#i mean i'd love to go on one of those tours

[kwanspace]

hi!! i wanted to ask for seventeen texts that are angst to fluff? any idea you have is amazing!!

texts from when he's away

bf!hoshi on tour x gn reader

theme: angst, fluff

a/n: tysm for your ask!!! i didn't know if you wanted all of the members but i picked hoshi so i could deepen it a little bit. if you want another member, let me know! i also added a little paragraph in the end, hope you don't mind and enjoy it 💗

My dearest love,

I'm writing this because I don't know if I'd be able to say all of this in person, but here I go...

Two years ago, you completely changed my life when you said yes to being my partner, and since then, I haven't spent a single day without thinking about you.

I still remember our first kiss, our first trip, our first sleepover—and how happy I felt in each of those moments, simply because I was by your side.

Sometimes I worry that I don’t show you enough how much you mean to me, but I hope you can always feel it. Although I'm often away, you know it's because I want the best for you and our future family. My biggest dream is to always have you with me. Whatever the future holds, I want it to be with you.

I may not always have the perfect words, but I love you so much. I’ll always choose you, and I hope happiness becomes something more than just frequent in your life. You're my number one priority and I'll always come to you.

Now… look behind you. I’m here, and I want a hug.

[peatbogbody]

MINGI

MINGIMINGIMINGI

oops this took me a lifetime to finish

Mingi was actually the last ATEEZ member whose face I was able to consistently put to the name, I have to admit it was right after I bought my tickets for their concert last year that I was like "...I should probably know who all of these people are 😳". TBF since I started listening to them in late 2022, up to that point, I'd been mostly just listening to their music and watching a few of their MV's and familiarizing myself with The Lore a bit, and hadn't really dove into their performance vids or side content much at all. From their music alone I'd already placed them in my top 3 groups, but I finally fell deep into the rabbithole of everything else in the couple weeks after the concert when I was laid up with COVID that I'd gotten at the concert (😳) bingeing instagram reels. (tbh I am ECSTATIC that they're already having another tour bc although I LOVED the last concert, as soon as I realized how much I didn't know about them, I was immediately like HI I NEED A DO-OVER NOW)

this bit specifically awakened many things within me.

However, it's been a long time coming but especially now since I started this series and also have been reading work by other ATEEZ meta writers, I feel secure in declaring that Mingi has ascended beyond bias-wrecker status to fully-fledged double-bias. (I maintain that all other members are still S-tier wreckers though. Having a bias in ateez is HARD. i keep thinking i'm set but then every week a different member comes waltzing by wiggling their fingers at me and its SO RUDE. anyways).

this has to come with a lot of defensive caveats of NOT LIKE THATTT bc of certain...stereotypes surrounding mingi ults. i mean it's not entirely NOT that...i do have eyes...but it's also so much MORE than that. i swear.

It's so hard to put things in words (extra LOL at this like 6 weeks later) but here goes.

oh i can use readmores lol

Okay so. The Duality. It can be more than a little cheesy when kpop fans crow all day about ~THE DUALITYYY~ like yeah. first off everyone has duality. you're not the same person in the crowd at the show as you are at your 9-5 on a monday. imagine if idols who had intense concepts just like. walked around in character for those roles 24/7 like what in the daniel day-lewis.

but sometimes the discrepancy between the different "modes" of a performer can still be impressive to see and fun to compare. and wow there sure is a discrepancy here.

mingi's on-stage/performance, FIX ON energy has been heavily discussed. he's got a way of working a crowd that's awe-inspiring, a way that's known to incite "bringing a pen to the concert just in case there's an NDA that needs to be signed" type moods. the way he can get an entire stadium of people BARKING LIKE DOGS, literally, with just a flick of his fingers? enviable. (and potentially terrifying to the uninitiated.) OKAY i was going to say this but i just went to a day6 concert and it turns out that fans will just Do This without any prompting. i stand by mingi still having a particular Way of doing it though and overall a power over crowds that's kinda scary.

poor day6 were so confused it was hilarious

but actually, to my eyes, it's like Fix On is SO over-the-top it's bordering on camp? (i stole this observation from someone (although i'd kind of independently registered it) but forgot who it was. if you wrote about this speak up!). but yeah it's like. almost veering into drag king performance. male impersonation type shit. it's a full on character. this may be one of the secrets behind the mysterious mingi/seonghwa synergy, in the way they get so deeply immersed in character onstage. i'd probably be a little or maybe a lot scared to run into either of them immediately post-performance (but also 🥵).

and then we get moments when this persona will be "broken" by something suddenly and mingi just bursts into that big cheesy smile and it's SO CUTE.

about that cuteness.

ymmv ofc but seeing this guy...

stalking around pelvis-first (I can't find it but that clip of the members making fun of the way he does the driving dance sums it up) on stage, then turn around and INSIST that he's actually Princess Minki, baby chick, aegyo world champion, just intensifies the cuteness. it's the way he's so emphatic that he's CUTE that makes it inherently true, but not directly as a result of the aegyo itself, rather it comes from the intention. if fixed-off mingi really wants to make us believe this, l'm making the decisive choice to take the bait and take him at his word. clown makeup ON, peace and love on planet earth.

who the FUCK are you to deny this man his god-given right to be cute as fuck? get outta town.

to name one example of a behavior that draws me to him in a very leftatlondon "haha, i do that...🥲" way: the way he'll do what I think of as kinda, vocal stimming? with song lyrics (like this whole video oh my god). idk if that's what it is but like, I ALSO sing a lot as self-regulation like when I'm anxious, bored, waiting or a combination of those things.and settings where i see him doing this fit the bill of moments when I would probably be doing the exact same thing. for instance, if i was doing a live in front of thousands of viewers and had run out of boyfriend-RP material and vague platitudes to give but still had time to fill. i would probably also resort to random asmr/vocal percussion. anyways i just Know he paces around whispering various words and phrases to himself.

sidenote, i have to say from experience that the kind of earworms you get when you've been practicing and performing pieces for a concert/etc especially when you do more than one show, are unlike any other kind. they are insidious. i cannot IMAGINE doing this for dozens of shows on a tour or a comeback. i'd lose my mind. idk how they don't end up utterly sick of title tracks by the end of the comeback period. so anyways we do see other members randomly singing a lot, but I haven't really heard anyone playing with the words in the way Mingi does.

i'm not gonna directly comment on the neurodivergency thing but will just say, i See Behaviors 👀. i won't outright say there's Nothing going on.

others have commented on mingi's apparent lack of interest/ability to self-censor his speech, actions or affect even in very public settings. excuse the possible projection, but i recognize this behavior not as coming someone who doesn't know or care about social norms, but due to whatever reason is unable to perform Normal Behavior consistently enough that they've developed a strategy of pointedly abandoning the public pretense of even attempting to do so. if you fuck up at being a person it's because you weren't even trying and you don't even really care :) (but actually you DO care, a lot and you WERE trying).

leaning much more extraverted than myself, mingi seems to do this more automatically and externally than i do.

this type of attitude can have both healthy and unhealthy applications but in mingi's case it seems to be working out pretty well. i'd be interested in seeing a comparison of his persona over time, especially pre- and post-mental health break.

but yeah basically us socially weird and anxious babes yearn for the days of lol random xd tacos. mingi baby u would have thrived in 2007.

and he just comes across as super sweet and sincere and the members clearly adore him. and mingi laugh attacks (a la this vid at around the 14:40 mark heyy look foreshadowing for jonghoposting) are truly soul-cleansing, skin-clearing, crop-watering etc.

i adore this like default awkward closed-mouth smile/grimace he does it's another very "i do that...." thing

anyways also mingi's super captivating to watch onstage and a fucking fire rapper and musician. not just onstage. i LOVE his singing voice too. but i can't spend a second more on this post and i have a whole musical analysis series planned where i'll definitely touch on this stuff more.

just an example of the power of Mingi. this is a challenge for sb19's own fucking account but it's actually impossible to keep your eyes on anyone but mingi

okok shhh don't cry here's a close up version

anyways i've been sitting on this post for far too long and needed to remind myself that these were never supposed to be comprehensive character dissections, just off-the-cuff impressions based on vibes and THATS MY OPINION. so i'm ending it here bye i will be writing about our dear wooyoung next.

again im not gonna discuss ship stuff on these posts its TOO MUCH

[neeeooon]

i think otoya is the kind of person who is aware that he is capable of changing his ways with girls when he finds the “one”, but he’s never truly believed in that. but when when like a girl transfers it’s quite literally love at first sight and he wants to change for her. you can decide whether she gets with him or not, thanks so muchh !! ^^

aww yes i love this idea tysm!!

love of my dreams

otoya eita x fem!reader. ft. karasu and yukimiya. love at first sight. fluff, crack, otoya is a bit weird at the start, cussing, slight death/kms joke at the end. wc: 810

“fuck.”

otoya just told karasu and yukimiya how much he liked his bachelor life. how he wasn’t ready to change. to settle down.

and then you just had to walk through those damn doors.

“fuck.”

you had a guide at your side, telling otoya you were a transfer student. his eyes were glued on you, and every step you took, unable to tear his gaze away. he wanted to know your name, where you transferred from, and what you were studying. probably something similar to him, as you were being toured through his building.

a sharp jab caused him to curse again, and otoya shot a glare at karasu and the cheap plastic butter knife he’d been stabbed with. “yer staring.”

“of course i’m staring. i’m in love.”

“you don’t do love,” yukimiya chimed with a snicker before shoving a forkful of salad into his mouth. “that’s your whole thing.”

otoya didn’t want it to be his whole thing anymore—not after seeing you.

he continued to think about you through the rest of his lunch, then his classes, his drive home, and even while he was texting yukimiya for answers to their finance homework. he didn't believe in love at first sight, at least he didn't think he did. you changed that so quick, otoya was still reeling six hours later.

otoya: i need her number

otoya: pls be my spies pls pls pls

karasu: i never thought i'd see down bad otoya like for real and not just to get pussy

otoya: is that a yes

karasu: for all we know she has a boyfriend

yukimiya: or a girlfriend

otoya: GODDDD IM GOING INSANE I NEED HER SO BAD

otoya: she's the one for me. i'm done. no more playboy otoya.

yukimiya: if you're serious. REALLY SERIOUS. i'll help

karasu: same ig

otoya: there's a special place in blowjob heaven for you two 🙏

and two days later, with the help of yukimiya and karasu, otoya had intel. they also told him you had a gap in your schedule and ate lunch by yourself in the dining hall.

and when otoya saw you? he was nervous.

your hair was pulled away from your face, the eraser-end of your pencil tapping your lips as you concentrated so hard on your homework that a delicate crease formed between your brows. otoya wanted to smooth it out with his thumb and kiss the spot instead.

shaking his head, his grip tightened around his sandwich as he slowly approached you. when you looked up, otoya felt his face grow hot. "sorry to bother you. is this seat taken?"

you rapidly shook your head and gestured to the chair. "no, no, you can take it! just make sure you put it back—"

"i mean, is it okay if i sit here?" he quickly cut off with a small grin, his chest fluttering when you blushed in embarrassment.

you dropped your pencil to hide your face in your hands. "oh my god, i'm so... yeah, yes, you can sit here." shaking your hands out to release some of the stress, you flashed a bright smile. "i'm y/n."

“otoya,” he greeted casually, as if a flock of butterflies didn’t make a home in his stomach.

you repeated his name quietly to yourself before nodding. “i think i’ve seen you in this building before. what are you majoring in?”

when he told you, your eyes lit up so brightly that otoya swore they glittered. “no way! me too! weird that we don’t have any classes together, though. maybe next semester!”

the rest of the time spent before your next class was filled with the two of you talking. otoya thought he'd fail at the genuine small talk thing since he didn't want to use any of his usual lines on you, but he was surprised at how easy it was. whenever he got quiet, you were right there to pick up where he left off.

"this might be too soon," otoya started as he walked you to your class. "but would you want to hang out again tomorrow?"

your smile faltered slightly, and otoya was ready to jump over the rail and fall to the first floor. it wasn't too far down, so he probably wouldn't die, but if he hobbled in front of a truck right after—

"i don't have this class tomorrow," you explained gently. "but would thursday work instead?"

fireworks exploded behind otoya's eyes, along with the relief of no longer needing to die. he readjusted his grip on his bag strap and flashed you a slow grin. "thursday works. same spot as today?"

you beamed. "yep! oh, and here's my number, in case i'm late or we have to reschedule!"

otoya knew, as you entered your name into his phone with a cute emoji, that he would eventually die a happy man.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Second Time's The Charm IX

Alexia Putellas x Reader

Summary: Your co-workers meet your wife

The new doctor is world renowned.

A titan in the industry of sports science and flawless in the realm of orthopaedic surgery.

Perhaps there was a bit of sexism in the way that all the nurses assumed you would be a man but each were pleasantly surprised when you walked through the door in your scrubs and were, in fact, a woman.

It was great in fact because male doctors always had massive egos attached and never treated nurses respectfully.

But female doctors always did.

Female doctors always appreciated the work they did.

You were one of those doctors.

If you weren't buried in paperwork or doing consultations and follow ups, you were down by the nurses station with a to-go coffee and a box of doughnuts from the café to share out.

