#i will never shut up about the way these two deserved the biggest best most loving and humorous gay marriage ever

[ramisxbogart88]

yeah I just wish it happened

[minus-plus-zer0]

One Good Grovel

♡ Genre: Fluff (trust me), little crack ♡ Pairing: Bakugou x Reader ♡ Tags: Established relationships

You and Katsuki had your biggest fight in a while.

Both sides fought like they were out for blood. You two said things you shouldn't have, things that were hard to take back. It ended with Bakugou storming out of your shared apartment.

The moment he did, he regretted it. But he didn't know how to go back inside and say it.

Hours later after he came home from doing errands, Bakugou found you on the couch. You hadn't answered any of his texts, and Bakugou never felt so helpless before. He was already losing you fast, and he couldn't dawdle now. Bakugou dumped his groceries on the kitchen counter and then approached you. Neither of you said anything.

You still looked torn up about your earlier argument, your hair a little messy in a way that Bakugou liked. He'd prefer to be the one messing it up himself, but he knew he didn't deserve that privilege now. Bakugou threw an extra blanket over you, because you looked like you needed one.

"Yo," Bakugou said, sitting down beside you on the couch. "How've you been holding up?"

"...I don't wanna talk about it. Not with you."

Your voice was frail, quiet. It broke Bakugou's heart, knowing that he put you in this position.

He had to make it right.

"I'm sorry," Bakugou said. "For everything I said. I wouldn't be surprised if ya never wanted to talk to me ever again after this." You looked at him suspiciously. "It'd kill me if you did, but that's fine. 'Cause I value your feelings over mine. When I was out today, all I could think about was you and what I said to you. So I bought you some gifts and I really hope you'll love 'em."

Bakugou reached out to stroke your hair. "And I promise you, I'll never say that demeaning shit to you ever again. You mean more to me than winning that stupid argument, and I don't know where I'd be in my life without you by my side. I was wrong, okay? I was dead wrong for treating you like that, like anything less than the best. Most of all, I just want ya to take me back and love me. But I won't force ya to do anything. I can walk out that door again and leave you alone if you asked. And if you hate me forever... I understand."

You smiled at him. "...Okay, I hear you."

"...So do ya hate me now?"

You still smiled. "Only a whole bunch. You monster." You playfully punched him in the face.

"Sorry," Bakugou said, matching your sweet expression. "I deserved that. Punch me all ya want. Won't even stop ya."

You gave him several more feather-light punches. "You're soooo dead."

"Ya gonna call the cops on me too? Make sure I never do that shit again? Make sure I learn my lesson instead of forgiving me too easily?"

"Yes." You fluffed his hair. "They're already on their way. The conviction of a famous Pro Hero is gonna be the scandal of a century!"

Bakugou fixed his hair. "Well I'll still love ya, even while in jail."

You crossed your arms. "Only after you've served your 10-year sentence and repent through hours and hours of community service will I finally forgive you. Then you'll be free, we'll start all over, and we'll fall in love again."

"Deal," Bakugou said, kissing your forehead. "But I wanna skip to the end."

"No, that's the easy way out!"

"The hell? You're not actually gonna send me to jail for saying it was wrong to like Pepsi over Coca-Cola, are ya?"

"That's how the roleplay is going!"

"It ain't that serious! I said I was sorry babe! I'm sorry!"

You recalled what you originally fought about quite easily...

"Alright," Bakugou said. "I'm gonna head out for groceries. Any last minute changes to the shopping list?"

"Oh yes!" You rushed out to meet him in the entrance. "Could you get me some Pepsi? Pretty please?"

"What the fuck?" Bakugou looked at you like you grew two heads. "'Pepsi'? You want freaking 'Pepsi'?!"

You shrugged. "...Is that so bad? It'd be nice to have something besides Coca-Cola for once..."

Bakugou's eyes narrowed into slits. He shut the front door and approached you. "I didn't realize we had a freaking problem here. You're telling me I've been buying the wrong soda for you this entire time?!"

"Well... It's just not as good as Pepsi. It's not the same. I'm sorry... but I've always felt this way."

"Since fucking when?! When did things change?" Bakugou slapped a hand over his eyes. "What the hell did I miss?!"

Bakugou couldn't believe this. He thought he knew you better than anyone, just like how you knew him better than anyone. You two were the tightest couple ever. Bakugou had an engagement ring hidden in his dresser because he had already long since decided that what he wanted in life was you.

But now, he didn't feel like he knew you at all.

He'd still marry you though.

You remained silent. Bakugou couldn't stand it. He shook his head, then walked back to the front door, opening it. He stopped before he left, turning to you.

"Coca-Cola is better than Pepsi. That's just a fact."

Then he turned, and left. Instant regret washed over him, but he continued down to the front lobby. As Bakugou looked down upon his cursed shopping list, he couldn't in good conscious buy Coca-Cola anymore. Not when you hated it so much. He had to make things right.

He was getting Dr. Pepper instead.

"This is fucking disgusting, Katsuki," you said, halfway through your delicious can of Dr. Pepper at your dinner table.

"It was on sale, alright?!"

(I've read that a lot of people are unsatisfied with grovels in romance novels because they don't feel that the love interest apologizes well enough, so I wrote this just in case anybody needs one good quick grovel with none of the baggage attached. Btw, my favorite is Coke and it's not even close)

[peoplesgraves]

I have yandere thoughts yet again

Imagine being a Model and you literally can’t get away from obsession.

Yandere Fans cover their walls in pictures of you. They rip out every magazine page your included on and papermache them above the ceiling so you can look down on them every day. If you have shoot with other models they’ll use those too but with cut/scratch the other people out or even crop their face over the other person. If you ever did a meet and greet it would be absolutely packed and would likely get shut down because everyone’s fighting over who’s your biggest fan and who loves you the most. Those who do manage to meet you end up lovesick,sobbing messes so the pictures usually turn out bad. But the fans don’t mind as long as you look good in them.

Yandere Models all want to be pictured with you and they’ll do anything to make it happen. From blackmailing other models to drop out or bribing whoever’s casting, nothing is too dirty or too illegal if it means getting to spend all that time with you. Models will starve themselves and do all matter of dangerous treatments or plastic surgery just to have a leg up and hopefully be chosen to pose alongside you. It doesn’t matter how much it hurts or how much they lose, it’s all worth it to have all the tabloid gossiping about the two of you after the latest editorial you were pictured in together.

Yandere Photographers who only care about you. Who call you their muse and only ever take perfect pictures. They’ll take awful pictures of other models who they feel are a threat to your career until they’ve been all blackballed from the industry. If you have shoots with other people then there’s a super noticeable difference in quality over the way you look and the way other people look. The photographer obviously plays favorites but no ones going to say anything. It’s what his muse deserves.

A Yandere Stylist who is just a little too cheeky. Always staring obviously at your lips when putting gloss on or making jokes about having to punish you if you smear your makeup one more time. They’re always jovial and smiling but there’s something dark in their eyes that only you get to see. Their touch lingers when they’re tailoring your clothes and their hands go from professional to more like a lover whenever they’re helping you take 100 Bobby pins out of your hair. They’re always by your side always joking and touching and waiting for the second you get lipstick on your teeth or a fly away.

A Yandere Manager whos always on your nerves. Who’s older and has more experience. They always have some excuse for steamrolling over you and just making whatever decision they want for you. They’ll keep you in line with their connections and their influence. In a way you both get what you want. You’re the most loved and sought after model in the industry and they have you too dependent on them to ever try to leave. Stylists and photographers are a dime a dozen but your manager has your entire career in his grasp.

Yandere Paparazzi who are ironically more ethical towards you as yanderes then they would be if they were normal. They don’t take bad pictures or catch anything embarrassing about you, or at least not that they show publicly. They might snap a few pictures at vulnerable moments to keep just for them, they’re the only ones who get to see you like that. While they may do their best to protect your reputation the same can’t be said for anyone else. They’ll slander other models left and right. Wether it’s true or a little editing magic they’re good at swaying the public opinion against anyone they need to. Just let them watch from the sidelines and you’ll never have to worry again.

[peterm4rker]

BLUE'S CORNER !!

how happy it makes me to get tagged in these things is not even funny, but yeah ! i don't have many works to do this with, but i did my best !

FIRST FIC OF 2024 !!

ᯓ ¿donde está la biblioteca? [zhong chenle] — september 9th, 2024.

my first ever post and my absolute baby. this smau is completely self indulgent and was brewing in my head for so long before i actually decided to post it (i was terrified). i'm forever grateful for the people that encouraged me to put it out there !! it helped me find a community that i hold so dearly to my heart now, and i will love them forever !!

LAST FIC OF 2024 !!

ᯓ can't help falling [kim jaehee] — december 29th, 2024.

my first post that isn't nct dream !! i have to say that it is one of my favorite fics i've ever written, and it is also completely self indulgent. jaehee has owned my heart since lastart, and i think he (and nct wish in general) deserve way more love and recognition so i hope i can be part of that !!

