#i know they're just people on a screen but they're people on a screen that have brought me laughter for many years

[xx-obliviousfantasy-xx]

Why you assuming people are eating food with their hands touching unclean shit? That's not like...a a requirement for going to the theather.

Me personally, I wash my hands in the bathrom before eating anything, and use hand sanitizer frequently, as well as using disinfectant wipes on the buttons if I think I will touch them while eating???? (Also I don't eat with my hands touching food in theaters usual. Just the wrapper)

I also dont go into crowded theaters cuz I hate people sitting next to people that aren't my family or friends and being in crowds in general, after I had a really bad experience in a theater as a kid. Despite usually ending up in non-crowded theaters and I STILL wear a mask every time I go into one. (a k95 mask if I'm not out of stock. n95 is a bit more expensive and less accessible to me, but also just harder to wear with my glasses sometimes. Need to find a good one eventually because I'll have to wear it for other things.)

_______________________________________

Also, this is just another reason we should bring back and support drive ins.

They're fun community building and supporting events that literally just require staying in your car. You don't have to be around anyone else in close proximity to enjoy watching a film, and the screen is EVEN BIGGER. The only downside is like...no surround sound hi definition audio, or seat movements or whatever the fuck they provide in the extra special theaters and not standard theaters.

Which, I also avoid unless it's something I REALLY wanna see and experience because... standard is just fine and way less expensive

_______________________________________

ALSO,

@i-cant-promise-that2

I recommend trying taking headphones or earplugs with a really nice hat to go over your ears.

I haven't gone to the theaters without my noise cancelling headphones like...since I first got noise cancelling headphones because I KNOW the noise is gonna get too much for me at some point. ESPECIALLY during fucking action &, superhero films.

it honestly doesn't really affect my experience at all. And when I want to hear fully I just take my headphones off or change the setting on them. Even when I briefly didn't have noise cancelling headphones, I still took my other ones and wore them over my thick beanie and/or hoodie (which, I normally put my headphones over my beanie anyways and then my hood over my head) and it was still significantly better than raw dogging that shit.

Watching movies should be a lot like going to a concert; Protect your ears.

Ofc, if you tried this and it's still too loud, TOTALLY fair and I'm sorry for wasting your time 😔

plus, honestly plugs don't help for when you can FEEL the audio which can be extremely overwhelming at times.

idk if this is a boomer take but I think ppl should make more of an effort to go see movies in theaters bc I couldn’t bear it if the movie theater industry went down and the only way to watch movies was through streaming I’m not strong enough

[romerona]

Ethera Operation!!

You're the government’s best hacker, but that doesn’t mean you were prepared to be thrown into a fighter jet.

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Awkward!Hacker! FemReader

Part I

This was never supposed to happen. Your role in this operation was simple—deliver the program, ensure it reached the right hands, and let the professionals handle the breaching.

And then, of course, reality decided to light that plan on fire.

The program—codenamed Ethera—was yours. You built it from scratch with encryption so advanced that even the most elite cyber operatives couldn’t crack it without your input. A next-generation adaptive, self-learning decryption software, an intrusion system designed to override and manipulate high-security military networks, Ethera was intended to be both a weapon and a shield, capable of infiltrating enemy systems while protecting your own from counterattacks in real-time. A ghost in the machine. A digital predator. A weapon in the form of pure code. If it fell into the wrong hands, it could disable fleets, and ground aircraft, and turn classified intelligence into an open book. Governments would kill for it. Nations could fall because of it.

Not that you ever meant to, of course. It started as a little experimental security measure program, something to protect high-level data from cyberattacks, not become the ultimate hacking tool. But innovation has a funny way of attracting the wrong kind of attention, and before you knew it, Ethera had become one, if not the most classified, high-risk program in modern times. Tier One asset or so the Secret Service called it.

It was too powerful, too dangerous—so secret that only a select few even knew of its existence, and even fewer could comprehend how it worked.

And therein lay the problem. You were the only person who could properly operate it.

Which was so unfair.

Because it wasn’t supposed to be your problem. You were just the creator, the brain behind the code, the one who spent way too many sleepless nights debugging this monstrosity. Your job was supposed to end at development. But no. Now, because of some bureaucratic nonsense and the fact that no one else could run it without accidentally bricking an entire system, you had been promoted—scratch that, forcibly conscripted—into field duty.

And your mission? To install it in an enemy satellite.

A literal, orbiting, high-security, military-grade satellite, may you add.

God. Why? Why was your country always at war with others? Why couldn’t world leaders just, you know, go to therapy like normal people? Why did everything have to escalate to international cyber warfare?

Which is how you ended up here.

At Top Gun. The last place in the world you wanted to be.

You weren’t built for this. You thrive in sipping coffee in a cosy little office and handling cyber threats from a safe, grounded location. You weren’t meant to be standing in the halls of an elite fighter pilot training program, surrounded by the best aviators in the world—people who thought breaking the sound barrier was a casual Wednesday.

It wasn’t the high-tech cyberwarfare department of the Pentagon, nor some dimly lit black ops facility where hackers in hoodies clacked away at keyboards. No. It was Top Gun. A place where pilots use G-forces like a personal amusement park ride.

You weren’t a soldier, you weren’t a spy, you got queasy in elevators, you got dizzy when you stood too fast, hell, you weren’t even good at keeping your phone screen from cracking.

... And now you were sweating.

You swallowed hard as Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates led you through the halls of the naval base, your heels clacking on the polished floors as you wiped your forehead. You're nervous, too damn nervous and this damned weather did not help.

"Relax, Miss," Warlock muttered in that calm, authoritative way of his. "They're just pilots."

Just pilots.

Right. And a nuclear warhead was just a firework.

And now, somehow, you were supposed to explain—loosely explain, because God help you, the full details were above even their clearance level—how Ethera, your elegant, lethal, unstoppable digital masterpiece, was about to be injected into an enemy satellite as part of a classified mission.

This was going to be a disaster.

You had barely made it through the doors of the briefing room when you felt it—every single eye in the room locking onto you.

It wasn’t just the number of them that got you, it was the intensity. These were Top Gun pilots, the best of the best, and they radiated the kind of confidence you could only dream of having. Meanwhile, you felt like a stray kitten wandering into a lion’s den.

Your hands tightened around the tablet clutched to your chest. It was your lifeline, holding every critical detail of Ethera, the program that had dragged you into this utterly ridiculous situation. If you could’ve melted into the walls, you absolutely would have. But there was no escaping this.

You just had to keep it together long enough to survive this briefing.

So, you inhaled deeply, squared your shoulders, and forced your heels forward, trying to project confidence—chin up, back straight, eyes locked onto Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson, who you’d been introduced to earlier that day.

And then, of course, you dropped the damn tablet.

Not a graceful drop. Not the kind of gentle slip where you could scoop it back up and act like nothing happened. No, this was a full-on, physics-defying fumble. The tablet flipped out of your arms, ricocheted off your knee, and skidded across the floor to the feet of one of the pilots.

Silence.

Pure, excruciating silence.

You didn’t even have the nerve to look up right away, too busy contemplating whether it was physically possible to disintegrate on command. But when you finally did glance up—because, you know, social convention demanded it—you were met with a sight that somehow made this entire disaster worse.

Because the person crouching down to pick up your poor, abused tablet was freaking hot.

Tall, broad-shouldered, with a head of golden curls that practically begged to be tousled by the wind, and, oh, yeah—a moustache that somehow worked way too well on him.

