time being. He can be filled in by Price later when he's finished with his business." Laswell continued with the information she had after clearing the air about the missing Sargeant. Ghost didn't dwell on it any longer and paid attention to the meeting until it finished 30 minutes later.

After being dismissed, they all went their separate ways doing god knows what. Ghost had set off to stroll around making sure he had nothing else to do before he retired to his room to go over the files he and the rest were given in the meeting.

Simon wasn't one to wander the base. Not that he hadn't engraved every part of it into his memory out of instinct, but, he wasn't one to explore unless necessary. His small walk turned into him mindlessly looking for his Scottish partner in crime, and while it is out of character for him to be so curious as to where Soap was, he couldn't help but look.

Ghost eventually walked past a conference room and he knew from the room number he was getting close to the visitation room. That room was for family calls or special access visitations from family members if you had high enough clearance. As he was walking, he heard the missing man's ruff Scottish voice cooing in some sort of baby talk. Ghost walked up to the open room door silently and stood there seeing Soap sitting in front of a laptop cooing softly at it, he tilted his head to see what had him that way. A dog maybe?

'That sounds like something Johnny would do.'

When Ghost tilted his head, he was surprised to see a newborn baby and a beautiful woman with dark skin on the other side of the screen. A big, tired smile was on the woman's face as she held the baby in her arm. Soap leaned his head on his folded arms on the table with the softest look ghost had ever seen. His eyes held such love and devotion that if she were in front of him he'd be worshiping her from head to toe.

"I see someone is excited to be a daddy. You know he looks just like you if you squint. He's the spitting image of you John it's crazy" The pretty lady on the other side of the screen lightly giggled at the end of her sentence, her accent sounding foreign. A chuckle soon came from Soap's lips as he stared at his newborn son in his lover's arms.

"If anything he looks more like you to me. Well either that or it's the laptop's shitty ass quality and he really does look like me." There was a pause before he sighed heavily. "I can't wait to see you, baby, you and little Bailey" Soap's voice held a sadness Ghost hadn't heard before. It was like he was a different man completely. Not that Soap wasn't an expressive man, quite the opposite actually, but, he only ever showed anger, cheekiness, joy, and other neutral emotions. Never quite showing complete sadness and happiness.

Ghost felt that he was invading something private by listening and watching. Something intimate and special it almost flustered him, so he turned from the door frame and started walking ahead, only for his name to be called by the man he just left in the room. He turned to see Soap by the door waving him over to come back. It looks like the woman on the screen saw Ghost and mentioned it to him. Now that he was back, Soap tugged Ghost back into the room with a broad smile. He was gonna be able to show his beloved his best mate on the force and he was ecstatic.

"Darlin, This is Ghost, he's a part of my team. He's the scary brute around here scaring the new recruits" A gruff exhale came from the said man. He was being introduced to someone without his consent but then again, it was his fault for seeking out the Scot in the first place.

Ghost stared into the screen at the curious woman. He had to say she was quite stunning. Dark skin, frizzy hair (he's guessing from the baby in her arms, the messy hair is from childbirth), and small eyebags that showed her fatigue just a bit. His eyes zoomed in on the tiny baby laying in the woman's arms. They had blue eyes and their facial features for a newborn looked scarily identical to their father's.

"The champ looks like me, aye? She says he does and I believe it. The MacTavish genes in me run strong." Soap bosted proudly with a grin seeing his sweetheart smile at his words. Ghost nodded and looked at Soap with Amusement but something he couldn't explain. Simon felt joy for Soap. As chipper as the Scot was, there were times he'd see him at his lowest, like he was ready to rid of it all, to take the coward's way out. Alas, he would always bounce back in the next few hours to bug the hell out of ghost and talk his ear off but he knew how the lass would. Soap having another bundle of joy to keep him grounded and to keep him motivated to stay alive was something Ghost was happy about.

Soon, it was time for Soap's lover to go. She was tired evidently so Soap said his I love you's and his goodbye's solemnly and the call ended. Soap sighed and stood up, walking out of the room, toe-in-toe with Ghost, walking the hall, and heading back to the barracks.

"You know, I didn't think you would have a lover much less a child. From your bad jokes, I assumed your pickup lines were just as bad." An offended gasp came from Soap's mouth upon hearing the Brit's words.

"I'll have you know she loves my pickup lines thank you. They're part of my charm she says." Ghost could hear the adoring tone of his voice at the end. He really loved his girlfriend and vowed hed marry her soon as he is able to leave. Ghost chuckled and they walked in comfortable silence.

Soap became a daddy that day, and Ghost was happy for him.

[lantredudragon]

While Julius Caesar is making alliances, Asterix and Obelix are making contact with the locals. It's going great !

*

"Asterix, I'm hungry."

"I told you already, we don't know what these mushrooms could do. They could be poisonous, so until we find someone who can tell us, better to not touch them."

"But there are no boars, or deer, or even rabbits! No berries or nuts !! Not even roots! Just mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms!"

It felt like they had this discussion several times already yet even Asterix couldn't blame his friend for complaining. It felt like an eternity since they had landed in ...whatever this place was.

Asterix still couldn't wrap his head around what exactly had happened. One moment they were having a typical skirmish with Caesar and his troops, until they found themselves with Caesar near a strange green tunnel, and then...there they were. In some kind of mushroom land with no one in sight, not even Julius, who had yet been sucked in with them. Deep down, Asterix couldn't help but hope old Julius was doing fine on his own...

And to top it off, Dogmatix had ran off! Who knew where their little friend had gone, or what dangers he risked in this strange land? Where even were they ? It looked nothing like Gaul, or Rome, or any other country they had ever visited (and Toutatis knew how far they had travelled).

Lost as he was in his thoughts, it took several seconds for Asterix to notice the absence of his best friend's footsteps behind him. Looking back quickly, he found Obelix staring down intently at a patch of big red and blue mushrooms off their path.

Suddenly Obelix reached into the patch...

"Obelix, for the last time-"

...and yanked someone out of it.

"What the -?"

"Look, Asterix! I found someone!"

A little man...mushroom...person...? Was dangling from Obelix's big hand. He was even smaller than Asterix, with strange clothes, a big head (or was is a hat?) shaped like a mushroom cap, and little beady eyes widened in fright.

Asterix gawked for several seconds at the sight, before collecting himself. So at least there were people in this land, that was finally some good news ! All Asterix and Obelix needed to do was to show they were non-threatening and polite, and surely the locals would help them find their way home! With that in mind, Asterix stepped forward with a smile, lifting his helmet in salute.

"Excuse-me, sir, could yo-"

The mushroom man shrieked in terror.

Asterix's smile wavered.

"I assure you, we don't-"

He shrieked louder.

Asterix frowned.

"Could you let me finish-"

The shrieks reached Cacofonix-levels of loudness and shrillness, before turning into wails in a strange language. And while he had no idea of what it said, Asterix had heard enough Romans, Normands, Goths and other people facing their fists to recognize desperate cries for help or begging for mercy.

Asterix winced before pinching the bridge of his nose. By Toutatis, that was just their luck. Way to make a good impression, on someone who didn't even seem to understand them.

"Hey, Mister Mushroom, have you seen my little dog?" Obélix asked politely despite the little man desperately wriggling in his grasp.

"Will you put him down??" Asterix shot back, exasperated, "Can't you see he's terrified?"

"But he's going to run away! It's not like I'm gonna hurt him!"

"It's not like he knows that, he doesn't speak our language. Now put him down!"

Pouting, Obelix obeyed...and the second he was free, the little man bolted for the mushroom forest, disappearing in a couple of seconds.

"See, I told you so!"

"Well, let's hope he doesn't live here alone, and that someone else will keep their calm and talk to us."

Obelix cupped his chin and pondered for a long moment, frowning in deep thought.

"...Say, Asterix, you think his mushroom cap was edible ?"

Asterix let out a deep sigh.

This was going to be a long day.