LONGEST FIC !!

ᯓ can't help falling [kim jaehee] — 3.7k words.

i'm counting this one because i don't think the smaus count so... i have kind of a hard time writing long fics because i have a nonexistent attention span, but i'm working on it !! i hold this fic very close to my heart and i hope that all of you like it as much as i do !!

MOST POPULAR FIC !!

ᯓ from the rooftops [mark lee]

its not a written fic, but it is my most popular one. you all knew i couldn't be me without writing a spidermark fan fiction, and i'm very happy that so many people like it !! i'm taking this fic to next year, so hopefully it will continue receiving as much love as it has till now.

PERSONAL FAVORITE !!

ᯓ the stich that stole christmas [lee donghyuck]

this was haechan's peterm4rker debut and part of a christmas collaboration i did with my self (@tmrwsuns btw wink). i have to say i'm a very big christmas person even though i don't really celebrate it, so writing something for who i have the biggest soft spot for was my way to share that with all of you. i genuinely enjoyed thinking of it, writing it and i'm super happy with how you guys welcomed it, so overall it's my baby !!

i couldnt choose to put them in the banner because i simply adore them all. although i started posting fairly recently, i have at least one fic planned for each of the units and i will continue to write about all of them !! still, i needed to choose my top three, and i think no one will be surprised.

ONE. mark lee — 15,200 words + full length smau.

mark is my everything. the obsession i have with him is a little unhealthy at this point, but i love it and i don't care. to be completely honest, i sometimes have a hard time making my fics not be about mark, because he genuinely is in my head every second of every day. find him in: from the rooftops , wondering why , little white lie.

TWO. zhong chenle — 9,647 words + full length smau.

the fucker who started the peterm4rker industry. i love love love chenle (i despise him), even if he has moved second to mark over time... and yes, i counted the words of the written chapters and so what. find him in: ¿donde está la biblioteca?

THREE. kim jaehee — 3,703 words.

have i posted him literally once? yes, but he has the highest word count out of everyone i've only posted once. i love him so deeply that i could talk about him for hours, so i'm thinking i shut up before i bore all of you. find him in: can't help falling

@morkiee

the love i have for this little person is not something i can explain in words i think. i enjoy every second when we talk and i have to literally contain myself from exploding at how fucking adorable you are. you make my days better every time you text me and i hope you never forget that. my rave date and my pookie, i'm forever grateful to have you in my life<3

@lyvhie

MY BABY MY WIFE MY EVERYTHING !! i cannot express how much i fucking adore you and how grateful i am that i met you (even if it took us about 289843 years). thank you for always listening to my voice messages even when they're about 5 minutes long of me complaining about a MAN (it's soooo over) and for literally making my life better every day<3

@sinisxtea

oh hey i love you? i'm so incredibly grateful that i texted you (or did you text me?) because you opened the doors to this beautiful little community for me. thank you for always including me and showing me your freaky ass fics, even when all you have is a picture of a man falling through a ceiling. you fr are the wonhyuk to my wonjun (stan e'last please guys)<3

@yizhrt

one of the sweetest people i've encountered here even when we don't really speak much !! you're so cute and funny, and i always think of you because i have this brazilian hair cream called lola... i've been meaning to send you a pic for so long but i'm embarrassed so please bear with me.

@leejenoenthusiast

i literally adore you !! you're so fucking funny and always so supportive of all my works, i'm always happy whenever i see your name on anything !! i promise i will continue to send you pictures of woozi whenever it comes to mind<3

@neozon3nha

have we spoken much? no. do i still love you whole heartedly? yes. like i'm sooo fr when i tell you that i always get sooo happy when i see your user name on my screen like i'm literally cheering internally !!

@yutarot

i haven't spoken to you in SO long (i'm omw to text you when i'm done with this) but still i want you to know that you have a very special place in my top moots !! you've never been anything but kind and encouraging to me, so thank you for everything !!

@nlovesbjh

we just started talking very recently but i think you're really sweet and funny !! i'm glad we can share our delusions to each other, and i hope we can get to know each other better <3

some people i'd love to know better but i'm way too embarrassed to reach out to:

@viasdreams @strrykais @susicheng @wonbin-truther @sunghoonsgfreal @yoshit-he-dinosaur

i'm sorry for randomly tagging you !! i hope we can be closer in the future <3 (im shaking in my boots rn)

© peterm4rker, 2024

[astro-pioneer]

hello!! can i pls request the sumeru men with a reader who's a confectioner? and like, they can make from cookies to cute bento cakes to super elaborate, detailed, huge cakes.

affectionate confectioner!

he thinks your job makes you even sweeter. 『wanderer, tighnari, cyno, kaveh, al-haitham』

wanderer!

get him out of the kitchen please i beg

he loves you, sure, but he loves inconveniencing you even more

scale? gone. any measuring tool? gone too

since he doesn't enjoy sweets all that much he won't show much interest in consuming most of what you make

seeing you design the cakes, though? amazed

if you somehow annoyed him that day and you're making something small (like cookies) he'd definitely try to mess up a batch just because

if it stressed you out or something he'd lowkey feel bad and "begrudgingly" help out

if you ever make him something that's not as sweet (or a dessert that's meant to be bitter) as your usuals he'd nag you for ages to make it for him

aka he does it whenever he's in your kitchen

can't complete any customer's orders with him around smh

tighnari!

your bento cakes are his favourites but he advertises everything you sell to anyone who shows interest

you gave him one that had cute mushrooms and aranara

wouldn't shut up about it and sometimes orders it whenever he stops by

most of the time he picks something up for collei because sweet girl deserves it

sometimes cyno too but most of the time he allows him to get it himself because he's tired of the jokes

but! whenever he does get something for himself he makes sure to brag to his rangers but in a passive way

he doesn't seem like the biggest sweets guy so other than the bento cake he'd most likely buy cookies once in a while

the last time he bought something for cyno was for his birthday

never again would he do that

collei and him wanted to leave the small hangout they planned because he wouldn't shut up

cyno!

he's your self-appointed taste tester and no you can't stop him

due to his position he sadly can't visit your shop as much as he wants but he makes sure to be there when you're trying something new

when you experimented with jam sandwich cookies he barged into tighnari's room with a container of them

and proceeded to say a horrible joke. and explained it. like always

"what did the blueberry say to the strawberry? 'i can't believe you got us into this jam!' this relates to these because-"

he repeated it at dinner (which included himself, tighnari, collei, and you) before doing three others about the same cookie

tighnari was debating on just foraging for dinner at this point but he knew he wouldn't be safe from the jokes

kaveh!

he still remembers the feeling of the general hunting him down to show him the combination you were nervous about and the jokes he had prepared

but due to his somewhat constant visits some of his coworkers started to check out your shop

he unknowingly became your walking advertisement as well. oh well

dude is all for your extravagant cakes

he breathes architecture and design so seeing the sketches for the client's cake got him like ⚆⚆ ⚆⚆ ⚆⚆

usually he doesn't get involved in your business because that's not his forte but just seeing the plans for an upcoming event had him begging for permission to help

but like how could you say no? one) he's one if not the best structural designer in sumeru and two) he's cute and you love him

turns out the cake was for the celebration of al-haitham's promotion to acting grand sage

biggest disappointment in his life but he got to spend time with you so who cares

but in terms of consumption he chooses more towards your fruit-orientated pastries

like you made this fruit tart special with fresh fruit on top and he bought basically all of them

the same thing happened with a pie you made

it got to the point where you had to decline him from buying any more for the day

al-haitham!

he takes high interest in any scones and simple cookies you make

also anything he can enjoy in the morning with his coffee

enjoys snacking on any extras you bring home for him while reading throughout the day

he doesn't mind the other things you make but he finds them more of a hassle to eat while passing the time so he usually avoids them

whenever he's craving something a little extra he might get a cupcake or bento cake and enjoy it in your shop

also gets a slice whenever he's looking over submitted applications for archived files

he either lures in or away business - it's a struggle for you

there's sometimes some akademiya nerds who wanna be closer figuratively to the scribe and buy a lot before scurrying away when he glances up

then there are people (kaveh) who see him in the corner and immediately leave

he got so annoyed with people (again, kaveh) continuously entering and leaving where it got to the point where he asked to move in the back

[beauty-and-passion]

Eurovision 2024: broken promises and one last hope

Hello.

I know this post took a bit longer than usual, but I needed some time to collect my thoughts about this year’s Eurovision.

Yes, I watched it. Why? Because it wouldn’t have been fair to the artists, who took part in this year’s competition. It’s not because of them that the show was so polarized, so they didn’t deserve to be punished for that.