He turned the tablet over in his hands, inspecting it with an amused little smirk before handing it over to you. "You, uh… need this?"

Oh, great. His voice is hot too.

You grabbed it back, praying he couldn't see how your hands were shaking. “Nope. Just thought I’d test gravity real quick.”

A few chuckles rippled through the room, and his smirk deepened like he was enjoying this way too much. You, on the other hand, wanted to launch yourself into the sun.

With what little dignity you had left, you forced a quick, tight-lipped smile at him before turning on your heel and continuing forward, clutching your tablet like it was a life raft in the middle of the worst social shipwreck imaginable.

At the front of the room, Vice Admiral Beau Cyclone Simpson stood with the kind of posture that said he had zero time for nonsense, waiting for the room to settle. You barely had time to take a deep breath before his voice cut through the air.

“Alright, listen up.” His tone was crisp, commanding, and impossible to ignore. “This is Dr Y/N L/N. Everything she is about to tell you is highly classified. What you hear in this briefing does not leave this room. Understood?”

A chorus of nods. "Yes, sir."

You barely resisted the urge to physically cringe as every pilot in the room turned to stare at you—some with confusion, others with barely concealed amusement, and a few with the sharp assessing glances of people who had no clue what they were supposed to do with you.

You cleared your throat, squared your shoulders, and did your best to channel even an ounce of the confidence you usually had when you were coding at 3 AM in a secure, pilot-free lab—where the only judgment you faced was from coffee cups and the occasional system error.

As you reached the podium, you forced what you hoped was a composed smile. “Uh… hi, nice to meet you all.”

Solid. Real professional.

You glanced up just long enough to take in the mix of expressions in the room—some mildly interested, some unreadable, and one particular moustached pilot who still had the faintest trace of amusement on his face.

Nope. Not looking at him.

You exhaled slowly, centering yourself. Stay focused. Stay professional. You weren’t just here because of Ethera—you were Ethera. The only one who truly understood it. The only one who could execute this mission.

With another tap on your tablet, the slide shifted to a blacked-out, redacted briefing—only the necessary information was visible. A sleek 3D-rendered model of the enemy satellite appeared on the screen, rotating slowly. Most of its details were blurred or omitted entirely.

“This is Blackstar, a highly classified enemy satellite that has been operating in a low-Earth orbit over restricted airspace.” Your voice remained even, and steady, but the weight of what you were revealing sent a shiver down your spine. “Its existence has remained off the radar—literally and figuratively—until recently, when intelligence confirmed that it has been intercepting our encrypted communications, rerouting information, altering intelligence, and in some cases—fabricating entire communications.”

Someone exhaled sharply. Another shifted in their seat.

“So they’re feeding us bad intel?” one of them with big glasses and blonde hair asked, voice sceptical but sharp.

“That’s the theory,” you confirmed. “And given how quickly our ops have been compromised recently, it’s working.”

You tapped again, shifting to the next slide. The silent infiltration diagram appeared—an intricate web of glowing red lines showing Etherea’s integration process, slowly wrapping around the satellite’s systems like a virus embedding itself into a host.

“This is where Ethera comes in,” you said, shifting to a slide that displayed a cascading string of code, flickering across the screen. “Unlike traditional cyberweapons, Ethera doesn’t just break into a system. It integrates—restructuring security protocols as if it was always meant to be there. It’s undetectable, untraceable, and once inside, it grants us complete control of the Blackstar and won’t even register it as a breach.”

“So we’re not just hacking it," The only female pilot of the team said, arms crossed as she studied the data. “We’re hijacking it.”

“Exactly,” You nodded with a grin.

You switched to the next slide—a detailed radar map displaying the satellite’s location over international waters.

“This is the target area,” you continued after a deep breath. “It’s flying low-altitude reconnaissance patterns, which means it’s using ground relays for some of its communication. That gives us a small window to infiltrate and shut it down.”

The next slide appeared—a pair of unidentified fighter aircraft, patrolling the vicinity.

“And this is the problem,” you said grimly. “This satellite isn’t unguarded.”

A murmur rippled through the room as the pilots took in the fifth-generation stealth fighters displayed on the screen.

“We don’t know who they belong to,” you admitted. “What we do know is that they’re operating with highly classified tech—possibly experimental—and have been seen running defence patterns around the satellite’s flight path.”

Cyclone stepped forward then, arms crossed, his voice sharp and authoritative. “Which means your job is twofold. You will escort Dr L/N’s aircraft to the infiltration zone, ensuring Ethera is successfully deployed. If we are engaged, your priority remains protecting the package and ensuring a safe return.”

Oh, fantastic, you could not only feel your heartbeat in your toes, you were now officially the package.

You cleared your throat, tapping the screen again. Ethera’s interface expanded, displaying a cascade of sleek code.

“Once I’m in range,” you continued, “Ethera will lock onto the satellite’s frequency and begin infiltration. From that point, it’ll take approximately fifty-eight seconds to bypass security and assume control."

Silence settled over the room like a thick cloud, the weight of their stares pressing down on you. You could feel them analyzing, calculating, probably questioning who in their right mind thought putting you—a hacker, a tech specialist, someone whose idea of adrenaline was passing cars on the highway—into a fighter jet was a good idea.

Finally, one of the pilots—tall, broad-shouldered, blonde, and very clearly one of the cocky ones—tilted his head, arms crossed over his chest in a way that screamed too much confidence.

“So, let me get this straight.” His voice was smooth, and confident, with just the right amount of teasing. “You, Doctor—our very classified, very important tech specialist—have to be in the air, in a plane, during a mission that has a high probability of turning into a dogfight… just so you can press a button?”

Your stomach twisted at the mention of being airborne.

“Well…” You gulped, very much aware of how absolutely insane this sounded when put like that. “It’s… more than just that, but, yeah, essentially.”

A slow grin spread across his face, far too entertained by your predicament.

“Oh,” he drawled, “this is gonna be fun.”

Before you could fully process how much you already hated this, Cyclone—who had been watching the exchange with his signature unamused glare—stepped forward, cutting through the tension with his sharp, no-nonsense voice.

“This is a classified operation,” he stated, sharp and authoritative. “Not a joyride.”

The blonde’s smirk faded slightly as he straightened, and the rest of the pilots quickly fell in line.

Silence lingered for a moment longer before Vice Admiral Beau Cyclone Simpson let out a slow breath and straightened. His sharp gaze swept over the room before he nodded once.

“All right. That’s enough.” His tone was firm, the kind that left no room for argument. “We’ve got work to do. The mission will take place in a few weeks' time, once we’ve run full assessments, completed necessary preparations, and designated a lead for this operation.”

There was a slight shift in the room. Some of the pilots exchanged glances, the weight of the upcoming mission finally settling in. Others, mainly the cocky ones, looked as though they were already imagining themselves in the cockpit.

“Dismissed,” Cyclone finished.

The pilots stood, murmuring amongst themselves as they filed out of the room, the blonde one still wearing a smug grin as he passed you making you frown and turn away, your gaze then briefly met the eyes of the moustached pilot.

You hadn’t meant to look, but the moment your eyes connected, something flickered in his expression. Amusement? Curiosity? You weren’t sure, and frankly, you didn’t want to know.

So you did the only logical thing and immediately looked away and turned to gather your things. You needed to get out of here, to find some space to breathe before your brain short-circuited from stress—

“Doctor, Stay for a moment.”