[mrs-steve-harrington]

Throwing some fic recs into the mix since I keep seeing the posts from others and wanting to join in. Below, you'll find 10 fics that I'm excited to recommend, in no particular order!

get a clue! by @monsterhunting [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

This is a delightful Valentine's Day fic featuring oblivious Steve, which is one of my favorite kinds of Steve! The pining is real, but the fic is lighthearted, not lingering on the angst of it all, but rather focusing on the positives. Steve's friendship and back and forth with Robin is great, but his interactions with Nancy and Jonathan are even better. It's a great time!

Don't Make Me by @idridian [Halloween Ends, Corey/Allyson/Michael]

You do not understand how badly I needed a fic like this after finally seeing Halloween Ends for the first time. That movie took over my whole brain for a hot minute and I was worried there would be nothing out there to sink my teeth into afterwards. But this fic. This fic was there to give me everything that I needed after the movie. "Allyson Corruption Arc" might be my favorite tag ever. It goes without saying, but there's a darkness to this fic that wraps around you while reading it. The relationship with Allyson and Corey is EVERYTHING! I just. This fic is beautiful and I love it!

To Run The Dog by @pterawaters [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

I love me some fic where Stancy crush hard on Jonathan and want to date him together. This is a really lovely AU where Steve and Nancy are married and keep seeing Jonathan running by their house with his dog. The way they want so badly to interact with him, and the friendship that ends up developing once they get the chance, is wonderful. The characters still feel like themselves despite not having gone through the same things as they do in the show, and it's just. Really enjoyable to read!

my body's aching and my time is at hand by whateverislovely [Criminal Minds, Reid-centric]

Gosh, this fic hits me right in the feels. There's something about sitting with a character who is feeling so low and feels like they can't talk to anyone (even though they know deep down that they could but it FEELS like they can't). Spencer desperately needs someone to see that he's struggling, but it's hard when there's so much going on at the same time. I don't even know what all to say, this fic just really gave me the angst and hurt/comfort (emotional and physical) that I revel in.

The Babysitter by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stancy, Dusteve, uhh... more]

A fic inspired by my favorite horror comedy movie ever? With Steve as the titular babysitter? But not evil? AND it's A/B/O?? Yeah there are many, many reasons I love this fic. The descriptions of Steve feel like they came right out of the movie in a way that made them so easy to see in my head. But it changes enough about the story that it doesn't feel at all like a straight up rehash of what you've already seen. AND it combines some of my favorite ships, with a Steve who is just the best ever. I freaking LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH!!

close my fist around something delicate by inlovewithnight [Ted Lasso, Keeley/Roy/Jamie]

All that I wanted for these three was for them to realize that they have feelings for each other. That they can make a relationship work, if they just try. And dammit, this fic delivers! While also adding in some great angst and hurt/comfort (physical and emotional). I didn't realize quite how much I wanted to see Jamie hurting and being stood up for/protected by the people who care about him, but boy did I! This fic is really lovely, it sucked me in and didn't let me go until I finished reading.

Both Hands Holding on to the Wire by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stobin]

This was one hell of a gift to get in a smut exchange, holy moly! It focuses really well on Robin's confusion over the thoughts she starts having about Steve after accidentally walking in on him changing. The whole concept is handled respectfully, taking the weight of it all very seriously. Robin and Steve's friendship is so good, the way they can just BE with each other. It's got the angst I adore, a Steve who is an absolute sweetheart, and a Robin who is so much more like her season 4 self than season 3 (which is a huge plus for me personally).

The Hourglass by @pterawaters [Fargo s5, Dot & Gator, Dot/Wayne/Gator]

A shorter fic here, but no less wonderful! It's exactly what I needed after finishing the latest season of Fargo. Getting to see where their lives might have gone, if Dot had been able to take Gator with her when she ran away. If he had wanted to go. It gets me emotional every time I think about it. I love love love this fic!

Wednesday by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

I will recommend this fic forever and for always. It has everything: hurt Steve! Time loops! Season 3 Steve being thrown back to the worst day of his life and forced to relive it over and over until he gets it right (hint, it's the Halloween party in s2). I fucking love this fic! I've lost count of how many times I've reread it, but it might rival the number of time loops Steve lives through (okay maybe not quite that many, but you get my point). It shows Steve a side of Jonathan he didn't get to see the first time around. It gives him the closure he probably didn't realize he needed. I just. Adore this story!!

An Oath Broken, An Oath Kept by @urisarang [Love Between Fairy and Devil, Chang Heng/Dongfang Qingcang]

This fic is so mean in the best way! Both of them are so hurt, physically and emotionally. And then Chang Heng is forced to hurt DFQC even more, which only makes it that much BETTER. It was the perfect gift to receive for the Flash Made Them Do It exchange. I laugh every time I see the a/n (the word count minimum was 300 words. The word count on this fic is... a lot more than that). And it's just as fun to reread now as it was to read it the first time around. I want to draw hearts around it!

[k-martins]

Words: + 2K Prompt: Cooking together and healing wounds Warning: Slight season one spoilers; hurt/comfort; slight descriptions of blood and negative thoughts; sad ending. N/A: I had this idea a while ago while looking at the first season, but I just got up the courage to finish writing and editing it now. It's a bit ironic that I write tentative comedy with Megumi while leaving the angst to Yuji. The title is from the song Happier by Marshmellow.

“Please, Fushiguro” Itadori begged, hands clasped in prayer and a prominent pout on his face.

“I won't do that, Itadori. Do not insist." Megumi took a sip of his coffee, watching the pink haired boy offer the biggest version of kicked puppy dog eyes he had ever seen. Before Itadori opened his mouth to argue, Megumi added, "Besides, it's late to be playing cook with you."

From the couch in the common room, eyes still down on his cell phone, Kugisaki groaned in impatience.

“Just say yes so this idiot will shut up.” She points a blue-painted fingernail at him. “Not a piece of that emo ass of yours is going to fall off anyway.”

Megumi muttered an expletive.

Kugisaki was proving to be much more frustrating than Itadori.

Well, actually she wasn't wrong, but the very idea of cooking after a training day when everyone could very well order takeout was silly to say the least. What's the point of having Gojo's credit card if they can't use and abuse it?

“Okay, fine.”

"Yes! Good one, Kugi!” Itarori exclaimed at the same time that Kugisaki, with the same petulant expression as always, retorted: “See? Not a single strand of that sea urchin hair of yours has fallen out.”

Megumi wasn't really sure about that, but he was too grumpy to care about Kugisaki's nasty nickname. Instead, he got up and took the mug of coffee grounds to the sink.

He sometimes hated his outgoing classmates.

Even with his back turned and clearly pretending to be ignoring them, Kugisaki added:

“And make sure those meatballs are excellent! I'm a very demanding girl.”

Itadori suddenly appeared at Megumi's side, slipping an arm around his shoulders casually and intimately. The sponge slipped from his hand. Megumi knew that the pink-haired boy was an enemy of personal space, just like Gojo, but even so, the one-armed hug took him by surprise.

The room was hot.

"They'll be the best you've ever had." Itadori hummed. “Family recipe!”

“I think it's really good. I'm giving up one of the food at a nice restaurant because of you, you hear?"

When Kugisaki left, presumably heading towards Maki's dorm, Megumi pushed Itadori's arm away from his space. The pink haired boy just laughed out loud, apologizing before heading to the fridge.

Megumi snorted, white foam on his hands.

“I don't know why you would need my help. After all, this is your family recipe.”

The accusing tone didn't seem to faze Itadori, who spoke without looking at him:

“Well, I thought it would be nice for you, you know. Eating only instant ramen and drinking black coffee is not healthy.” The boy cocked his head as he looked him up and down. Megumi forced herself not to shy away from his scrutiny, but heat still licked his cheeks. “And what do you weigh? 60 kilos? You need to eat better.”

“There is nothing wrong with my weight.” Megumi retorted, feeling torn between offended and intrigued that Itadori knew his weight. He studied the ingredients placed on the counter by the other boy, testing the weight of the chicken packet, before adding, “And I don't just eat that. Shoko wouldn't let it. She is very strict about food.”

Itadori stopped whistling an irritating pop tune upon hearing this.

“She's the doctor here, isn't she? Wow. I didn't know you'd known her for quite some time.”

“What are we doing anyway?”

If the change of subject surprised Itadori, he didn't show it.