"He took me to Naples," One of the nurses said," We took a tour around Pompeii and ate at this amazing pizza place."

You hummed, writing down something in one of your patient's charts. "Was it nice? I've been meaning to take my wife but she's so busy all the time. I don't want her time wasted if it isn't nice."

"So nice," The nurse insisted," A lot of walking around though so you're sweating a lot but apart from that, it's amazing."

"I'll put it on my list then."

"My boyfriend took me to a football match. He's a Barcelona fan so we went to see the women in a friendly last week."

"My wife was there too," You said absentmindedly," I heard it was a good match."

"Eight-nil to Barcelona," The nurse agreed," They were amazing."

You know that because Alexia came home very happy with her own performance. Two goals. Three assists.

You rewarded her handsomely.

"The women's team are very good," You replied, signing something off.

"Oh, yeah, you go to a lot of matches, right? Are you a fan?"

"My wife's a bigger Barcelona fan than me," You replied.

That was an understatement but nobody really needs to know about how passionate Alexia is about football.

"She always gets me tickets."

"That's so sweet," Another nurse said," It's nice that you care so much about her interests."

"Yeah, I love seeing Ale happy," You said," If that means I have to sit through ninety plus minutes of football then I'm glad to to do it."

The nurses learnt pretty quickly after that, just how much you adored your wife.

You brought her up with conversations that were only tangentially related to her, dropping little facts to do with her at seemingly random intervals.

Your staff now knew that you and your Ale had met at school, inseparable since that first meeting. They knew you got kicked out of your parent's house at eighteen after you married her. They knew that you were currently building a house and had taken her away on her dream holiday over the Christmas period.

You'd never shown a picture of her though and if there was one things nurses loved doing with no one around, it was gossip.

"She must look like a model or something," One of them said," Pretty people marry pretty people and Doctor Putellas is very pretty."

"I think she must be a real sweetheart," Another said," Someone really sweet and happy. I'd be happy if I was married and spoiled by Doctor Putellas. It must be a dream."

"What do you think she works as?"

" A doctor's salary like Doctor Putellas' is enough to support a family on. Her wife probably doesn't need to work."

"I heard they were thinking about adopting. Her wife might want to stay home with the baby."

"Doctor Putellas deserves a housewife to spoil. I bet her wife feels so loved all the time."

"I wish my boyfriend would treat me like how Doctor Putellas treats her wife."

A throat is cleared behind the assembled nurses and they turn around, instantly putting on their responsible faces.

Alexia Putellas stood before them, nervously threading her fingers together together as she stood in front of them.

"Erm...hello."

"Hello. Do you have an appointment? A follow up?"

Since her ACL tear, Alexia wasn't an abnormal presence at the hospital, constantly coming back for follow ups and check ins.

She'd never looked this nervous though, this strung out and anxious.

"Er...no. I'm...I'm here to see Y/n?"

The nurses all nodded.

That made sense. Alexia Putellas and Doctor Putellas.

Everyone had assumed the pair of you were related. You didn't look similar so you were probably cousins or something else more loosely related.

"We'll call her down for you."

Alexia nodded, face shifting from nervous to more stern and stoic, the face that the nurses were more used to seeing on her. She remained silent as they went back to talking, discussing weekend plans and holiday ideas with family.

The squeak of your shoes on the linoleum floor caused all conversations to grind to a half again and you turned the corner with the group of interns that you'd been talking to since one of your surgeries earlier, answering questions in such an in depth way that there was no question of why you were world class in your field.

"Doctor Putellas, your-"

"Amor!" Alexia cried out, stern and stoicism slipping from her visage as something skin to puppy love appeared to replace it," Brilliant news!"

Your own smile split your features as you took two short steps toward her until you were face to face.

Instantly, Alexia's hands went to your hips.

"What is it, Ale?"

"We've got a court date! For Maya! To bring her home!"

Somehow, you smile only widened and you threw your arms around Alexia to bring her ever closer.

"Are you serious? A court date? An actual court date?"

"The lawyers called!" Alexia continued, somehow rushing through her words but still articulating them perfectly," I was in a meeting but I was looking at my phone because it was flashing. I knew I shouldn't have picked up but it felt important so I did. And they told me! Next week! The judge will talk to us and officially approve the papers!"

You were totally professional with your nursing staff. You would banter with them and joke around but you were still so professional. You didn't overshare. You didn't belittle them. You didn't say anything too personal.

Which was why it was so strange to see you pull Alexia into a kiss right in front of them, smashing your lips together as Alexia practically vibrated in excitement.

"We're bringing our baby home," You said against her lips.

"We are, amor. We are."

Movement out of the corner of your eye brought you out of your daze though, dropping your arms until you could take one of Alexia's hands in your own as you turned to face the shocked faces of your group of interns and your nurses.

You felt a little bit awkward now as you cleared your throat.

"This is my wife," You said meekly," Ale."

Not the Barcelona captain. Not the Spain captain. Not Alexia Putellas.

Your wife.

Ale.

[whateverloomis]

The country side 🌾

Landlord!Billy Loomis and Stu Macher x AFAB Reader

Lots of inspo pics and plenty of filth. I got very motivated and inspired with this one so here it is! There's some plot developing here and adding an extra character kinda takes it further, no? I'd love to hear suggestions for a possible second part. Asks and comments are greatly appreciated. or just straight up thirst ;) I'd like to thank @toxicanonymity for giving me the green light with this concept and also for inspo with some things. Ily Toxi bb <33

Warnings: Slow burn and lots of teasing, mention of abuse, very graphic sexual descriptions and imaginations, plenty of underwear kink, panty sniffing, mention of: panty stuffing, mention of: double penetration, suggestive Stuilly comment, and more filth, AFAB reader (no pronouns used,) UNEDITED

Word count: 2.5k

•

Being invisible to your family and getting out of an abusive relationship would break anyone, and it did for a while, until you had enough. You needed a change. A drastic one, so you decided to move out from the city and into the countryside. You also got a companion along the way to join you, a beautiful German Shepherd named Rex. 

Traveling without a destination and staying with strangers or in motels was fun for a few months. Not to mention the spontaneous hookups. They didn’t really satisfy you much, if you were being honest, so you’d often ended up in a strangers house fucking yourself in the shower. If you were lucky enough they’d have a shower head installed. Free sex toy for the win. It’s safe to say that you needed your own space to live with Rex. Nothing permanent though, a mortgage was out of the question. 

After some research and a few visits to different properties, you found the perfect one. A ranch style cabin in a cute piece of land that had a few other properties and some trailers at a good distance from each other. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but it was different and that’s all you needed.

On the official move in day you met one of the two landlords, Stu Macher. He’s the one you were constantly communicating with while doing all the paperwork and calls until finally stepping in your long awaited home.

“You like it? It’s one of our oldest structures and the cutest one in my opinion.” Stu said with a flirty tone as he gave you a tour of the wooden cabin. After he commented on the “property”, the man looked at you and smiled, revealing those dimples you couldn’t take your eyes off of the second you started talking to him. His short salt and pepper hair along with his trimmed, short beard made him all the more attractive, and combined with his height? The size difference was significant between the two of you and that was the cherry on top. He sounded delicious on the phone but you didn’t know he’d be that fucking hot. The rolled up sleeves of his flannel, light wash jeans that did absolutely nothing to hide the prominent bulge and fuck, you could go on. 

“It’s definitely quite charming,” you replied and smiled innocently, an act that he didn’t buy for a second. You both felt the flirty undertones and you planned on continuing your little game.

“Is he a biter?” Stu suddenly switched the topic and gave Rex some attention. He slowly crouched down as you shook your head no.

“He’s a protective boy but he’s chill if there isn’t any immediate danger,” you replied and Stu cooed at your companion as he gave him rough playful pets with those large hands of his, which Rex enjoyed very much. Lucky much? A hot middle aged man who’s an animal lover like you and your landlord who lives a few feet away from your new home? A perfect start to your day, and you hadn’t even met the second landlord yet.

•

Throughout the week you spent your time organizing all your belongings and cleaning. One particular day you were outside with the water hose washing away paint stains from the porch. You wore a dangerously short sundress, mainly for the heat and partially because Stu lives close enough to get a good view of your ass whenever you bent down to pick items up as he attempted to weed his garden, which he rarely did, but this time the man had motivation and a very good reason to be outside. 

You purposely wore a bright colored thong so it was visible whenever you kneeled down, exposing your cute, barely covered cunt just for Stu to look at. The man nearly drooled at the sight and felt himself get hard in his tight jeans. He imagined burying his face between those gorgeous thighs of yours and taking a good sniff before eating you up like his life depended on it. 

As you continued cleaning, Rex got excited when he woke up from his nap and saw that you were "playing with water," so your companion ran excitedly up to you and straight under the stream.

“No! Not now Rex, c’mon!” You yelled, loud enough for him to hear. Even if he was a good boy he had his moments. You struggled with him for a while, trying to get him to go inside but Rex thought it was a brilliant idea to start running towards one of the cabins close by and "conveniently enough", it was Billy Loomis' cabin.

The man sat on the bench strategically positioned on his porch to observe whoever walked by his property. A white t-shirt and oversized jeans barely covered his abdominal area and exposed his v-line. The cigarette in his large hand, between those delicate fingers that could kill anyone that tested him if needed. Billy doesn’t trust anyone. He has a short temper and he's dangerous. A combination you're a total sucker for.

As he blew the smoke out of his mouth slowly, he saw your German Shepherd enter his property. Seconds after, you came into view running towards the animal.

Billy didn't bother moving from his spot, he just observed the scene before him knowing damn well that if he needed to use the glock that was tucked behind him at that moment he would've done it without hesitating.

As you ran, your tits bounced in your sundress and it lifted up your thighs as you ran, giving the man a delicious view. A whole ass show, if he was being honest.

Rex almost made his way on the porch but luckily you grabbed his collar before it occurred.

"Oh Gosh, I'm so sorry! He's been going crazy ever since we moved here," you explained, nearly out of breath from running.

"No worries, it tends to happen," Billy responded softly, a smirk adorning his face, raking his eyes up and down your body shamelessly.

You laughed, still out of breath. As you scanned his cabin you saw an “administration” sign on the front door, just like Stus. Of course he’s just as hot as Stu.

"Oh, you’re one of the landlords… I hope this isn’t getting me kicked out or anything." You said, half serious, half joking, flashing and adorable smile and poor attempt at seeming concerned.

Billy chuckled and took another drag from his cigarette, “Nah, it happens. YN, right?”

The way your name rolled off his tongue did unexpected things to your body and you hummed enjoying the sound before confirming his question.

Billy shifted his gaze towards Rex and nodded his head towards him.

“He bite?” The man asked, same as Stu did a few days prior. Why are they so concerned?

“Oh, no. Nothing like that, unless he’s threatened, of course.” You replied and a few seconds later Rex approached Billy and sniffed him. The man didn’t move a muscle, trying to avoid making a scene, and to his surprise your companion put his paws on his thighs and looked for pets which Billy gladly gave him.

“Y’know, if you need help moving the rest of your stuff in I can give you a hand.” Billy offered while still giving attention to Rex.

“That would be great, actually. I still have some stuff in my truck.” You replied and he stood up, raking his eyes over you on the way up before meeting your gaze and standing a bit too close for an average distance. You couldn't help but bite your lip.

“I’ll come by tomorrow then.” You both agreed and you made your way back to your property, swinging your hips more than usual as you walked away from his house. Billy paid attention to your short dress again and wondered if you wore anything under there. Fuck, he wanted to find out. Needed to know, and even if you wore anything under there he’d still want to take a look. 

Maybe he’d go through your boxes the next day and see if he finds some of your panties. Better yet, used ones. He’d definitely have some fun with those. Maybe he’d get some for Stu, too. If he was feeling nice enough.

•

The next day Billy and you started unboxing your stuff early in the morning. The sun was bright and the sky was clear and it quickly got hot as mid day approached. The white tank Billy was wearing stuck to his body with the sweat that glazed his skin. You couldn’t take your eyes off him for one second. His abs were showing through the fabric of his shirt and his v line was prominent, just like the bulge under that goddamn belt that you’d love to be tied up with. Spanked with, even.

The mattress you had been transporting for weeks before arriving was one of the last things to unload from your truck and Billy insisted on carrying it in himself.

“Are you sure? I can help Billy, seriously” You said as he moved the mattress in a comfortable position to unload it from your vehicle.

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart, seriously.” he answered before whistling at Stu to come over and help him.

Sweetheart.

“Give me a hand here.” Billy said as Stu approached him.

“Gladly.” Stu answered suggestively and Billy glared at him.

You took note of their little exchange and observed as they carried the mattress into your house. Their biceps were on full display and they grunted occasionally while moving the item. If you were growing wet just by looking at Billy, imagine having both of them looking that good in front of you and entering your house. Heck, you’d tell them to place that mattress right in the middle of your living room and fuck you right then and there. Let them stuff you with their evidently big cocks in whichever hole they pleased. You'd scream and whine for them like a pathetic slut. You needed them both so bad at that point.

