#i don't even really watch this show anymore

[sage-nebula]

This has been spinning around in my head since I watched season 2 arc 1, and I can't refrain from putting it down to post anymore.

In season 1, Jayce and Viktor get into a fight when Viktor evades the blockade to go speak to Singed in Zaun. During their fight, Jayce snaps at Viktor that he didn't know that Viktor's friend was from the undercity, and when Viktor asks why that matters, Jayce says the above: [people from the undercity] are dangerous (earlier he had also said, "there are people down there who seem hell-bent on destroying us!"). That's when Viktor grows cold, reminding Jayce that he is from the undercity, and even after Jayce apologizes, Viktor knocks his hand away, choosing to stand up on his own.

In season 2, chembarons hired by Ambessa (though no one knows that at the time) attack the memorial for the dead council members. In the aftermath, Caitlyn calls them animals. Notably, Vi shows no reaction at all to this; she doesn't so much as flinch at Caitlyn's word choice. Instead, while she does downplay what happened to an extent ("they wanted the spectacle, they're trying to scare you"), what's notable is that she separates herself from the people of Zaun. This is especially notable when she tells Caitlyn to call off the invasion, because of the risk it poses for those not from Zaun:

"Down there, you'll be on their terms."

Viktor seems to have pride in the fact that he is from Zaun. He has love for his home. As difficult as life was there, as much as the pollution led to his illness and disability, he has no shame that he's from Zaun and he still sees value and has love for the people there. This is why, when Jayce writes the Zaunites off as "dangerous", Viktor grows cold. He is no different from them, in his mind; if they're dangerous, then so is he.

Vi is . . . different.

In season 1 arc 1, Vi expresses to Vander that she has bought into and believes that those in Piltover are more than those in Zaun:

Now, here, Vi is still grouping herself in with the rest of Zaun. But there is a level of self-hatred (and hatred for one's home) that we don't see in Viktor. Viktor doesn't see himself as lesser than those in Piltover. He doesn't see the Zaunites as lesser than those in Piltover. Vi, however, does. She states this as if it is a fact. And while she loved her family, and has parts of Zaun that she likes (e.g. Jericho's food), it's worth noting that at the end of season 1 episode 1, she isn't telling Powder that they'll liberate Zaun, or fight for Zaun, or anything like that. Instead?

"This city's gonna respect us." This city. Not our city. Here is the first moment we see in which Vi puts some separation between herself and the rest of Zaun. She wants to make them respect her (and Powder). Even if she's less than those in Piltover, she still sees an opportunity for herself to be above those in Zaun.

All of this is to say that, when she has no reaction to Caitlyn calling Zaunites "animals", when she refers to them as "they," when she refers to Zaun as "their terms" . . . ultimately, it isn't too surprising. Vi represents a type of person who does exist in marginalized groups: the self-hating type, who hate others in their group for "drawing aggression" or "negative attention."

Think about queer people, for instance, who hate those who are flamboyant or open about who they are and who they love. The ones who think, "If we just assimilate more, be less of a bother, be less obnoxious, then the queerphobes will accept us." Obviously, other queer people find this type of person extremely frustrating, sometimes even infuriating, because we know that it doesn't matter what we do or how we act; bigots will never accept us.

But what we should understand, and extend compassion for, is that self-hating marginalized people are that way because it's a defense mechanism -- a survival mechanism, really. They can't square why bigots hate them, so they reach for any kind of explanation they can find, even if that explanation ultimately blames others in their own group and does more harm than good. Not to mention that hating yourself for who you are is often a result of long-term, systemic abuse -- the exact same kind of abuse that comes from living under an oppressive regime that murdered your parents and will assault you at any given opportunity, even for something as petty as your little sister miming shooting them with finger guns.

Vi says that she, "grew up knowing [she] was less than them." This is extraordinarily damaging to the psyche, and Vi's self-hatred -- and the extension of that hatred toward Zaun, not wanting to save them but wanting to make them respect her -- is a trauma response to that. One that Viktor, obviously, doesn't share (and neither does Ekko, or Jinx) -- but everyone reacts to trauma differently.

The point is, we saw shades of this already in Vi's childhood; her statement that she's less than topsiders, but that she wants those in the undercity to respect her. So when Caitlyn calls the Zaunites animals, Vi doesn't flinch. She agrees. And she speaks of them as separate from her, because Caitlyn has already designated her as one of the good ones (reinforced to her by what Maddie told her Caitlyn said right before the memorial), and because, well, those who attacked the memorial did do something horrible. And maybe if they wouldn't do that, and maybe if Jinx hadn't blown up the council building -- maybe if they were better behaved -- then the enforcers wouldn't have to invade and do what they were about to do, now would they? Those in Zaun -- or at least those in Zaun who decided to strike against Piltover -- brought it on themselves, so Vi isn't with them. She's with Caitlyn, and is okay with referring to them as animals.

It's interesting to think about.

[astrowarr]

grian is really embracing his watcher side, huh... he is hungry. he's spending so much of his time recklessly lining up dominoes, only for all of them to collapse on top of him. all three of his lives were lost setting up traps for someone else but it would be a lie to say they weren't for him, too; he said it himself. he doesn't care who the reds kill, so long as they do it. so long as he watches. because he needs it. he doesn't even truly care if he dies in the process anymore.

and this is proof that he's losing himself in it— bloodlust, that is, and his need to be its catalyst— because the lack of regard he's showing for his own life is spectacularly uncharacteristic of him. his need for control has just overwhelmed him. he's so desperate this season that it's actually dripping from him and it's driving me CRAZY. with all of this pent up murderous rage he's going to be HORRIFYING once he's red and can lash out with no holds barred

but that's exactly why he can never just watch anymore, isn't it? he dies and immediately vows to kill jimmy and scar until they're nothing. he feeds on control so much that it isn't enough to pull the strings of fate from above; he has to take care of it all himself, squeeze the beating heart of it in his warm, blood-soaked hands.

i don't know, this is all over the place. I really just can't wait until he's on his final life, frantic and maniacal as he perfectly enacts all these brilliant plans of his that everyone around him keeps butchering <3

[giddyfatherchris]

massage | bang chan, han, felix, seungmin

summary. you're sore and stressed but luckily your boy is there to help. collab with @httpdwaekki <3

type. requested <3

warnings. fem!reader, use of terms like "missy", "pretty girl", mentions of wearing a bra

words. 1000 / blurb

a/n. here she is!!! these were so hard to make lmao but once inspiration struck it went like a charm :3 im so excited about this little project because it’s a collab with one of my favorite human in the worldddddddd @httpdwaekki <3 thank you sm for doing these with me :3 for minho, changbin, hyunjin and jeongin’s part go on her profile!

part 2

bang chan

As a choreographer, you have to work physically for hours on end. Your day-to-day life consists of a never-ending workout. With the years, you've become accustomed to it. Your body is now a well-oiled machine. But even you could push yourself a little too hard occasionally.