Megumi didn't feel like telling Itadori that he had known Ieiri Shoko since he was six, when Gojo had taken him to her to find out what his red face, fever and vomiting could mean. Intestinal problem, of course. Anyone would have these problems being put on the candy-based diet that Gojo kept. At least, that's what Shoko said while ruffling Megumi's hair.

Itadori held out a knife to Megumi and a cutting board with a large ginger on it.

“Chicken meatballs with ginger sauce.” Itadori answered, as if it were obvious, which it wasn't. “Can you cut the ginger for me while I grind the chicken?”

Megumi shrugged.

"Clear."

“It needs to be really thin.”

"Okay."

“And watch out for...”

“Itadori, I am perfectly capable of cutting a ginger”

"Right. Just making sure. But if you have any doubts...”

"One more word and I'm leaving." Megumi threatened, pointing the tip of the knife at the boy. "Stay quiet."

Itadori raised his hands, as if defending himself against a wild cat. The smile on his face was so big it pushed his eyes and the scars beneath them up, almost as if they were closing. Megumi wondered if he didn't feel pain from smiling so much.

“Sure, sure. Pardon me. I will not talk anymore.

“You are still talking.”

This only made Itadori laugh harder.

"Now. Now I won't talk anymore. Interest. Pinky promise."

“Itadori...”

The pink boy pursed his lips now, sliding his index finger over his thumb as if zipping it up.

He turned his back on Megumi, working on what should be the chicken, leaving the sorcerer the simple task of chopping – in thin slices, as “ Chef Itadori” said – the ginger. The penetrating and spicy aroma was not unfamiliar to Megumi. It reminded him of when he cooked with Tsumiki, adding more seasoning than necessary since neither of them had a recipe book, which resulted in spicy, strong food. His sister just stuck out her tongue and moaned in disgust, but Megumi always liked the sting of his tongue.

It was good. A good memory despite all the poverty they lived in.

Of course, that all came to an end when Gojo came along and included sweets in his routine. Tsumiki loved it and Megumi liked that she was happy. She deserved it after all.

Megumi felt that familiar feeling of anguish in his chest, the same as when he remembered his sister.

Tsumiki was good, kind and understanding. She deserved all the happiness a human could deserve.

But the world is uneven, isn't it?

And people like Megumi end up getting what they don't deserve while people like Tsumiki, truly good and without a hint of selfishness, are affected by curses and thrown into a hospital bed with no prediction of waking up...

The spiral of thoughts is cut by a wave of pain.

Red drips onto the cutting board.

“Fushiguro!” Itadori exclaims, appearing at his side quickly. "Are you well?"

“Oh, sure.” He replies, still staring at the small cut on his index finger. A red line runs down the milky skin. “It was a small cut.”

"He is sure? I'll get the first aid kit.”

“Itadori, this is an exaggeration...”

His comment was of no avail, as Itadori already had an arsenal of bandages and antibiotics. It would be ridiculous if the selfless gesture didn't take Megumi by surprise. It wasn't a deep cut and it would probably stop bleeding if he just pressed on it, but Itadori didn't seem to think that way if the way he carefully held Megumi's hand to clean the cut, much larger and warm fingers gently wrapping around his fingers – and perhaps reverence? – it meant something.

Megumi swallowed hard, not knowing how to deal with it – or with the way his heart missed a beat when Itadori gently blew on the wet wound.

He had a notion that Itadori probably wasn't used to seeing open wounds as often as Megumi himself had. No, the pink-haired boy had a nice life with his now-deceased grandfather, with friends and probably middle-school sweethearts all around him. Before meeting Megumi, he had never seen a curse rend the fragile flesh of heedless sorcerers with just one movement, never had to tend to their wounds after intense training and without pause because – according to Maki-san – 'curses won't care if it's sold out'. Yuji Itadori never saw what Megumi saw.

That thought makes his mood sour, any enchantment that Itadori is nursing his wounds dimming.

“Let go of my hand, Itadori.” Megumi ordered, pulling his hand away from Itadori's softness, caress and seal. He can't handle this anymore. "I already told you it's an exaggeration."

"But I'm not done yet." The pink boy whimpers, holding tighter, careful not to touch the cut skin. When Megumi tugged again, now feeling as if the tips of his ears had been dipped in embers, Itadori had the gall to laugh. “You look like a skittish cat. Let me take care of you.”

The words come out before Megumi can reflect.

"Why? Why would you do that?"

Why do you care about me when I threw you into this shitty life?

Megumi wanted to kick herself for having those thoughts.

He doesn't need help, Itadori's kindness, much less someone to care for him. Everyone knows that being a jujutsu sorcerer was a sentence, a race whose end was just a pile of corpses and dried blood. There was no gratification, there was no glory, there was no happy ending for anyone who entered this life. All that existed was a sense of purpose that each of the sorcerers clung to. Allowing people to come together, cross lines and bond was just a more painful way to end this marathon. Even the great Satoru Gojo knows this. Megumi doesn't want someone tending to his injuries, sharing fleeting moments like cooking together and caring. Because in the end, when all this shit with Sukuna is over, all he'll have left are sour memories.

He won't let Itadori do this to him, not when Megumi was the one who put him through this.

So why, even when he was hostile and visibly defensive, did Itadori still hold his hand and smile as if that was a silly question asked by a small child?

“Because I always take care of my friends, Fushiguro.” Itadori's eyes widened comically and his mouth dropped. “Is that a problem for you?”

Friends?

Megumi blinked, confused and a little incredulous. What was the damn logic behind Itadori's thoughts?

"What?"

“I know we don't know each other well, but I consider you one. I think near-death experiences do that.” Itadori responds genuinely. There's a crease in his forehead as he furrows his brows, seeming to contemplate that thought. His hand retreats after finishing the band-aid and Megumi tries not to miss the warmth of his fingers on his normally cold skin. "But if you're not on the same page, I understand."

"It's not that." Again the words leap out of him. "It's just... I never..."

I had someone to cook and heal wounds.

I had someone who cared besides Tsumiki.

I had a friend.

Even though Megumi knows he didn't say any of those things out loud, the soft look Itadori gives him shows that it wasn't accurate. He understands.

“Good, then I guess I can be first.” There's no pity, shame, or compassion when Itadori says this to him, just a softness and appreciative contemplation, as if knowing something new is a personal gain. “How about it, Fushiguro? Are we going to be roommates and friends?”

Megumi doesn't understand what's going on.

He doesn't understand Itadori.

It's frustrating.

Before he can offer a response, said boy backs away with wide eyes and a new urgency on his face.

"Oh no! I forgot the meatballs!” Itadori exclaims loudly, turning his back on Megumi. There's comic desperation as he adds, "Kugisaki will kill and use his nails to nail my coffin if I burn this!"

And, while Itadori fiddles with the pots and comments trivial things about the importance of being always careful with food, Megumi looks at the bandage on his fingers, memorizing the simple and tiny drawings of tigers under a blue background – it was probably bought by Gojo as a kind of a silly joke – and thinks maybe it's not so bad to have that kind of bandage under that kind of wound.

He'll think about what that means later.

_

There's no later when Sukuna rips Itadori's heart out and throws it away, a red smile coloring his teeth, as Megumi stares at the scene with cold horror coursing through his insides.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for taking over my apprentice's body and also all the other stuff I did?

I (either 80 or 20 depending on if you count my body or my mind's age, M) am a master of a special weapon which I should not talk about too much, and my apprentice, (20, M) failed his exam to gain the mark of mastery. I helped guide him to use his innate abilities with the darkness that my fellow master and best friend (80, M), despises.

I had plans to start a war to summon the most powerful weapon in the universe and use it to summon the heart of all worlds. I wanted to remake the universe to be better than it is. My first plan, on which I took my old apprentice (I genuinely don't know his age, M) and split him into two people, one purely light and one purely darkness, and tried to make them fight in order to summon the weapon, failed so I needed to move on to plan B. In order for that plan to work, I needed a younger, healthier body to do so, and a heart that has fallen to darkness is easier to take over.

I understand how some people would call me an asshole for wanting to become a dictator that concurred the universe by manipulating my apprentice into falling into darkness, but you have to understand how corrupt the world is now. We need someone to dictate the masses and keep the world clean! Anyone could have been that someone, but I have the knowledge and power of how to do it, so it has to be me.