•

“What a babe, right?” Stu told Billy quietly as they moved the mattress into your room. 

“Yeah, it’s been a while since-” – “You guys want lemonade?” You interrupted and both men looked at each other before Stu followed you excitedly to the kitchen. He's so easily distracted in annoyed the fuck out of Billy sometimes. However, he stayed behind and decided to search your drawers… until he found exactly what he was looking for. What he needed. Your panties, and boy do you have quite the collection. From boy shorts that probably rose up your ass to the skimpiest thongs that most likely didn’t cover your cunt at all. You even had crotchless ones and he wondered who was lucky enough to fuck you in those. When he saw a bright red thong, he imagined they look delicious on you, and they'd look even better pulled to the side or… what if he stuffed your hole with them? The possibilities were endless and he was already half hard. 

To make things even better, Billy found a little pile of dirty clothes in a corner of your room and he nearly ran towards it before digging in and… Jackpot! There they were. A bright pink thong, freshly used, and of course he had to take a little sniff. He'd definitely have fun with those at night while he jacked off with them around his cock. Maybe he'd record himself and send it to you later. How would you react?

Before leaving, Billy decided he was feeling generous, so he stole a black thong for Stu, which he gave to the man right after they left your house.

“You’re fucked up, man.” Stu said while chuckling.

“Look who’s talking.” Billy said while pointing at Stu’s pocket where your underwear was stuffed. The man would also have some fun with those later…

•

As weeks went by the men got closer to you, but Billy needed to have you first, so he offered to fix every little problem you had in your house. From the drain pipes to the TV, the door that squeaks annoyingly and every other thing he could find that involved him being in your house. You couldn't deny that you loved it, and maybe you broke a thing or two on purpose so he’d fix it for you, in order to have some eye candy around.

One particular day you had a leak under your kitchen sink and couldn’t figure out where it came from so like always, you called Billy, your personal handyman at that point.

The tension between you two grew quickly and you thought you were gonna go insane, so you made sure to tease him enough so that it pushed him over the edge, so he’d finally make a move. You could've done it yourself but you were busy enjoying the torture of keeping the air hot and heavy.

“It’s been like that for days and I can’t find the source.” You exaggerated your frustration. He didn't buy the act, but it seemed like he enjoyed when you faked being confused and helpless, so you gave him plenty of that in order to rile him up.

“Here, let me show you.” You said before crouching down and sticking your upper body in, purposefully sticking your ass out. The low rise mini skirt you wore barely covered you and the white thong you chose to wear was on display for the man. 

Billy inhaled, trying to remain calm but his cock was already hard at the sight. 

He's had enough.

“Let me see,” he said and grabbed your hips to help you up, just to turn you around and hold you against the counter. You gasped in surprise and excitement, his hands were finally on you. Billy slipped his fingers under the straps of your thong and hissed.

“You really went far with these.” He said before snapping the fabric against your hips. 

You bit your lip and giggled, trying to seem innocent but it just annoyed him at that point. 

Billy pressed his lower body against yours for you to feel his hard on. Fuck, he feels big. Just how you imagined the countless nights you ride your dildo thinking about him and Stu.

“Mm, it doesn't seem like you mind though,” you answered and he slid his hand down your lower back to your ass and squeezed.

“I mind you testing me like this and thinking you can get away with it this time.” He said, voice low and serious.

“Oh c'mon Loomis, loosen up” you said while grabbing his belt and giving it a tug. He groaned at your actions and spread your legs with his thigh only to press it against your dripping cunt.

“I'm not giving you what you want that easily.” Billy said and moved his face dangerously close to yours, “I like playing hard to get, too” he finished. His lips brushed against yours as he was talking and you released a little whimper at the sensation. Fuck, he got you good.

“Now, make yourself useful and go get me my tools” he said while releasing you. The man gave you a little spank as you walked away and you giggled in response. 

“You want to play? Let's play.” You spoke to yourself as you made your way outside.

[deliciousangelfestival]

Plssss continue the another ending story its sooo good plsss😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏🙏

Another Ending - End | B. Barnes

Character: ex!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Summary: It was supposed to be a short week watching over your niece, who loves romance books. She thought you were just a normal aunt, but it turns out you have secrets.

Tags: Spies, action, threat, offense, fight scene, violence, romance, comedy.

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , Chapter 3 , Chapter 4 , Chapter 5 , Chapter 6 , End .

You asked, and you shall receive. Thanks, Noonie. This is also a wake-up call for me to finish this.

Main Masterlist || If you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee on Ko-fi 🙏🏻

By the way, I published my book Arrogant Ex-Husband and Dad, I Can't Let You Go by Alina C. Bing on Kindle.

Thank you to everyone who has read this chapter. Leave a comment and Reblog, please. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ❤️

It had been a month since they received the data. Life had gone back to normal—well, as normal as it could be. Lori, you, Bucky, and Henry were now living in a new place.

Out of nowhere, Bucky had shown you all his house—a stunning place by the beach. It had floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a garage filled with sports cars.

Lori’s jaw dropped in awe. “I thought you were one of those house-husband types."

“House husband?” Bucky raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t wanna know,” you said, brushing off the comment with a shake of your head.

You turned back to the house, your eyes scanning the sleek architecture. “So this is the payment for being a triple agent?” you asked, crossing your arms.

Bucky chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets. “No. This is a gift from my dad—to make up for forgetting my 17th birthday.”

Your eyes widened. “You jerk! You made me pay for all the drinks that time!” You playfully shoved his shoulder.

“You were my supervisor back then,” he said, grinning. “It would’ve been disrespectful to say no.”

Then, his expression softened. He reached for your hand and held it gently. “But now, no more lies. Not with you.”

There was a pause. The wind from the beach brushed through your hair as you looked at him, really looked at him. The sunlight caught the side of his face, and in that moment, he wasn’t a spy or a survivor—just someone who wanted a fresh start, same as you.

Inside the house, Lori watched through the large window, a soft smile on her lips.

“My work here is done,” she whispered dramatically.

Henry, sprawled on the sofa with one arm draped over his eyes, groaned. “Are you done spying on them?”

“This isn’t spying,” Lori said, arms flailing in protest. “It’s observation. As Cupid, I did a fantastic job. Romance is in the air!” She clapped her hands. “I can’t wait to be my aunt’s flower girl.”

Henry scoffed, shifting to sit upright. “I wish life was really that easy—for people like me, your aunt, and Bucky.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, frowning.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “We live in shadows, Lori. Danger, secrets... The kind of life you’re picturing? It’s not real for people like us. Most of us live with fear, not freedom.”

Lori’s shoulders sagged. “That’s not fair. But you’ve all quit. You deserve another chance. A new start.”

Henry stared at the floor for a moment. “If it were that simple, I’d have reconciled with my ex, and I’d be living in a house with a white picket fence.” He chuckled bitterly. “Instead, I’m here—still alone.”

After a beat, he turned to her. “By the way, why didn’t you go to school?”

Lori glanced away, suddenly interested in the ceiling. “I’m doing online classes.”

“Uh-huh…” Henry raised an eyebrow.

He tilted his head. “What about your mom? Don’t you miss her?”

“She’s busy. Doing a book tour,” she mumbled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I prefer being here.”

🌸🌸🌸🌸

You and Lori were walking down the grocery store aisle, your cart half-filled as the wheels squeaked beneath it. The fluorescent lights buzzed softly overhead, and the cold air from the freezer section drifted across your arms.

Lori reached for a bag of chips and glanced around. “Aunty, remember the last time we came to the store? Someone tried to shoot us—and that’s how we met Bucky.”

You shot her a sharp look and whispered, “Don’t say it out loud.” You scanned the other shoppers, your instincts still on edge.

Lori shrugged, unfazed. “Do you think something exciting will happen again?”

You sighed, pushing the cart forward. “Dear God, I hope not.” You handed her the shopping list. “Can you grab half of the things from the list? Start with aisle three.”

“Okay,” she replied cheerfully, skipping off toward the cereal aisle.

Lori reached for a cereal box on the top shelf, tiptoeing to grab it. As she pulled it down, her grip slipped—almost sending the box tumbling in slow motion. But before it could hit the floor, a hand caught it swiftly.

“Thank you,” she said, blinking in surprise.

The man, dressed in a dark coat, gave her a brief nod. “Pozhaluysta,” (*You're welcome) before turning and walking away without another word.

Lori tilted her head, watching his retreating back. Something about him felt... off. She clutched the box tighter and hurried to find you.

You were by the produce section, picking out apples, when Lori came running up.

“Aunty, I just met someone. He helped me with the cereal box. I think he’s a foreigner—maybe Russian?”

Your smile faded. “Russian?” Your stomach turned. A chill ran down your spine.

You grabbed her wrist gently. “We’re done here. Let’s go.”

Back home, the tension clung to you like damp air. You unpacked the groceries in silence, glancing over each item as if expecting something to jump out. Then your hands froze.

Taped under the cereal box was a small note. Folded once. Slipped so subtly it could’ve been missed.

You unfolded it with trembling fingers.

“Not fair.” - Written in Russian.

Your breath caught in your throat.

Bucky entered the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel. “What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing your expression.

Wordlessly, you handed him the note.

His eyes scanned the message. His jaw clenched. “Is that…?”

“I’m not sure,” you whispered. “But I have a bad feeling. That man—he spoke to Lori.”

Bucky exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “That’s not a good sign.”

You stared out the window, heart pounding. “We have to protect her.”

“She won’t like it,” he warned gently, placing a hand on your shoulder.

You looked back at him, voice firm. “She doesn’t have to like it. She just has to be safe.”

You and Bucky sat Lori down in the living room. The air was heavy with unspoken tension. She tilted her head, curious but cautious.

You took a deep breath. “Lori… I called your mom. She agreed—it’s time for you to go back.”

Lori blinked, her expression frozen for a second. Then her eyes welled with tears. “No,” she whispered. “I don’t want to go. I like it here.”

Your heart cracked at the sight of her trembling lips and glassy eyes. “Sweetheart,” you knelt in front of her, holding her hands gently, “I know it’s hard to understand, but you’re not safe here anymore.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Why? Didn’t you say we were done with the agency? That they wouldn't bother you guys again?”

“We did,” Bucky said quietly, standing nearby with his arms crossed, his jaw tight. “But this isn’t about the agency.”

“Then who?” Lori asked, her voice shaking.

You looked her in the eyes. “Grigory. The weapons dealer. The one from the book you read.”

Lori blinked. “Wait... wasn’t he dead?”

“In the book, yes,” you said softly. “But in real life, there was no body. No confirmation. Just silence.”

Henry, lounging in the corner, added, “His daughter is dead. And that only means one thing—revenge.”

The room fell silent.

Bucky looked down at the floor, jaw clenched. His knuckles were white as he gripped the back of the chair. It was his bullet that ended her life. No one said it, but everyone knew.

You reached out, gently squeezing Bucky’s hand. “It was an order,” you whispered, reminding him—reminding yourself.

That mission had haunted both of you. Sleepless nights. Regret. Silence. The kind of guilt that never left.

Lori wiped her tears and looked at both of you. Her voice was soft but strong. “Then don’t stay stuck in the past. You’ve both punished yourselves long enough.”

Her words pierced straight through you. Bucky looked up in surprise. Even Henry paused, visibly impressed.

“How did you come up with that?” Bucky asked.

“I read a lot of books,” Lori said with a sniff. “Most of the main characters carry trauma. But they learn to live. To move forward.”

She smiled gently. “And destiny always brings people together. If it’s meant for you—it’ll always find a way back to you.”

You choked back a laugh, pulling her into a hug. “Oh, Lori.”

Henry folded his arms with a smirk. “If I’d hired someone like you back in the day, maybe my agents would’ve stuck around longer.”

Bucky leaned over and whispered, “You’re ruining the moment.”

You cupped Lori’s face and looked her in the eyes. “It’s still not safe… but I promise, once this is over—once we’re sure no one is coming after us—we’ll be together again. No more running. No more danger.”

Lori wiped her eyes and nodded slowly. “Fine. But you have to promise we’ll see each other again. Soon.”

The next day, the car was packed and waiting. You walked Lori to the passenger side, holding her hand the whole way.

Bucky stood by the driveway, hands in his jacket pockets.

Before getting in, Lori turned to him. “Will you meet me again?”

He gave her a half-smile. “Of course. We’re besties.”

She giggled, wiping her eyes again. “You better not forget.”

“I won’t,” he said, giving her a small salute.

She climbed into the car, rolled the window down, and waved at Bucky and Henry.

“Bye, guys!”

“Take care, kid,” Henry called, raising his hand.

Bucky gave a short nod and watched the car drive away, silent.

You didn’t say a word as you drove. But your grip on the steering wheel tightened, and your heart quietly promised Lori: This won’t be the end.

🌸🌸🌸🌸

The sun dipped low as you drove along the winding highway, mountains casting long shadows over the road. Lori sat quietly beside you, clutching her backpack and watching the trees blur past the window. For the first time since this morning, things seemed calm.

Then you noticed it.

A black SUV, maybe two cars behind. You glanced at the rearview mirror again. Same distance. No change in speed. No attempt to pass.