Working in the same building as your boyfriend often had its advantages, like shared meals and quick kisses between breaks. But it also had the disadvantage of exposing yourself to his watchful eyes whenever you pushed yourself too much. Between meetings, Chan often came for a surprise visit.

Just now you could see from the corner of your eyes, his lean and muscular shape enter the room. His gaze warm and joyful at first, then suspicious when he noticed you were hobbling around the studio. You had been working really hard to choreograph a new solo and in your creative trance, might have forgotten to pace yourself a little. You did allow yourself a quick break to hug him, hearing him whisper in your ear a quick "Be careful," in between kisses.

When you finally couldn’t take it anymore and decided to head home, you hesitated in front of the studio door. It was your habit to give Chan a quick goodbye kiss before going home but you didn’t think you could do that without him noticing how much your legs trembled. Not up for a lecture on top of your exhaustion, you swiftly left the building, deciding on a quick text instead.

When you got home, you jumped in the shower, the warm water almost making you moan as it soothed your abused muscles. You changed into comfortable clothes before you got started on a quick dinner.

When Chan finally came home it was late, you were sprawled on the couch looking extenuated. He couldn't stop a slow smile from spreading on his lips as he stared at you. Your hair was still slightly wet, you were wearing his favorite pajamas and clutching a plushie on your chest. You usually liked to play on your phone while you watched a show, but you must have been really spent out because your phone was nowhere to be seen and your empty gaze was fixed on the TV.

"Hi sweetheart," he said in a soothing voice as he crouched to kiss the top of your head. You grumbled in return, gaze still hypnotized by the documentary series you'd been watching. You heard him forage in the fridge in search of something to eat. "I made chicken, rice, and a salad. There's some left over for you on the stove," You heard his little 'Ooooh' of happiness and couldn't keep a smile in. He quickly grabbed a plate and came back to eat next to you. Of course, not before giving you a quick peck and saying thank you for the meal. Once done, he laid down on the couch, focused on answering some messages on his phone. After a while, you beard him sigh and close his phone, "Ready to go to bed?"

You nodded yes but when he got up, made no move to follow. He looked at you with his eyebrows lifted. "You're not coming?"

You sighed, took a long look at your legs, then back at him, and answered shamefully. "I will be honest with you. I don't think I can." He looked at you with that tight lip, furrowed brows expression he always had when he was confused about something. He looked at your legs, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with them until he realized you hadn't moved since he came home. "So you did you push yourself too hard you little liar." You knew from his tone that he was unhappy with you and felt a bit dumb for thinking you could have ever hid this from him. You grumbled a 'might have', he didn’t miss. He exhaled with a disbelieving smile before sitting down next to you. "Can I do anything to help?" You played nervously with your fingers, uncomfortable to request what you really needed. He searched for your gaze, but you wouldn't look at him, keeping a precise focus on your twisted fingers. "couldyoumassagemylegs."

"What?", he laughed.

"couldyoumassagemylegs."

His eyes light up when he finally made sense of your mumbled request. "Massage your legs? Of course, why do you look so shy, angel?" He had that cute taunting smile on his lips. There was no way in hell he wouldn't help you, but still, he loved to taunt you especially when you got shy like this.

"I always feel kinda awkward asking for massages."

"You shouldn't, you work hard. You deserve all the massages you want." He moved down to sit closer to your extended legs, and calmly laid his warm hands on them before he started moving in circular motions. You couldn't help a few whimpers at first, it hurt like a bitch. He apologized profusely, encouraging you to weather it, knowing it would get better soon. "I know baby. I'm sorry."

Slowly, as the blood started circulating in your muscles, a relaxing feeling spread in your body. You were limp like a noodle, completely abandoned to Chan's strong hands massaging the pain away. He lifted his head after a few minutes of diligent massaging and giggled as he looked at you, eyes closed, mouth slightly opened, about to doze off. He stopped, earning a groan of protest from you, "You're about to fall asleep, I promise I'll continue, but in our bed."

You opened lazy eyes, deciding idea wasn't half as bad. He approached you, arms opened to carry you upstairs. "Come here, girl." He groaned a little when he picked you up, mostly out of habit than because of real strenuous effort. You wrapped your arms tight around his neck, nuzzling in his warm skin. He giggled at the touch but kissed the side of your head with a smile as he carried you, bridal style to your room, wantqing you to be able to fall asleep comfortably in bed as he massaged the ache away.

han

"Jesus reese peanut butter cup, that hurt," you mumbled as you clutched your hand to your chest. "Y/n, you okay?" you heard Minho call out from upstairs. "Yeah, I'm fine," you quickly answered, not wanting him to come downstairs and find out you had, in fact, dropped a heavy piece of furniture and strained your hand and shoulder as you tried catching it. Han's head poked around the corner of the stairs, his fluffy hair falling around his cheeks. "You sure you okay, babe? We heard a loud noise." You nodded with a tight smile, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily. The thing is, maybe you should have told someone because as time went on the pain only kept getting worse. But you were almost done moving Minho into his new apartment, so you decided to take on yourself and not say anything.

You did your best to hide your discomfort, but apparently, you weren't doing an excellent job of it. You could feel your boyfriend's worried glance every now and then. Each time you tried smiling or acted as if you didn't notice it, even when he confronted you.

After a quick dinner, Han suggested you join him in the shower, an adorable grin on his lips. You nodded with a smile and waited for him to leave the room before you tried lifting off your shirt. You managed to do it with lots of whimpering and cries of pain. Thankfully, with the shower running, he didn't hear, but once you got in, it got harder to hide the state you were in.

"You ready to tell me what was going on now? You acted really weird today."

You gave him a feeble smile, "I was just really tired. It was a big day." He nodded, not looking very convinced, and tried to put his hand on your shoulder to comfort you. Even the slight weight of his hand made pain course through your nerves and you backed in the corner like a wounded animal. His brown eyes rounded with worry. "What's going on?"

"I dropped something earlier and when I tried catching it, I strained my arm. It's been hurting more ever since."

The emotions on his face immediately swapped for a seriousness you had rarely seen before. He took a moment to look at the way you let your arm rest limp on the side of your body before he ushered you to come closer.

"Come here baby, I promise I'll be careful."

You stepped towards him and watched as he took a rag and some soap and started gently washing your body, making sure to be extra careful around your hand and shoulder. Once done with the washing, he asked you to wait as he exited the shower. He came back with a towel wrapped around his hips and another open in his arms, ready to welcome you. If you weren't hurting so much, you would have swooned at the sight in front of your eyes but the relentless zap of pain coursing through your upper left side wouldn't allow it.

He dried you delicately and helped you put on one of his oversized t-shirts. The fabric hung on your skin and his comforting smell filled your nose. "I'm okay Ji, I just need to rest. You don't have to do all this."

He was swiftly getting dressed but stopped to look at you with furrowed brows. "This is not okay, you're hurt." He approached to grab your face in his hands, his brown eyes set on yours, his wet hair hanging on his forehead in soft curls. "I will take care of you. Go sit on the bed, I'll be right there, okay?"