Also, I needed to see how far the EBU would go. I needed to see and I needed to remember. And everyone needs to remember too. Remember this year and remember what happened, when the EBU followed its policy so strictly, it ended up making the most tense show I’ve ever watched.

I will share my thoughts and I will try my best to do it effectively. It won’t be a short post and I apologize, but I tried my best.

_________________________________

Sweden: was it worth it?

We all had big expectations for this year’s show. There was Petra Mede, everyone’s favorite host. And Sweden is well known for doing great shows. This year should've been great.

 The first semifinal starts and we're bombarded by greatest hits of the past. Cool for five minutes, boring after one hour.

I’m disappointed: I expected something better from Sweden, not them recycling something already done in the past. But that’s what they did by sending Loreen back to win again, so I suppose it’s fitting.

Okay, so we have Johnny Logan, Ireland’s three-time winner. Is he singing one of his songs? No, he’s singing Tattoo.

Weird choice. Why call Ireland’s three-time winner to perform a Swedish song? Why call a representative of the nation who won as many times as you and make him sing one of your songs and not one of his?

If I were to think badly, I would think this was Sweden's subtle way to impose its supremacy on Ireland. A sort of: "You're not the best anymore, I reached you and I will surpass you. You will succumb to me". But Sweden would never do something like that, wouldn’t it?

Then we have the second semifinal. And we have a song, which can be resumed as follows: “We know we stole Finland’s victory last year, but instead of admitting there is a problem with the voting system (and the entire system for that matter), we’d much rather prefer to whine, because people have been sooooo mean with us. And yes, we will keep sending the same stuff every time, because it makes us win. At the end of the day, all we want is to keep winning, so shut up and love us.”

I don’t know you, but the line between being self-aware of your flaws and openly admitting all you want is to win (all while insulting the country that almost won last year, by saying that their show would’ve been so stupid ah ah, while ours is so cool, see how cool we are?) is very thin. And even the greatest hosting country of all time can succumb to its own hubris once in a while.

Then we reach the final. Okay, the semifinals' shows were meh and left me with a bitter aftertaste, but hey, that’s the final! It must be awesome!

After two hours, I was looking at the clock, waiting for the entire thing to be over.

Did we really need a thirst song about Martin Österdahl, the most hated EBU Executive Supervisor? Was it really necessary to sexualize this man? Is it because he’s Swedish? Is it because Sweden needs to kiss the ESC’s ass even more? Or is it because the ESC really really wants to make this guy more popular, considering people hate him?

After hinting at them in every possible way for the entire week, in the end we got AI-generated ABBA. Well, shoutout to the real ABBA for not participating in this: last year they said they would’ve not taken part and they didn't. Respect.

Alcazar were the biggest surprise of the entire week, because they are a piece of my childhood and Crying at the Discoteque is still a huge bop. But heaven forbid we having fun for more than five minutes, so they were sent away immediately.

At the end of the day, my question is: was it worth it, Sweden? Was it worth winning seven times, only to celebrate with the most boring show ever?

I cannot believe I’m saying this, but I missed Portugal’s show. Yes, the show I called “torture”, because they kept spamming the entire country for days.

You know what? I’d rather watch a country constantly spam its beauties and its culture, than another greatest hit compilation. By god, you’re hosting Eurovision. That's your chance to display your country on the greatest window Europe has to offer. And you use that chance, to repeat over and over “Eurovision good” and talk about it only.

I know Eurovision is good and cool and I love the reminder... but please, give us something more, Sweden. Something you. Listening to a country say: “We don’t have anything else to offer besides Eurovision” does not make me laugh. It makes me sad. It's not that you don't have anything else to offer, Sweden: it's that you don't want to show what else you have to offer.

You have gorgeous natural places (Höga Kusten and Gotland just to name two). You have the second-longest bridge in Europe and it's fucking impressive. Your capital is full of wonderful islands - and I found out there are tours with buses that go both on the ground and in the water. How fucking cool is that?!

Do we want to talk about culture? Your coffee breaks are literally part of your lifestyle and even have a specific name. You have that great concept of lagom which a lot of people should learn too. You are full of beautiful art and funny foods - heck, there is even a Disgusting Food Museum in Malmö! And I didn't find out thanks to Eurovision, but thanks to fucking Tripadvisor.

It's just sad, you know? Don't underestimate yourself so much, Sweden. You have a ton to offer besides this show.

_________________________________

 The Netherlands: victim of paradoxes

Europapa was one of fan’s favorite songs and of course it was: a catchy tune, funny singer, fun and happiness for a song that was both a celebration of Europe and a touching love letter from Joost to his parents.

Of course it got people’s hearts. We all love the story of a character who comes up with a dream and wants to fulfill it. And if we can, we want to make that dream come true.

So just imagine how devastating it was, to find out Joost has been disqualified. I was minding my own business when I found out and I was shocked, so I can’t even imagine how bad his hardcore fans felt.

The first question was, of course, why. What happened? What could’ve done a man who has always wanted to attend Eurovision, to get disqualified? Not warned, not penalized. Disqualified. What did he ever do, to put in jeopardy his lifelong dream like that?

I don't know if we’ll ever find out the whole truth. All we know is that Joost asked a woman to stop filming him, she refused and kept following him, so he made a “threatening gesture” towards the camera, while not touching her.

Which gesture? No idea. Maybe he showed his middle finger, maybe he tried to lower the camera, maybe he said “fuck you and stop filming me”, maybe he tried to hit the camera. I don’t know. But in this case, I would really like to know - and not just what he did, but how the whole thing went.

If this year taught us something, is the importance of context. If Joost Klein tried to punch the camera is one thing and he should be condemned for that. But if Joost Klein tried to punch the camera after being filmed without his permission, because a woman was harassing him and following him, thus breaking the agreement that wanted him to not be filmed after stage… well, that's another thing.

Sure, he shouldn’t have reacted this way. But you can understand by yourself that snapping at someone out of the blue is one thing and snapping because you’re fed up with harassment is another thing.

Did Joost deserve some punishment? Sure. But did the person filming him without consent deserve punishment too? Of course. If you have to apply punishments, you have to do it equally, not with a double standard. So if he was disqualified, that woman should've been removed from her position too. But as far as I know, she wasn't.

Also, why didn't the EBU tell exactly what happened right from the start? Why refer to it as “an incident” and give only vague explanations? Why not mention Joost's disqualification during the Grand Final? Why did people have to find out through social media and the Grand Final happened as if nothing?

That's weird, that's not the behavior of someone who has nothing to hide. What’s the matter, EBU? Why this weird lack of communication? And why not show the footage of the incident and make everything clear? Now you’re respecting Joost’s right to not be filmed? A bit too late for that, isn’t it?

So yes, in a paradoxical turn of events, Joost Klein got his dream denied by the same show he wanted to be part of. The guy with the most European song ever, the one who stuck to the ESC motto “united by music”, the one who celebrated Europe, the one whose childhood dream was to be part of this European show, got disqualified by the same European show.

What can I say? I just hope karma will do its job for him. If he's innocent, he will get good things. If he's in the wrong, he will get his punishment.

In the meantime, you can still support him, stream his songs and check his albums. Here on YouTube you will find basically all of them, since it doesn’t seem he has a YouTube channel (yet).

And if his fans still find everything absurd and unjustifiable, don't worry: if Eurovision 2023 (and all previous ones) taught us something, is that you don’t have to be the winner, to steal people’s hearts. Sometimes, you just need one performance.

And this one stole everyone's heart.

Also, since apparently paradoxes were not enough, it seems like European flags were banned for being political? European flags during a European show in a European country in the European continent.

Uh?!

EBU, one question: on which continent do you think you’re in? Spoiler: it’s not America.

_________________________________

EBU’s biggest mistake

Let's talk a bit about the current global situation, shall we? No, you can't escape from it.

So, unless you lived under a rock until now, you know that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for a long time and that recently it intensified again because of the new Gaza conflict. Israel pretends to not have committed war crimes, the rest of the world tells them to stop committing them, there are protests everywhere and people are ready to jump at each other’s throats to defend one country or the other.

Now, you’re the EBU. You say your show isn’t political. And that’s true: Eurovision isn’t political. Eurovision is a musical competition. It has nothing to do with politics.

But Eurovision takes place on planet Earth. And, as said, the situation on planet Earth is a bit tense right now. So you already know that, if you stick one single finger in this situation, you will get BIG reactions from the public.

So, what do you do, when Israel asks you to participate?

a) You tell Israel, very politely and very professionally, that you appreciate their application, but cannot accept them this year, because the situation is what it is and letting them in would bring chaos and potential dangers into a contest whose main foundation is being safe and non-political.

b) You let Israel in and let Palestine participate too, at least in spirit through people’s voices and decisions to mention it. This way, no one can say you’re taking sides, since you’re letting both sides participate.

c) You let Israel in and censor everything and everyone else, so not only you bring chaos inside your non-political contest, but make it even more political than ever and end up taking sides too.