Your eyes narrowed. You tapped the steering wheel twice—a silent habit whenever your instincts kicked in.

“Aunty?” Lori turned to you.

“Lori, buckle up,” you said calmly.

She frowned but obeyed. “Why?”

You glanced in the mirror once more. The SUV changed lanes as you did. Then another car appeared—one you hadn’t seen before. And then another.

Three. Maybe four.

“They’re following us,” you muttered, your tone low.

“What?” Lori’s voice jumped.

You didn’t answer. Instead, you gripped the wheel tighter and pressed down on the gas.

The engine roared as your car surged forward. Tires screeched behind you.

The first bullet hit your rear windshield. Glass shattered.

Lori screamed and ducked instinctively. You kept driving.

Two black sedans flanked you, forcing you into the center lane. Your heart pounded. The world slowed around you—your training taking over.

You swerved right, clipping one of the cars. It spun out, slamming into the guardrail.

“Hold on!” you shouted, pulling a hard left. Lori screamed again, gripping the handle on the ceiling.

You barreled down a side road, the remaining cars close behind. Another shot whizzed past, barely missing your side mirror.

Lori clutched your arm. “They’re still behind us!”

“I see them.”

A third car pulled alongside. A man leaned out with a rifle.

You jerked the wheel, slamming your car into his before he could fire. He flew off-balance. The car spun and crashed into a ditch.

Two left.

You made it to an overpass, but one of the cars rammed into your bumper hard. You lost control for a second, the car skidding toward the concrete barrier.

Lori screamed as you fought the steering. The tires squealed.

Another shot—this one grazed your shoulder. You hissed, pain shooting down your arm.

Then, from the side—a blur of motion.

Boom!

An explosion rocked the road behind you. One of the chasing cars was suddenly engulfed in fire.

Bucky’s motorcycle tore into view like a beast out of hell, his face hidden behind a dark visor, rifle slung across his back.

He shot the last car’s front tire. It flipped in mid-air and crashed in a storm of metal and sparks.

You tried to slow down, adrenaline crashing hard. But the blood loss…

You blinked. The world tilted.

“Aunty!” Lori grabbed your arm. “You’re bleeding!”

You smiled faintly, your voice thin. “You’re safe…”

Then everything went black.

🏥🏥🏥🏥

The fluorescent lights buzzed softly. You lay in a hospital bed, pale but stable, IV lines in your arm. Sedatives had knocked you out. You needed rest, the doctors said. No major internal injuries, but you’d lost too much blood.

Lori sat beside your bed, her arm wrapped in a light bandage. Just a scratch. Her eyes were red from crying, but she stayed strong.

“She protected me,” she whispered. “She didn’t stop driving.”

Bucky stood by the window, fists clenched, jaw tight. His eyes hadn’t left your still form.

He turned to Henry.

“This was a message,” Bucky said, voice low and seething.

Henry nodded grimly. “It was Grigory’s people.”

“That bastard sent mercs after a kid,” Bucky muttered. His tone was ice-cold. “I'm done waiting.”

“Bucky…” Henry tried to reason.

But Bucky was already walking out the door.

💥💥💥💥💥

A cold wind howled through the isolated forest surrounding the crumbling, once-grand mansion. The estate sat like a rotting carcass on the edge of the wilderness—tall iron gates, stone statues overgrown with ivy, and floodlights illuminating the perimeter.

Dozens of guards patrolled the grounds—heavily armed and alert.

But they started dropping.

One by one.

A suppressed sniper round tore through the silence.

A guard on the rooftop collapsed without a sound.

Another crumpled near the front steps, his rifle clattering to the ground.

Panic began to spread. Shouts in Russian echoed through the comms.

“Sniper! Find the bastard!”

But it was too late. Bucky Barnes was already inside.

He moved like a shadow. Black tactical gear, rifle in hand, knife strapped to his thigh. The Winter Soldier persona—cold, controlled, unstoppable—had returned.

Two guards turned the corner.

Two clean shots. Both down before they could raise their weapons.

He stormed down the hallway, the marble floor stained with footprints and blood. He knew exactly where Grigory would be.

Grigory sat behind an antique desk, a cigar smoldering in a crystal ashtray. His once-refined face now worn, eyes bloodshot, grief having chewed through the edges of his sanity.

When the door slammed open, Grigory didn’t even flinch.

Bucky walked in, gun raised, expression stone-cold.

“Been a long time,” Grigory said with a bitter smirk.

“You look worse than your last Interpol photo,” Bucky said, stepping closer.

Grigory stood slowly, eyes never leaving Bucky’s.

“Why do you get to keep going?” he growled. “Why do you get to live while I’m still haunted by my daughter every goddamn day?”

“If it were anyone else asking me that,” Bucky replied coldly, “I’d say I was sorry.”

He took another step forward.

“But not you.”

Grigory’s eyes darkened. His fists clenched. “You murdered my daughter.”

“No,” Bucky said, voice low. “Your weapons murdered millions. Your daughter was just unlucky enough to have a monster for a father.”

Grigory snapped.

“Suka blyad’!” he cursed in Russian, slamming his fist against the desk. Rage boiled over in his face.

“And you hurt my girlfriend and her niece,” Bucky continued, his finger tightening slightly on the trigger. “That’s my line. You crossed it.”

“I lost everything!” Grigory roared. “You took her from me! You—!”

“You killed her the moment you turned your back on humanity,” Bucky cut him off, voice like ice. “You don’t get to play the victim.”

Grigory’s hand twitched toward the drawer.

Too late.

Bang!

The shot echoed through the study. A perfect center-mass hit.

Grigory staggered back, coughing blood, collapsing into his leather chair—eyes wide, frozen in disbelief.

Bucky stepped closer, looming over him.

“For someone like you, hell follows you wherever you go,” he whispered.

Grigory’s body went limp.

Bucky stood there in the silence, breathing steady, smoke rising from the muzzle of his pistol.

After 7 years, the mission is finally complete.

🏥🏥🏥🏥

Soft sunlight seeped through the blinds, casting golden streaks across the white bedsheets. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor filled the quiet room, steady and calm.

You had just opened your eyes, groggy from the medication but alive — and that was enough.

Lori sat by your side, her small hand wrapped around yours. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw you awake.

“Auntie,” she whispered, teary-eyed. “You scared me.”

You gave her a tired smile, gently brushing your fingers across her cheek. “I’m sorry, kiddo. I didn’t mean to.”

Just then, the door opened.

Bucky stepped inside, blood wiped clean, his clothes changed, but the weight of the night still clung to him. When he saw your eyes open, something in him shifted — relief, deep and real.

Behind him, Henry stood near the hallway, quietly speaking to your sister. His usually cold tone softened. Your sister immediately came here when she heard you got admitted to the hospital. 

“Don't let cancer decide how you live your life,” she told him, arms crossed but voice steady. “Just... enjoy the time you’ve got. That’s more than most people get.”

Inside the room, Lori noticed Bucky and grinned.

“Bucky!” she whispered loudly, running over to hug him. He knelt and caught her easily, holding her close.

“Hey, troublemaker,” he said softly. “You did good.”

After a few more minutes, everyone began to leave the room, giving you space to rest. Lori gave you one last hug and whispered, “I’ll be just outside.”

Now, it was just the two of you.

Silence lingered for a moment, comfortable but heavy with things unspoken.

Bucky pulled a chair beside your bed and sat down, resting his arms on his knees. He looked at you — not the way a soldier looks at a survivor, but the way a man looks at something he almost lost.

“I thought I’d lose you,” he said quietly, his voice raw.

You reached for his hand, your fingers brushing his knuckles. “But you didn’t lose me.”

He looked down at your hand in his, holding it a little tighter. “No. But for a moment, I thought I had.”

You exhaled softly, a smile tugging at the corner of your mouth. “You’ve been through worse, haven’t you?”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah. But this felt different. Watching that car chase, hearing your voice on the radio — it wasn’t just a mission. It was you.”

You let the silence hang between you for a moment, then said quietly, “Maybe it’s time we stop living like we’re waiting for the next disaster.”

He met your eyes, tired but clear. “Maybe it’s time to figure out what comes next.”

You studied his face — the faint bruises along his jaw, the fatigue in his eyes, but also the calm. It was new. And it felt real.

“You think we’ve got a shot at this?” you asked, your voice low.

He gave a slight smile. “We’ve been through enough. I don’t know what the future looks like, but I’d rather face it with you than without you.”

You laughed gently, your ribs aching with the motion. “That’s the most un-Bucky romantic line I’ve ever heard.”

He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the edge of your bed. “Don’t get used to it.”

You grinned. “No promises.”

There was a pause. The room felt still, peaceful — like the world had slowed down just enough to let you breathe again.

“So... what now?” you asked.

Bucky gave your hand a light squeeze. “Now we take it slow. One step at a time. No rushing. No running.”

You nodded, the weight on your chest a little lighter. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

And there was no urgency for the first time in a long while. Just the quiet possibility of something new.

🌸🌸🌸🌸

4 Years Later

Lori sat cross-legged on the soft rug in the living room, her little finger trailing under the words of a worn fairytale book. Her voice was animated, each sentence full of wonder.

“And then the princess said, ‘I don’t need a prince to save me — I’ve got dragons to tame!’”

Two twin toddler boys sat across from her, each holding a stuffed toy — one a plush lion, the other a squished airplane with a bent wing. They weren’t talking much yet, just babbling nonsense and giggling at the sound of her voice. But they were listening, eyes wide, fully locked in on the story.

Lori looked up and smiled at them. “You two don’t even know what a dragon is, do you?”

One of the twins drooled onto his lion, the other clapped like she’d just finished a Broadway performance.

She rolled her eyes, but her smile widened. “Guess I’ll have to teach you everything.”

Just then, the front door opened with a soft click, and a familiar voice called out, “We’re home.”

Lori’s eyes lit up as she looked over her shoulder.

You stepped in, shrugging off your coat, Bucky right behind you, holding a paper bag of leftover popcorn and drinks from the cinema. His hair was slightly windblown from the ride home, and he looked as tired as he was amused.

“How’s the movie?” Lori asked, hopping up with more energy than grace.

Bucky scoffed, tossing the bag onto the table. “Tsk. Five out of ten. Who the hell played my character?”

You grinned as you started pulling off your shoes. “He said that after I mentioned the actor was handsome.”

Lori gasped. “You said that in front of Uncle Bucky?”

You winked. “I like to keep him humble.”

The twins toddled toward Bucky, one holding out the bent-wing airplane. Bucky scooped them up easily, one in each arm, like it was second nature. They squealed, delighted, calling him “Buck-buck” in their half-formed baby language.

Lori’s attention shifted to the entryway table, where you had placed a single white rose in a thin glass vase. She stepped closer, her eyes softening.

“That’s…”

You nodded, voice quiet. “Yeah… visited him.”

Before the movie, you and Bucky had stopped by the cemetery — Henry’s grave. The moment had been quiet, no need for words. Just the two of you, standing there with a white rose and a shared memory.

After finding out that Henry had cancer, it brought the three of you closer. You traveled, shared laughter, arguments, stories, and pain. And six months later, Henry passed, surrounded by the only people who had truly seen him for who he was.

On his deathbed, he said, “No regrets. Not anymore. Not when you’re here.”

At the funeral, Lori cried harder than anyone. Losing Henry brought back every memory of her own father. The grief hit her like a storm. But you never left her side.

And when you asked her to be your flower girl for the wedding, something shifted. The sparkle returned. The stories returned. So did her laughter.

And now, four years later, you and Bucky had built something real. It hadn’t been easy — nothing worth keeping ever is. But you weren’t stuck in the past anymore. You’d fought for this life, and somehow, against all odds, you’d made it yours.

You sat down beside Lori, brushing her hair behind her ear as the twins giggled in the background.

“You were right,” you said softly.

She blinked. “About what?”

You smiled. “Romance is alive.”

She grinned, her nose scrunching in that familiar way. “Told you.”

Bucky stepped behind you, resting a hand gently on your shoulder. The sunlight pouring through the window made the room feel like a moment suspended in time — warm, safe, and finally, yours.

My book Arrogant Ex-Husband and Dad, I Can't Let You Go by Alina C. Bing are on Kindle. Check it out!

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[manchesterau]

Talecia Vescio, Junkee: You and Chappell Roan have joint custody of all of the lesbian Dr. Martens wearers. What do you and Chappell have in common?

Dan: Catchy songs. Drag personas.

Phil: I'd say we're both more on the alternative end of the vibe spectrum.

Dan: Definitely. There are the four Gs of the Dan and Phil demographics: the girlies, the goths, the gays and the geeks. You could be any one of those things and think Dan and Phil, I am welcome there. They are like me. They would accept me. I can be in their comments section and people would like me for who I am.

I think there's lots of aspects to Chappell where many types of people can go, “you’re for me”. And it's the same thing for Dan and Phil. You don't have to be a lesbian – obviously the lesbians love them – but a lot of the girlies, a lot of the people that just like a good pop song, they’re like, I want some lore. I want world-building in my pop. There are so many aspects of her artistry for so many different kinds of people to go, mmmm delicious.