As time passed, my apprentice grew stronger and fell to the darkness more and more, until I told him to meet with me back at his home. One of his best friends, my old apprentice, was about to be killed by my fellow master because he still factored into my plans, and the other master didn't want me to succeed.

My apprentice fought my old friend, and beat him with the biggest show of dark power I have ever seen. My fellow master was now weakened, so I had to keep him from throwing any more wrenches in my plans. I used a dark fireball on him and killed him. My apprentice seemed to be angry about it, which fed into his darkness even more. I still needed his heart to be weakened, so I destroyed his home.

He followed me to the site of the first great war that split the world into the fragments it is today. There, he met up with his friends and they tried to take me down. The dark half of my old apprentice and a bounty hunter I paid distracted the other two long enough for me to take over my apprentices body. I took off his magic armor because I wouldn't need it when I got the weapon from the dark half of my old apprentice.

I was just about ready to finish my plan, when suddenly the plateau we were fighting on was surrounded by magical, orange chains. My apprentice's suit of armor was kneeling with his blade in its hand. It rose up and fought me. I lost, so I had to move on to plan C. I would find the only remaining friend of my apprentice (18, F) and interrogate her for the location of my old apprentice and the weapon I'm after. She defeated me, but had to sacrifice herself and go directly to the equivalent of hell for ten years in an attempt to save her friend's body. I was left with no memories for a couple of years.

Again, I understand how that makes me look like the asshole, but I'm doing it for the greater good, and the ends have to justify the means.

Let me know if you want to hear more stories from my life, because I haven't even got to the part where I'm repeatedly beaten up by a bisexual boy, a duck, and a dog.

[joannes-journal]

2 Corinthians 11:14 - Entry #4

CW: Bible Quote, Paranoia, Sleep Deprived MOD w/ Grammarly as Beta Reader

=+=+=+=+=

"And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."

.

.

.

There's an unresponsive pseudo-god sitting in a blanket nest in the living room. That's not a sentence I ever thought I'd write. Observer overexerted himself last night to banish Smoke from the premises. Jester, who I forgot had turned into a rabbit, pulled himself from under the couch and was covered in sentient dust bunnies.

Fritz, someone I hadn't seen in a couple of days, teleported into the room, wondering what happened to the door. Right, I may or may not have blasted it off its hinges with my shot gun. Within minutes he disappeared and came back with a stolen door. Xia piped up, wanting to paint it. I remember when Dakota snuck into a scrap yard and came back with an old box TV for Trinity to paint (she painted eyeballs on them).

Xia immediately wanted to paint the door, but, according to Evan, there was no paint in the house. I looked away for a second (a second!), and Xia had manifested paint cans. Right, she's a god. Evan complained about painting over top of his hardwood floors (fair enough), and Xia manifested a tarp. The entire time, Evan was having a conniption.

"We don't have paint, Z," Evan explained he could get some for her, but before he could finish the sentence, paint cans manifested on the floor. When Evan complained about his hardwood floors, a tarp showed up. He was speechless as Xia and Frost gaslit him into thinking the paint and tarp had always been there. I got a chuckle out of it, but I was still hurting. She wanted to drink the paint, but Evan wouldn't let her.

We all started to get settled, trying to forget everything that happened. Jester mentioned something about being able to turn others into animals. I perked up.

"Can you turn me into a mantis shrimp? I wanna see more colors!" I started shaking with excitement, pulling up a picture and showing him. After some back-and-forth banter, I felt a woosh of air and was in a fish tank. I couldn't describe the new colors I was seeing, but I learned something. As a mantis shrimp, I think I was able to see possession. Evan had a purple aura around him, while Xia had a greyish/black aura...didn't we banish Smoke?

Static filled my vision. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something outside the window. I didn't know what it was, but it frightened me bad enough to want to not be a shrimp anymore. I called to Jester, demanding he turn me back into a human. And he did. I sat on the couch and glanced at the window. My head started hurting, and my nub started throbbing. What the fuck?

Then everyone got loud.

It was too much for Xia; she had teleported herself and the materials outside. I figured I'd join her; maybe all I needed was fresh air. But in the couple of minutes it took for me to join her-

"SHE'S GONE!" I rushed back into the house, grabbing my grimoire and the hellblade. "HABIT! GET SNIFFING!" He freaked out; everyone sprang into action, following me into the woods. At some point, Jester transformed into a dog. God, that's so cool. I flipped through the grimoire, knowing I had a locator spell somewhere. There it was! The "Quick Locator" spell took more energy due to not needing herbs or spices. Taking a breath, I said the words.

Whispy-gold streams appeared, creating a path into Hollow Grove. I fucking knew it.

We followed the path to the tower, where I knocked until Raven got to us. She was limping and surprised to see me.

"XIA'S MISSING! We need help! You're the one who knows the park the best!" My eyes caught a glimpse of something large, white, and furry behind them. "Is that...DISC0RD? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY RABBIT?"

Raven shifted awkwardly, "Xia?... The little child I'm connected to? Sure...oh yeah. I found it unconscious, so I brought it up to a safer area. Hasn't woken up since."

I heard something in the distance; I must've got here before the others. Frosts' familiar voice echoed amongst the trees, "In my defense, I even told him I wasn't gonna kill him!"

Raven panicked, "Oh no.. No no no no! You are banned from Hollow Grove get the fuck out before I call the police!" Right, Frost and Jester attacked them. I felt a presence behind me.

"LOOK- RAVEN, RIGHT?" It was HABIT. "SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER...FROST IS STAYING. DON'T MAKE ME GET MEAN." The others would be catching up soon. I wondered if Jester was going to stay as a dog or turn back into a human.

Raven knew who HABIT was. I learned that she and Xia were linked in more ways than being able to feel each other's pain. I turned and watched the locator spell dissipate into the air.

"SHIT! The spell wore off. Guys, we're gonna have to stick to HABIT's nose or something until we find her." Raven said something about her coworker doing a check around the park, not knowing if she'd be here. Frost chimed in, assuring Raven that she was with me this time.

I stepped past Raven to get to DISC0RD. My hands went for my necklace, taking it off and placing it around their neck. The wedding rings bounced together, reminding me of when Abaddon and I got married. This was a promise to DISC0RD. A promise that I'd be back for them.

I think this is where I'll end this entry. I'll explain what happens next in the following entry, but I feel I've written en

=+=+=+=+=

[hirik0]

Jealousy Part 4

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

09Soap/Ghost

Riley is waiting for his owner with this humen he only saw a few times. He sits next to the door where Ghost has left him waiting for what feels like dor ever. The humen at the desk is not paying him any attention. And Riley hates this. The other humans give him attention all the time why was this one so different? Riley whines to get the humens attention but the humen just shortly looks at him and then continues with what ever he is doing. Riley is a patient dog laying with Ghost at spots for hours with out moving, but waiting for Ghost to return? And not geting attention? Riley hates this. He let's out a annoyed growl before laying on the floor still not moving from the door. Some times he hears a door opening and he lifts his head from his paws but all the humens walk past him. He wishes his favourite spare human would show up but he haven't seen him in a few days.

Soap watches Riley or more he trys to finish the paperwork and ignores the dog as much as possible. He looks at the door and Riley looks at him with his big sad eyes. And Soap feels bad for ignoring Riley. Everyone in the taskforce loves Riley besides him so this probably the longest time Riley got no attention since becoming Ghosts K9. The taskforce absolutely loves this dog and Ghost at the beginning told them that Riley may not come back and not get to attached, but the sergeants fell in love with the dog instantly. They even have a fight of who Rileys favourite after Ghost is, Soap had to break up the fight and made them run laps for the rest of the day. The answer is Roach if Ghost has something to do and can't take Riley with him, the dog basicly becomes Roachs shadow. And Roach has every right ti be smug about is is now not only the go to partner on missions for Ghost he also is the same for the K9. After the 5th time Riley lifting his head Soap feels himself crumbling, somehiw everytime anyone is walking past them Rileys eyes look sadder and sadder. He can give Riley a bit of attention. "Come here Riley", he says and they look at each other for a good minute before Riley moves from his spot at the door. "Good boy", Soap praises the dog before he starts patting him hesitantly.