Guess what EBU chose.

In order to stick to their non-political policy, EBU put blinders on and ignored the rest of the world. In order to let one country in because "Eurovision is non-political, so everyone is allowed to participate", they brought politics into their non-political show.

And no, it's not unexpected: it was obvious that, by letting Israel in, politics would've entered the competition too. This country and politics are bound tightly now, because of the current situation: of course if you let one in, the other will enter too.

And with politics, all the chaos of the current situation found its way in too. And that means EBU literally put in danger:

25 artists and their teams coming from all over Europe

the same Israeli gal and her team

all the tourists coming from all over the world to attend Eurovision

Swedish people who were living their normal lives and were suddenly surrounded by protests and chaos

the protesters who could've been involved in potential clashes

members of the police who also could've been involved in potential clashes

“But hey”, you might say, “nothing bad happened, in the end! You’re being too negative!”

Sure, thankfully nothing bad happened. But the risk was there, it was huge and it's not that "it would've been here anyway": the risk could've been completely avoided, by applying just a bit more human reasoning.

But even after politics found its way into the show, even after that, EBU could've saved the whole thing. If only one human being with a functioning brain said something like: "Okay, politics is in, even if we didn't want to. Now all we can do is let the other side of the conflict speak too, while we stay neutral".

But no, oh no. Mentioning Palestine and ceasefire means politics and our show isn't political. So let's ignore the fact that our decision to follow the policy verbatim led to politics being inside the show and let's keep applying the rules as if nothing: no one should mention politics, so Eric Saade cannot perform with the kefiah, Bambie Thug should remove their messages about ceasefire, Iolanda cannot keep her nails with Palestine's colors (seriously?!) and people's booing should be drowned with anti-booing technology.

You know, it's incredibly fascinating how EBU's stubborn decision to strictly follow the rules not only allowed politics inside the show, but led to the EBU itself taking a political stand, all while censoring every other opposition. EBU's rigid, mechanical application of the policy led to the EBU contradicting the same policy it was oh-so-religiously following. By making sure the show wasn't political, EBU applied censorship and not only made it even more political, but politically oriented towards one side of the conflict.

I don't know who the EBU members are and if they're human beings with functioning brains or just AI-generated bots, but please: stop following the rules like mindless robots and start using human reasoning in your decision-making process. And use common sense too, because if an idiot like me could foresee the consequences, you should've been able to foresee them too.

_________________________________

Israel: bullying cannot buy you victory

Now, we have Israel in. And the Israeli gal and her team perfectly know that their sole presence will lead to controversy and political stands.

So, if you were in their place, what would have you done?

kept a low profile during the entire competition;

showed at least an ounce of regret for unintentionally putting everyone in danger;

bullied everyone and tried to find any possible chance to beef with the other artists;

Guess what the Israeli team chose.

During the entire competition, these people kept harassing other artists, filming them without consent, calling them names, misgendering them. They kept this arrogant behavior, as if they owned the place and all other countries were just invited to their show.

And if there’s something I hate more than arrogance, is arrogance with a side dish of bullying.

So, to all the people whining because “Martina Satti yawned while Eden was speaking and Joost hid his face”: if that’s bullying, for you, you have a great life and I envy you. I wish I was bullied like that in school. But my bullying was more like… well, calling me names, harassing me and listening/spying what I was doing without my consent.

But apparently harassing the competitors wasn’t enough, so Israel decided to harass the viewers too, by begging for votes. Yes, they begged for votes. Yes, they spammed ads all over YouTube. Yes, I got one too and it was on a Eurovision-unrelated video and it made my blood boil. Yes, they were this desperate. And yes, that’s pathetic.

Also: is this legal? Is this allowed? EBU, are we sure this is part of the rules you follow so strictly? And please, tell me: is harassment also part of those same rules?

But do not worry: in the end, karma found its way. And despite the arrogance, the harassment, the tons of money spent to beg people, none of these means was enough to grant Israel the victory they oh-so-desperately wanted.

On the contrary: in a wonderfully ironic twist, the winner was one of the artists they kept misgendering and harassing. Mmmh, delicious irony, my favorite.

So thank you Israel for wasting money all over YouTube, I hope they were a lot. Thank you to all the people who made a political vote, you really got the spirit of the show, I hope you will never watch it again. Thank you Israeli team for harassing everyone and making an already tense competition even more tense. And, most importantly, thank you EBU for bringing politics in a non-political show: great fucking job, I hope someone will get fired.

And now, let's finally talk about music. Israel's song was nothing special, just the umpteenth bland song I've listened to 200 times already. And we all know it didn't get 300+ votes because everyone was in love with it. People's taste is not so bland and boring. And the final points proved it.

(On a side note, if I were Eden, I would be offended by these votes. At least the people who voted for Loreen last year didn't do it because of Sweden, but because of her talent. This year, I doubt that the people who voted for Eden gave a shit about her talent at all)

_________________________________

France: I need to make some apologies

Listen, you have to understand: we Italians know that French singers are good. We laugh, we say they’re “so French” and they keep Frenching and everything, but we know they rarely disappoint.

The problem is that France is good at the same things we’re good too. We’re both good at soccer, we’re good with food, wine, fashion. And we’re both good at singing.

So, France, remember: we might make fun of you but my god, your artists are amazing. When Slimane sang that part acapella two meters away from his microphone, I literally got shivers. He is a fucking great singer, his voice is incredible and he deserved more than 7 points.

I know French Frenching, but we should give credit when necessary:

_________________________________

Estonia, Spain and basically everyone else: two words and more apologies

Estonia 20th and Spain 22nd? Super robbed. The ignominy. The audacity. They served us beautiful Estonian language and a Spanish gal with a soft voice and that's how they got rewarded? They deserve more and better and people are stupid.

Also, I don’t know what kind of beef Greeks have with Marina, but she was good and doesn’t deserve all of this hate. Also because most of the complaints I've heard about make no sense, so… uh?!

Germany: fucking finally, people gave you votes. Thank you for persevering, your song was truly nice and I liked it too.

Armenia: yes, top 10! For great, lively, wonderful Balkan rhythm! You deserve it and your country deserves love and appreciation.

Italy: I’m okay with this result. Angelina’s performance was better, compared to the one in the semi-finals (also, better costume too, the other was too revealing and too much in general). 7th place is fine.

Ireland: I know that’s not a song for everyone and okay, fine, maybe it’s nothing special either… but my god, have you seen the performance they put on? A-ma-zing. It was interesting, captivating and full of details. And the narrative is perfect too: you can see how Bambie slowly befriends the demon and ends up killing it. It was truly enjoyable to watch. So I’m glad it got 6th place, they deserve an even higher position.

Ukraine: please keep slaying, your artists are always so great and they keep proving it every goddamn time. Also, that moment when Ukraine surpassed Israel was delicious: money truly cannot buy you love and support.

The UK: seriously, why are you whining about people not giving you points? The song was okay, but nothing truly special. Still, you got 18th place! What should Norway say, instead? Poor Norway, it has all my sympathy, the song wasn't this bad.

And now, to you all: you know what to do. Follow your favorites, stream their songs, shower them with love. Eurovision is over, but these artists are not disappearing. They are still out there, making beautiful music. Go check on them.

_________________________________

Croatia: “the audience will come to my concert, not the jury”

Baby Lasagna was a blessing and as Italian, I want to properly apologize for giving it 16 points total only. You deserved 24, shame on us for being stupid morons.

Croatia gave us a beautiful song, from a beautiful artist with a great message and upbeat sounds. And I’m not the only one who thinks this, because the rest of the public agrees with me. Marko gave us pure joy and entertainment in an evening that was mostly sadness, tension and boredom.

And yes, it’s sad he didn’t win… but he knew it, before Switzerland’s points have been announced. Look at his face, during the final voting: as soon as Petra said Switzerland only needed 182 points, he realized he was going to lose. You can see him understanding and accepting it. He knew Switzerland would get these points. I knew. Everybody knew.

So no, this wasn’t like last year: last year, it was a one-on-one game between Finland and Sweden and a tug-of-war between public and jury. This year, we had a lot of favorites. Marko was the favorite, but if Joost wasn’t disqualified, maybe the points would’ve been even more distributed.

But you know what? Marko actually got the best possible result you can get in Eurovision. People adore you, you become a legend and your country doesn’t have to deal with EBU’s bullshit. You get the best of both worlds and it doesn’t cost you a cent.

Also, consider that Marko accepted his 2nd place graciously and maturely, went back home and was welcomed by basically the whole Zagreb (Let3 were there too! Kings supporting a king, very fitting). And in an interview, he said something like “I don’t care about the jury points, because the jury doesn’t come to my concerts”. Which proves he is:

a mood

a king

the truth oracle

everyone’s spirit animal

the winner of the people

the coolest guy ever

So, Croatia: I understand your disappointment, the jury system REALLY needs to change. And no, you won't host Eurovision next year. But consider that you're everyone's favorite country now. And you won't have to deal with whatever shit will happen in 2025! So sit back, relax, may your tourism thrive and your quality of life be high.