He kissed the tip of your nose and gently nudged you towards your bedroom. You heard him rummaging in your small kitchen before he came back with a small towel and ice pack in his hands.

"Ice is good for sore muscles. It slows your blood flow, so it helps with inflammation and pain." He quickly explained as he sat next to you.

You winced when he wrapped your shoulder with the towel and ice despite his delicate manoeuvers. But he was right because just a few minutes in, you laid back in bed relishing in the break you were finally getting from the constant ache.

"Does that feel better, love?" You nodded with your eyes closed. You heard your boyfriend giggle and felt his hand softly grab your hurt one and start carefully massaging it. He pulled on each of your fingers softly and asked you to do a few movements, monitoring closely your reactions.

Once done, he sighed with relief. "Well, I'm glad to announce nothing is broken. It's a really bad sprain, but you should get better soon."

You opened your eyes to meet his focused gaze. "How do you know so much about this?"

His hands kept moving in circular motions as he answered with a small smile. "I was a trainee for years, practicing for hours. I've also been an idol for seven years now. Believe me, sprains are a daily occurrence in our field. We've all learned to treat and assess them pretty quickly."

You stayed silent for a beat, "As much as I think it sucks that you have to deal with these injuries because of the intense pace of work you've been thrown into since a young age, I must say I'm pretty glad you have this knowledge tonight." You smiled and softly stroked the side of his face with your good hand. "I also admit, I like seeing you like this. The whole 'nurse jisung' knowing all about my injury, able to assess and care for it, is pretty hot."

At the subtle meaning behind your words and tone, he lifted his head swiftly, a spark of interest illuminating his dark eyes. "Do you, now?"

You bit your lower lip as you slowly nodded, your eyes fixed on his plush lips. You tried leaning forward to kiss him but even the small movement made you whimper in pain. Immediately Jisung pulled back, "Okay, okay, relax Casanova. Keep your flirting for when you're able to move without sounding like an old grandma, okay?"

He laughed at the pout on your lips before leaning down to give you a quick peck. "Better than nothing, right?"

felix

Working as a marketing manager could be definitely more stressful than you imagined. Still, you wouldn't exchange your career for anything else. You loved the creativity your work allowed you to unleash. Even when it meant spending entire days sitting in front of a computer or crouched on a model for a presentation, like today. You tried massaging your sore neck as best you could on the bus ride home. Your day had been packed and your shoulders, neck, and back were killing you. You were about to select a podcast to listen to when you noticed a text you had received a few minutes ago.

You closed your phone with a giddy smile. It wasn't often that your boyfriend got home before you. You felt butterflies in your stomach at the thought of having some one-on-one time with your busy partner.

When you got home, you didn't even call out his name. You knew where he would be. You dropped your bag and coat in the entryway and headed quietly for his gaming room. As predicted, you found him sitting in his chair, an empty bottle of water next to him. He looked breathtaking and adorable at the same time. He didn't hear you coming in with his headphones. His dark eyes focused on the screen, his tongue darting out to lick his lower lip from time to time. You knew better than to disturb him before his game ended so you waited for the screen to go back to the main menu before you pounced. Felix let out a high-pitched scream and grabbed his chest as if trying to keep his heart inside. Once he realized who held him, he wrapped his arms as well as he could from his position around you. "Hey, ladybug."

"Hey sunshine," you answered with a kiss on his cheek. "What do you think of dino chicken nuggets for dinner tonight?" you asked with a little smile, your lips still pressed against his skin.

"Is that even a question?" he answered with a mischievous grin.

You ended up eating on the couch with a bottle of ketchup nearby. After your high-quality meal, you decided to settle down with a fun show you had started together some time ago. Quickly, Felix laid his head on your lap, asking you with the cutest puppy eyes if you could play with his hair. Without hesitation you started drifting your hands in the silky smooth strands of his hair, using from time to time your nails to delicately scratch his scalp, eliciting deep sounds of satisfaction from him.

A while in, you started moving around, trying to find a position where your back wasn't uncomfortable and your neck didn't feel strained. You tried not to bother him, but Felix was quick to notice your wiggling.

"Are you alright baby? Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"No, it's just my neck and back are killing me." You finally admitted. He lifted himself up on his elbows to look at you with questioning eyes. "I've been working on this model for the past few days and I think all the crouching and bad posture is finally catching up to me."

He pouted before sitting up to drop a pillow on the ground between his legs. He backed up on the couch, making more room for you to sit. "Come on, sit down. I'll give you a massage."

You stared at him, flushed and unsure. "But, you asked me to play in your hair. I didn't say this to stop I was just-"

He cut you off with a stern look, "C'mon angel."

Begrudgingly, you slid down the couch to sit in between his legs. By the time his hands started professionally massaging your sore muscles, you were basically purring like a kitten. "Do you like that?" He giggled, loving to see you so happy and relaxed. You sighed with pleasure. Your brain felt so deliciously relaxed, that it was hard to even find words. "I admit you're really good at this, but you could do anything and I'd love it."

"Really? But you never ask for them!" You're always giving him massages whether it's after a particularly intense practice or to help him relax. On the other hand, Felix can barely count the number of times you asked him.

"You work so hard, it feels wrong to ask you to give me a massage after you've already spent the day using your body so much. I don't want to be an added task to your day."

He crouched to position his chin in the crook of your neck, his hands gently wrapping around your middle. "Are you telling me it feels like a task when I ask you to massage me?" he taunted, but you could hear the slight smile in his deep voice. "Well…" you started off, implying it was, but started to squeal when his fingers tickled your skin. "Okay! OKAY! I'M JOKING! FELIX!!"

With a laugh, he stopped and kissed your cheek lovingly. "It's the same for me. Helping you feel good when you've been working hard or just because you need to cool down is in my job description as your boyfriend, okay? Plus, you know I love giving massages. So no more feeling shy or guilty, understood?" His lips on your ear sent tingles down your body as you nodded. "Or else, I might have to tickle you again…" You opened your eyes wide at the threat in his words. "I promise, I promise! You can massage me as much as you want!"

seungmin

Today, like every other lately, was an unbearable pain in the ass. Work was stressful, and Seungmin had been stressed with his and the boys’ upcoming comeback. Making it so that your day-to-day constantly looked like one big anxious mess. You felt so pressured and under tension that unknowingly, your body had started to reflect your state of mind. Your shoulders were constantly tensed, scrunched up by your ears and you had to constantly remind yourself to take a deep breath, loosen your shoulders, and the tightening of your jaw.

You headed to Seungmin's apartment after work feeling tired as ever. You’re only consolation being that it was finally friday and you’d get the whole weekend to chill out and rest. When you entered and called out his name and were only met with silence, it confirmed what you thought, he wasn't home.