You tightened your grip on your tablet and turned back to Cyclone, who was watching you with that unreadable, vaguely disapproving expression that all high-ranking officers seemed to have perfected. “Uh… yes, sir?”

Once the last pilot was out the door, Cyclone exhaled sharply and crossed his arms.

“You realize,” he said, “that you’re going to have to actually fly, correct?”

You swallowed. “I—well, technically, I’ll just be a passenger.”

His stare didn’t waver.

“Doctor,” he said, tone flat, “I’ve read your file. I know you requested to be driven here instead of taking a military transport plane. You also took a ferry across the bay instead of a helicopter. And I know that you chose to work remotely for three years to avoid getting on a plane.”

You felt heat rise to your cheeks. “That… could mean anything.”

“It means you do not like flying, am I correct?”

Your fingers tightened around the tablet as you tried to find a way—any way—out of this. “Sir, with all due respect, I don’t need to fly the plane. I just need to be in it long enough to deploy Ethera—”

Cyclone cut you off with a sharp look. “And what happens if something goes wrong, Doctor? If the aircraft takes damage? If you have to eject mid-flight? If you lose comms and have to rely on emergency protocols?”

You swallowed hard, your stomach twisting at the very thought of ejecting from a jet.

Cyclone sighed, rubbing his temple as if this entire conversation was giving him a migraine. “We cannot afford to have you panicking mid-mission. If this is going to work, you need to be prepared. That’s why, starting next week you will train with the pilots on aerial procedures and undergoing mandatory training in our flight simulation program.”

Your stomach dropped. “I—wait, what? That’s not necessary—”

“It’s absolutely necessary,” Cyclone cut in, his tone sharp. “If you can’t handle a simulated flight, you become a liability—not just to yourself, but to the pilots escorting you. And in case I need to remind you, Doctor, this mission is classified at the highest level. If you panic mid-air, it won’t just be your life at risk. It’ll be theirs. And it’ll be national security at stake.”

You inhaled sharply. No pressure. None at all.

Cyclone watched you for a moment before speaking again, his tone slightly softer but still firm. “You’re the only one who can do this, Doctor. That means you need to be ready.”

You exhaled slowly, pressing your lips together before nodding stiffly. “Understood, sir.”

Cyclone gave a small nod of approval. “Good. Dismissed.”

You turned and walked out, shoulders tense, fully aware that in three days' time, you were going to be strapped into a high-speed, fighter jet. And knowing your luck?

You were definitely going to puke.

Part 2???

[cuubism]

this instagram reel made me think so strongly of a human AU viktor that I had to write a little ficlet about it

--

Normally, the fact that Jayce is such a light sleeper is a problem. Being easily awoken by any rain, wind, traffic, Cait traipsing in at midnight after going to see Vi, his own anxious thoughts--it's not beneficial to his sanity. Today, though. Today, he's grateful for it, because it means he wakes up at 4am when his phone buzzes with two Snap messages in quick succession.

Blearily, he opens the app, squinting against the bright light of the screen. There are really only two people in the world who send him snaps, and Cait is asleep in the other room of their shared apartment. Which means it's Viktor.

It takes him a second to even comprehend what he's seeing.

Viktor seems to be reclining in a hospital bed, shirt open over his bare chest which is covered with various wires stuck to the skin, an IV in the back of his hand and a heart monitor clipped to his finger. Despite all this, he's throwing up a peace sign with his free hand and the look he's giving the camera is downright sultry, his dark undereye circles almost giving the impression of a smoky eye.

I lived, bitch, the text over the photo says.

Jayce rapidly taps through to the next one.

Similar photo, but now the text reads, It's giving Consumption core, whatever the fuck that means.

It doesn't sound much like Viktor but hopefully that means someone's there with him, even if they're just taking photos instead of, you know, helping.

Nevertheless, Jayce vaults out of bed, pulling on the nearest clothes and grabbing his keys and-- because Viktor is sick or hurt or having a flare up or God knows what-- rushing out of his bedroom.

He's scrambling so much that he trips over the rug in the living room and goes down, hitting a side table with his shoulder and knocking the lamp on it onto the floor with a clatter. Fuck. He pushes himself to his feet again and--

The light in Cait's room goes on. Vi opens the door, rubbing her eyes. "What the fuck, man."

"Sorry," Jayce says, abandoning the fallen table in favor of shoving his feet into his shoes. "I gotta go, Viktor's in the hospital and--"

"What?" Cait emerges behind Vi. "Is he okay?"

"I think so? He sent me a snap so--"

Vi picks up Jayce's phone from where it's fallen to the floor and studies the picture. "Sounds like Jinx is with him." She tilts her head. "Kind of a good photo. Hot."

"Vi." Cait takes the phone and gives it back to Jayce. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, he wouldn't want everyone crowding." Viktor hadn't even specifically asked Jayce to come but like hell is he not going to. "I gotta-- I need to go--"

"Alright, be safe," Cait says, and Jayce is already rushing out the door.

While on the bus to the hospital, he texts Viktor directly. Are you okay??

The singularity is near, Jayce, Viktor writes back. I'm ever closer to transcending biology. I am composed of so many wires now; soon they will replace my veins entirely.

Jayce can't tell if the fact that he's typing in coherent sentences means he's okay or if the fact he's expounding on futurology at four in the morning from a hospital bed means he's not okay.

I like you not composed of wires, he replies.

Too late, Viktor says. I did try to explain to them that this is normal but they insisted on all of the wires.

Pretty sure it's not *normal*, Jayce says.

On the plus side, this hospital isn't stingy with the good drugs.

Jesus Christ. That explains the philosophizing.

Excuse you, I can do it perfectly well sober.

Should have brought you your Fuller novel the way people bring stuffed animals to the hospital. You could hold it for comfort while you fall asleep.

You are coming? says Viktor.

Yeah, Jayce says, of course I'm coming.

~

Technically, Jayce is Viktor's emergency contact, but there's still been issues getting in to see him in the past since Jayce is "not family." But apparently, Viktor had Jinx tell the hospital front staff that he was allowed in, because this time they direct him right to Viktor's room when he arrives.

Viktor is sitting up in bed when he gets there, indeed attached to a lot of wires, though a nurse is taking some of them off so they must have finished some tests. This is a different hospital bed, an actual room rather than the temporary ER situation he seemed to have been in in the photo before, which is not a good sign, though at least it hopefully means Viktor will be discouraged from leaving before its safe for him to do so.

The nurse passes Jayce in the doorway as she leaves, and Viktor turns to him, offering a wan smile. He looks tired, but then, he always looks tired lately.

Jinx is indeed there, perched on the end of the bed like a gargoyle. She waves at Jayce. "See, I told you my messages would get him to come."

"Some messages," Jayce says, sitting in the chair by Viktor's bed. Viktor looks at him curiously, and Jayce hands over his phone.

Viktor studies the snaps, and rubs his forehead tiredly. "Jinx, I asked you to text Jayce, not send hospital boudoir, or whatever this is." He peers closer at the messages. "Hm. They are good photos, though."

"Told ya."

"Viktor. Are you okay?" Jayce asks, pocketing his phone again. He takes Viktor's hand between both of his own, rubbing his knuckles.

"Just a flare up," Viktor says. Sure, Jayce thinks, 'just.' "Truthfully--do not gloat--I've been up too late and I got dehydrated, and I'm sure that exacerbated things."