And if all of you people really enjoyed Baby Lasagna, please consider he has a YouTube channel and there are two other songs, besides Rim Tim Tagi Dim. One criticizes social media and the influencer system, while the other is a piece of great life advice from the title: “Don't hate yourself, but don't love yourself too much”. Thank you, king, for being so real.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, they’re both huge bops.

Do your magic, people: subscribe to his channel, stream his songs, watch his videos, shower him with love and, most importantly, meow back.

_________________________________

Switzerland: a contest that can live up to its promise

In the end Switzerland won. And it’s a good victory, you know? You might not like the song, but consider that Nemo sang pop, rap and opera, all while jumping on that rotating platform-thingy and running all over the stage. And they even bent back, while keeping a high note and rotating. I can’t even keep a high note by standing still, let alone by doing all the stuff they did.

Also, this is the first victory for a non-binary person, so great for them. And basically no one knew Nemo before Eurovision, so the show came back to its roots, by giving fame to an unknown artist.

Last but not least, in an ironic turn of events, this victory is the least political thing that happened on that stage. In the most polarized, political show ever, the winner is the quintessential neutral country. Almost poetic, in a way.

And this victory is also a huge slap in the face for the EBU: in the end, it wasn't its rigid adherence to the policy that made the show non-political, it was the jury’s vote. How the tables have turned.

But there is another reason why this victory is good after all and it’s because it’s a hopeful one. The winner isn’t famous, they didn’t harass anyone, they didn’t use money to win, they brought nothing besides their identity, a kind heart and a flag they had to sneak in because of the weird “flag rule” EBU pulled out.

And I would like to remind you that, during their victory speech, Nemo said this:

"I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world".

I think it’s a speech that tells everything about this year’s show. This year, the contest didn’t live up to its promise: it put people in unnecessary danger, it brought tension, it made it political. EBU’s strictness led to a lot of consequences, the exact ones it tried so desperately to avoid.

As a result, no one enjoyed their time. I didn't enjoy my time. When Sunday came, I was relieved that the week was finally over and I was able to leave Eurovision behind. I didn't feel an ounce of the usual post-Eurovision nostalgia. I was just glad it was over.

And it's sad and unfair, because Eurovision isn't this. Eurovision is a perfect little window of peace and unity, away from the chaos of the world. For a few hours, three evenings a year, we can leave the real problems behind and focus on silly ones, like which country should win, which should be forever ashamed and which artist will become a legend.

This year, it wasn't like that. This year politics found its way in and wrecked everything. What was supposed to be a silly, funny, lighthearted show became so heavily politically charged, it broke under the weight.

And now that I think about it, Nemo breaking the trophy is the perfect metaphorical representation of this year's competition.

Just like that trophy, Eurovision is something frail and beautiful and mishandling can break it. And oh boy, the EBU truly mishandled it. Even if it was an accident, even if it wasn't done on purpose, the trophy is still broken. The show is broken.

But when asked about their broken trophy, Nemo didn't mourn it: Nemo gave words of hope. Maybe the broken trophy can be repaired. And maybe Eurovision can be repaired too.

How? Well, maybe by starting to learn when and how to apply rules. By using common sense and sensibility. And by checking the world outside too. If we want Eurovision to keep being that small window separated from real world problems, we can't just ignore them: we need to check them and react accordingly.

And if we have to break a rule to guarantee peace and safety, then so be it. One broken rule is not as important as safety and unity.

After all, what makes Eurovision isn't a set of rules: it's the artists, with their talents, their messages, their hopes, their voices, their dreams. They are Eurovision. They are the pull that draws everyone in. They are the reason why people are "united by music". Not because a rule orders them to, not because of the EBU: because of these artists.

Maybe the EBU can start from that. Maybe it can start by looking at the human aspect. Maybe it can start by going out and looking around. And maybe it can learn to take more care of the artists who are the foundation of the show.

And maybe, maybe, they will be able to repair Eurovision too.

See you, hopefully, next year.

[mins-fins]

OCEAN EYES (S.HB)

SUMMARY . . . you'd never really be his first choice, or the person he'd like to be seen with, only she would, even if hanbin professed his love for you, it was never really true.

PAIRING . . . sung hanbin x male!reader

GENRE . . . angst

WARNINGS . . . insecurities, bullying, mentions of bruises, hanbin is manipulative, reader deserves better

WORD COUNT . . . 2.2k

NOTES . . . um hi… this has been in my drafts for a while and this is one of my only free days so have this as a sorry for not posting for a while :)) (except it's insanely angsty anyways)

"i love you".

if those words weren't the biggest lie you've ever heard, you don't know what is.

you like to assume that your not boring, because if you were that boring hanbin would barely glance your way, he wouldn't even think of talking to you, kissing you. sung hanbin shouldn't be interested in you, it makes no sense.

there are thousands of other people who deserve hanbin, that fit better with him, that aren't as antisocial as you, that aren't shut ins that hide during school in fear of being bullied, that aren't so embarrassing that their partner feels the need to kiss a girl to hide you from the public eye.

hanbin is popular, there's no doubt about that. he knows everybody, everybody knows him, everybody loves him, and you can't blame any of those people. is there anything hanbin is bad at? he seems to have no flaws, he's always the first one to volunteer, the first one to help others, the first one people think of when they say the word "kind".

hanbin and his perfect smile, his perfect laugh, his perfect voice, his perfect personality, his perfect EVERYTHING.

you'll never know how you scored him.

and honestly, you wouldn't be surprised if he just up and left you.

jealousy is a bad thing, your mom always told you growing up, you shouldn't let it consume you, y/n, but that's so difficult to do whenever you see hanbin kissing her in the halls, running his hands through her hair and telling her that she's the only girl in the world.

you have to hand it to him, his impersonation of a straight person is on point.

you get hanbin for the most part, his beautiful reputation would be shattered if anyone found out that he was secretly seeing the weird kid from class b. you'd do the same if you were in his shoes, because no one wants to be seen with the weird kid.

still, it's difficult to not feel your heart shatter every time you see the two of them together, looking so perfect and happy, you should be angry, but in the end you just feel depressed, because hanbin would never display his love so publicly for you like that.

just hearing him talk to her makes you want to burst into tears, because why can't it be you? why can't it be you who gets to experience love from hanbin like that? why is he ashamed to be seen with you? why can't just be seen as something other than the weird kid so that for once, he won't feel ashamed about loving you?

maybe it's better this way, you say in your mind.

but you know it's not, y/n, he doesn't really love you, and you know that, he's just dragging you around because he feels bad, he pities you.

you always try your best to avoid those thoughts when they blast in your head. you know they're right, that it's true. if hanbin loved you, would he even care what other people think? it makes no sense that he fears being seen with you even though everyone would still love him regardless.

every time you look at him, your eyes holding a strong look of fondness, all you can think of is how he looks at you behind closed doors. you always feel your breath hitch when he walks past you in the hallway, and he pretends he doesn't know you, doesn't even regard your existence.

the first few times were okay, you could deal with him avoiding eye contact with you, the eye rolls did make you frown a bit, and so did the snickers, but hanbin loves you, he'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you.

sometimes, you don't get how you forgive him, especially in the worst of situations.

like last week, it was like every other week, you did your best to avoid people who'd potentially punch you in the face, because it had become a staple in your life at this point to do that.

but alas, you have absolutely shitty luck.

it didn't take long for you to get cornered, smashed against a locker, and have a bloody face in the spam of a few seconds. it was painful, yes, but all you could do was wince, every time you did try to defend yourself, you'd get in more trouble than the people that picked on you first.

most people who saw the scene walked past it, or took a photo, or laughed, or just ignored you, and you honestly expected it, but your heart still broke at the way no one thought to help you.

but your heart practically stops when hanbin walks around the corner, and by the look on his face, his does too.

he pauses in his steps, his face practically paling at the sight. he knows that you get horribly bullied everyday, he can tell by the bruises that show up on your body every now and then, but he never says anything in specific about it.

the boys beating you up stop for a second, they're faces paling as soon as they see hanbin. hanbin advocates for no bullying, he was a spokesperson for that very assembly, and they just knew they were in big trouble.

you look to hanbin, tears in your eyes as you wipe the snot running down your nose. he doesn't look over at you, shutting his eyes as he takes in a deep breath. "can you two move? your standing in front of the staircase".

you let out a small gasp, but hanbin's face remains unmoving, the two boys bullying you obediently move out of the way, and so do you. hanbin doesn't spare you a glance, and just walks ahead, making his way down the stairs.

you see? he left you, he doesn't care.

you could barely even pay attention as the nurse was patching up your bruises, all you thought about was how hanbin disregarded you, walked past you like you were nothing, ignored your helplessness and went on with his day like he had nothing to lose.