You stared for a second more at his texts, he seemed so tired it made your heart ache. Dropped at your feet, you looked at your bag and coat, then at your sweatpants hanging by the laundry basket. Your whole body screamed at you to take off your bra, change in comfy clothes and play cozy video games in the couch. But you couldn’t stop thinking about your hardworking boyfriend. Seungmin would never ask for it, but you knew he needed help. He was stressed, and barely had time to do things outside the company building. Dishes accumulated in the sink, dust covered almost every inch of the furniture, and mountains of clothes were displayed near the washing machine. Plus, you knew it had been at least a week since he had the time to eat a decent meal. So despite the fatigue and your own needs, you rolled up your sleeves, tied your hair up, chose your best playlist, and got to work.

When he finally came home, you were even more tired, but you felt satisfied knowing you might have helped remove some of his burden. He came home looking happy and relaxed for the first time in a week. You were relieved to notice that the tensed position of his shoulders seemed long gone. He hung his coat and looked at the pristine state of his apartment with a surprised expression. "What happened here?" he looked around, finding everything neatly organized, cleaned and put away. There were even two plates set out on the table and a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. "Why did you do all of this?" he questioned while walking over to you sprawled on the couch like a slug.

"I wanted to help. I know you've been really stressed with your comeback and didn't have the time to do this stuff, so I took care of it."

He kept staring at you with his piercing gaze. "You look tired," he stated while analyzing your posture.

"Work was intense today, but I'm fine." With a muffled grunt, you got up and reached your hand out for him. "I'm okay Min I promise. Come on, let's eat!"

At no later than 8:30pm you were tucked in bed while he changed. He noticed the neatly folded pieces of clothing in his wardrobe and poked his head out, a few rebel strands hanging over his eyes. "You even did the laundry and folded this chaos?"

You hummed in answer, not lifting your eyes from your phone. You couldn't see it, but you felt his gaze on you, studying. You refused to cross his eyes, not wanting him to know how much it had cost you to do all this. You still didn't regret it, but you didn't think you could get up for the rest of the night. The mattress dipped where he sat next to you, draping his arm over your covered legs. "Why?"

"Why what?" He picked up your phone from your hands to reclaim your full attention. His eyes shone with a determined light; he wouldn't give this up. With a sigh, you took your glasses off and wiped your face with your hands. "I wanted to help you, I know how stressed you've been with everything and I wanted you to be happy."

"So you keep saying. I really appreciate it but you didn't have to do that. I feel much better. I think we're finally ready for our comeback. I promise I'll be back to my neat freak behavior." You chuckled lazily, glad to hear he was finally feeling a bit more confident. "I'm sorry I didn't notice how much this whole thing affected you. I'm ashamed to realize I haven't been really present for you lately. How are you? How has work been?"

You grabbed his hand, feeling thankful for his sweet consideration, and admitted how exhausted you really were. "I just want to feel relaxed for once. It feels like I haven't been able to in weeks."

Your puppy-eyed boyfriend looked at you with a pensive gaze before suddenly asking you to turn on your belly. You did so with little question, and soon felt his expert hands massaging your abused back.

"Seungmin! What are you doing?" You squealed and tried to wiggle out from his grip. He softly, but firmly pushed down on your shoulders blades to keep you from moving. "Stop," he grumbled.

"You don't have to do that. You had a big week. I’m sure there’s a thousand things you’d rather do than give me a massage."

"That’s where you’re wrong. Taking care of my partner is important and a priority to me." He shushed you, "Why is it so hard to convince you to let me take care of you?"

You stayed silent for a few seconds before explaining how you always felt you needed to care for others. "It's not like I don't like it, but I don't really know how to let people take care of me."

You waited for an answer in silence, worried he might give you a lecture (he was good at that) but were surprised when you felt him bend down with his mouth by your ear. You felt a soft kiss on your temple before he whispered, "Then I'll teach you."

[bekolxeram]

I know there's been plenty of "Lou gets me in the divorce" posts already. Like this one by @peppermintquartz. But I want to write my own for maximum reach.

I don't really follow actors. If they do a good job on screen, I watch it, that's it. I don't dig through their social media to find out more stuff about their personal life. That actually makes me uncomfortable. I spent a good amount of my life dodging questions about my private life anyway.

Now, the Cameo thing. I don't know what shows you're all watching, but I've been a Star Trek fan for years. Plenty of old Star Trek actors do Cameo right now, because this hyper-capitalistic society doesn't reward artistic ventures accordingly. Hollywood is always about what makes the most money, not about what's the best story to tell. Cameo is a lifeline for many seriously talented actors who don't have the luck to become a breakout star. It's not just a fantasy making your Ken dolls kiss, there are real people doing their jobs for salary behind the scene.

You have to choose one between "Lou is a nepo baby who has his career mapped out for him" and "Lou is trying to cling onto relavency because he needs the money". Tell me you think a restaurant waiter being a sweetheart for extra tip is exploitative, then I'll know who you actually are. Most celebrities on Cameo don't even respond to the $5 messages, they don't make a lot from it after service fees, and it's not refundable anyway, but Lou did reply, because he's grateful for our support.

Then, I know people have been digging up posts from his past to frame him as this unforgivable bigot. Obviously I don't know him personally, but just by reading interview from the cast, he has the most "character growth" in and out of universe. People apologize all the time, out of obligation, due to backlash, but it's not always from a place of true understanding. Yeah, Lou has never apologized for the things he posted over a decade ago, before he was even a public figure, but he also expressed the struggle he experienced in the athletic world and under the influence of his father, how he came out of his trauma stronger and healthier mentally.

I still presume celebrities to be assholes, until proven otherwise. They're simply flying too high up from earth. In this whole fiasco though, Lou is the only one who's shown a shred of care.

I take people for who they are right now. That doesn't mean I absolve them of their past mistakes automatically. I just judge people as they come. If they're clearly not their past self anymore, if they speak of regret from the past, yeah, I'll give you some leeway. But if you tell me I should boohoo get over it, I'll take you for who you are right now. I'll believe you the first time around.

[deathdetermineslife]

imagine showing your f/o some of the games you used to play as a kid! even if they don't like video games, just having them watch you play them.

"yea, I mean, Minecraft is way different now than it was when I was little. like there wasn't even different variations of wood planks back then"

"see, look, sims 2 is like, the best sims game in comparison to every other sims game. I loved it a lot when I was a kid."

or maybe you preferred tabletop games as a kid?

"seriously, literally no one plays shoots and ladders anymore. I really liked it."

"I used to play card games all the time, like old maid. want me to show you how?"

and maybe they don't like games, but they indulge you, because they love hearing about the things you used to enjoy.

[loulovingho]

Even if Oliver did hate bucktommy, I don't get it. He's an actor, he's paid to play pretend all day long ffs, pretend a little harder in the interviews/on your socials and just do your job.

I always gave him excuses because I thought he was a professional, but I guess not so much, looking at many of the interviews in hindsight and that is so disappointing.