"We were on a roll," Jinx complains. "There's no time for sleep when you're in the zone."

"Hm, until there suddenly is," Viktor says brightly. "I am okay, Jayce, truly."

"Alright. I was worried." And, carefully, he lifts Viktor's hand to his lips and kisses his knuckles.

This thing between them--it's still new and tentative. More tentative from Jayce's end, really, he's always worried about mucking it up. But he tries to remind himself that nothing's really changed, they're still the same friends that they've always been. They just... do other stuff, too.

Well, and Jinx is now sending him photos of Viktor looking like the star of a vampire romance film.

"I'm going to get snacks," Jinx declares unsubtly, climbing off the bed and heading for the door.

"The vending machine has Taki's," Viktor calls helpfully as she leaves.

"How do you know that?" Jayce asks.

"I've been here before."

Of course.

Jayce sighs, pressing his forehead to their joined hands.

"You know," Viktor says, "if you were not able to bring me a book to cuddle. Am I allowed a you to cuddle?"

"I'm pretty sure that's against the rules."

"Meh, rules," Viktor says, dismissively. "What will they do, kick me out?"

"Kick me out," Jayce says.

"They won't," Viktor says, with such certainty that Jayce somehow believes him.

So he climbs into the hospital bed beside Viktor, arranging him carefully around all the wires and connections. Viktor curls into his side, resting his head on Jayce's shoulder.

"Thank you for coming," Viktor murmurs.

"Of course." Jayce can't imagine not coming as soon as he got that message. Even if Viktor thinks it's all unremarkable and normal. Viktor being in pain is never not going to make him drop everything and run. Even if that means he has to do a hell of a lot of running.

"You know," Viktor says. "The future of disembodied cloud consciousness does have a shortcoming."

"Oh, yeah? Only one?"

Viktor tsks, poking his arm. "It occurs to me that without a body it would be difficult to appreciate my personal furnace here."

Jayce squeezes him tighter. "Maybe your future disembodied consciousness will just have to have a temperature sensor. Might as well give it a pressure sensor too... oh wait, I think we might be circling back around to a body..."

"Perhaps it is not all bad to have a body," Viktor sighs. "Only mostly."

"Only mostly," Jayce agrees, kissing the top of his head.

--

two books referenced obliquely in this:

The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil

Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by R Buckminster Fuller

I think Viktor would be into them.

[ropebunnykant]

i always headcanonned all fk characters as switches but now i realize we've only ever seen firsts character portrayed as top and khaotungs as bottom yknow with the famous thrusting in ofs and kantbison red room scene. even if they had different dynamic it wasn't explicitly portrayed why is that? i wish we could see a change in the bl industry

oh yeah, it's definitely a thing in the bl industry where they classify one as the top and one as the bottom with zero nuance or change from series to series, and i think that's part of why top/bottom discourse can get so aggressive in the bl fandom. it's almost always the bigger/taller/more "masc" guy that gets the top role and it pushes such a problematic notion about how gay couples "should" interact and it's deeply annoying! especially because people in fandom will then get so attached to these ideas and the way they act about it is like. straight up mean and gross. like why do you care so much that some people think that first's characters occasionally bottom? why is that such a big deal for you?

and in a way it does circle back to the issue with people insisting on bison being a sub despite the fact that he, canonically and explicitly, is a dom. again, people have these fucked up ideas about the way gay couples should be and because bison is smaller and cuter and more feminine and we have also seen him explicitly bottoming, he has to be the sub. which is just extremely reductive and just repackaged misogyny and homophobia! (which, i've actually been thinking since the pilot trailer about how the inherent misogyny that comes from those assumptions also kind of feeds into the way misogyny was replaced from taming to the heart killers and the way those dynamics manifest in the show. like there's something VERY interesting about the lucentio/bianca couple aka the more "traditional" couple having their typical "top" as the man of the couple and their typical "bottom" play the woman vs the katherine/petruchio having the "top" playing the woman! there's a commentary going on there, i think, but unfortunately i haven't gotten to really writing anything about that cause usually there's so much else going on in the show that i kind of forget about that aspect sdkjfsdf)

that all being said, i also don't think fk's characters are necessarily forced into those boxes because of the industry at large, if that makes sense? like i feel like they're one of the few branded pairs that aren't put into those roles just because first is taller/bigger/more masculine. because the thing is, with akkayan we never actually see them having sex on screen, so we can't actually know for sure the positions they use. and while we see it with kantbison and sandray, i also think context is important.

with sandray, i think ray is just meant to be a character that has his preferences, and on top of that he's spoiled and sand is always going to give him whatever he wants. those things are part of their characters even without getting into their sexual dynamics, and one thing about jojo is that sex in his shows are actually a lot deeper than people realize - so, it makes sense that with that dynamic in mind, sand would be more "the giver" and ray "the taker" when it comes to sex, so to speak. and then with kantbison, i again think it's meant to play at the fact that bison is the dom. i think bison in a lot of ways is MEANT to seem contradictory to that kind of idea, and i also think he kind of gets off on that idea. like, i was actually talking to may @deliriousblue about this earlier, but i think it's why we see bison bottom, why we see him lean into his cuteness, why we see him call kant daddy. he likes leaning into the idea of a traditional sub while actually being the one in control! it's like a power thing for him.

i also just think firstkhao have been very lucky in the fact that in all three of the series that they've been main couples for, they've worked with very progressive and very queer directors. i mean, golf, who directed the eclipse, is trans and an activist and i believe used to be a member of parliament before they were forced out, if i'm remembering that correctly? and then jojo directed both only friends and the heart killers and jojo has never been shy about making his characters as queer as possible beyond just the aspect of having sex with the same gender, yknow? he also has never been shy about making his characters switches, either, or having them talk openly about positions, so again, i don't really view fk as being necessarily stereotyped - more that jojo specifically is a director that will use those stereotypes and the way the industry perceives things to his advantage, if that makes sense. like i think about how he chose to use firstkhao and forcebook in only friends for sandray and topmew, and then had neomark, who were an unbranded pair, for the couple that didn't end up together. like people complained about it, but again, i think it was jojo using the way the industry is set up to his advantage while also challenging those norms in other aspects of the show.

this got like. aggressively long for no reason, but basically i do agree that there should be a change in the way the industry puts their branded pairs in boxes, but i honestly feel like fk are one of the few that aren't ACTUALLY in that box, if that makes sense sdkjfhskf

[iscdisc]

Hi!!

What are your favorite ships besides Jonatello(Caseytello)?

P.S. I love your artistic style!! Donny is a cutie(~˘▾˘)~

Hello ! 👋✨

Thank you so much for the compliment !! I'm glad you enjoy my art ! 🥺

Some of my favorite TMNT pairings that aren't 2012 Jonatello are:

2003:

• April O'Neil and Casey Jones (Capril) ! They're a classic, I love them so much- 😭🫶

2012:

• Raphael and Y'gthba / "Mona Lisa" (RaMona) !

They're the only canonical relationship with one of the main Turtles that I actually enjoyed and thought wasn't as poorly written- 💀👍 Lmao

• Karai and Shinigami (ShiniRai) !

You honestly cannot convince me that there's not something going on between them canonically- Plus, I don't have the image anymore and I don't know where to find it again, but somebody on Twitter a while back who (I'm assuming??) did the concept art for Shinigami referred to her as, "Karai's girlfriend" in the caption of that post- So Like- 😭✨

• Leonardo and Casey Jones (Caseynardo / "Hockeyblades") !