When people are coming to the Dan and Phil tour, it just feels like this beautiful reunion. All of these people were just 14 year olds wearing a llama hat with cat whiskers and just one homogenous blob of just young people watching YouTube. But now everyone's taken these completely different paths in life and yet they [still] feel like they can all come together and be like, ah, this is my house. You know what I mean? Like, these are my people. I'm welcome here.

And yes, we do deserve to roast and make fun of the past because the way that we acted, what we posted, the way that the fans were – they all deserve to be pointed and laughed at. And yet at the same time, they deserve a gentle hug, a pat on the back and to go, it's okay, you did it. You're here now.

Phil: Because if we're asking if they turned out a little bit feral, whose job was it to raise them? Probably ours, slightly.

[uraichievents]

UraIchi Week 2025

Monday, July 7th, 2025 - Tuesday, July 15th, 2025

AO3 Collection

(Info and Prompts Under the Cut)

What is UraIchi Week?

An event to celebrate the Urahara Kisuke x Kurosaki Ichigo ship. For this year, the "week" will stretch for 9 days, with 8 days of optional prompts and 1 free day on Ichigo's birthday. There is no sign-up, and everybody can participate. Completed works and wips are both acceptable, and any type of fanwork (fanfic, fanart, gifsets, fanvids, etc.) is welcome. NSFW and/or potentially trigger-y content is allowed, although please remember to tag your works properly.

The ship itself can be written romantically or platonically, as lovers or friends or even enemies, so long as it stars these two characters together in some way. Poly ships are also fine so long as Ichigo and Kisuke are still the focus of the fanwork. And crossovers and fusions are also allowed even if it isn’t one of the given prompts for the event. Basically, anything goes, and the only criteria is that it has to be UraIchi-centric.

Posting:

UraIchi Week is hosted here on Tumblr and on AO3. For posts on Tumblr, remember to ping @uraichievents and tag #UraIchi Week 2025. For AO3, you can add your work(s) to the collection linked up above. You are also welcome to join the UraIchi Discord server if you haven’t already and come and talk about what you’re working on!

Prompts:

This year's prompts were collected from six categories - general/platonic, fluff, romance, angst/whump, nsfw, and dark/dead dove. The mods voted for their favourites, and here are the results. Each day has six prompts, for eight days, with the last day being a free day. Prompts are entirely optional, you can just use them for inspiration, and you can interpret them however you like.

Monday, July 7th, Day 1:

Outsider POV: Implied Time Travel Fix-It

Sharing a Bed

"My blade is yours to wield."

A Fragile, Mortal Shell

Monsterfuckers

Came Back Wrong (Came Back Hungry)

Tuesday, July 8th, Day 2:

Soul King Ichigo

"You came?" / "You called."

"Wherever you lead, I will follow." / "And if I don't want to lead?" / "Then I'll walk beside you, wherever you go, for however long you'll allow." / "And if I want to follow?" / "Then I will never lead you astray."

"Who did this to you?"

Cockwarming

Codependency

Wednesday, July 9th, Day 3:

Dimension Travel

Moving In Together

Flower Language

"Abominations against the natural order are within the Royal Guard's remit to take care of as they please."

Non-Traditional A/B/O AU

Ichigo as Urahara's Experimental Subject

Thursday, July 10th, Day 4:

World Tour / Road Trip AU

"I didn't think I would get this far."

King x King Maker AU

"It's them or the world." / "Fine, I choose them."

Body Worship: Scars

Murder Boyfriends/Husbands

Friday, July 11th, Day 5:

Forward Time Travel - "They thought you died." / "You didn't?" / "I stopped assuming things about you."

Devotion

"I'd recognize those eyes in a hundred lifetimes."

Touch-Starvation

Biting / Blood Kink

"No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering." ― Hellraiser

Saturday, July 12th, Day 6:

"Trust me?"

Bad at Taking Care of Themselves But Good at Taking Care of Others, So It Balances Out

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up." ― Neil Gaiman

Post-Apocalypse

Pinned Down

"You're not allowed to die."

Sunday, July 13th, Day 7:

Arrancar Ichigo

Meeting the In-Laws (Zanpakutou Spirits)

Destroying Obstacles or Enemies for Each Other

"I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you." ― Friedrich Nietzsche

"I want to hear you."

"I didn't ask you to kill for me." / "You didn't need to."

Monday, July 14th, Day 8:

Outsider POV

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever."

"A world without you in it isn't one I care to live in."

Buying Flowers For a Partner’s Grave But Talking About Them to the Florist Like They're Still Around

Unexpected Soul Magic Side-Effects (ie. Touch Telepathy)

Mind Control / Brainwashing - "You're a weapon and weapons don't weep."

Tuesday, July 15th, Day 9:

Creator's Choice!

[mostly-marvel-musings]

Playboy ways

A/N: This is for the lovely anon who asked for this specific prompt - “Come on, Tony Stark, show me your playboy ways.” Hope you enjoy reading this one. Leave a heart, comment or reblog if you did.

Pairing: Tony Stark x Ex-wife! Reader

Warnings: 18+ smut, and angst.

Word count: 2.1k

Tony Stark Masterlist

.

It all started off when he walked into your home with that slut of a woman. It was typical for him post your divorce, you’d scoffed at the bouncy blonde who giggled in the most irritating manner at everything Stark said.

The audacity of the man to traipse in with his latest fling angered you beyond anything. He was doing it to get that very reaction which he was getting at that moment.

You were hosting brunch at your new home, the one you had bought all on your own after you and Tony separated. It felt incredibly overwhelming to start over but you also realized how much you needed it. That didn’t mean you didn’t miss your ex-husband from time to time. You did.

He seemed to have moved on pretty okay by the looks of it. Then again, the man had a reputation before you started dating. It wouldn’t have been a fish out of water situation for him exactly.

The team had arrived on time, except for one. You knew he liked to make an entrance. And that infuriating bastard had the balls to show up with a plus one without checking with you first. Sure it had been a year and he was free to do whatever he wanted, but this was your house, and your rules applied.

Nat squeezed your hand reassuringly as you glared daggers at the pair, noticing the tight grip on your wine glass.

“Do you want me to go talk to him?” She asked, stepping in your line of vision.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll do it.” You huffed, finishing your wine before excusing yourself. If you could, you would drag both their asses out of your house.

He was busy chatting with Steve and Bucky with the blonde attached to his arm.

“Y/N! We haven’t spoken in forever. Do join us.” Tony piped, while the girl eyed you from top to bottom, sizing you up with a look of mild disdain.

“Glad you made it, Stark. And your friend.” You offered a fake smile, which nobody bought.

“Great house, Y/N.” Steve offered kindly, uncomfortable with the air of discomfort.

“Yeah, love what you’ve done to the place.” Bucky stepped in, giving your shoulder a friendly squeeze.

“Thank you guys. I’ll give you a tour later but first, I need a word with you, Tony.” You stared directly at him, causing him to clear his throat awkwardly and give you a firm nod.

Just as you were about to leave, you saw the girl tagging along with her arms wrapped around your ex-husband.

“Uh, I'd like to have a word with him in private. If you don’t mind.”

“But I’m his girlfriend.” She chirped, making you almost scoff but you stopped yourself from reacting.

“We used to be married.”

That seemed to have shut her up as her hands dropped to her sides. This was brand new information for her, you realized, rolling your eyes as you began making your way towards your bedroom upstairs.

Hearing the click of the door behind you, you felt Tony’s overbearing presence, turning around to face him while taking a deep breath to ground yourself.

“The house looks pretty good, Y/N. It screams you.” Tony smiled, looking around the space, as if analyzing what parts of your personality he could see.

“You didn’t tell me you were bringing a date, Tony. A head’s up would’ve been appreciated.” Your tone was flat as you crossed your arms over your chest, staring at the man whose eyes immediately landed on yours as you spoke.

“I’m…sorry?”

You scoffed, shaking your head.

“Are you really? The invite was supposed to be just us. The team.”

He shrugged, stepping closer and letting his eyes wander down your body. You hated the fact that he still had the same effect on you as he did all those years ago. Your skin flushed as his eyes raked down your lips, your neck, the dress that teased just enough of your breasts without being too revealing.

“You have a wine stain on that dress, by the way. You’re gonna have to take it off.” He murmured, ignoring what you’d said completely.

He was right.

A stray drop of wine had made itself known right above your left breast, a purple-ish red mark prominent against the light coloured fabric.

You went into your en-suite, trying to wipe it off fruitlessly. Groaning in frustration, you pulled the dress over your head and threw it in the hamper, well aware of the fact that your ex-husband was probably getting a good show.

“Hey how about that red dress I got you?” He suggested, snooping around in your closet as if he owned the place.

“How about don’t snoop in my closet? Try respecting someone’s privacy for once.”

You gave him a nudge, wearing only your underwear, feeling his burning gaze on your back.

“Ouch.”

“How come there’s no picture of us?” Tony wondered out loud, pointing to the several frames you had hanging on the wall adjacent to the bed. There were many with your family, your cousins, the entire team, a few with the supersoldiers who had been your best friends.

“You really want me to hang a picture of us just to be reminded how much of a mess the whole thing was?” You said bitterly, seeing hurt flash across his face for a moment. It made your heart pang guiltily.

“Are you saying there’s not one fond memory you’d like to keep?”

His question made you pause, your heart twisted in pain as your mind flooded with a whole bunch of memories you had pushed down for the sake of your sanity.

“I—why are we doing this now? I came here to tell you that the girl stuck to your side is unwelcome in my house. So please take her and fuck off.”

Your voice wavered slightly as you spoke, finally picking out the same red dress Tony had mentioned earlier before storming in the bathroom.

Tony was quick to follow on your steps, stopping you from slamming the door on him. He grabbed your shoulders and backed you up against the vanity counter.

“What?”

“So angry, Y/N. I still find that so fucking hot.” He murmured, his face inches away from yours, his intoxicating scent was overwhelming to your senses.

“Typical Stark.” You rolled your eyes, trying to push him away but he didn’t budge. Instead, he chose to press you further against the marble counter, all of his body brushing yours, making his erection meet your heated core.

“I hate you.” You glared, wishing your body wouldn’t react the way it did to his infuriating man.

“Right back at ya.”

Tony grabbed your face and slanted his lips on yours, taking you by surprise at the intensity of the kiss.

He coaxed your mouth open and plunged his tongue inside, sucking onto yours with such force it bordered on pain and pleasure. Your fingers tugged on his hair sharply, making him grunt.

A heady mix of champagne, berries and that unmistakable hint of coffee that comprised all that was Tony took over your body like no time had passed. You moaned against his lips as his hips moved on their own accord, teasing you as you felt his clothed cock against your thin, panty-covered core that was growing wetter with every passing second.

His lips trailed down your neck, nipping at your warm skin all while his hands slid down your body, tracing every curve and dip like he remembered. Finally stopping between your legs, he teased his finger over your panties, finding them damp with your eagerness.

“I’m starting to believe you’ve missed me, Y/N.” he grinned, pulling them aside to expose you to him.

“I will slap that smug grin off your face, Stark.” You muttered, sounding out of breath just from the kissing.

“Do it. You know I love it when you’re rude.” He peeled the fabric off of you, letting it dangle around your ankles before slipping two fingers inside you without warning.

“You’re impossible.” You gasped at the intrusion, the stretch of his fingers achingly familiar.

“Mmhmm. Your impossible ex-husband, kiss my neck.”

Tony ordered urgently, his hips stuttering against your palm as you stroked him over his pants.

You obliged, but grazed your teeth against his skin to give him a little bite, making him cuss under his breath.

With wanton need, you unbuckled his belt and rid him of his pants, giving him a few slow pumps. You smirked as Tony let out a needy whine when you left his weeping cock.

“Missed me huh?”

You blinked innocently, the reaction only lasted a few seconds because Tony abruptly made you turn around and bent you over the counter. Your heart thudded against your ribcage, breath erratic as you waited for him to do something. You were getting impatient, your cheek pressed against the cold surface while his hands trailed down your spine, leaving goose pimples in their wake.

Growing antsier by the minute, you wiggled your hips back, hoping he’d get the hint. A sharp sting pinched your buttcheek as his palm landed on the soft flesh, making you cry out loud. One followed the other, making you clench around nothing as you bore the brunt of his punishment.

“I still own this body, don’t I?” He whispered, caressing your cheeks tenderly. You bit your bottom lip, thinking just how immediately your inner voice had answered ‘yes’ to that question.

“Answer me, sweetheart.”

Shaking your head, you decided to defy him some more. When you didn’t answer, he lined himself up against your entrance, gathering your slick on his length before slamming into you until he bottomed out.

“Liar.” His whisper traveled straight to your core, clamping around his length as he continued with his agonizing pace.

Living with Tony Stark had never been easy. The man lived a life that hardly anyone could comprehend. You tried. Unfortunately it got to a point where you had to choose, and you chose to step away and focus on your wellbeing. You were still to forgive him for what he put you through.

Still, the passion and love you felt for the man hadn’t fizzled out. Maybe now it had morphed into something else, and you certainly weren’t complaining. If anything, the man was an absolute freak in bed. And you knew things were cloudy and perhaps morally grey, yet you still hadn’t learnt to resist the man.