This reminds me of "The good wife" where it seemed like Julianna Marguiles found it difficult to deal with Archie Panjabi's breakout success, much to the detriment of the show - I watched for their friendship and once that was taken away, I left. They stopped sharing scenes altogether and when it was time for Archie's goodbye scene, they were filmed separately in front of green screen and then spliced together. Difference is that Julianna was the exec producer and Oliver is just an actor so I have no idea if he has that sway, if he is/was at all jealous of Lou.

(Julianna's behaviour left a bad taste in my mouth so I don't watch her in anything new. Nathan Fillion is someone else I lump into that bag, after what he did to his female co-stars on Castle. Possible Oliver ends up in that bag too.)

Yeah, I mean I hate to bash the guy too much because I don’t actually know, ya know? It’s all speculative. Just his reaction (or lack thereof) to it all left a bad taste in my mouth. He was very careless with his words, which is hurtful.

What you said also reminds me of Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette on NCIS! She got upset at him for bringing his dog to work after it tried to bite or did bite someone and the arguing got so bad that they couldn’t work together anymore. Her departure was also done with the two of them separated and them together was one of the best parts of the show.

Anyway, we don’t really know what went down. I just wish Oliver wouldn’t have been so thoughtless.

[loullaby]

me again: it also comes off just mean. like he goes out of his way to signal to everybody that he is not fond of Buck/Tommy or Lou at all. And I remember how, as you said, everybody cut Oliver a lot of slack for not posting, liking or talking about anything Tommy or Lou related and some even accused people of being toxic Buddie shippers who just want to cause discourse but just...no. He literally posted pictures of himself on set, in scenes he had with Lou without Lou in them (i.e. coffee date, funeral scene) and then he claims "there are pictures of everyone".

And these post episode interviews should leave no doubt. He says outright he wanted Tim to make Buck single again and with it Tommy/Lou out of the show. Maybe he hopes for a more famous LI now that they are on ABC I don´t know at this point. I just think Lou deserves better, he kept it classy throughout the hate, the death threats and a co-star who clearly did not want that storyline. So wherever we see him next I hope he´ll feel more welcomed. I for one am not looking for a season 9 of 911. I was bored before, only got back because of and with him gone, there really is no need to watch anymore.

Sorry for venting so much. There is just nobody else I could talk about it in RL

first of all, you can vent all you want. if you wanna dm me, i'm always open.

unless lou was secretly an asshole to oliver and oliver only, i really don't get his behavior at all. everyone else had nothing but good things to say about him. even oliver and lou talked about how well lou and ryan got along, so what's the deal? lou was classy even when he was clearly heartbroken. he made sure to include how much he appreciated oliver and tim, even though they clearly didn't appreciate him back.

they got the perfect LI for buck: first responder, connections to the 118, made him a priority. there was literally nothing wrong with tommy. he solved all their problems.

why break them up out of nowhere? they could've handled that so much better, made a plan that respected the characters and the actors, but all we got was biphobia. and for what? to set up for buddie sooner? something ryan made abundantly clear he doesn't want?

[lokisprettygirl]

Twice the love (Daemon Targaryen x Female Reader) (Non Canon Modern Au)

Read chapter 1 here

Chapter 2

Summary: Daemon gives you a choice.

Warning: 18+, Sexual assualt, blackmailing, abusive relationship Drowning, Resuscitation, suicide, cheating

His grip on your forearm was tight as he hauled you towards the hotel room and as soon as the room arrived he shoved you in and glared at you.

“I saw you kissing him you fucking whore” he said as he advanced towards you in the manner that always made you afraid.

“I wouldn't have if I knew you had a twin brother, you never told me about him why?” You asked him so he closed the distance between you both.

“It's my family, I'll decide when I want to share about them” he sneered as he glared at you.

“You lied to me that night.. didn't you? You never saved my life -” Before you could finish your words he had your chin between his fingers in a tight painful vise.

“And? What's your point? Why does it matter? It's been two years, love, you love me now don't you or it was all lies hmm?” He asked you and the confirmation made tears roll down your eyes, not that you needed it, the moment you had kissed his brother you knew he was the one.

The man who saved your life couldn't have been this callous with you. Your mind reminisced the moment you had kissed him, Daemon, his touch was so tender, so unlike what you had in Raymond at the moment.

“I can't do this anymore -” you raised your voice but that only earned you a harsh slap on the cheek in response, the last time he had hit you he had promised to never do it again, his promises didn't really mean much though.

“You are going to be mine sweetheart, for as long as I want” he sneered as he pushed you down on the bed, his tone dripping with malice “Do you not remember those pictures and videos I took of you hmm? Do you want them out for the whole world to see? Want to show them what a whore you are?”

You froze as he loomed over you, shock coursing through your body. Despite his past transgressions, you hadn't expected him to stoop to this level. Few months into the relationship he had persuaded and pressured you into making the video, the idea had made you uneasy, but your love for him had overridden your reservations. And now, those foolish choices were coming back to haunt you once again.

You laid motionless beneath him until he was satisfied, until he was exhausted and worn himself out before drifting into sleep, you watched him carefully to make sure he was deep in sleep and then you grabbed a shawl to wrap it around yourself as you stepped out of the room and took the elevator down to the lobby. As soon as the elevator door opened you flinched as you saw Daemon, they looked so similar it unnerved you now. For a moment you thought it was Raymond.

Without saying a word you walked past him so he sighed and hesitated for a moment before he followed you out of the hotel, he had noticed the red mark on your cheek, he knew his brother and he knew what he was capable of.

There was a beach nearby and as he watched you heading towards it he caught up with you, his presence made you halt your steps and stare at him.

“What are you doing?” you asked as you crossed your arms.

“It's late, I'm making sure you-” you interrupted him before he could even finish his words.

“What? Making sure I won't Drown again?”

You snapped at him, knowing far too well that your anger was misplaced, it hurt knowing that the man you loved wasn't really the man you wanted to love, knowing that the man who saved your life wasn't the one you had spent two years with. You felt foolish.

“Just want to make sure you are safe” your eyes teared up as he said that, he had the same voice as Raymond but there was a softness in his tone that was unmatched and foreign to you, you weren't used to a man speaking to you this way.

As you turned to walk towards the shoreline again he followed you and then sat down next to you, there was a slight chill in the winds so he took off his coat and placed it around you even though you had a shawl already.

For a few moments none of you said anything, but then he couldn't take the silence anymore.

“Why were you in the water that night darling?” He asked you, making your eyes well up again for two different reasons, the memories of that night still haunted you and you realized how Raymond had never cared to even ask why you had given up on your life.

“It was an accident” you answered, trying to keep your voice nonchalant but failing miserably.

“I watched you go in” he mumbled softly but there was a hint of sadness in his tone “I was on a phone call, not far away from you, I saw you go in, you didn't fall, nobody pushed you”

As tears rolled down your eyes he quietly leaned his shoulder into yours, he didn't want to get into your personal space but he wanted to comfort you, he had thought about you almost every day for the past three years.