I think they had a lot of potential if Leo was allowed to interact with Casey more (And honestly April as well, because he didn't get a lot of interactions with her either imo-),, It felt like the writers were allergic to having Leo form significant bonds with any character that wasn't his Brothers / Splinter. Lmao || I also feel like they could've bonded over having younger siblings, since Casey is the eldest compared to his younger Sister (Who we never got to see-), which could have been a great way to start that bond between them since Leo would feel like he has somebody who can relate to his problems or struggles with being the eldest child ! I've also said this many times in the past, but is Casey not just the male version of Karai (As well as the less problematic version of her since he's not related to Leo- 💀)?? Leo found Karai interesting because she was rebellious and impulsive and challenged authority and was very charismatic / flirty (Which in Karai's case was purely just a form of manipulation, but I digress-), and radiated confidence in herself, and was a, "Lone Wolf" that never stuck around long, etc. All things that Casey is / does-?? Like, dude- How does this not make sense? 😭

• Michelangelo and Casey Jones (Caseangelo / "PepperoniPucks") !

This pairing is very fun in my opinion ! But I find it challenging to make any content with them in a romantic sense, because everything that I try to come up with for them that's meant to be a ship thing just comes off very platonic and "dude bro" because of their personalities- 😭 Lmao || But I honestly can see them because they had one of the most organic friendships within the series in my opinion ! Not that I'm trying to say that Raph and Casey weren't friends in 2012, because of course they were, but I feel like their friendship was very poorly handled by the writers in comparison to Casey and Mikey whose friendship felt so effortless / not as challenging on screen-? If that makes sense?

• Raphael and April O'Neil (Raphril) !

This one is purely fanon and based on my own interpretation of what April could've been like as a character if she was written better- Lmao || I know a lot of people find it kind of circumstantial and not as damning as it could be, but I feel like April and Raph had a lot of similarities within the series that go kind of unnoticed? Mostly referring to the fact that April had a lot of anger behind her that I feel gets overlooked with her character- She's always making the same facial expressions that Raph makes during situations in my opinion (Some examples below-), she's constantly shown to have a fiery attitude and (usually) has no problem talking back to people or making her opinion very clear when nobody asked for it which is something Raph does as well. Episodes like, "The Kraang Conspiracy" or "City at War" really showcase her anger or her angrier side as well. When she grows incredibly frustrated during her sparring match with Shinigami, that mirrored Raph a lot in my opinion, since we've seen him react similarly during episodes like, "The Good, the Bad, and Casey Jones" and "Mutant Gangland" with Leo.

They're also other things, not to harp on the anger that they both share too much- Like their clear love of and connection with animals, the way they're not the most physically affectionate people (Both have been shown to be kind of uncomfortable with hugging sometimes-), they both seemingly have their walls up to be honest, they both struggle with friendships (Despite these being writing issues, Raph's friendship with Casey was handled very poorly and April's friendships with pretty much all the characters felt very non-existent or not given enough attention-?), they both constantly complain about the others not taking things seriously enough, they both can be very competitive, they're both incredibly skeptical of other people, they both act on their own sense of justice (Meaning they'll do what they want even if Leo tells them no- Lmao), they both have high pitch screams (LMAO), etc. There's also narrative things such as both of them unintentionally starting the alien invasions of Season 2 and Season 3- 💀 LMAO

I just think that, if given the opportunity, Raph and April could've been really cool on screen ! Like April developing the same sense of humor that Raph does through constantly being around him (That sarcastic / snarky kind of humor-), those two building an animal shelter of some kind after seeing all the unhoused uncared for animals roaming around NYC, April being allowed to be unapologetically angry / frustrated around Raph and him not making her feel bad for that or like she needs to be this "composed / lady like" individual all the time, Raph recognizing April as a person and valuing her individualism and autonomy (Something I feel Donnie didn't do canonically- Raph's a girl's girl in my eyes. Hands down. Lmao), having those two play competitive ping pong since April enjoys ping pong (According to, "Target: April O'Neil"-), Raph 100% being the reason why April's combat skills improve since he wouldn't treat her like some "fragile thing" and I think it would be interesting for him to kind of see himself in her which is why he wants to see her rise above it?? You know??

I just think they could have been really special, I don't know- 😭👍 (They can also be the "smart + not as smart" trope like 2012 Jonatello is for me, since April technically would be the smarter out of the two of them- ❤️💛)

• Master Splinter / Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen !

I know this one is a canonical established relationship / marriage, so it's not really like a, "ship" per se? I guess?? But I've always loved Splinter and Tang Shen ! I thought they were a cute couple ! Obviously their relationship needed some improvements from Splinter's end, but I don't think Splinter was ever incapable of fixing that, and I feel like if he had their relationship would've been THE relationship of 2012. Period. 😔🫶✨

Some honorable mentions??

• Leonardo and Timothy (Leothy) !

I'm putting this one in honorable mentions because it's more of a one-sided thing in my head-! I just can't help but think of how adorable and sweet it would have been if Timothy had this sort of crush / strong admiration for Leo as the Leader of the group, you know? Not that that crush would be super obvious though-? Since it mostly would just come across as Timothy fanboying all the time- LMAO || Something about their personalities just makes this "pairing" really cute to me !

• Karai and April O'Neil (AprilRai) !

This one is an honorable mention because I'm still 50/50 on it. I really like the art that people make about it, and that is what influences the positive 50 the most ! But then I remember their dynamic within the series and how (in my opinion) Karai was torn down by the writers whereas April was lifted up by them, despite both of them struggling in their own ways / being victims of things they genuinely weren't in control over. Not to mention April's just overall behavior and treatment of Karai even during Karai's redemption Arc during Season 4. Like, it boils my blood- Lmao || So I'm a little torn tbh,, !

Rise!:

• April O'Neil and Casey Jones (Capril) !

This is another instance where the art of these two really sold me on the pairing and I now think that they're very cute ! 😭🫶 || It also makes rewatching episodes like the one about the Girl Scouts cookies feel very different as far as April and Casey goes- LMAO

• Master Splinter / Lou Jitsu and Baron Draxum (BaronJitsu) !

Their interactions in the series were not helping their case at all- LMAO || I also totally get / respect Splinter and Big Mama as well !

• April O'Neil and Sunita (I'm unsure what their ship name is-??)

Again, it's mostly just the art that I see of these two that really sells me on it ! But their friendship within the series was one of my favorite things as well ! ✨

Mutant Mayhem / TOTTMNT:

• Leonardo and April O'Neil (Aprilnardo) !

THIS IS HOW YOU DO ONE OF THE BROTHERS HAVING A CRUSH ON APRIL IN MY OPINION, OKAY- 🗣️ (Looking DIRECTLY at 2012-) || Nothing on this Earth could ever convince me that these two are not the cutest thing imaginable. I'm totally fine if nothing comes of it in either the TOTTMNT series or the upcoming Sequel film ! I just think how Leo is when he talks about April and what not it's just super adorable and what I feel should be expected of a teen having a crush on somebody?? Like, it's so innocent and harmless- 😭🫶✨

(However, if Casey gets introduced anytime soon and I enjoy the dynamic between Casey and April more, I feel like I honestly wouldn't hesitate pushing Leo to the side and being like, "Yeah, sorry-" LMAO / But that depends on what the writers decided to do with Casey and how Casey interacts with April, etc. !)