Letting out a frustrated groan, you looked over your shoulder as Tony refused to move.

“What? Are you afraid I’ll break? Come on Tony, show me your playboy ways.”

That seemed to flip a switch in him. Grabbing both your hands roughly, he held them behind your back, dragging his cock out of your snug walls and pushed back in, brutally. He began thrusting in and out of your heat with such intensity, the surface of the counter dug into your skin, bruising it.

“Is this what you wanted?” He panted, gripping your hair with the other hand, spearing into you as he spoke.

“I think it is what you wanted. You kissed me, remember?” You countered, mewling when he slapped your butt once again.

“Didn’t throw me out, did you?”

“I still can’t stand your stubborn ass.” You bit your lip hard enough to hurt as he continued pounding into you, bringing you closer and closer to the edge.

“Me neither, sweetheart.”

His cock hit all the right spots going in, making you see stars. You couldn’t do much other than take all that he was giving you, completely at his mercy. He felt your thighs twitch, knowing instantly you were close.

Leaving your hair momentarily, Tony reached around to rub your clit in circles to speed up your orgasm, never stopping his ministrations as you came hard around his length, screaming loud enough for people to hear.

He wasn’t far along, your walls clenched around him desperately, making him twitch inside and pull out in time to paint his cum on your lower back.

Still the gentleman, he cleaned you up and helped you dress, not speaking a word as reality set in.

“So…are you going to kick her out or should I?” Your voice had turned softer now, as you got dressed, fixing your hair and makeup as best as you could.

“You do it, please. I’d rather watch.”

[k3n-dyll]

Domestic!Sevika [Drabble]

||Men, minors, and ageless DNI

CW: None just Vika being cute

AN: not proofread, just started writing

Masterlist Divider Creds Helpful Palestine Links

Domestic!Sevika who has never been in love before you, finding herself roaming around your apartment while you're out and noticing a basket full of undone laundry sitting near the washer.

You've been super busy recently and haven't had much time or energy to keep up with certain household chores and laundry was one of them.

Now, Sevika has never been one to just...do shit for people. Not unless it benefitted her in some way. And yet now she finds herself sorting your darker clothes from the light ones, washing them separately, drying them then heading back onto your bedroom and putting them away. She doesnt even roll them into a ball and toss them into drawers like she sometimes does with her own things - she folds them. Neatly.

She finishes and is quite proud of herself, going back to giving herself a bit of a tour of your place, but oh, look at that - the sink has dishes from last nights dinner date.

On any normal day you'd have washed them after eating but Sevika had other plans, which is why she was over at your apartment the next morning in the first place. A part of her feels bad for practically carrying you into the bedroom the night prior instead of helping you clean up, so she may as well make up for it by washing those dishes now, right?

Needless to say, when you get back that afternoon your apartment is spotless and something heavenly is wafting from the kitchen. There's no sign of Sevika until you walk back into your bedroom. Shes lounging on top of the blankets of your now made up bed, reading a book.

"You did all this?"

And she just stares at you for a moment, thinking.

"Oh, dinner? Yeah. I figured since you cooked last night..."

You shake your head and begin to explain what you mean fully. You could literally see your reflection on the counters when you walked through the kitchen and shes just sat here as if she hasnt moved all day. Even when you elaborate, she just shrugs as if she hadnt just made your life 10 times easier by simply being left alone in your house for a day.

"I dunno...I just got bored I guess"

Is her explanation for it, though that was clearly a lie, but you werent going to push her into saying anything sappy. Her work around the house said enough. She's been here before, sure, but its clear that she takes in every little thing you do. She's cooked your favorite dish, folded your laundry and sorted it in the specific way that you always do. She'd managed to get every little organization quirk of yours down to a T.

"Well, thank you for getting bored" you respond, kissing her on the forehead, and while she'd never say it out loud but that little bit of praise makes her heart jump.

I love her sm

Little drabble that is solely based on my urge to act like a housewife when I'm with my girlfriend. I'd lasso the moon for that girl istg

Taglist: @half-of-a-gay, @porcelainmystery, @delinthecut, @sevsbaby, @archangeldyke-all

[storiesforallfandoms]

icdiwabh ~ joseph quinn

word count: 3688

request?: no

description: after finding out that her recently broken up with ex is already in a new relationship, she puts on a happy face for the public. but she can't do the same with him

pairing: joseph quinn x female!reader

warnings: swearing, angsty angst, rpf, use of y/n

based on this song

masterlist (one, two, three)

To give her credit, my best friend and guitarist, Chloe, tried her best to keep me from looking at my phone before our show. And it was working. I didn't even think anything of it, just that we were goofing off before a show as usual.

And then my phone chimed with a text from my mom. She always sent me a good luck text before a show. I unlocked my phone to respond, then saw that my social media notifications were blowing up more than usual.

I shouldn't have looked, but you know what they say about curiosity and the cat.

I opened Twitter to see I was being mentioned a lot. Mainly in replies to other tweets, and most of the tweets were along the lines of, "What happened to @(Y/U/N)?" I clicked on one to see what that context was, and was brought to a tweet from Pop Crave.

"Joseph Quinn photographed on a date with Doja Cat," followed by various photos of my ex-boyfriend getting cozy with another woman.

I felt my heart drop and break into millions of pieces.

I know what you're thinking: why would seeing my ex moving on hurt so much? It's not like we were together. We were both free to see whoever we wanted now. But there were a few reasons this news was upsetting; for one, we had only broken up three months ago, which apparently is around the time when these pictures were taken. Second, Joseph had broken up with me due to the fact that I was a singer, which meant we didn't get to spend as much time together as either of us would've wanted. I understood at the time. I mean, of course the break up still hurt, but I kind of knew it was coming when things between us had felt different the last month or so of our relationship.

Then there was the biggest reason: Doja was the woman he told me not to worry about.

I am not joking.

Joseph and I were together when the whole Doja versus Noah stuff happened online. We both laughed about it at the time, and i had jokingly asked Joseph, "Should I worry about you getting stolen away by Doja Cat?" He had wrapped me in his arms, kissed me, and said of course not.

Obviously, that had changed.

Chloe found me just as the tears started to fall. She was quick to hug me and whisper comforting words.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry," she said. "But we have to get to the stage."

Performing was the last thing on my mind, but I had thousands of fans waiting for me. I couldn't let them down just because I was heartbroken.

I followed Chloe to take my place. I wiped the tears from my eyes, hoping my face wasn't too red or puffy. Our backstage crew passed me my microphone as the countdown for the show to start started in my earpiece. I took a deep, calming breath, pushing everything out of my mind. As the blinding stage lights hit me, I put on my best show smile.

~~~~~~

The next few weeks were tough. I had to go on a full social media hiatus, meaning I deleted all social media apps from my phone to keep myself from seeing any more updates on Joseph and Doja. Chloe took up posting on my accounts so no one suspected anything. We had already decided the best course of action was to ignore the questions and comments, and to pretend like the news didn't even hurt me.

But it did. It hurt me more than any words could ever describe. Having to go on stage two to three nights a week and sing the love songs I wrote about him made it even harder. I struggled to keep it together on stage sometimes. I saved the emotions for when I'd get back to the hotel or the tour bus. Then I'd be able to cry until my eyes hurt and were too heavy to stay awake.

Some nights were sleepless, though. On those nights, I'd usually just lay awake or try to use one of the streaming services on my phone to distract myself. One night, I found myself too hungry to be distracted. My stomach was rumbling enough that I could hardly hear the show I was watching. After some quick Googling, I found a 24 hour diner that seemed like it would be slow enough for me to go without being recgonized.

I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a baggy hoodie with the hood up to cover my face. I put my phone and my hotel room key in my pocket, and left to make my way to the diner.

As I expected, there weren't many people there. Maybe one table with two young ladies sat there, plus the workers. I kept my hood up anyways as I ordered, just in case. The host who took my order did look at me like he may have known who I was, but he didn't say anything.

My plan was to get my food and take it back to the hotel to eat it. But that plan was quickly changed when a familiar British voice said, "(Y/N)?"

I froze. There was no way he was actually here. It had to be a figment of my imagination. A hallucination made up by my misery over the breakup and his quick moving on.

But when I looked up, there he was. He was also in a hoodie and sweatpants, but was doing less to hide his identity. Actually, nothing to hide his identity. I couldn't help but glance around to make sure no one was looking at us or there was no paparazzi that had followed him and started snapping photos.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked, then realized it was a stupid question and winced at myself.

"That's...um...my hoodie."

I looked down and realized that he was right. I hadn't even noticed that I had it, even when I packed it for the tour.

"I was wondering where it went," he said with a little smile.

"Here it is," I said, lamely flourishing my hands. "I'd offer to give it back, but I'm not wearing anything underneath."

I saw him swallow at my comment. I thought I saw a tinge of pink creeping onto his cheeks, but I figured it must've been the lighting or something. There was no way I could still make him blush when he obviously had no feelings for me anymore.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm in town shooting the Fantastic Four movie," he explained. "I just finished a late shoot, so I stopped in for something to eat. What are you doing here?"

"I had a show tonight. I couldn't sleep, and I'm hungry. So..." I did my lame flourish again.

"Oh yes. The post-show adrenaline."

I ground my teeth to keep from saying anything. The weeks of sadness and misery suddenly vanished and became anger. I was angry at him for reminding me that he knew me so well. That we had shared memories on sleepless nights like this. I was also angry that he didn't think our breakup and his quick moving on would be the cause of my sleeplessness. Did he think I didn't know? Or just that I'd be okay with him and his new girlfriend mere weeks after our two year long relationship ended?

I just shrugged in response.

My order was called and I quickly grabbed it. I turned to give Joseph a wave as a goodbye. I needed to get out of there and get back to my hotel room to wallow in my dispair.

But it seemed Joseph had other plans, as he stopped me before I could leave. "Do you want to sit? Maybe...catch up?"

"Is that a good idea?" I asked.

"I don't see why it wouldn't be."

"You don't want your new girlfriend to see paparazzi photos of you with your ex."

There, it was finally out. No more tiptoeing around the topic.

It seemed to have its desired effect as Joseph was now awkwardly shuffling. He rubbed the back of his neck, which was now undoubtably turning pink. "So, you've heard."

"Of course I heard!" I snapped. I glanced around again, realizing I was raising my voice. "Your pictures are everywhere, and I'm being tagged in them cause we never told everyone we had broken up."

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

I scoffed. "How else was I going to find out? Were you going to call me and tell me you were dating the girl you said wasn't a threat to our relationship?"

He sighed. Before he could say anything else, they called that another order was ready, and evidently it was his. It was also packed in a to go bag, so he clearly had no intentions of staying either. With any luck, he'd drop this stupid idea of sitting down for a "catch up" and let me leave to deal with all the emptions I was feeling.

But of course, luck was not on my side.

Joseph grabbed his food and turned back to me. "Just...sit with me for 15 minutes at least. Let me explain."

Even though I very much wanted an explanation, I said, "You don't have to explain anything."

"Just...please, (Y/N)."

And that's how I found myself sat in a booth that was tucked away, in the middle of the night with my ex-boyfriend.

It was a bad idea, and I knew that. Besides the fact that I definitely should not be sitting down with the ex that I had been in shambles over for weeks, it was also a bad idea publicity wise. Joseph wasn't trying to hide himself. Anyone could see us and snap a picture, or call paparazzi to make a quick buck. Even with me trying to hide myself, someone would eventually put the pieces together to realize it was me. Then we'd have a whole new shit show on our hands.

I opened my food and started to eat. There was no point in letting it go cold and completely ruin my night. Joseph wasn't as quick to do the same. He was watching me. When I realized he wasn't eating, I made a gesture for him to start talking.

"Is there anything specific you want to know?" he asked.

Well, that was a stupid question. There was a lot I wanted to know. So much so that I knew we'd be here way longer than 15 minutes if I asked it all.

I decided to ask him the most prominent question on my mind: "Did you leave me for her?"

He seemed stunned by my question. "No! No, of course I didn't. Why would you think that?"

I gave him a look. "Come on, Joseph. We both know why I'd think that."

He shuffled in his seat. "It's not like that."

"Then explain it. That's the whole reason I'm sat here."

So he did. He told me he met Doja (he used her real name, which made my stomach churn) at her concert. He had gone with a few friends, and when she found out he was there she brought them backstage to meet her. He swore it was all casual at first, that they were just friendly and were making light of the situation between her and Noah. When things started changing, he swore it was just a rebound thing.

"I never meant for it to become anything more," he insisted. "I was still so hurt. I just wanted something that would take my mind off of the pain."

I couldn't hold back the scoff that escaped my lips. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," I said. "I'm just so sorry to hear that you were hurting."

"What, you don't think our breakup was hard for me?"

"Weirdly enough, no, I didn't think you took things hard when you dumped me."

Joseph sighed. "It wasn't - "

"And you know what else?" I cut him off. "You told me you found it hard for us to be together because of our professions. And, honestly, I understood! If you weren't away filming, I was away touring. If you weren't doing press for a movie or show, I was doing press for an album. It wasn't easy, and while I was willing to go through those strifes for us, I did understand how it could be too difficult for you. But then you turned around, not even a month after you dumped me, and started dating another singer."

He was quiet. He couldn't even meet my eye.

I felt a lump forming in my throat, and my voice cracked as I said, "If you didn't love me anymore, you could've just said that."

He looked up at me quickly. "That's not - "

He was cut off again. Not by me this time, but by his phone. Someone was calling him. When I looked at the screen, I saw her name. It felt like a knife directly through my heart.

I packed my food and stood. Joseph looked like he was going to say something, but I put a hand up to stop him. "Answer your girlfriend, Joseph."

He didn't try to stop me when I left this time.