You were quiet for a minute before you spoke again,

“Life at home wasn't..great. My father often got mad at the drop of a hat, one minute he was fine, the funniest man in the room, the other moment he'd be verbally abusing everyone around him. It was confusing, I didn't know whether I was supposed to be happy and enjoy the moment or not whenever I was around him” your voice choked on your tears but you continued ,

‘My mother on the other hand, she never thought of anyone else above herself, in her mind the world revolved around her, that trait was shared by her and my dad, they always had an opinion about everything I did, nothing I did seemed to be enough for them. So as I got older I moved out, i know they were toxic, but at least i could go home at times and be with them, talk to them, still have a family, that Christmas three years ago, everything changed, a disagreement happened between me and my mother and my dad wanted to hit me because of it, that was the last time I saw them or talked to them, i wasn't in good headspace, I lost the only family I had, I had no family anymore” you looked down as you said that, trying to keep your tears at bay, you really wanted to tell him about that night, you always wanted to share.

“So when I got drunk that night, the ocean didn't seem to scare me anymore, it felt like an escape -”

He didn't interrupt you as you spoke, not once, a part of him knew you needed to let it out of your system.

“That's not to say that I wanted to die..as soon as I felt that i was drowning I begged to the universe to pull me out somehow, make a miracle happen, i wanted my life back so I could live it on my own terms now-” your voice choked so he placed his hand on yours, his thumb brushed gently over your skin so you looked at him.

“And then you saved me, like an angel” you mumbled so he brought his fingers up to tuck your hair behind your ears before he responded.

“I was no angel my darling, I was just around” you shook your head as he said that.

“For me you were, i could never get you out of my head, so when I saw you a year later, i latched onto you like a koala bear, except it wasn't really you..it was your brother” his eyes teared up as you said that,

“He lied to you didn't he?” he asked and you couldn't help but chuckle.

“I'm the fool here”

“No you are not, I'd have done the same if it was me”

He wasn't telling you what you wanted to hear, he was telling you the truth, if he had found a twin of yours he would have latched onto you as well.

“I know my brother, he has always been troubled, to put it mildly-”

“He never told me about you”

“Why would he? He despises my existence” he said as he brought his fingers up to caress the mark on your cheek “You don't deserve this after everything you have been through darling”

You opened your mouth to say something but then Raymond's threat flashed through your mind.

“I should get back before he-”

You quickly got up so he sighed and stood up as well, you couldn't help but stare at him as you walked side by side, the way he talked to you, comforted you, his gentle aura, it reminded you of that man you had built up in your dreams but it was pointless to think about it now, you were stuck with Raymond and he won't let you go until he was bored.

“It was lovely meeting you again, I never got the chance to thank you for doing what you had done for me”

You said to him as the hotel arrived so he nodded, he wanted to say something too but he didn't know how you'd take it at this moment.

“Good night” you mumbled softly as you went into the hotel, when you reached the room Raymond was still asleep so you breathed a sigh of relief, as you went to the bathroom you realized you hadn't returned his coat and you'd be in so much trouble if Raymond would find it the next morning so you hid his coat in your luggage.

Next day as you were getting ready for the wedding Raymond approached you and hugged you from behind.

“I'm sorry about last night, I was in a bad mood” you stared at him in the mirror as he said that, this was a pattern you were familiar with by now.

“Okay” you responded casually so he grabbed your chin and turned you towards him

“Okay? That's all hmm? You're not going to throw tantrums?” he snickered so you shook your head in response.

“No”

“Good girl..I love you”

He pecked your lips before he stepped away from you. Every inch of your skin felt disgusted, it was easier to tolerate his behavior when you were burdened by the knowledge of him being your savior but after meeting Daemon, after realizing that the man who had saved your life was exactly how you had dreamt of him, Raymond only disgusted you now. You escaped a toxic situation only to end up in another one and the thought saddened you. How could you be so weak?

As you sat in the Church, you saw Daemon on the other side of the aisle, he gave you a nod before he approached you and sat down next to you so you looked around for Raymond.

“You look beautiful darling” he mumbled softly so you looked at him.

“Thank you but Please sit somewhere else” you said to him as politely as you could.

“Are you afraid?”

“No..i..i mean i wouldn't want him to assume things-”

“Don't worry he's .. occupied” he said as he looked at you, he saw the confusion in your beautiful eyes.

“With what?”

“With one of the bridesmaids.. I'm not sure if it's the same one as the last night or not” your eyes teared up as he said that. You had your doubts, he was an attractive man, you couldn't deny it but it still hurt to have someone else lay it out so casually that your boyfriend didn't give a shit about you.

“I'm staying in 222 ..you can come talk to me anytime you want, I'm leaving for London tomorrow” he said as he got up and left before Raymond would return, he wasn't scared of his brother ofcourse not, but he was scared of what he'd do to you if he had any idea that his twin brother was trying to steal away his girl.

When Raymond came back he looked happier, well satisfied, his hair was messed up which he desperately tried to fix with his fingers. Later that night you watched him eye fucking that one particular bridesmaid throughout the wedding reception and when you couldn't keep your mouth shut you finally spoke.

“Enjoyed it?” You asked him so he glared at you.

“What are you talking about?” He asked nonchalantly

“You KNOW what I'm talking about” he snickered as you said that before he turned to you and placed his palm around your nape and gave it a light squeeze.

“Well now that you know i’d ask you to mind your own fucking business sweetheart, you do not own me you know that right?”

Your eyes teared up so you looked around, the only person who had his eyes on you was Daemon. Sweet Daemon, your angel, perhaps it was your bad luck it wasn't really him that night at the bar. Luck has never really been your friend.

Raymond was absolutely shit faced by the end of the night, you had seen him drunk before but this was different, he couldn't even walk properly, two of his cousins had to carry him to the room. Once he had passed out you took the coat out of your luggage and made your way to 222. On the way you put it on yourself, enjoying the way it felt around you, his scent engulfed you,

You knocked on his door with bated breaths and were about to take off the coat when he opened the door and quickly grabbed your hand to pull you inside.

“I..I came to…return this” you mumbled softly so he stepped away from you after closing the door.

“Keep it, it looks better on you..have a seat” he smiled as he walked towards the fridge and gestured for you to sit on the couch so you obliged “Want a drink?”

“No i..can't stay for long, he gets up in the middle of the night” his heart clenched as you said that, you were living in such fear of the man who was supposed to protect you and take care of you.

“Don't worry, I took care of it, he won't be up until tomorrow morning, I promise you” you looked at him curiously as he said that, not that you weren't grateful for the escape even if it was for a few hours.

“What did you do?” he smiled as you questioned him, even the way he smiled seemed warmer somehow.

“That's for me to know and you to never find out..so a drink?”

“Just a soda”

He handed you a can of coke before he sat down next to you on the couch, you could smell his perfume and a part of you just wanted to crawl up to him and hug him but everytime you looked at him he reminded you of Raymond, they had the same face but the difference was the man next to you had saved your life once while the man who pretended to be him has been trying to ruin it.