"you know y/n, i wouldn't even be mad if you began hitting back again" the nurse comments, wiping rubbing alcohol on your bruise as she always does.

"i don't wanna be like the aggressor" you whisper, too hurt to speak loudly.

you wanted to ask hanbin about it, you were screaming in your mind to ask him about it, especially as you lied in his arms later that evening, listening to the random videos he was watching on his phone.

you were about to ask, when hanbin instead interrupted you.

"you know i don't want to hurt you, right?" he says, and you want to punch him, so bad. he tilts your chin up with his index finger, and this time he doesn't avoid eye contact with you. "you really are important to me, y/n, i was just very confused in that moment, i had no idea what to do".

lies, he's such a liar.

you hate the way you always fall for his words, you hate the way he can always easily coax you into thinking what he did wasn't bad, you wanted to punch yourself for forgiving him, because your so stupid thinking those words have any real meaning.

it's just an excuse, he wants an excuse for ignoring you, he wants an excuse for dismissing you like you were nothing.

you open your mouth to respond, but hanbin's hands run through your hair, and you feel a tear stream down your cheek, you didn't even know why your crying. stupid emotions, stupid—

hanbin presses a thumb to your cheek, wiping the tears from your cheek. "no need to cry, pretty" he whispers, giving you nothing but a small peck. "you know i love you, right?"

you barely nod, just laying your head down onto his chest, you hate that you find comfort in the way his hands wrap around you, and how he plants a kiss on your head. you take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down.

fake fake fake fake everything.

the way everything unfolds should be enough to you, because someone who loved you would never do that to you would never do that, would they?

but he hugs you, and comforts you, and whispers sweet words into your eyes whenever you break down.

but he does all of those things for her as well.

and well— you feel bad for her, yeah you still do feel jealousy running through your veins, but she doesn't deserve hanbin, she deserves better, not only because he's cheating on her with.. you, but he's such a fucking fake, and you can't fathom how heartbroken she's gonna feel when she figures out everything about you two.

and maybe, for the sake of her, doing this would be a much less painful task.

"do you love me?"

a week after the whole bullying incident, you ask hanbin. he pauses, turning off his phone and looking over at you. the look on his face suggests that he's humored, he finds it funny that you have the confidence to ask such a question. "what kind of question is that y/n?"

you can never identify what kind of tone hanbin holds these days, the only thing you can really tell are his expressions, and it hurts because all you see are grimaces and snickers, no lovely expressions like the ones you stare at him with.

"just, answer it" your voice is shaky, and hanbin is clearly resisting the urge to laugh at how pathetic you look at the moment. he pretends to think about it, but you already know what he's gonna say, because those are the same words he uses all the time when you ask this question.

"what makes you think i don't?" bingo. "i only truly have eyes for you".

his words are such a pain to hear, because after everything he's done to you, after letting you get beat up and not doing anything, he still has the audacity to say that like it's gonna change what he's done to you.

"your such a.." you pause, the words seemingly stuck in your throat, you feel like your about to throw up, you don't wanna say it, but at the same time, you know this had to happen eventually.

"liar".

hanbin pauses again, a look of surprise colors his face as he stares back at you. he wasn't expecting that, because he knows you, and you'd never say that to him, because you love him, and you always told him that.

"ah, what's up with you today, babe?"

the way those words are said makes you want to punch him in the face.

"you don't love me" you say, raising your voice in the slightest. "maybe you did in the beginning but now, you just enjoy having me around, you.. you go around acting so sweet and amazing with your perfect fucking girlfriend and then you leave me to get beat up in the hallways? what kind of person does that?"

the surprising thing about this is how you don't burst into tears while saying this, you somehow keep your cool, especially with how hanbin's face stays unmoving for the most part. he then frowns, a look of faux sadness on his face.

"is that really how you see me? after everything i've done for you?"

"you don't like me!" you exclaim, raising your voice. "the only reason you keep me around is because it makes you feel better about yourself! i could get murdered on the street tomorrow and you wouldn't help me!"

hanbin chuckles, shaking his head, he doesn't move closer to you, because frankly, he thinks you look ridiculous. "your really saying this now? it'd be less funny if you told me a few months ago but to be honest, it humors me just how long it took you.."

your no longer down, your pissed off, you loved hanbin, but he didn't love you, you were just his charity case, someone he kept around to feel good, like he was doing some sort of good deed by dating you.

"you need to go".

hanbin smiles, a fake smile. you know this won't affect him, none of this matters in the end because the only person that suffers is you, hanbin is still going to have a girlfriend, his perfect life, and everybody loving him at the end.

tomorrow when you wake up, you'll still be the weird kid with no friends, that everyone ignores and purposefully avoids.

"alright then".

you close your eyes; and when you hear hanbin shut the door, you sink into the couch and sob. you hate that your crying, because you should feel proud of yourself after breaking up with him, he did nothing to deserve you, and you wish that you weren't crying over him.

he doesn't deserve your tears.

of course, in the back of your head, you had a feeling that his love for you was never true,

but it hurts so much more facing it.

[hx4x4enthusiast]

Fuck around & Find out

Words: 909

Knockout x gender-neutral reader

Warning: this is suggestive and has Dom/sub themes, read with discretion

Every creature is capable of change, that’s what Optimus always preaches and honestly yeah, I agree everyone deserves a second chance. But why for Gods, or Primus, or whoevers sake put a certain hella annoying ex-con, with a with a custom paint job into my life. Don’t get me wrong I am happy that he decided to join the Autobots, but I just want to know why he decided to annoy, out of everyone, specifically me.

“Oh, my dear little cherry, what crawled up your exhaust pipe and died, hmmm?” A suave voice sounded through the otherwise empty storage room, as the owner of the voice struts through the room like he owns the whole base.

By Primus how I hate that nickname. Ever Since Optimus decided that Knockout should learn more about humanity and take over certain responsibilities, he was assigned as my guardian and has taken to calling me “little cherry”. Which then infected nearly everyone else and now everyone except Optimus, Ultra Magnus and Ratchet refer to me by my nickname.

Taking a deep breath, I turn around to face Knockout putting on the biggest fake smile as I ask with the most sickening sweet tone I could. “You want to know something Knockout?”

“I know a lot of things dear; I could give you a list.” Knockout replies in his flirty undertone a smirk fixed on his facete, as he steps closer to my elevated resting place.

“You always bring me so much joy”, I make a pause to let him bathe in the praise and before he can speak up, no doubt to say something to feed his ego even more, I sweep in for the kill and continue, “as soon as you leave the room.”

For a moment he’s frozen, his smirk lacking his normal confidence, just as I was ready to celebrate this small victory, he catches himself again. “Oh, my such a rude thing to say to your guardian and dearest confidant.”

“Ugh you are the most annoying bot, con, being I have ever met,” I huff turning my face away from Knockout not wanting to have to look at his dumb angular face and shiny paint and small waist and deep red optics.

“It seems like someone has quite the mouth on them.” Knockout notes, advancing like a predator to his prey. Positing himself right in front of me and set his servo right behind me so he towers over me.  “You really ought to be taught a better way to utilize it.”

Startled trough the close proximity to him I look around for a way to escape, only to realize that Knockout despite his size, has effectively trapped me. Well shit.

“Aww what is wrong my little cherry, don’t tell me your nervous”, Knockout laughs at me, as he lowers himself “oh where did all your confidence go hmm? Was all it took just a little bit of teasing for your bite to turn tail?

“What no I am not nervous especially not because of an oversized sentient tin can with an ego that would make Cleopatra jealous”, I huff continuing to look everywhere but at the smug mech infront of me.

“My, my such a snarky attitude”, Knockout leaned incredibly close, his intake next to my ear as he whispers, voice dropping an octave lower,” you’re just begging for someone to put you in your place.

Stunned by the forwardness of Knockout all I manage is to look like a fish on land with the way I am gaping at him.

“What is this did I finally manage to shut the little brat up?” Knockout leaned back staring into my eyes challenging me to do anything in opposition, as he forces me with a firm grip to hold eye contact. “Are you going to be good now?”

“I I uhh”, I swallow the lump in my throat under the piercing stare of the ex-con. His optics two piercing rubies that have their attention solely on me, hiding a certain heat behind them.

A chuckle breaks the silence as Knockout regards me with a certain mirth. “Ah I never expected to have so much fun in teasing my little cherry, but your reactions are finer than the best high grade.” In his usual fashion he struts to the door before turning his head to me and with a smirk gives me one last piece of advice. “I held back today, dear”, his voice takes on a dangerous edge, one he used when he was still a Decepticon on the battlefield before he continues, “but if your ever think to turn into a brat again. I will have you on your knees begging for forgiveness. Is that clear little cherry?”