~~~~~~

As I expected, photos of Joseph and I got out. I didn't know to what extent as I still wasn't back on social media. My manager confronted me about it and I explained what had happened. She wasn't upset as I wasn't the one who hadn't been concealing my identity, and she agreed that the best course of action was just to ignore everything until it blew over.

Another two months passed and the tour finally ended. It became easier to perform as the time went on. Not completely easy, and I did have a night or two where I slipped up and got emotional on stage, but eventually I was able to put the meanings of my songs aside and just performed them for my fans. I knew some nights weren't as great as others, but I got through it, and finally I was going to have a break.

Chloe reluctantly agreed to let me have my social media back. I was still hurting a little, but I told her I couldn't isolate myself forever. It just wasn't healthy. Besides, I would need something to keep me occupied while I was home, besides just watching mind numbing reality TV. She finally relented when I told her she could watch me block the words "Joseph Quinn" and "Doja Cat" on all social media so that I wouldn't have to see any posts about them.

I was honestly surprised to find that I didn't want to look up anything to do with them. For a long time, the desire to know about their relationship was eating away at me. There were so many specifics I felt like I needed to know, but I eventually realized that I was just going to hurt myself further if I looked into them. Of course, I didn't completely stop thinking about Joseph. I didn't expect to. We had been together for two years, almost moved in with one another. I thought we were going to get married. You don't just let that go easily. But at least it was getting a little easier to live in a world where he was no longer mine.

On one particularly nice day, I decided to go out on the balcony to read. It was one of those fall days where the sun was out and there was a little heat coming from it, but not enough that it was unbearable. A slight breeze would blow through every so often, just cool enough to keep it tolerable outside. I was laid back in one of my deck chairs, engrossed in my book to a point that I hadn't heard someone approaching.

"Must be an interesting novel."

I jumped at the sound of a voice coming from my driveway below. I bookmarked my page and sat up to see the last person I wanted to be around. "What are you doing here, Joseph?"

"I just got back from filming."

"Good for you."

"I...I was hoping you were home."

"Well, you see that I am. Don't let the gate hit you on the way out."

"(Y/N), can we just talk?"

I stood from my seat and leaned over the balcony railing to look at him. "We said all there was to say in that diner months ago. There's nothing else to be talked about. Besides, do you want more pictures of us to come out? I'm sure Doja wouldn't be happy to see her man making a personal visit to his ex's place."

"We broke up!"

I stopped. "What?"

"Last month. It was all over social media, or so Lupita tells me." He tilted his head. "You didn't hear?"

"I-I blocked yours and Doja's names on social media so I wouldn't have to see any tweets or posts about you."

Joseph looked at me for a moment before barking out a laugh. I couldn't help but put a hand over my face as I laughed as well. Of course, by trying to block him out completely, I had totally missed the one thing I would've wanted to see.

I was a bit reluctant, but eventually I invited Joseph to come up. He knew his way through my place, he had been there enough times. I sat back down on my deck chair and pulled another one closer to me, as he appeared in the glass doorway. He sat down next to me and memories of all the times we had been out here flooded back to me.

"I wasn't done talking that night in the diner," he said. "I still had so much to say, and I have even more to say now."

"I didn't want to hear it," I admitted. "In my mind, after hearing how you and Doja got together, it just made more sense if you had broken up with me because you didn't love me anymore."

He shook his head. "It wasn't that at all. I never stopped loving you."

I was itching to ask him if that meant he still loved me now, but instead I said, "Then why?"

"I broke up with you because I loved you so much," he said. "Because loving you but not getting to spend time with you hurt so much, and I knew there was no way around that. When I started getting more job offers I knew things were just going to get so much busier for me, and that our already very short time together was going to dwindle down more and more, and I hated the thought of that."

"I would've taken a break," I told him.

"I couldn't ask you to do that. You love making music and performing. I could never ask you to stop doing that, or to change that. I thought the best thing for you would be if you could find someone who wasn't as busy, and who'd be able to go on tour with you and be at all your shows. Someone who wouldn't be in a different time zone basically 11 months out of a year and only be able to call you for an hour max every night."

"But what if that's not what I want?" I asked. "Yes, it was hard not to get to see you all the time, but I never would've traded that for anything else. I was so proud of you for all those roles you were getting, and even if I only got to talk to you for a few minutes, I loved getting to hear what you were doing. Because you were achieving your dream, and I got to be there to experience it. I don't want someone who can be with me all the time, I want you."

I hadn't noticed that we were both sat on the edge of our chairs. We were so close we were almost touching. I could smell the familiar scent of his cologne and it was making my heart skip a few beats.

"I should've talked to you instead of deciding just to end things," he said, his voice soft and quiet.

"You should've," I agreed. "And then if you were going to rebound, you shouldn't have done it with the girl you told me not to worry about."

He awkwardly chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, not my finest moment."

I sat back in my chair, although I didn't want to. I wanted to keep being this close to him, or maybe to get closer. "So why did you two breakup anyways?"

"She was nice and all, but she wasn't you."

We sat in silence, letting his words sink in. He was looking at me, almost like he was waiting. Maybe I was waiting, too, to see where that confession was supposed to go. After a few moments, my body moved before my mind could comprehend what was happening. I quickly leaned forward, nearly putting myself on Joseph's lap, and started kissing him. He kissed me back immediately, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me the rest of the way onto his lap.

"I missed you," he mumbled against my lips.

"I missed you too," I admitted. I pulled away to add, "But don't think you're completely off the hook. You did still hurt me, you know."

"I know I did. I'll spend the rest of my life making up for it if I have to."

I smiled. "I think I like the sound of that."

He smiled back at me and pulled me back in for another kiss. Eventually, my book was abandoned on the balcony, and the large blinds were closed to keep from anyone being able to see the reunion happening inside.

[firewasabeast]

could u imagine the BoB fandom if Eddie died?? Good god

Okay, if you still think I'm a halfway decent human being, scroll right past this because I'm about to be mean:

Listen, I love Eddie's character in theory. But he hasn't ever had any real development so while I'd be sad with his death, I'd be endlessly entertained by BoB's. It would feed me for a long time, ngl. The outrage, the threats, the boycotting, the denial. And God forbid you tell them to calm down, like they did after the bucktommy breakup.

Like, imagine someone (me) writing a post about how Eddie was just a plot device for Buck this whole time, to get him to recognize his abandonment issues and finally work on those issues and "if you had any sense of media literacy you would have recognized that all along."

And imagine if it happened like I wrote, where Tommy was the one who flew him to the hospital and it reintroduced Tommy into the storyline and he was the one who helps Buck through all the issues he has when it comes to coming to terms with Eddie's death. Then it eventually, on down the line, leads them to getting back together.

The absolute mayhem we'd be seeing online on a weekly basis! The fact some people would probably be yelling GHUDDIE (ghost bvddie) CANON SEASON 10!! They'd be livid because "911 killed a closeted queer character!!!!" leading to Ryan to have to go on an exit interview tour saying some shit over and over like, "When we killed heterosexual Eddie in that way, I was, just to give it to you straight, shocked. But I understood as a heterosexual man myself that doing it in a way that mirrored Shannon's death showed just how much Eddie, a straight man, loved her."

I mean, the show will never do it. Tim has a Ryan boner, and is too chicken to do something so brave, but it's hilarious to think about.

[lukolalove13]

Yes, another post about the ring. But this is different, I promise!

I'm not gonna beat a dead horse. I think by now all of us (or most of us, at least) have heard about the controversy surrounding the ring.

But what I want to focus on is HOW she's wearing the ring.

From what we know, she publically started to wear the ring in June (at least she's photographed wearing it) on her right hand with the heart pointed in. She is now wearing this on the left hand, heart tip pointed in. Which is how it's worn for marriage.

And what do we know about the ring?

-We know it was commissioned while L and N were on the WT because Chupi said it takes approx. six weeks to create.

So hypothetically, they're somewhere in between Australia and Italy and she decides to get this ring comissioned while she's on her WT with her co-star. Because, doesn't everyone decide to spend time doing that while they're traveling all over the world?!?!

Ok, fine. Maybe I can buy that. They're caught up in the excitement, etc...and she's like "You know, I'd love something to commemorate this moment," so she has it made.

Here are my thoughts on this:

-Why a Claddagh ring?

Nicola is ALL about symbolism. She KNOWS what it means to wear a Claddagh ring and in what position to wear a Claddagh ring. Can she just choose to ignore those "rules", I mean sure, she can. But why would she?

She's been wearing this ring in the "in a relationship" position since she's put it on!

Let that sink in!

So, playing Devil's Advocate, let's just imagine this.

She is on her WT with her co-star and she decides to get a ring made that symbolizes her time on Bridgerton.

She doesn't have it made before, so she can wear it to ALL of their stops. But, maybe it wasn't a thought until they were on their WT.

Ok, fine. So she has this thought 'I want a ring to symbolize my time on Bridgerton' and she doesn't want to wait until the WT is over to get it made. Because, I mean ...why would she? There's a sense of urgency for it. Isn't there?

No?

Oh ok.

Between all the chaos and interviews (where she is probably exhausted) she decides she needs to get this ring made! How is she going to get engaged photographed in Ireland without it?!

So she works with Chupi to create a customized ring. But not just any pretty ring that could symbolize Bridgerton. A Claddagh ring.

So now they're finally on that leg of the tour where they are in Ireland, and she stops by to pickup said ring (with her co-star) but I mean, it IS for Bridgerton. They then precede to spend time alone together with her family. Like any good co-worker/friends would do. And why else wouldn't they? She wants to show them her engagement Bridgerton ring and she wants them to spend some time with her fiance co-star.

Ok, so now we're back to London and it's June and we see this beautiful Claddagh ring she's had made for Bridgerton. BUT, it's in the "in a relationship" status. She knows this. We know this. She knows we know this.

But it's in this position for someone OTHER than her co-star. I mean, Obviously.

Doesn't it make sense to have a ring made while you're traveling the world with the co-star (who you have INSANE chemistry with, btw. So much so that everyone comments on it and you just say 'isnt that nice?' that people think we love each other? We never say we're just friends, because...you know what, why don't we ever say we're just friends? I mean, I'm in a relationship with someone else (atleast according to my ring) and everyone else knows you're in a relationship with someone else. So...don't you think that'll piss off our significant others if we don't clarify that we're "just friends"?

No, oh ok. Guess we're good then. I'll just wear this ring (that symbolizes the season where we were lovers. You know, the ring with rings on the hands that matches ones you wear? The one that we picked up together before you spent some time alone with me and my family) to say I'm in a relationship with this other person. They should totally be ok with that. I mean, they didn't care that we took nighttime walks on the beach alone or discussed how we didn't mind being naked together or the fact that we couldn't stop touching each other. Why would they care about this?

Now doesn't that seem a little...odd?? 🧐

The ring is on Chupi's website. Under the engagement section. It was removed once from that section (for unknown reasons) but it's back now!

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Cater Diamond - Room Relaxation Vignette

"Happy Birthday"

[Courtyard]

Cater: Whew～ Today's Alchemy class was a real brain wiggler. What class do I got next… Hm?

Cater: Hey… Is that you Leona-kun? Woah, that's a surprise, are you just getting out of class too?

Leona: Shut your trap already… It's got nothing to do with you, Cater.

Cater: No, no, I just wanted to give you the drop on a bit of info. Do you know what tomorrow is?

Cater: You see, it's YA BOI CAY-KUN'S BIRTHDAY ♪

Leona: Oh. Good for you.

Cater: NO REACTION!? I mean, I guess I knew that was coming～

Cater: Shoulda known it wouldn't be easy to get a warm birthday greeting from ol' Leona-kun.

Leona: What nonsense are you spouting? I just did.

Cater: What, you mean when you said "good for you"? C'mon, you just threw that out there 'cause you had to～

Cater: If you're gonna say something, you gotta put more heart into it, not just toss me a few words here and there ♪

Leona: Your birthday's tomorrow, ain't it? I couldn't possibly be rude and wish you a happy birthday the day before all your fellow housemates have a chance to…

Leona: So, bye.

[Leona leaves]

Cater: There he goes again, spouting off whatever… Well, guess I should just consider myself lucky that we got to hold a convo and he didn't just ignore me.

Cater: Alrighty, then. Looks like my next class is Animal Linguistics. I got a feeling I'm gonna get called on today, so I should prep for it.

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Hallway]

Cater: Woah, it's that delicious!? I wanna go right away… Oh, but I don't think I'll be able to until after next month.