Riley is sceptical when the humen tells him to come but it seams like he's willing to give him attention. He carefully goes around the desk and sits at the right site of the human. Riley was never patted like this, like the humen just didn't know how to do it. Riley tilts his head to the left in confusion. Its maybe these are not best pat ever gotten, but it's still slightly besser then no attention at all. Because of the head tilt the human starts stretching him behind his ear and that gets Riley to wack his tail. Riley loves head scratches and if you ones start you have to do it till Riley has enough. The longest was 20 minutes and Roach had to change hands several times. The scratches stop abruptly and the human is retreating his hand to do desk thinks. To stop the human he puts his paw on the arm of the human. The human is saying something to him and all Riley understands is the human wants to stop giving him head scratches. Riley bits in the sleeve of the jacket the human wears, to stop him from moving away making the biggest puppy eyes.

"Riley, I need to finish this paper work." Soap says annoyed. When Riley bites in his sleeve sop goes pale and stiffens up a bit. He doesn't feel any teeth on his skin so he's sure that Riley tried to attack him. Soap looks in Rileys big puppy eyes and sighs. The problem is that Riley is correctly stopping him from using his dominant hand for writing, but he can use his other hand to give Riley attention and the other to fill out the flood of paperwork Price gave him. He moves his other hand from the desk and slowly places up in Rileys head to continue the scratching. Riley let's go if the sleeve and his tail is hitting one of the desk legs because he's happily walking his tail. The think is Soaps arms are in a very award position form him to write. So he drops the pen again and calls Riley and the uses his free hand to point on the other site of him. The dog walks behinde Soap and rests his head on Soaps leg when he reached the other sit. Soap picks up his pen again while he scratches Riley. It's slightly therapeutic to do this.

Ghost is very focused on the details of his mission. It's easy enough he and Riley get dropped of in Equador and Riley hopefully sniffs out where the lab is and he steals some intel from them. Easy he probably don't even needed Riley for this, but he is part of the mission. Not walking for weeks throw a rain forest if Riley does his job correctly could be a lot faster. "You and Riley should rest" it's all Price says for Ghost to know he's dismissed. He walks to Soaps office to pick up his dog and Riley is not waiting at the door. Ghost knows after Soap got badly mauled at a mission developed a dislikes of dogs. But he surely would not let Riley just walk of so where is Riley. Thats when he hears the slight knocking sound and when he walks in the office he sees that Riley is resting his head on Soap. And that Soap is scratching his head. Soap who has not interacted with the dog since he joined the taskforce, not ones is giving him head scratches. Ghost blinks confused before he desides thats non of his buisnessto figure out. "Good boy", Soap says very obviously to Riley but Ghost brain still needs a reboot. His face is burning getting the blush Ghost is now used too when around Soap. "Riley, heel", Ghost commands, with a firm voice and Rileys head is lift up from Soap waking his tail so fast Ghost had bever seen before. The dog is moving dutiful to his owner tail walking a lot faster now hitting the desk several times. "Thanks for watching Riley, Captain", he says to Soap before he turns around to leave the office. "No problem", Soap answers now finally able to do his paperwork in peace. When Ghost is reaching his room he falls on the bed Riley quickly following him. He hugs Riley tightly hiding his face in the fur. He's rubbing Rileys bag before he exhales loudly. Realisation is slowly creeping in to Ghost mind. Defeated he mumbles in to Riley: " This crush is getting out of hand" Riley let out a snor as answer.

[slonekaru]

Hi! I’m not sure if you’ve been asked this before but, what are your top 5 BL’s that you watched this year?

Oh, good question! I've watched so many BL's this year :) How do I choose 5!?!?!?

In no particular order because I can't decide:

Love in the Air

I adore Love in the Air, I liked it right from seeing the trailers and it never let me down. Both couples are amazing for various reasons. The PrapaiSky story was well done and I'm a little in love with Peat. But I have to say I think Payu and Rain are one of my favourite couples from this year and have quickly solidified their place in the favourite couples ever category. I loved their relationship and the D/s elements, how it progressed, how they showed a functioning healthy D/s relationship.

Plus the chemistry between Boss and Noeul is outstanding. Top Tier. I could watch them kiss for hours. I WILL CRY IF THEY DON'T DO A NEW SERIES TOGETHER!!!!

Kinnporsche

What can I say about Kinnporsche. One of the best series I have seen, nevermind it being a BL! I came into KP just before it was released so didn't have all the waiting some people did! Phenomenal casting, I don't think there was a bad choice there. Production values are off the charts. Great how they managed to balance the Mafia story with the comedy elements. I am torn about wanting a second season. I mean I'd love to see more and yet live in fear of them not achieving the same level. Sometimes it's best to let it be! Also another entry with a favourite couple of VegasPete, complicated but fantastic relationship. BibleBuild are amazing together and another pairing I hope to see again.

Semantic Error

And we have a Korean entry. This is one of my suggestions to anyone just getting into BL. It made me laugh, the chemistry between Park Seoham and Park Jaechan is amazing. I actually had no idea who they were or that they were in K-pop bands before watching this.

I particularly liked Park Jaechan's portrayal of SangWoo. I read it as SangWood being Neurodivergent and I personally think it's brilliant, especially with the way Park Seoham's JaeYoung reacts to SangWoo. Sometimes frustrated but most of the time accepting and learning to adapt to his thought process.

Old Fashion Cupcake

For our Japanese entry, we have Old Fashion Cupcake. This one hit differently. I've been dying for some BL with older characters and they delivered. What more could you want than a 29-year-old chasing and wooing a 39-year-old who doesn't realise it and also discovers his queerness later in life! It's beautifully done and nice to see people still reaching for something and achieving it when they are full-grown adults! Because you know that's life.

Choco Milk Shake

They sucked us in with the kinky D/s promo photo's and I fell for it! But this has been such an amazing series. Originally slated for a 10-episode run they changed the airing of the last 3 episodes and have snuck in an extra episode! Episode 11 is due to air on the 20th Dec. Episode 10 is 100% the original ending but I think they realised how popular it was and maybe wanted to squeeze out another episode. Plus I know how people reacted to the Kissable Lips ending, maybe Strongberry doesn't want the same outcome!

The casting choices were outstanding. Lee JaeBin is completely believable as a puppy in human form and Kim SeongHyuk as a cat in human form is spot on. Seriously they nailed the mannerisms of a dog and cat.

Interesting how such a comedic show with a comedic premise also somehow manages to deal with loss, grief, and loneliness.

Some honorable mentions: The Miricle of Teddy Bear, Cutie Pie, Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul, Big Dragon, The Eclipse, Plus and Minus, Kei X Yaku, Secret Crush on You

And because they are not finished yet I'll reserve the right to include Between Us, and 609 Bedtime Story at a later date! :)

[diedinariptide]

If you ever get the chance :)

liv and rhea

prompt: tearful kisses, and not from happiness

Thank you so much for the request, I hope this is the kind of pain you were looking for.

Tearful kisses

In their little bubble, Rhea could pretend that everything was alright. Everything that happened in the last year was only a crazy dream the both of them had together. Eventually, they'd have to wake up to reality and face the consequences.

In this room, the ring didn't exist.

All the reasons why this was a real fucking terrible idea didn't matter one bit. The ache it left the both of them at the end a mere footnote, inconsequential to the joy of Liv's chatter and eternal optimism.

Here, they were just Rhea and Liv.

"Do you think you could braid my hair?" Liv asked, turning her back to Rhea to give her access to the long blonde locks. She waited expectantly, well aware Rhea couldn't say no. Or rather, that she would do whatever it was that she asked. It was an unspoken agreement whenever they were together. Anything Liv wanted or desired, and it was hers.

"Sure," Rhea agreed without a fuss, accepting the brush that was handed to her.

Liv scrolled through her social media feed as the teeth untangled the messy curls, only pausing whenever she found something cute to show Rhea. Most of them were dogs in sunglasses or a meme comparing their fellow wrestlers to an animal doing something weird.

This too, was play pretend.

A particularly loud giggle intrigued Rhea, her fingers still moved through the freshly washed locks as she tamed them in a tight braid. Must have gotten a message from someone. "So what's going on?"