A mute nod is all I can manage, as an answer.

“Ahahah, words my little cherry,” the mech tuts in a disapproving manner.

“Ye-…Yes sir”, I quack out, instantly my hands fly to my mouth as I realize what I just called him. Dread spreads through my body as after a few seconds Knockout smirk gets even wider.

“Seems like the brat does now how to be respectful,” with that he steps through the door and lets it slide shut behind him.

Leaving me wallow in self pitty trying to wrap my head around what just happened. Though one thing was clear, do not fuck with Knockout or you find out what you may not be ready for.

[bridenore]

HD fic recs : mpreg!draco (part 1)

Here are a few recs involving mpreg!Draco. This is part one of two and focuses on shorter fics (up to 30k). Listed in alphabetical order, as always.

And Hope Says, Perhaps Today by @thisbloodycat [10k]

It’s for the best, Draco keeps telling himself—over and over like an endless mantra. But self-deception has never been that high on his list of coping techniques.

Azkaban Redemption by Sita_Z [15k]

Post-war Azkaban has no dementors, but Trainee Auror Potter still feels as if it is sucking out his soul. He would leave, if not for a certain inmate who clearly needs his help. Harry Potter is about to become obsessed with Draco Malfoy again.

The Baby by @kikibluemay [5k]

It was supposed to be an easy affair, devoid of complications. Then Draco got pregnant.

Close To Ever After by oldenuf2nb / @dianacopland [15k]

When Harry Potter finds he’s been cursed, he withdraws from the world and prepares to die. But when have things ever gone the way Harry Potter planned?

Coming to Terms by RurouniHime / @thegertie [16k]

Of all the lives in all the world, Harry had to own this one.

Dissonance by BummedOutWriter [17k]

Draco met Harry’s eyes directly, and spoke to him for the first time in eleven months, “Avada…”

 The rest was muffled in trauma as Harry felt a familiar warmth of magic, a flash of emerald light descending rapidly as he squeezed his eyes shut, and braced for—

Or: In which Draco becomes a death eater, has a daughter, and tries to forget about her.

Heal Me Slow (Love Me Fast) by crazyparakiss  [11k]

Being a father had never been in the cards.

Here Comes the Sun by ad_libitum [5k]

He’s touching me the way he did that morning, with a reverence I didn’t deserve then but now couldn’t be more fitting: this child we’ve made cradled within me and between us, flesh, blood, and bone spun from our deepest, most desperate desires.

Hold Close Your Heart and Take the Leap by  @dracogotgame [19k]

Draco knows he needs to tell Potter their lives are about to change forever. But ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’ are two very different things.

“I’d Rather Change Nappies Than Have My Cock Sucked” and Other Ravings of a Pregnant Wizard by Frayach [23k]

Like everything else between Harry and Draco, pregnancy and child rearing are fraught with drama

If Wishes Were Children by oldenuf2nb / @dianacopland [14k]

Harry Potter has tried to move on with his life after Draco Malfoy walked away from him months before with little or no explanation, but it’s been hard. Then, on a joyous day at the Burrow, Narcissa Malfoy makes an unexpected appearance…

If You Miss It, Try Again by dodgerkedavra [23k]

The healers promised Draco he wouldn’t get pregnant a second time.

They were wrong.

And this time, he’s pregnant with his best friend and roommate Harry Potter’s baby.

Nine months is all he has to figure it out.

In a party bathroom by KatieScarlet [16k]

He hadn’t even wanted to go to the ridiculous party, let alone planned on shagging Potter in a port-a-john while he was there. But he did, and oh, what fun the consequences it brought were…

Jolene by @romaine2424 [21k]

Harry comes back from a mandatory holiday and finds that an Auror raid on his favourite establishment could expose his biggest secret.   However, another has even more secrets than he does at stake.

Jolene Deux by @romaine2424 [5k]

Draco makes special plans after being told by his Healer that he’s fully recovered from being pregnant and having given birth to his and Harry’s daughter, Violet.  I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into Harry’s and Draco’s future life together.  The story begins immediately after where Jolene ended.

Jump Into the Fog by taradiane [9k]          

Draco returns to Hogwarts for his eighth year carrying a secret that will change not just his life, but Harry’s as well.

Never the Same Again by dragon_charmer / Frances Potter [22k]

The war is over … in fact it never really got started because the Dark Lord proved to be the more powerful. Now five years after Dumbledore’s death, Draco Malfoy has something else to worry about besides being a spy.

‘Ohana by plumeria47 [11k]

It started off so simple: sex whenever they wanted it, with no further expectations.  But life has a funny way of turning everything up on its head.

On Truth and Understanding by @iero0  [21k]

“I questioned it,” Draco says, factual as though to convince himself. “I questioned everything I’ve been taught as a child.”

“To what decision did you come then? Do you want children?” Harry asks.

“It’s sometimes hard to know,“ Draco replies oddly quickly, "what one really wants.”

–

Draco doesn’t know how to say certain things. Harry doesn’t know how to ask for them. On a sultry summer’s night, they finally talk about past wounds, current problems, and the future options that will change their lives forever.

One Day’s Difference by @melcalder [10k]

Draco’s sacrifices his god-given body and has (mostly) no regrets.

Take What’s Left of Me by Frayach [22k]

One day Draco just left without saying a word, leaving Harry reeling.   You’d think that after what Draco did, Harry could move on, but he can’t.  When Astoria miscarries and Draco comes to him pleading for a baby, Harry can’t say no.

Unbroken by taradiane [18k]

Memories make us who we are. What happens when they disappear?

Where You Belong by @coffeejunkii [11k]

“Harry Potter” and “impossible” cancel one another out.

you’re alive by KatieScarlet / @kat-the-wren [27k]

The most boring shift in the world, filled with Muggle car ride games to pass the time, was interrupted by a tow-head boy begging for help to save his papa and ultimately changed Harry’s life from there on out.   For the better, of course.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[sofasoap]

Am I full of sorrow, or filled with love.

Pairing: Simon “Ghost ” Riley x f!Reader ( OC aka Mini MacTavish )

Summary : Part II of " Love, Do not pass me by." Our emotionally constipated boy Simon is having a moment of self reflection. And realise the universe hates him.

Warning: Mature theme, swearing. Alcohol use ( be RESPONSIBLE drinker people.) Unplanned pregnancy ( safe sex pls!) . mention of abuse. Inaccurate medical facts etc.

Thank you to @saltofmercury ’s for lending me her character from “The Favorite MacTavish” , where the reader/OC is Soap’s little sister. PLEASE GO READ HER STORY first to make sense of this

“masterlist” for more stories to this Mini MacTavish expanded verse.

The tension within the task force 141 after the unexpected pregnancy news, to say, awkward was an understatement. Luckily, Soap and Ghost acted professional stay civil to each other during missions after a stern warning from Price, but off mission they stay far away from each other as they can.

Alejandro made the mistake of asking about the awkward tension once ( bless his poor soul, can't blame that man) and got death glare coming from both Ghost and Soap while Gaz was strongly hinting him to drop the subject.

Ghost stepped outside to have a moment to himself, away from the party noises which is happening back at Alejandro's base, celebrating another successful mission of reclaiming another town from the cartel.

Taking a drag from his cigarette, he thought back to the event from the last few months, leading right up to the event few weeks earlier on when you came to the base and drop the bombshell about the pregnancy.

First time you two met, he wondering what has he done to deserve this, he is pretty sure his enemies must have cursed him. Instead of cursing him to seven hell, they asked the universe to send him not one but TWO MacTavishes to be in his life and annoy the hell out of him.

He heard about you before, Soap couldn't shut up about his baby sister most time. My sister this, my sister that. She's the most precious thing in the world blah blah. Part of him was curious to meet you. Another part wondering you were just as annoying as his brother. You were.

You actually dare to challenge him to a drinking game. To be fair, a chance to shut Soap up for the entire night was the biggest factor that he accepted the challenge. and you NEARLY beat him. The cocky smile that you showed when you think you were on the cusp of victory, stirred part of his heart he never thought he had. He gets drawn to you, bit by bit with each of the meeting and interaction. The sibling bantering between you and Soap made him miss his brother Thomas. That normal family love that he only got to experience for a little while before the tragedy. He was slightly disappointed and got extremely jealous when he saw you flirting with König.

She's mine. Stay away from my woman. His heart screams.

 ” I am just as cuddly as König if you want to give it a try. And I will keep you nice and warm in the bed as well.“

"My offer still stands, if you are willing." He whispered after walking you back to the accommodation you staying for the weekend, visiting Soap at the barrack. Turning around ,the way you look at at him, confusion and also hint of lust and want just turned him on even more. Does he regret what happen that night? No and yes. No because he had been craving for that light, that little warmth that he has been searching for a long time. All the love and attention you were showing him. Not just some random flings and one night stands. He regrets it because he doesn't deserve any of this. Your gentleness, your laughter, the way you look at him.