Cater: Yeaaah, I did terrible on the last Magical History exam～ …Saaame, I wish those tests weren't basically one bit puzzle.

Cater: And also… Oh, we're already back to our rooms. Okay, night～

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Cater's Room]

Cater: …Whew, finally I'm back.

Cater: I wasn't able to check Magicam while I was in the shower, so I should do that now.

Cater: Oh, looks like some of my old posts are getting likes too. I'm glad people are still seeing what I posted ages ago.

Cater: There's a few comments, too… Ugh, this question is waaay too long.

Cater: Not to mention, half of what they're saying has nothing to do with their question, they're just gabbing on about themselves. Ugggh… It's gonna be a pain to respond…

Cater: But if I leave it for later, I'll want to reply even less～ Guess I should give 'em a response ASAP then.

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Cater's Room]

Cater: "Except, that eye mask was a limited-time item, so if it's already sold out, sorry." …And, send. Was that all of them?

Cater: Whew～ I finally finished responding to everything. Guess now I can go check out everyone else's posts.

[phone pings]

Cater: Huh, who's post is this on trending right… Hey, it's that one guy! I can't believe they got a cat.

Cater: "Your cat looks so soft and suuuuper cute～! Can't wait for more pictures!"

[phone pings]

Cater: Ooh, I like the picture of this guitar. I wanna try customizing like this, too.

Cater: "I can't believe you did all this yourself! I'd love to see the play-by-play of how you made it next time."

[phone pings]

Cater: What else is there…? Oh, hey, I've heard of this Magicammer before. Looks like their video giving a tour of their room is hot right now.

Cater: Woah, that's hella cute! Both the floor and wallpaper are done up so meticulously. The entire room's been designed to mesh well with everything～!

Cater: The little trinkets they have scattered around their room are also all the rage right now, so they might be a good reference to keep in mind. I'll give them a follow.

Cater: Maaan, I wish I had a cute, pastel room like this. I bet they get tons of likes.

Cater: Oh, yeah. I kinda left it 'cause I didn't really have anything to say, but… Guess I could write a suggestion here.

「Survey on Quality of Life Improvements for the Student Body」

Cater: It's been more or less smooth-sailing ever since I got a single room, so I didn't think I'd really have any complaints…

Cater: But this place is a bit too chic for the kinds of photos I want to post on Magicam. Maybe it's more accurate to say it's cute in an old-fashioned way?

Cater: The colors in the room are more on the darker side, which makes the videos come out too dark…

Cater: And it's a pain always having to lug out my photography equipment each time. I'll just write "I want more attractive walls and floors."

Cater: Honestly, I'd love to be able to do a room tour or a day-in-the-life routine video...

Cater: But I bet there'd be a ton of trouble I could get into when it comes to everyone's privacy if I'm shooting in and around the dorm, so that'd probably be impossible while I'm still attending school.

Cater: Mmkay, then… I'm already ready for bed, so I guess I'll just go to sleep early, ready to tackle the day tomorrow.

[fwumps into bed]

Cater: What time should I set my alarm for…? Oh, there's already a reply on my comment from earlier.

Cater: I should probably respond right away since they were also quick with it, huh… Hmm…

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Cater's Room]

[alarm rings]

Cater: Mmm… Mrrrnngh… Is it morning already…?

Cater: Yawn… What time did I even fall asleep last night?

Cater: I think I was replying to a comment I got wishing me a happy birthday right at midnight… Did I fall asleep in the middle of that?

Cater: Looks like a got a lot more comments after that, too. I need to respond… But before that, there's something else I need to do today.

Cater: Can't just laze about here! I need to go to the washroom and wash my face ASAP!

Cater: My face is washed, and I did my skin care routine… So, let's get started!

Cater: The photography lights are turned on, the reflector board is adjusted, and my phone is on the tripod…

Cater: The plushes in the background are… Good, they're settled nicely on the bed.

Cater: There's nothing in the shot that shouldn't be. Perf, time to start the video!

[phone pings]

Cater: Hey-o everyone, it's Cay-kun! Today, I'm going to show off some base makeup items that's been my go-to these days.

Cater: First up… Here's the UV primer that just came out on the first of this month! I know this has been all the rage lately.

Cater: I've been using this every day since I bought it the day it came out ♪

Cater: And you know what's the best thing about this primer…? It's got no reflective shine at all!

Cater: It's got a nice toning effect, and I think it works well with just a little bit of powder on days when you don't really need to spruce yourself up too much.

Cater: I've fallen in love with it, 'cause whenever I wanna take a pic on the fly, all I have to do is dab a little here and there with a tissue and it looks like I did myself up in proper makeup ♪

Cater: Aaand it rolls on so smoothly, too. I'll apply some now to show you what I mean, so keep your eyes on the screen!

[phone pings]

Cater: …Nice, video done.

Cater: I'll snap a few pictures in the afternoon during break and put together a comparison picture, then edit the video… I guess I'll be able to upload it the day after tomorrow.

Cater: I still have to think about some other stuff like the background music, but I should focus on finishing my makeup for now.

Cater: It's my birthday, so I think I'm leaning towards using some of my more cuter cosmetics… Oh, I know.

Cater: I found it! Here's the glitter eyeliner that I got as a part of that limited-edition holiday cosmetic set!

Cater: Both the package it came in and the glitter itself is waaaaay too cute. I'll draw the line with this, and snap a pic to see…

[snap!]

Cater: Nice, I can see the glitter glimmering around my eye. This'll give my birthday photos a little bit of a different feel from usual.

Cater: As for my hair… Eh, I guess it's going a little too far if I did something with that too. I'll just massage in a little bit of wax and just set it like usual…

Cater: Perf, looks good. Hmmm… I still have a bit of time, so I guess I'll reply to all the birthday comments I got earlier.

Cater: I still need to record a birthday video, and I bet there'll be a party, or at least a get-together with the Pop Music Club...

Cater: Eheheh, I can't wait. I think I'll have enough content to upload to Magicam for a while!

[Main Street]

[Cater chats with everyone]

Cater: Yaay, thanks everyone! …Hm?

Cater: Who's that I spy walking over there…? Oh, hey, it's Leona-kun!

Leona: Cater…! Tch, what'd I do to be this unlucky?

Cater: Ehhh, you really gonna act like that in front of the birthday boooy?

Cater: So, anywaaaay… Remember how you said yesterday that you couldn't possibly be rude and wish me well the day before my birthday?

Cater: Which meeeeeans… Since we've met the day oooooof…

Leona: Yeah, yeah, you don't gotta tell me twice. …......Happy birthday.

Cater: Ahahah, I really got you of all people to wish me a happy birthday! This is gonna be a great year!

Requested by @farfalla049.

[vimflam]

marty beller's list discussion on "the brian lehrer show", WNYC (2009).

transcript:

BL: so, what's the main criteria for landing a phrase on this list, of banned words and phrases?

JL: um, Marty? do you wanna - explain?

MB: uh, it started out with "phone tag", that was sort of the grandfather of it all, which I thought was really clever at first - a lot of these phrases are really clever at first--

BL: -- let's play phone ta- oh, we're playing phone tag?

MB: yeah. really - you know, someone thought of that, many, many years ago - really clever - but, I feel there's an expiration date... for these kinds of phrases, and it gets so worn out, and it also stops people from communicating. I'd rather someone at this point say, "hey - I'm sorry we're having so much trouble getting in touch". [JL laughing]

BL: and, Jan from Hoboken suggests, "if I hear same old, same old again, I'll scream". and David from Short Hills says, "24/7 drives me nuts".

JL: interesting, yeah! well, "same old, same old" seems to refer to itself, at this point. it's one of those - it's uh, it's like a lot of phrases where the initial spark of it is gone, and it takes on this kind of zombie life, where - people are not actually even thinking of the humorous content of it any more, it's just kind of a - just kind of a rattled-off phrase. that's I think one of the things that puts stuff right on to the list.

JF: I think the subtlest one is uh, "no worries," which I think, most people in the band They Might Be Giants actually don't wanna give up, and Marty was so gracious as to actually give us a special dispensation [laughing] to continue using "no worries" in a workplace environment. I don't know if that includes when we're talking to each other, in the band--

MB: -- it depends if we're talking, uh, about work, or talking personally--

JL: --ahh, yes--

MB: if you're talking on a personal level, I wanna hear more about your feelings than "no worries".

JL: I think the key to- part of this thing about this is, Marty has his own fine-tuned idea of what goes on the list, and what doesn't go on the list, and it's taken many conversations on the tour bus for us to even start to work out what- you know, how something gets membership.

BL: I guess so. well, and maybe we'll get into, you know, what happens when one of you uses a banned word and phrase? and slips up [band chuckling] - but Emily in Cobble Hill would like to add to the list, hi Emily!

Emily: hi there, Brian!

BL: whatcha got?

Emily: uh, well what I've got, and like to see the end of, is: "at the end of the day" - and it usually comes at the end of, uh, someone who's pontificating about something, and, I hear it an awful lot, and - I'm just tired of it.

BL: at the end of the day, you wanna hear something else?

Emily: I do.

JL: Marty--?

BL: Jenny in--

MB: -- excellent.

BL: Jenny in Brooklyn - whatcha got, Jenny?

Jenny: "it's all good!"

BL: that's like "no worries".

MB: that's on the list.

BL: that's on your list.

Band in unison: yes, that's already on the list.

BL: "all good ..." and that's not that old, I feel like I only started hearing "all good" - 5 years ago?

MB: yeah, same with "it is what it is," that seems a new one, too, which ... I'm still trying to figure out what that actually means.

BL: Joel in- it's very zen.

JF: yeah, I was gonna say (laughs).

BL: Joel in Briarcliff Manor, whatcha got?

Joel: yeah, hi, uh - a couple years ago, I went on a blind date, and um- or a set-up date, and she kept- this woman kept on using, uh, "back in the day?" and, it started - all through the date, she would say that--

JL: -- it's very good; Marty's pumping his fist in the air right now--

MB: I love that, 'cause that also speaks to this, uh... idea of, the past was always better than the present, which is ridiculous.

[chaifootsteps]

here's a question: who do you think is worse, Valentino or Stolas?

the fandom would automatically say Valentino or 'you can't even compare them are you serious' but idk, I don't think it's that clear cut

Make no mistake, Valentino is physically and verbally abusive and he treats Angel like garbage.

But I think the fandom is really underestimating the damage someone like Stolas can do. a sensitive abuser is way better at getting people on their side, because if they're crying then they must care, right? (even if that care is only about themselves)

and on top of that there's the way Stolas rewrites reality to suit himself

if I were Blitzo on the receiving end of that argument in Apology Tour I'd feel like I was going insane because Stolas' framing of events is so warped

to claim he's never looked down on Blitzo (he has, all of s1) and Blitzo couldn't be bothered to help him (he sent his employees because his daughter needed a medical appointment) and that Striker is his "friend" (after his employees risked their lives fighting him to a standstill) and that he's been "trying so hard to support him" (y'know, by using his book to extort sex out of Blitzo, that's what support means now)?

and instead of ever considering if he's done something to make Blitzo feel the way he does, he just pouts and moans and plays the victim? and whenever he does consider if he's done something wrong it's always in internal monologue before he snaps right back to calling Blitzo an idiot or acting like he doesn't deserve Stolas' love

if it were me in that situation I'd want to scream. the extorting Blitzo for sex he did not want to have is dealbreakingly bad enough, but all the gaslighting that comes after? oof. It would seriously mess up my ability to trust anyone for a long time. I'd need a support network around me to point out how out of line Stolas is, not retroactively call the deal ending 'a breakup' and act like Stolas was an ex and not, essentially, an abusive boss (what do you know, the exact same way you could describe Valentino)

idk, besides feeling bewildered at Viv's writing choices and disgusted at the fandom for breaking out every victim blaming trick in the book to demonize Blitzo just to get Stolas off the hook (and Viv enabling it) I mostly just feel... sad

helluva could have been really great material that soft & sensitive does not equal nice and does not excuse abuse. it could have really shone a light on the way abrasive, hypersexual people like Blitzo are framed as culpable in their own abuse even when literally coerced at gunpoint into it

instead it's become one of those 'no longer satirizing the thing but just is the thing' type of media. and I honestly think that's the biggest letdown out of all of this. we have so many pernicious attitudes to dismantle and this show could helped do that for male, especially queer, victims of SA. instead it excuses it at best and romanticizes it and promotes victim blaming at worst

I find it so telling the only instance of SA in Helluva the show's remaining standom cares about is one line from Stella implying Stolas wasn't into having sex with her (sex she also did not want to have, but who cares about that, right?). what happens to Blitzo, then Moxxie being assaulted by Verosika & crew, and then Stolas making out with someone while drunk, plus Andre's creepy comments at Stella - that's all fine and not worth unpacking, because it can't be used to demonize one character while propping Stolas up

sorry this got long, I just wanted to vent!

Easily Stolas. Ridiculously transparent, over the top abusers like Valentino definitely exist in real life, but when their victims call them out, people tend to believe it. Sad, conventionally attractive men employing DARVO techniques and sob stories are pure poison, and they have a tendency to get people on their side. Stolas is a testament to that, and it's genuinely terrifying.