“I thought..twins were supposed to be like..this” you said to him as you placed the can on your lap before you conjoined your palms together.

“Common misconception..me and my brother has never seen eye to eye”

You nodded as he said that, you didn't want to pry yet or ever, both of you would go your separate ways tomorrow.

“That night..ummm..after you saved me..you disappeared..why?” you asked and he was anticipating the question.

“I had to..I had a flight i couldn't really miss even if i wanted to miss it.. desperately” his voice was riddled with a touch of regret as he spoke.

“Okay..I just wish I knew your name”

“I have wished for it too darling” he mumbled as he sipped on his bear, one of his arms resting on the head of the couch, you noticed how effortlessly attractive and sexy he was unlike Raymond who had to try really hard at times. Your face flushed as you thought about the dreams you used to have about him but then his question snapped you out of your naughty thoughts.

“Why won't you leave him?” You gulped as he questioned you, your fingers fidgeting with the tab of the can.

“I love him” a part of you indeed loved him but after what he had done to you and how he had threatened you and how he was cheating on you, that love was fading away really quickly.

“Sure you do” he said as he placed his beer on the table and scooted closer to you. His thumb brushed over your cheek, you had tried to hide the mark as much as you could but he knew they were there, he knew how his brother treated you and it made him want to take you far away from him.

As you leaned into his touch he cupped your cheeks and leaned forward to kiss you, you reciprocated too, you had been thinking about it all night even though you felt guilty about it, you then pulled away slightly to look at him

“I can't..it's wrong..I'm not this person” you mumbled as your eyes teared up.

“I can tell..I don't know why you still want to be with him, knowing he lied , knowing he's cheating on you..but if you ever want to get out of this I'll help you i promise” he mumbled softly so you let out a bitter laugh.

“You don't even know me..I'm just some girl you rescued three years ago-” you got up as you said that, you had to leave now or you knew it would hurt much worse if you were to give into these desires you felt for him and he didn't stop you from leaving either.

Next morning you had to go back to Cardiff with Raymond and your heart felt heavy. He was throwing tantrums first thing in the morning so you grabbed your luggage and took the elevator to the lounge, you didn't know what Daemon had mixed in his drink and you didn't care if you were being honest.

As you sat down you retrieved Daemon's coat from the handbag, your fingers ran over the soft fabric and as you reached the coat pocket you realized there was something inside. You pulled out a paper and as you opened it you saw your own face staring back at you, it was a sketch of you, drawn with immaculate details, there was Daemon's signature at the bottom of the picture with a date written on it.

It was dated a week after that night at the beach.

Your eyes welled up as you couldn't really make sense of it, he made a sketch of you from memory? Why? Why would he make a sketch of you? Did he want to remember you too?

“Excuse me, Mam?” You heard a voice so you wiped your tears and looked up, it was the receptionist.

“This was left for you” she said to you as she handed you an envelope so you took it and thanked her politely.

It was from Daemon, it smelled like him.

You quickly opened the envelope before Raymond would get down there but by the time you were done reading it you knew you had a decision to make, a decision about whether you wanted to suffer the rest of your life and live in fear or take a chance on a man who had already saved you once.

“Darling,

Whatever I'm going to tell you might sound like fabrication but it's not, whether you want to believe me or not is entirely your decision. That night at the beach, I wasn't the only one to save your life, you saved mine too..

I was on a call with my taxi driver, he was waiting for me and I was about to leave when I saw you at the shoreline. For a moment I was stunned, you looked beautiful with winds tousling your hair, the way the moonlight kissed your silhouette, I was mesmerized and then I watched you go into the waters and the rest is history, our history. The following day I discovered that the taxi I most definitely would have taken if it wasn't for you had crashed and the passenger was killed on the spot. So you see, if I hadn't stopped to save you, I probably would have died that night.

Even though I left you behind, your beautiful face never really left me, I dreamt of you ever so often and I have looked for you for so long but I could never find you until two nights ago when you stood right behind me and hugged me. For a moment I thought I was dreaming again but then you kissed me and I knew you were all real.

I know you have been hurt by my brother and you stayed because you thought you owed him your life but you don't and you definitely don't owe me anything either, if you choose to leave him I'd not want you to put me on a pedestal or treat me like a god or an angel because I'm none of those things, I'm just a man who couldn't look away when he saw the prettiest girl on a beach that night. And that man would like to know you further and he'd certainly want to treat you better. .

I'm leaving my information on the back, my contact number, my address, anything you could need, I'd wait for your call darling.

Daemon”

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

[aprillikesthings]

OKAY BUT ALSO and I know I'm thinking about this bc I watched Save the Cat again last night

BUT

I can't get over all of this from Catra's POV because, again, it's been a whole year since she's even seen/spoken to Adora, she's been spending the whole time trying to defeat the Rebellion and working so hard she's losing it from not sleeping enough--only for it all to crumble to nothing, for Double Trouble to show up and rub it in, and then Glimmer shows up and Catra's just like. "fuck it, kill me."

she really does think nobody gives a shit whether she lives or dies*, and sending Glimmer away is meant to be a "well Prime's probably going to kill me anyway lol might as well at least save Adora (and Glimmer). and apologize to her while I'm at it"

BUT NOPE

fuck

so she apologizes to Adora, assumes she's gonna be killed, and instead is tortured and chipped. And depending on how you interpret Don't Go, is forced to hallucinate Adora rescuing her multiple times.

but Adora DOES show up, and Catra fights off the chip just long enough to tell Adora she wants to go home--before Prime pitches her off the platform to her near-death, and ffs I have to headcanon she was unconscious immediately D:

And the next time she's conscious, AT ALL, Adora is holding her.

Even in the Portal most of their affection was play-fighting and shoving each other.

Two years of trying so hard to prove (to herself, to Adora) that she doesn't need Adora, one day of the Portal forcing her to remember she misses Adora before it all falls to pieces, another year of attempting to destroy everything Adora loves** while avoiding even seeing her/speaking to her--and then ONE APOLOGY and act of self-sacrifice

and Adora shows up, promises to take her home, and Catra wakes up in Adora's arms as Adora hugs her and cries in relief.

AAAAHHHHH FUCK

(*she's like "all I do is hurt people, there's nobody in the universe who cares about me," dude Glimmer clearly doesn't hate your guts anymore lol there's at least ONE person, but eh, we know she struggles with this shit, like, believing anyone might care about her is half her arc in s5 and she backslides repeatedly until the literal last episode) (**including herself, not that she believed that at the time)

okay I know I've talked about it....multiple times...on other posts, but the timeline of Adora and Catra's interactions from s3 to s5 fucking kills me because like

so the portal happens, they're REALLY affectionate in that fake reality, then it falls apart and Catra is furious, blaming her for everything while corrupted, and Adora punches her

and I wonder how much they both thought about how flirty they were at first, in the portal reality? that the reason Catra was so furious was Adora forcing her to confront the fact that it's fake--that Catra wanted to stay in that reality longer.

like DO THEY BOTH THINK ABOUT THAT??? do they lie awake at night sometimes and think about it??? (well, past Catra's literal nightmares in which Adora asks her why she pulled the switch)

what is the story they've each told themselves about what happened in the portal reality, when they were so affectionate? "she didn't mean any of it"? cool, YOU still did.