"Oh, you know–," Liv started. She turned off the phone screen to articulate with her now freed hands. "Bayley had this big box of stuff in it, she could hardly carry it you know. She wouldn't let anyone help her, but Sasha wouldn't have that."

Liv paused to make sure Rhea was paying attention to the story. It didn't make much sense at all. Though it rarely did until it had been told in full, and even then, there were holes too big to make sense of it.

Still, Liv was waiting.

"And then what?" Rhea had finished the braid. She rested her head on Liv's shoulder as encouragement to continue.

"She got so mad, you should have seen her. It doesn't make sense, you know? I thought those two were friends. I didn't see them the rest of the day, so I assumed Bayley eventually let her help. But then, then..."

Liv turned the screen back on, showing a picture of Bayley and Sasha drenched in red paint. "Sasha sends me this."

Rhea furrowed her brow. "That, why are they covered in paint?"

"Must have been in that box," Liv concluded as a matter of fact. She must be proud of herself for being the best detective in the world.

"That doesn't," Rhea stopped herself before she could finish her sentence. She was already over this nonsensical story. What in the world would someone like Bayley use red paint for?

Rhea kissed the side of Liv's face with a softness that was unlike her. Liv threw her arms around Rhea's neck, straddling her hips as she turned.

"They looked close," Liv whispered against her lips.

The taste of mint invades Rhea's tongue, as soft lips locked against her own. Insistent and needy, like Liv's life depended on it. All Rhea could do was respond in kind, opening up to the invitation.

A lone droplet hit Rhea's cheek. A tear. A sweet bitterness against the dulcet tongue that danced with her, one followed by another, until it all stopped, and Liv looked at her as if this was a goodbye. Nails dug into Rhea's shoulder blades, sharp enough to cut with the slightest misstep.

"It must be nice to have someone like that." Liv barely choked out the words.

"Liv." Rhea's concerned plea fell on deaf ears. This wasn't part of their agreement. They didn't do this. Not anymore.

Something inside Liv snapped, her eyes glistening a stone cold rage, stormwind brewing as she bared her soul. With a shove, Liv had Rhea pinned down to the bed.

"I hate you," Liv spit out. "I really, really hate you. Stop being so nice to me. That's not who we are. That's not who you are. Hit me, bite me, take me. Anything but this. Rhea..."

Liv placed Rhea's hand around her neck and held it there. "Destroy me."

Rhea had no time to think. Liv's demands were ludicrous, an antithesis to what they had worked so hard on building up over the past few months. As fake as it was, it was safe. They made sense again, after such a long period of time where nothing ever did. Rhea cursed the ground Liv walked on as she flipped them over, giving her what she wanted.

"You're going to regret this."

"Please."

[effervescentdragon]

Idk if you’ve answered this but I’ve stumbled upon your tumblr and I just realised your the one who wrote el amor del inframundo and I have to say it’s easily one of the best fics I’ve ever read. I’ve never been into au’s and I wasn’t into Charlos that much either until I read it and it just changed my whole perspective on them. I love that fic so much I have it open as a tab on safari, refreshing it every now and then in hopes that it gets updated (that’s how much I love it!!!) I guess my question is if you have plans on continuing it and if not could you possibly tell us a short little summery of what happens between them, I just desperately want to know what their first kiss is like🥺 (also I regularly think about the scene where they’re both high, god that was such a good scene)

Hellooooo i caught this in the mess that is my inbox! Hi, yes, i am the author of the mafia au and it makes me incredibly happy that you liked my fic that much! Thank you for all your kind words, this is the stuff we writers live for, because knowing people like sth i wrote just makes me wanna write more! 🥹🥰 so far the plan is to finish it sometime and somehow, and the stats on the next chapter are following

i have no idea how the story is going to go exactly, and im in a mini-block with my wips, but, i can share a scene from the next chapter :) as soon as the muses and brain allow, i'll work on it, bcs i have a story to tell here and i personally think it's a good one. So, excerpt from ch2 of el amor del inframundo under the cut, in which chess is a metaphor for many things :)

"Oh God, you're not playing chess with him, are you?" Mattia asked, chuckling and patting Carlos on the shoulder.

They were waiting for dinner to be served at the house of an associate, and Charles and Carlos were amusing themselves before they had to go and pretend they weren't bored out of their mind. They found a chess set in a room and were currently playing their third, winner-deciding game.

"I do," Carlos said, observing the board.

"You like to suffer, my friend," Mattia said, not moving away. "Charles likes to play, but he is not very good at it."

Carlos paused in the middle of reaching for his rook, and Charles bit back a smile. He’d seen Mattia when he caught sight of the two of them playing, and he felt a sliver of satisfaction at accurately predicting that he wouldn’t be able to stay away, eager to brag, as he always was.

"Ah, Mattia, don't deprive me of the only opponent who will still play with me," Charles said good-naturedly. Carlos raised his eyes to Charles, whose wide smile didn't show any dimples.

"Oh? You played with him?" Carlos asked, his voice even despite the turmoil behind his eyes.

"Yes," Mattia said, condescension clear in his voice. "He makes rash moves, otherwise he wouldn't lose so quickly. Probably would still lose as often."

"He loses to you," Carlos said more than asked. Charles wanted to kiss him for it, or suck his dick, anything really, to show him how fucking arousing he found Carlos' intelligence.

"Yes. Maybe you should play with me, or Antonio, and have a real challenge," Mattia said. Charles just kept smiling, and Mattia shook his head, then walked away.

Carlos played his move in silence, observing Charles.

"You played with Mattia?"

"Yes," Charles said, moving his queen. "And Antonio, and probably everyone in, ah, management."

"And you lost?"

"Yes," Charles said, tapping one of Carlos' white pawns he ate before on the table. "To all of them."

Carlos moved his pawn. Charles countered with his knight. Carlos narrowed his eyes. He reached for his queen, then reconsidered and moved his rook.

Charles grinned, and ate Carlos' rook with his queen.

"Check-mate," he said, grin wide and unrepentant, because he knew Carlos wouldn't have been able to see the trap Charles had set up for him before it was too late.

Carlos pushed the white king in front of him down just as Mattia passed them again, Giovinazzi on his heels. Just like a good dog should, Charles thought unkindly.

"I guess you're an even worse player than Charles, Carlos, if you're losing to him," he said, and both he and Giovinazzi laughed. Charles kept a good-natured smile on his face, chuckling a little.

"Yes," Carlos said, looking straight into Charles' eyes, his gaze clear and calculating and filled with understanding. "I guess I am."

Charles dimpled back at him.

"Another game?"

Carlos smiled back slowly, slyly, and nodded.

[eemcintyre]

Re-watching and re-evaluating "M:I - Dead Reckoning (Part One)"

A long, long time ago, somewhere in the Internet ether, I had promised to review this movie. well here it is if anyone still cares

Still think the introductory scene in the submarine was a bit long, but it didn't feel as long as it did the first time when I was foaming at the mouth to see Tom and only Tom for the first time in a new movie in the theater

Definitely a lot of exposition in the first Cary Elwes/Kittridge/etc. scene, but the information was necessary for the most part. Just very funky and unnatural how they divided the dialogue amongst everyone and they were finishing each other's sentences, like people Do Not talk like that

Also did anyone else think it was weird how long it was until the intro credits montage too? Idk maybe that's my personal artistic choice talking. Either way it was a super neat montage and I loved it, regardless of when it occurred; I was just afraid the first time I saw it that we weren't going to get one 👀👀👀

The whole end-of-days AI thing is definitely way too relevant and 1) stresses me out v badly, but also 2) Tom Cruise gives me hope that maybe we will eventually defeat it, even if it's not by he himself punching it to death 🤞🏻💖

Best comprehensive soundtrack of the franchise; the only one that has actually stuck out in my mind and I can remember at all and has stirred up genuine emotion in me

The Rome car chase safely occupies the spot as the best one I've ever seen, and you can tell the difference with how they used real sets and props vs. just wall-to-wall greenscreen 😖 I also love how the hijinks with like, the handcuffs and the seat-switching feel like smth out of an older spy comedy movie?? Vintage vibes ✨🤌🏻