Honorable mention:

Any MM / TOTTMNT Jonatello interpretations, cause I love those sm- 🫶✨ Lmao

IDW Comics:

• Jennika and Sheena !

I just love their relationship and how it was executed in the comics ! 🫶

• Donatello and Mona Lisa !

I don't really have much to say here, I just think that they're cute to look at / their personalities seem to mesh well with each other in my opinion !

Honorable mention:

• Raphael and Alopex !

I guess I was a little indifferent about them for a while, but I don't think they're a bad pairing ! They definitely felt a lot stronger when they were first introduced to each other in my opinion !

• April O'Neil and Casey Jones (Capril) !

Another situation where I enjoyed them a lot more at the beginning of the story, but then we got to the comics centering around the road trip to Cali and it made me start disliking the relationship personally,, 💀

I didn't put them under a specific category, but LeoSagi pairings for any version are also cool (As long as it's appropriate / not problematic as far as ages and whatnot- For example, I have a version of Usagi that I made that's completely separate from the Usagi that we see during S5 of 2012 to pair with 2012 Leo ! I like him a lot, he's a hare instead of a rabbit ! I need to draw them again sometime- 😔👍) ! Lmao

[generalluxun]

Hi mod ^^

I like your mlb analisis.

What is your opinion about Chloe?

Do you think her redemption in season 2 was wasted?

Do you hope for her to have a good redemption arc?

mod? I don't know the reference there.

Thank you!

Chloé? She's my favorite ML character due to the sheer depth and versatility of her character and situation. Most characers are fairly well pigeon holed into their roles. This isn't a bad thing! Sometimes you need clear cut spaces to keep things organized. However Chloe has always been a character uniquely poised to go in multiple directions. There is never a time when her being on screen is boring. It might be *painful* but it's not boring.

I'm also a big advocate for heightening awareness of child abuse and she is a PRiME character for that. She is the perfect 'bad victim' to teach kids with. Not everyone who is hurt is sweet and sad about it. Some people take all their pain and lash out with it. Yet they are *still* children and they *still* need help.

They've waited WAY too long with her arc for it to have been a good idea to put a twist if they're going to do something positive with her. Like, they still might do it, but they missed the window to have it be a real impactful arc. They needed her to be a villain because no one else brought the same energy, and so stalled her for S4&5. I say needed, I mean 'they were too lazy to work a way around it'.

They also wanted to cram all the 'endings' together for the end of S5/finalé, so they kept pushing it off. Bad pacing, old outdated writing methods.

I don't really *hope* for anything. I *want* her to get help, and to get out of her abusive situation. I want what she was put throughby both parents(and the villains) to be recognized. She doesn't need to be a hero, or good, or a main character. We just need to admit to the child being tormented and cruelly manipulated by the adults.

[ematini]

What is your opinion on people calling Caitlyn a sexual predator/predatory lesbian?

I definitely can't blame people for saying that, because the two on screen relationships Caitlyn has, Vi and Maddie have EXTREME power imbalance.

It happens not once but TWICE, and neither is mentioned or acknowledged by any character. That's a pattern of behavior. And what conclusion are we supposed to draw from it? Because all signs point to Cailtyn just not caring about the difference in status. People are not pulling accusations like that out of their ass, like certain individuals claim, because they're very clearly shown on screen, just not properly explained/addressed.

What also bothers me is that if the writers wanted to avoid dealing with that, both of those issues could've been avoided by making some changes in the writing. If they wanted to keep Maddie a traitor, just make her a young officer who shows admiration towards Caitlyn, assures her she's doing the right thing, and subtly pushes her more towards Ambessa. If they wanted a rebound plot line, why not make Cait's affair partner another Councilor's daughter? They wouldn't even have to go through the trouble of explaining that entire lore. The natural conclusion would be that they've known each other since childhood through their parents, and the writers would have their motive of Caitlyn trying to date someone her mother would approve of.

Again, i know Caitlyn is not written to be that way. That was not the goal. It's just the writers' ignorance shining through once more. They either didn't catch on the implications or just straight up waved a dismissive hand at it. They swept it under the rug by making Maddie a traitor, which shifts all the blame onto her and not even mention the issues her relationship with Vi has. You can't just write motifs like that, then ignore them and explain your motivations in interviews. Especially if, by the end, the goal is clearly for us to understand and forgive Caitlyn. You're portraing a "hero" character (morally grey or not, Cailtyn is meant to be a hero in the story) in a bad light and instead of letting people form their own opinions on their behavior, you're forcefully attempting to sway our judgment, by ignoring half the shitty things they did. If people have to read interviews to understand what you were aiming for, that shows a flaw in your writing.

[plida]

Sure, here are my Spore ocs. They are horrible people D: But I like them a lot...........

This is Ohox, they're a very important diplomat that deals with other space empires.

They have a reputation for upholding peace, but it's over exaggerated in the media. Ohox is not a good person, and the policies they uphold aren't nice either. Their priority is defending the interests of their empire and the alliance it is in.

For example, Ohox basically threatened other nation to leave their territories. It went unnoticed by general populace, because to them that other nation seemed hostile because of their religion. So, yikes.

They don't have much of a personal life - their species Xoches, or, more accurately, the government prides itself on devoting all of your time to work.

Ohox contributes to that pressure, and suffers under it. But they're too prideful to admit that the system is wrong, so they keep crumbling physically and mentally, denying something needs to change.

Here's Osti, she's also a menace.

Her species Okis is really big on media, popularity and the like. Imagine if most people got all their political information from tiktoks - that's basically them. Okis are in the same alliance as Xoches, but they remain distrustful of everyone, so they employ all propaganda they can to make their image better for other species, while fear-mongering their own citizens.

Osti's a part of that, she's government plant. She became a sudden pop-sensation of all alien television. She's loud, bubbly and all in your face on screens. It contrasts with her subdued and scheming persona outside of popularity. Osti knows what she's doing, and she takes part in it, while also using this opportunity to relish in attention.

Osti gets to interview Ohox for a fun silly series for viewers, though in actuality they both use it to establish better connections between Xoches and Okis.

Osti is much younger than Ohox, so she kinda gets a "glimpse into the future" for her. She sees under the well-spoken diplomat cover a sad, pathetic Xoch who was broken by their government.

She sees parallels, but she simply decides Ohox just has a skill issue, and she's better than him. And she's right! Eventually her popularity fades, but she feels totally content continuing working under her government, and she dies happily with no regrets :) The same cannot be said for Ohox, who was miserable at their own death bed.

---

I'm not sure why I went with "these are terrible people in power who hurt many and feel no empathy" angle. Sometimes you just want to make some bad guys, I suppose

Can we do an OCS sharing thing? I want to see other people's OCS are hear facts about them

[snowdropluck204]

Join The Digital Age - Spencer Reid x Streamer Fem! Reader

So, I need to make more of these, I've had people asking for things like Valorant, or Overwatch or Last of Us, my only issue is, I haven't personally played those games, but I'll certainly try to! In the meantime, this one was suggested by a couple people, mainly @wolverinesangel and @geepinky! So I hope this doesn't disappoint! Xxx

Warnings: Explicit Language

FNAF

(y/n) pov

"I want to say I'm not scared, but I'd be lying!" I said, laughing nervously, looking between my chat, the recording progress and my gaming screen, with janky cameras displayed all over it, "I've played these games before, when they first came out, and I was scared then! But I never got all the secrets and things, so the idea that those will happen kind of unnerves me..." I said softly.