I just imagine both of them thinking "well shit. I thought I'd gotten rid of all those feelings. eh, it was the portal. not me." BZZT. WRONG.

anyway. a few episodes into s4 is the next time they see each other, they don't even fight directly, Catra tries her old taunting-but-flirting thing and Adora refuses to engage.

and that's it.

for like. an entire season of the show. so about a year. A YEAR.

Catra ends up on the ship with Glimmer, they reminisce and we see Catra smiling while talking about Adora.

but the next time they even hear each other's voices is Catra over the comms saying she's sorry. and trying to save Adora's life. ;_;

[reluctantbylerblog]

call me crazy and controversial but I don't think nancy did anything wrong, nor is she fundamentally a bad person for what happened to barb in s1, and I absolutely do not think she needs to be redeemed. the end of her character arc should always be about reaching a point of self-compassion and forgiveness—specifically by healing enough to allow herself to move past her guilt and belief that she caused barbs death by letting herself become close to others and form intimate friendships. especially with robin (who imo she was cagey with in s4 because of her trauma around barb)

[shannonsketches]

The way I will simply never recover from this page:

Vegeta's Panic and then IMMEDIATE affection for his new baby

Vegeta being excited to have a daughter

Goku assuming his wife Magic'd their children out of herself

Supreme Kai being embarrassed for Goku

Beerus getting wasted

Bulma saying she will raw dog her husband frequently and expeditiously with her whole chest, in front of god and everybody

Whis being like 'i gotchu babe 💅 but i gotta borrow ur man first or there'll be no more boning for anybody lol'

[tizzymcwizzy]

so i finally watched the ml movie in a language i understand with good visual and audio quality. its still bad.

i may write an essay.

[purposefully-lost]

Oh. Charlie tried not to feel disappointed. Not that he'd expected Vi to stay very long, but he couldn't help wanting him to hang around a little longer. He didn't have a lot going on, these days. Messaging back and forth with Vi, and now meeting him, had been a bright pocket of sunshine in his past few weeks. He was itching to hear him sing a little more. Really-- he was itching to put his hands back on the keys and play something, and that wasn't an itch he got very often anymore. He wanted to keep helping Vi workshop that song until they had something good.

"I'm, uh.. I- I'm really glad you came," he returned, offering a small smile. The question about a picture made him break into a sheepish laugh. It was true he didn't show his face on social media much anymore, if he even bothered to post anything at all. He'd finally managed to earn himself some privacy and he was hesitant to put it on the line again, but he also didn't entirely see the harm. What was one photograph with Vi gonna do?

He shrugged, trying not to be too charmed by the grin on Vi's face. "Sure. I- I don't mind," he said, and he bit his lip before he stepped close to stand beside him. He knew he was going to be cherry-red even before he watched Vi dig out his phone and caught himself in the camera. He hesitated for just a second before he hooked an arm around him to tug him close.

Victory checked his phone again, opening the messaging app and confirming for the hundredth time this was the right spot. He'd pulled off some kind of miracle in the last month, not only getting in contact with one of his favorite artists, but managing to keep it going almost regularly. And now he was standing outside of an unfamiliar building on an unfamiliar street in the middle of Appalachian nowhere, getting ready to meet him in person.

He'd dressed down for the occasion, mostly for his own sake, but for Charlie's too. His own success was leading to more and more people clocking him while he was out, and he doubted dressing like Elton John would help him blend in in a place like this. The bleached hair he'd been sporting recently was tucked nicely under a baseball cap, his extensive ink work covered by a baggy sweatshirt. He'd even taken his earrings out in a rush, storing them in his pocket when he realized he'd forgotten to leave them in his hotel room. The last thing Charlie needed was to be bombarded because he agreed to meet him.

In the middle of using his phone screen as a mirror, his eyes widened as it lit up with a text. Vi quickly shoved it in his pocket and gave a quick sweep of the area. He frowned for a moment, but before he could pull out his phone again, his eyes landed on a familiar face, his own quickly brightening into a grin. Bouncing on his feet, he laughed as he waved his arms to usher his pen pal over.

Charlie Reimes. Cane Corso had been a staple on his playlists for years, and here was the frontman in the flesh. -- All because he'd gotten drunk and too bold, sending him what was an embarrassing DM expressing his admiration. It was a testament to maybe not all of his questionable choices led to questionable outcomes.

Beaming, he practically hopped the rest of the way over to him, his smile toothy, cheeks pink, and his eyes crinkled. "I can't believe it! I don't think you understand how massive this is to me." He said, babbling a little in his excitement. "I can't even begin to thank you. You've been such an inspiration to me forever and-" Oh! Oh, shit. Face flooding with color, he lifted his hands to wave off the starstruck gibberish, and instead offered him his palm. "I-I'm Vi." He managed, "It's nice to see you in person."

@purposefully-lost

[panncakes]

there's a lot to be said about the tragedy of the loss of low-budget campy fantasy shows in western media bc unless they're like high-budget, overly-produced and stripped of any filler they get cancelled after one season of 8 episodes but truly one of the biggest defense in favor of them and why we need them is the malec wedding kiss in shadowhunters

[glitterytorturedpoet]

i can't believe that for over 20 years i thought cole was just an evil demon that the most powerful witches in the universe had no idea how to cure, when the truth is they had every chance in the world, but at the last hour they decided to give up on him. he begged phoebe for help, and she threw his only chance away and broke his heart. he told her he couldn't do it, and she pushed him at his weakest. if i was cole i'd turn evil too. AND NOT BECAUSE I WANTED TO, BUT BECAUSE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE ABANDONED ME WHEN I NEEDED HER MOST. SHE WAS MY ONLY CHANCE. I TRUSTED HER. I TRUSTED THAT SHE COULD SEE THE REAL ME. AND THAT HER LOVE FOR ME WOULD BE ENOUGH TO SAVE ME, BUT WHEN IT MATTERED MOST SHE BANISHED ME TO RUIN SO I COULD SUFFER ALONE AND CRUMBLE IN MY WEAKNESS. SHE FORGOT WHO I WAS AND WHO I WAS TRYING TO BE. AND THE ONLY REASON I WAS IN THE PREDICAMENT I WAS IN WAS BECAUSE I WAS IN LOVE WITH HER AND TRYING TO HELP HER/ KEEP HER SAFE/ AND STAY ALIVE. I DID NOT HAVE TO PUT MYSELF IN HARMS WAY. unforgivable.

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

Rosaria Champagne, “Law of the (Nameless) Father: Mary Shelley’s Mathilda and the Incest Taboo” // Star Trek: Deep Space 9, 2x22 “The Wire”