If Tom Cruise could just casually stand with me protectively like that for a while and shield me from the w o r l d I think it might fix me 🥺🥲

The way Grace drives is a glimpse into what it feels like for me every time I get on the road

I love the yellow Fiat and I want it gimme gimme

Pom Klementieff's character is definitely too over the top for me. absolutely feral. someone tranquilize her pls. give her a nap. but hey, I'm glad she's having fun 🩷

Rebecca Ferguson was so underused and felt weirdly distant and separated even when she was present in this movie- def my biggest disappointment >:(

When I say I absolutely hated the big retcon about how agents are drafted into the IMF like MY PUPPY-DOG EYED NERD BENJI AND ETHAN "LOVES HIS FRIENDS" HUNT WERE NOT CRIMINALS IT DOESN'T MAKE A LICK OF SENSE FOR THEIR CHARACTERS BOY HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND CAUSE I'LL HELP YOU FIND IT 😤😤😤

Didn't think I was going to like Hayley Atwell at all before seeing the movie bc I tend not to like the way female action movie characters are written and I am a simp for Ilsa if you couldn't tell, but I ended up really enjoying her

Gabriel showed a lot of promise as a cool villain in the beginning when he was all mysterious, but ultimately there wasn't anything memorable about him for me. Only one who's earned that reward to date in M:I is Philip Seymour Hoffman, but maybe if/when we learn more about his backstory/motivation; hope is still alive for now

They've got Grace dressed like a fkin pirate there in Venice. And Pom is giving absolute "Black Parade" realness

ILSA MY SWEET LITTLE BABY SHE DIED ALL ALONE AND THEY DON'T EVEN SHOW ANYONE CRYING OVER HER DEATH EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS SUCH A SO-CALLED CLOSE FRIEND AND ALLY AND *DEF MORE* TO ETHAN AND IT'S JUST SO FUCKING WEIRD AND WRONG I ALMOST WISH THEY'D JUST QUIETLY WRITTEN HER OUT AFTER FALLOUT

Like kill her off if Rebecca wants to engage in other projects but give the character a proper send-off if you must. But fr, I agree with everyone's critique that she was such a welcome departure and sign of progress from the completely-interchangeable-female-action-character-who's-only-there-to-provide-new-and-different-eye-candy-every-time, and then right after she's really established and gelled with everyone they kill her off and switch her out in the team with another brunette female IN THE VERY NEXT SCENE BEFORE HER BODY IS EVEN COLD IN THE GRAVE

Yes. I understand that it's an action movie and, within the high-stakes confines of the plot, time for mourning is limited. Yes I understand that the other characters have witnessed many other deaths before. But the fact is that her character was special and different, to the characters and to us, and the filmmakers could have done it better. Ok, main gripe of the movie over 😔

Not sure if it's a plot hole or I just don't understand technology, but couldn't the Entity have messed with the computer in Benji's car when he puts it in self-drive while trying to help Ethan board the train...? 🤨🤨

Yep the Train Scene was just as brilliant and utterly harrowing as I remembered; most stressful viewing experience of me life 🥲😭

And, as much of a stretch as it was, I am a sucker indeed still for the part where Pom saves their lives 🥺 and now I kinda hope she lives and sticks around and has a badass, dare I say heroic moment or two in the future

Overall, despite my number of gripes, it still goes down as my favorite movie in the franchise overall 💖 the perfect proportions of comedy and drama, so many iconic and likable characters, and plenty of the unparalleled action sequences we've come to expect but even better than any we've seen before, and I am chomping at the bit for Part Two to eventually, someday, please please please come out thank you and see you at the movies 👋🏻✨

[ragsy]

Ok. U asked for it….

All the odd questions for Dogmark and all the even ones for Dillion.

(You don’t have to do all of them I prommy but if you WANT TO)

OH OKAY WE'RE DOIN' THIS HUH

i'm just gonna answer these rapid-fire style because i DO want to do all of them but if i don't reign myself into one or two sentences i will probably not finish answering this until 2024. i'm also going to omit the ones that i have absolutely no idea how to answer

Dogmark:

What’s the lie your character says most often?

Even split between "it's fine" and "i don't want to talk about it"

How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?

not very often-- not that he bottles them up intentionally, mostly that he doesn't know what to do with them. also he's been kinda sorta turning into a dog when he gets worked up, so, there's that

Can they cry on command? If so, what do they think about to make it happen?

oh hell no. he cried a lot as a kid much to the disappointment of his "boys don't cry" man's man of a dad, so now he'd be mortified to be seen crying at all as an adult, much less crying on purpose

What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

honestly "dogmark mandog" would get his attention. i call him that all the time despite nobody in canon ever calling him that, yet he'd know exactly who's being referred to

Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?

he wants to be gentle. he wants to be treated gently. the most he can offer is loyalty. the best he can ask for is safety.

If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

got this one previously here, but long story short, push his buttons and make him turn into a dog

When do they fake a smile? How often?

rarely, if ever. he wears his misery on his sleeve.

What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

at work and with friends, he has a task or social interaction to focus on more or less keeping him from falling into an anxiety hole. when he's alone, he stops bothering to hold himself together.

What do they notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at them?

TBH IT'S THE SAME FOR BOTH.... just sayin', most people don't walk around with a pair of pointy wolfman ears and pointy dog teeth. he keeps his mouth shut and a hat over his ears in public.

What would they do if stuck in a room with the person they’ve been avoiding?

WELL the person he's been avoiding wants to find an excuse to kill him for revenge so. Sit there as still as possible hoping she won't notice him, then full anxiety attack once she does

What common etiquette do they disagree with? Do they still follow it?

He used to be a big proponent of turning the other cheek to keep the peace. Recently though, he's fully embraced IF IT SUCKS HIT DA BRICKS

What do they feel guilty for that the other person(s) doesn’t / don’t even remember?

oh buddy this man has guilt spirals that operate on frequencies you couldn't even imagine. Dogmark sees shrimp guilt colors

What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot?

Back before his life went to shit, he was really into repairing and restoring retro game consoles. He has long since had to abandon that hobby, but he still remembers all of the tiny ways the guts of a sega genesis can go awry

What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

10th birthday, his uncle took him on a deer hunting trip. It was rainy, & cold, and that was the first time he ever killed anything. He didn't speak a single word for the entire rest of the trip.

How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

Increasing desperation. He's not interested in misleading people, and it upsets him a lot when people take him for a liar.

When do they feel the most guilt? How do they respond to it?

see above ^ re: All Guilt All the Time. he responds by avoiding the things he feels guilty about and/or drinking about it

How do they greet someone they dislike / hate?

A deer-in-the-headlights stare and an awkwardly mumbled "uh, hi,"

What is the smallest, morally questionable choice they’ve made?

Waking up on the forest floor, covered in blood, no memory of how he got there: "It's probably fine. I have other things to worry about"

What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

his very first crush was ewan mcgregor in the phantom menace

Would they rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if they were not genuinely wanted there?

Oh, if he isn't wanted somewhere, he would LOVE to not know about it. Ignorance is bliss, etc etc

What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did they pick up from someone / somewhere else?

He learned how to talk back and stick up for himself from his friend Pip 🥲

What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

He grew up middle class in a predominantly white town in Wisconsin, raised by Christian parents who valued traditional gender rolls. I could write a whole essay on his internalized biases. He did an okay job unlearning a lot of that when he moved out on his own, but he also knows he's still got a ways to go

What’s something unimportant / frivolous that they hate passionately?

He can't articulate why, but he's always had a deep, visceral hatred for mall Santas

Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

Up until extremely recently, he couldn't remember anything from his time in dogman form. There were a few survivors of those attacks who remember him very, very well.

Would they eat something they find gross to be polite?

Yeah.....

What’s a phrase they say a lot?

"fuck! i don't know!!!"

Who would / do they believe without question?

His (now ex) girlfriend, Emily. If she told him

What’s something they’re expected to enjoy based on their hobbies / profession that they actually dislike / hate?

He really, really hates camp food. Which is really unfortunate, because that's all he really had for several years working on the forest watchtower.

What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?

He nicks himself shaving a lot. He usually goes a little scruffy because of this.