I continued to play swiftly through nights one and two, they had never given me all that much trouble, but night three... Foxy jumped out at me from the left, causing me to jump and shriek a little, "Foxy you son of a bitch!" I shouted, not hearing Spencer opening the door, hurriedly.

"What is it!? What happened?" He asked worried, I smiled and turned to him.

"Sorry, lovey, I'm playing a scary game for spooky season," I told him chuckling, "I didn't mean to worry you," I murmured, standing and giving him a light peck in greeting, Spencer was never all that much for PDA, usually when he came home he was full of cuddles and kisses, but with my stream on, I didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

I went back to my desk, Spencer following along behind me, and pulling one of his comfier chairs over to sit near my desk, the camera still wasn't on him. "What game?" He asked curiously, looking at the 'You died' screen being displayed. "Are your eyes popping out the suit?" He asked, befuddled.

I laughed, "Yeah... Essentially, you play as the night security guard at a Chuck E Cheese type place, and the animatronics think you're a naked endoskeleton so they're trying to kill you, you have to monitor the doors to make sure they don't, or that happens..." I told him.

Spencer looked on in confusion, "Okay... And what happens if you win?" He asked.

I thought for a moment, "You... Win? I guess... I think you just get a payslip..." I chuckled, "Well that's a bit shit..." I realised. Spencer raised an eyebrow and nodded. I shrugged, "Oh well! Back to the game! I'm on night three, have been for the last half hour or so..." I muttered despondently. "Stupid Foxy... He used to be my favourite!"

Spencer chuckled, "Okay, well I'll leave you to it, you want Thai food for dinner?" He asked, kissing me on the forehead, before standing. I reached out and grabbed his cardigan sleeve.

"Wait, no! Don't leave me, I'm scared..." I murmured, an exaggerated pout on my lips, knowing he couldn't really say no to me then. He sighed, his head dropping, already knowing there was no point in fighting it, because he'd lose. I smiled brightly as he sat back down in the chair he'd moved over to my desk.

I turned back to my monitor, winking a little at my camera, before taking a deep breath, trying to get serious, and failing, before clicking continue.

It took another three tries to get through night three, and another four tries to scare Spencer enough that he fell out his chair. I was stuck in a paradox of laughter and worry, leaning down with a smile to see if I could help. Spencer's head popped back into frame, much to my chat's amusement, as he looked shocked, "Holy shit!"

I laughed surprised, Spencer did curse much, but when he did it always sounded so unnatural and strained, I pet his head gently, "Aw it's alright lovey, we'll get there," I giggled.

Hope this was okay! Please comment other games you might like to see Spence and streamer reader play!

[doctorgirlsblog]

Merz Prinzessin vs. Dutch Lion (series)

Part 10: Red flags and promises to God

Special note: @m4xgirlie this one is posted for you 💙 thank you for being amazing

The race was going amazingly, as Aria managed to overtake Max in the first half, because he locked up, so he ended up losing a couple of positions. She stayed in front, unaware of the drama behind and his furious driving to get back on top. When her radio crackled and Elena's measured voice spoke gently but shakily, she couldn't help but be confused.

"Red flag, red flag. Aria, please drive slowly back to the garage."

Her heart dropped at the words.

"Elena what happened? Is everyone okay?"

"Drive to garage, we will talk then."

Aria drove back to her garage slowly, getting out as soon as the car was inside. She ripped her helmet off and stormed over to Elena, trying to get a glimpse of the screens. Dirt made it impossible to see which car ended up in the wall.

"Elena, what happened?"

"Max crashed. They're still trying to contact him," Elena kept explaining it, but Aria's ears were buzzing, and she could hardly make out the line of her lips moving before she collapsed on the ground.

Max crashed. Max wasn't responding.

She didn't realise that she was crying and shaking, as someone's arms got wrapped around her, pulling her closer. Elena kept soothing the girl, trying to talk to her, but Aria kept starring at the screen, looking at his crashed car, with no motion from inside it.

He might be... She never told him the truth. It was her fault. Her fault. Max crashed.

With newfound adrenaline, she stood and sprinted toward the track, where a medical team surrounded the car. They held her back. She screamed, falling into the arms of stewards. She watched as they pulled him out, unconscious.

No, this can't be the end. It can't. He never heard how much she loves him, how sorry she was.

Elena pulled her away, persuading her to drive her to the clinic where he was being taken.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aria was a shadow of herself. Silently staring ahead, she prayed every prayer in her head, with tears still rapidly falling down her face. She sat in the waiting room, waiting for something, anything. After what seemed like hours, doctor stepped out, nodding to her to go inside.

She quickly rose from her seat, but time seemed to slow as she looked at him. His heart monitor beeped, a tube aided his breathing, and dark bruises were already appearing on his body.

She managed to collapse into the chair beside his bed, hearing the door close behind her. She took a long look at his bruised face and then broke down. Sobs and whimpers could be heard outside. She was holding his hand like a lifeline, her fingers sliding across the bandaged cut.

Her voice came out more as a whisper.

"I'm so sorry, Liebe. You didn't deserve this, not because of me. Please wake up; you need to. I... if you..." She couldn't finish that thought aloud. "I can't live without you. I never could. I chose you, in every life, in every time. I love you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But Max wasn't waking up. Days went by, people came and went, but Aria was there every single minute. He was gone. Max was still there, same old Max, but he was gone.

She started to lose the hope that held her these days. She didn't know what to do anymore, because there wasn't much that she could do for him. Older nurse stepped towards her, speaking gently, trying to get the girl out of her head. "Sweetie, maybe you should go and pray for him. It could help. God is always here."

Her teary eyes snapped toward the older, sweet woman looking down at her, and she managed to nod weakly. She showed her the way to the small chapel inside the private wing. It was her last straw. She sighed.

"Please, God. Just let him live. Bring him back. I promise I will stay away from him; I will never hurt him again. I'll let him be happy. I will learn to love Lando the right way. Just bring him back, please. He can't die. Not him." She was sobbing so hard that she didn't hear the rapid breathing of the girl running into the chapel.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and her head snapped up. Max's sister was standing above her, looking down at her teary face.

"Aria.." she said slowly.

Her heart dropped. No. No. It can't be.

"Vic..no..he isn't..did he.."

"Shh, Aria, no. Max is starting to wake up."

Aria's head snapped up to the cross. Maybe God did hear her. Maybe miracles do happen after all.

This one, however, she knew, comes with a price to pay.

She looked at Victoria again, rapidly grabbing her hands. "Vic, you have to listen to me very carefully."

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

She kept crying the whole flight back home. Charlotte's gentle voice broke through the silence on the phone, after she called her telling her that Max woke up and she was coming back home.

"I don't get you, really Ari. You haven't left his side for a week, but the minute he finally wakes up like a bloody miracle, you run away?!"

Aria didn't answer it, muterring quick goodbye before she hang up. She knew the promise she made and intended to keep it whatever it took. Any sacrifice was worth seeing him live.

She shakily opened her chat with Lando, texting him quickly.

Aria: "I'm sorry for leaving like that. If you do accept me back, after everything, I'm willing to make this work. This time for real. I love you."