Dillion:

How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?

He says "my friend" like every other word, I think if he used it any more loosely it would cease to be a word

What’s a hobby they used to have that they miss?

He misses having a sparring partner who he could pay to let him win

What’s their favorite [insert anything] that they’ve never recommended to anyone before?

Oh, you simply MUST try this krill pudding, it is deLECTABLE

How loose is their use of the phrase ‘I love you’?

I.... Don't know if he's ever. Said it to anyone

What fact do they excitedly tell everyone about at every opportunity?

How handsome and great at fighting he is :) it's true, irrefutable facts

How do they put out a candle?

Sticks it under water

Who do they love truly, 100% unconditionally (if anyone)?

His party members! He truly, honestly believes in them and wants them to get what they want.

What simple activity that most people do / can do scares your character?

Swimming without GILLS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING MY FRIEND, YOU MIGHT DROWN

Did they take a cookie from the cookie jar? What kind of cookie was it?

Yes. Kelp flake flavor...

How would they respond to being fired by a good boss?

Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I believe you have made a mistake! You must have meant to fire some OTHER Sir Dillion!

What do they tell people they want? What do they actually want?

He tells people he wants to serve as someone's loyal knight. He really just wants to return to his life of comfort. He's beginning to doubt that'll ever happen.

When they make a mistake and feel bad, does the guilt differ when it’s personal versus when it’s professional?

No, it's all the same. He failed someone, and being a failure is not something he can stand being.

If they committed one petty crime / misdemeanor, what would it be? Why?

Horse theft 🐎

How do they greet someone they like / love?

A boisterous and extremely loud HELLO!!! followed by a very very firm handshake

What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

He would literally never pass up an opportunity to look good doing something in front of someone, are you kidding

If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

How I Became a Royal Knight (and you can too!)

Step 1: have rich parents

What language would be easiest for them to learn? Why?

Whalesong

Because. Uh

I said so

Are they a listener or a talker? If they’re a listener, what makes them talk? If they’re a talker, what makes them listen?

He's a talker and a blatherer and a bloviator. He will actually listen when someone knocks him down a peg though. Or when he recognizes that he doesn't actually have anything to say about the situation at hand (which is becoming increasingly common)

Who would they say ‘yes’ to if invited to do something they abhorred / strongly didn’t want to do?

Do they act on their immediate emotions, or do they wait for the facts before acting?

Honestly, the whole party, but especially Midas and Vecklan

He's not a thinker, but he's not necessarily a strike-first kinda guy. He's maybe more of a "threaten action before assessing the situation first" type

What’s their instinct in a fight / flight / freeze / fawn situation?

Draw sword -> if drawing his sword changed nothing about the situation, evacuate

If they’re scared, who do they want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

It's the same all around. Knowing that someone, literally ANYONE wants to comfort him, that's all that matters

[fandom-frenzy]

I haven't done one of these in a while. but we did our hallmark christmas bingo last weekend so it's only fair I let you know the results of this movie. which I don't remember the name of.

I'm fairly certain the lead was the same one as the winter palace (please don't watch it) so let's see if I can find it. okay, here we go: my christmas dream.

first bingo square: a horrible boss! ✔️ as in the main lead. she's a horrible boss. she is the manager of a department store, and the store is supposedly known for it's christmas displays that get unveiled the week of christmas (to bring shoppers back into the store). this is the 25th year of the store, so this is not a new concept. and a store manager would know this is a big deal. which means a store manager who is still coming up with the concept for the display three weeks before christmas doesn't know what they're doing. she also, once she starts to fall in love, stops doing her job✔️ and leaves all the time during the day to see the adorable child✔️during the busiest season of the year, leaving her best friend/assistant manager to do all the work.

the leads hate each other at first ✔️because he was hired to do some sort of handyman work, didn't finish on time, and was getting fired by the guy who hired him. in the course of this he spilled paint on her dress (right before meeting the big boss!) so she wasn't happy. the other employee tried to then bring her into it to say the hiring/firing was up to her and she said no, it's up to the guy who is doing the firing. so main lead was angry at her for not saving his job.

aforementioned child✔️who wants to ask santa to make his dad happy. eventually this turns into "make his dad and his new bestie the store manager get together" ✔️(alas his mom is not dead, only divorced and in australia. we definitely debated for a while if "she went to australia" was some sort of euphemism like "the dog went to the farm")

christmas tree shopping✔️

she has no christmas spirit.✔️unclear if it's ever actually found though.

her one goal in life is to manage the new store that will be opening in paris because she went to paris once and "it felt like home". having an amazing display will get her the job.

she ends up having to work with main lead ✔️because he's a good artist and so can be creative for the display

they don't go with some clever play on 25 days of christmas utilizing all the old decorations from all the old displays showing the history of the store, but instead decide to do a theme of christmas in the town.

the store owner shoots this down because "it doesn't have anything to do with the store". after some heartfelt advice from an old guy✔️they decide to recreate the first display from the store before it became the owners, to show her her own history and what her dream was. which meant it also had nothing to do with the store because literally no one would know except for the old people who had seen that display 40 years ago, but the store owner knew and that's all that mattered

she must fly out on christmas eve✔️to get the store ready

the child is distraught

but surprise! they are now her new home✔️and she made up a new role at the company so that she can stay

2/10 ultimately forgettable and if you work in business at all you will be triggered. all of us 30-somethings yelling often at the tv because she was such a bad boss

[ben-talks-art]

Thoughts on Inside Job part 2

Just finished watching part 2 of Inside Job. Not really sure what I was expecting after leaving part 1 on a cliffhanger like that to be honest so I was approaching this with a lot of curiosity.

How would they approach the relationship with Reagan and her dad? Would he be some sort of final boss that they would be planning on taking down while pretending to work with him? Would there be some betrayal where some characters join with him and would there be a mystery of Reagan trying to find out who she can trust? Would they explore even more the idea of Reagan having a talent for being a supervillain while having her battle with her sense of morality?

There are so many ways you could tackle this status quo!!

(spoilers for part 2)

And the route they chose to tackle is... Somewhat questionable in my opinion...

Basically, they give Reagan a love interest, make her act like an insecure teenage girl around him, have a couple of filler episodes, and then finally have an actual confrontation with her dad in the second to last episode and finish the season with Brett playing basketball with a dog...

Definitely wasn't expecting that I'll admit.

Overall... I did not like this batch of episodes honestly. I felt Reagan's boyfriend was incredibly generic and her relationship with him was rather dull. The dude basically has two character traits, he likes Reagan and hates his job. I found him reeeally boring.

Reagan's dad, who I thought was going to be a big thing for the story, is mostly in the background just complaining about how he can't get Reagan's mom back... And then they kinda try to make us feel sorry for him? After all he did? That just feels wrong.

Reagan herself kinda feels like a secondary character this time. The whole part one was basically her show, it was about her character development, her struggles, her journey, her goals... But now her only character was "I want my boyfriend to like me!!"

I don't know what happened, it just felt like the writing took a few steps backwards. The storylines they do just felt so... tropey. So many episodes, so many of the lessons, so many of the jokes... They all felt like old tropes we seen before. The fungus episode was probably the worst one, that just felt like a waste of time completely.

I kinda wanted more stuff with Reagan's mom or more Reagan and Gigi moments. These were my favorite parts for some reason.

Reagan and Gigi actually have a nice but very underused friendship, and Reagan's mom is honestly a much more interesting character than I remembered. Her episode with Keanu Reeves was probably the best one we had and her almost having a thing with the Mickey Mouse robot actually made me curious if they were going to go somewhere with that.

At the end of the day though, I'm still kinda disappointed. Doesn't really feel like we accomplished that much on went anywhere that interesting. The final episode leaves off with a rather depressing place for Reagan to be regarding her happiness, but it feels like it kinda comes out of nowhere to me.

I would definitely love to see more exploration of the idea of her having to choose between being happy or doing her duty for the greater good, I feel like that's a great conflict to talk about! But I need a little more than "Oh no, I can't be together with this one guy that was barely introduced and has barely any character" to give more depth to this topic.

So yeah, didn't do much for me, maybe it did more for others, and hopefully my feelings will change if they ever make another season.