Words felt bitter and stabbed at her heart, but after she saw Max dead and alive, nothing felt important as the pact she felt she made with God. Answer came almost instantly.

Lando: "I'm here love. I love you."

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Max was fully awake, surrounded by his family, but the one person he secretly wished for, wasn't there. Not like he was expecting her to be. Instead of her, his eyes snapped to his wrist, where the bracelet with golden "A" was snapped tightly around it. Same one she always wore, not taking it off even for races. What is this supposed to mean?

"What is this? Was Aria here?" He asked his sister, confused.

"Max,.." Victoria spoke softly, "she was here every day. She left that to me when you woke up, saying to take care of it. Then she left."

"What? Why?"

She felt bad for lying to him, seeing his confused expression. But Aria made herself pretty clear.

"She didn't say anything else Max. Sorry."

"Give me my phone."

"Max.."

"Now, Vic."

The number you are trying to reach cannot be dialed.

Instagram: no results found

Facebook: no results found

X: no results found

This message cannot be delivered.

Max sighed. She disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving only that damn bracelet behind. Why, Max couldn't decipher.

"Vic, give me your phone please."

"Max, maybe it's for the best that you don't look for her. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you."

"Phone, Vic. Now." His sister sighed, but gave him the phone nonetheless.

He opened Aria's Instagram, confirming she had blocked him on everything. What he didn't expect was that everything was deleted from her account except one old photo of her and Lando kissing; she wearing his hoodie.

She chose him. That much he knew. But why would she have been by his side all these days, then? He felt a headache creeping in.

Why was she playing these games again?

Wasn't the first time enough?

Hasn't she hurt him enough?

Victoria looked at him from where she sat, before reading Aria's message.

Aria: "Is he doing okay?"

Victoria: "Physically, yes. Emotionally, no. He's looking for you."

Aria: "You didn't tell him anything, right?"

Victoria: "No. I promised you that I won't tell anything. But this is childish, Aria."

Aria: "No. He won't ever find out and that's final. I'll stay in touch. Love you Vics."

As she stepped out of her building, Aria tucked her phone back in her pocket, grabbing Lando's hand.

"Ready baby?"

"Ready as ever Lan."

"Good. Let's go then."

All of her things were already moved to his place, so as they sat in his car ready to leave, only thing missing was a key.

"Here, love. I made you a copy this morning," Lando said, as if reading her mind, as he handed her a key with an already attached keychain.

"Just what I needed." She smiled softly at him, flipping the key between her fingers as they drove off.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Max, on the other hand, was currently receiving different kind of gift from his doctor as he was being discharged.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Verstappen, but you will have to withdraw from racing for the remainder of the season."

Tag list:

@m4xgirlie

@amz824

@samriddhisingh

@aykxz98

[rachiebeee]

they are best friends and siblings and i love them both so dearly. featuring piercings bc i stand strong in my belief that they would

[hamofjustice]

nemona feels like an obscure blorbo instead of the main rival character from the latest pokemon game because to get to her really good content from people who really get it, you first have to wade through the ocean of yandere pervert obsessive stalker annoying punchable bimbo amazon goddess interpretations of...

... a neurodivergent and possibly disabled high schooler who's desperately trying to make any friends or get any support from her rich neglectful family - while everyone in her school is jealous of their own imagined version of a privileged asshole version of her they made up - who deeply and platonically loves and supports the one new kid who agreed to take the time to get to know and respect her and her special interest without having to hold back her true self

unlike her, it's not great!

kinda feels like she has the same problem in our world that she does in hers.

[anoant-haikyuu-dump]

I love the Land vs Air OVA with all my heart but i'm so upset that they cut most of Tora's arc from the manga. Obviousy he and Tanaka have very similar storylines with both of them being taunted by the other team/doubted as the ace but Tora's comes from the interesting perspective of the ace on a team known for it's defense. Nekoma is typically seen by their opponents as more of a unit than individual players so Tora already doesn't stand out as much as other aces. Then there's the added pressure of him being one of the few second-year aces in the series. He's got a lot to prove and playing against a tricky team like Nohebi is a great way to put that to the test.

At one point he gets overshadowed by Lev, who definetly aligns with what an ace is expected to be. He's taller, his reach is insane, his spikes are strong (when they actually make it over the net lol), and he stands out to the crowd. Then Nohebi starts targeting Tora with serves and he gets even less chances to hit. But instead of being spiteful towards Lev or falling for Nohebi's provocations Tora knows that getting the ball up is just as important as scoring points.

Even on a team like Nekoma where everyone's a fantastic reciever Tora's really kills it! He's super consistent with good aim, and when your setter's as picky as Kenma that's important. Also he's good with both underhand and overhand recieves Again, it's a similar situation to Tanaka's arc with the other team aiming their serves at him to break his spirit but I think it has it's own charm. One thing I like about Tora in general is that he's always shown a lot of admiration for recieving even if it's not the flashiest skill on the court. Think the first-year flashback when one of the first things he did was admire Yaku's perfect A-pass. Guess that's par for the course for any Nekoma player.

Then there's the moment where he bumps Lev's failed blocked and immediately goes in for the spike, AND HE LANDS IT. After all his patience he finally gets to redeem himself ughhh.

Overall I love how these few chapters show that there's more to being an ace than amazing spikes. It's consistency, it's being an amazing all-around player, it's being a reliable teammate and coming back strong when your underclassmen need you. This mini arc is a great showcase of Tora's mental fortitude— despite his looks and short-temper he's great under pressure.

This whole page is golden. From Akane's adorable little reaction to the Kenma/Tora high five to Tora immediately ruining the moment. He's so annoying.

also this panel :')

ALSO Fukutora crumb cause you know me. Anyways I love Tora Haikyuu, thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

[bettafishtank]

Severe dissociation comes in many forms. DID won't look the same for everyone.

It isn't faking to be unstable, it's struggling. The people posted to sc are struggling. They don't deserve added bullying coming their way simply due to the way they express their pain. You may not understand how certain traumas may lead to reactions different than your own, or why someone would post to the internet at that time, but it happens and they do. The internet is a great way to escape a scary reality. Turning off their screen and interacting with the real world is likely just as painful if not more.

People's brains work different than yours and have been through different things. Simply not viewing spirituality the same way as you could change how their denial presents to believing they're a medium and not a DID sys.

Mental illness doesn't poof away just because you now know it exists. Especially not one involving dissociation. Believing one is a spiritual medium or endogenic are symptoms. Not showing whatever symptoms you want them to show to consider them real in your eyes and showing symptoms you don't understand instead isnt faking. The first I have explained already and the second is called masking, and sometimes people only mask the parts of something that hurt most.

Nothing systemcringe claims as a sign in of faking really is. It's a sign of having it really, really bad. Lots of people with DID are going to act the exact way that people on sc think is faking because of their DID.

Little baby teen "systems" crying and throwing a fit over being fake claimed or posted to syscringe and FDC.

I've had 4 blogs that talk about my DID. 2 of them were once "larger" system accounts. And still not once have I been fake claimed 🤔. Its almost like .... You can mostly detect true vs untrue systems 🤔

That's not to say true cdd systems haven't been fake claimed, because I've seen it first hand with some friends here. The difference is there's no better system detector than a Dx system themselves.

[spywhitney]

How I sleep knowing I'll never trust anyone that hates Sydney but worships Richie:

[celtrist]

Why does Vassago already have merch, we haven't even met him yet