The bombshell? His defence mechanism just kicked into gear. "And?" Nonono, don't say that. yes say it. Happiness isn't for you. “ I don’t care. Do whatever you want.” His heart flinches when he saw tears and anger in your eye. It's for the best. His brain tells him.

You will be just the same as your father. You will turn out to be exact same guy. Apple never falls far from the tree. You don't deserve her. Push her away. He can't subject the children to the same fate as him. .....wait.

All of a sudden he realised something.

"... Simon Riley, you are the father of the babies" Did you say BABIES? Are you expecting twins??? A dreaded feeling came to him.

Ding.

Price looking at his phone, email coming through from SAS UK, flagging needing urgent attention. Opening the email, all the smile drained from his face. Gaz noticed it first, bumping his shoulder, asking his Captain what the problem is. Price ignored him and stood up, walking up towards Soap instead who is having what seems to be a good time ( but Price can tell he isn't the usual happy rowdy Soap after a successful mission). "Soap." " Yes Captain? why all this seriousiness?" Soap raise his bottle of beer cheering his captain.

" Is your phone on at all?" Soap pulled out his phone from his side pocket, looked at it,frowning " Aw shites, think I broke it when the bloody asshite knocked me over earlier this morning. better get a new one issued once we get back to base." ".... Mini is in ICU. Your mother tried to contact you but the call couldn't get through, so SAS emailed me just now letting you know. We will get you back to London first flight tomorrow morning. They said there is a chance both her and the babies might not make it." The room just went silent. Ghost caught tail end of the conversation just as he came back into the building. He froze.

He knew it. Everytime he tries to grasp onto that little hope of light, or wanting to make a better man of himself, the universe has another plan for him. You don't deserve happiness We gonna take away everything you want. Make you suffer.

Now he is going to lose the only woman he might possibly dare to say to be the love of his life.

[chansaw]

ok. here it is. the longpost i've been too lazy to actually make until just now.

so, here's what happened. the google algorithm sometimes pushes links to articles it thinks you'll like on the mobile homepage. unfortunately, google knew enough about me to put this hellish article onto my screen:

read that headline. then read it again. really, really stare at it. stare into the abyss. eventually, it will stare back. it'll whisper in your ear: "the heathers reboot was good, actually."

i read the article, incredulous. but, to my surprise... the author had somewhat of a point? it's been five years since paramount unceremoniously aired the show in october of 2018 after its premiere was delayed at least twice due to mass shootings. then after another mass shooting occurred before the final two episodes of the ten-episode long season were supposed to air, paramount hastily aired a heavily edited ninth episode and scrapped the tenth entirely. as far as i can tell, the show is not available to be streamed freely on any streaming site (not even paramount's own paramount+), though you can rent or buy it from amazon prime. maybe the author was right. maybe it was time for a rewatch and reconsideration. i wouldn't even have to spend any money; i archived all ten episodes of the show onto one of my external hard drives back in 2018, so i plugged 'er in, drank a bit of fireball, and clicked play.

after episode five, i gave up. i couldn't stand it any longer. i slammed my laptop shut and went to bed.

needless to say, i have thoughts.

right off the bat, here's the biggest thing. i wish to god that someone other than the miserable pile of sweaty skin that calls himself jason micallef had been in charge of this show. it might not have saved it from its fate, but maybe it would have been at least watchable? a modicum more entertaining? when the show was originally announced, leslye headland (who would later go on to create russian doll) was attached as showrunner. later, it was announced that micallef would be showrunner instead, although headland directed the pilot and executive produced the series.

in my honest opinion, if leslye headland had remained in creative control, this would have been a much different - and, in my opinion, better - show.

i can't help but wonder how heathers (2018) would have turned out if she had stayed at the helm. would it have marred her career so badly that netflix would have never agreed to produce russian doll? would she still be notable enough to be given charge of the newest disney plus star wars show? perhaps her decision was for the best. perhaps she knew there was no saving this project, try as she might.

and people tried!!!! during my rewatch, i was enamored by the production design and slick lighting and cinematography. some of the costume design hasn't aged well, but when it hits, it hits. i have to give credit where it's due: it is a beautifully shot and designed piece of television.

if only its actors had given half as much of a shit.

grace victoria cox (veronica) and james scully (j.d.) both attempt to replicate their predecessors' cool sense of disillusion and disenchantment in their roles, but both just come off as totally and completely bored in every scene. j.d. is supposed to be darkly charismatic, but scully has the charm of a plank of rotting wood. they lack the spark of chemistry to get the audience to feel invested in their relationship. without convincing leads to anchor it, the show has to depend upon its titular heathers.

i am, of course, in no way biased at all, in any shape or form. just saying. but one thing the article gets right is that melanie field’s performance as one miss heather chandler shines. field is fucking brilliant and her screen presence is formidable. she makes the most of every line she's given, and is at turns, ruthless, hilarious, and even (gasp) sympathetic. i am so glad she’s been booked left and right in tv shows (such as amazon's a league of their own, a spin-off with much more respect for its source material) that showcase her immense talent since whatever the fuck happened here. but i'm not biased!!!

juan barquin, the author of this article argues that viewers and critics alike both misunderstood heathers (2018). micallef's brilliant satirical messaging flew right over our heads. it had a message, goddamnit, and the misinformed masses closed their eyes and ears because they didn't want to hear it. it almost reminds me of the starships troopers discourse that is currently enveloping the app formerly known as twitter. starship troopers was nearly universally panned upon its release but is now recognized as a prescient satirical romp that targets jingoism, nationalism, and the culture of forever wars. we didn't get it back in 1997, but we do now. unfortunately, this is not the case with paramount's heathers.

the main cause of all the brouhaha around heathers (2018)'s release, barquin says, is because of its "shameless criticism of American culture, the prioritization of guns as a faulty means of defense, and the educational system’s blatant ignorance around the actual needs of students." which, sort of? it is true that a rash of killings (such as parkland and the pittsburgh synagogue shootings) spurred paramount's decision to nuke the show from existence. the show does, in fact, directly address and involve such matters. unlike the movie, the show concludes with westerburg high blown to pieces and its students all dancing in a prom in heaven. which.... yeah. you can see why that wouldn't have played out well.

(it's worth noting that daniel waters, the screenwriter behind the REAL heathers, originally planned for the movie to end this way as well. but the suits at new world studios said that audiences wouldn't like it. reluctantly, he complied.)

and i do have to admit, there are moments of brilliance. westerburg's school shooting drills involve the drama teacher storming through the halls shooting students with silly string. if you "die", you get to go to "heaven" (a brightly lit room stocked with snacks). the survivors are ushered into the dark, cramped gymnasium and complain about how all the cool kids are in heaven now. teachers' desks are stocked with firearms, because as we all know, of course, the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a teacher with a gun. it's so absurd that it works.

but for the most part, the writing is sorely lacking. it seems like the folks in the writers' room spent hours sitting around the table trying to one-up each other with quippable quips, meme-able dialogue, and banter that matched the panache and dry wit of waters' screenplay. but what we got instead was "HAHHAHAHAH, QUEEF!" it's bad. it's so, so bad. the author's claim that “[t]he show rather impressively matches the film’s comic sensibilities with consistently funny episodes that are as pleasantly cruel as they are scathingly satirical” falls flat because, for the most part, the shows satire isn’t at all scathing or sharp.

there were so many moments of the show where i felt my whole body just light up with rage. it made me just so ANGRY because i could see shells and fragments of a better version of this show peeking through. instead, what we got is a show that made alt-right chuds say this:

i think the most offensive part of the whole article, though, is barquin's attempt to liken the show to bottoms. if anything, i'd argue that bottoms works better as a spiritual successor to heathers than the rebooted heathers itself! bottoms succeeds in every way that heathers (2018) fails: punchy and quotable dialogue, characters who manage to be both archetypal and multidimensional, all set in an exaggerated and heightened sense of reality that still feels lived in and real. most importantly, all of bottoms’ actors are firing on all cylinders; in heathers (2018), most of the leads are just there to get paid. i could go on, but that's a whole other post.

frankly, it's kind of incredible that paramount launched this show as the flagship of their new tv network alongside yellowstone (which is in its final season now with spinoffs on the way). they were really, really banking on this thing to have legs. but we live in a blessed timeline where this show is condemned to an eternity of oblivion. it's a bit of a pity, though, because... the writers envisioned some sort of american horror story-esque anthology setup and teased a “french revolution” second season at the end of the last episode. i kind of want to know where they were planning to go with that.

it could've been so very.

[scuderiacanucks]

fic writer interview! tagged by @bumblewyn @formulaocean and @sacharowan (SORRY i kept forgetting to do this the first two times)

How many works do you have on ao3? 42!

What’s your total word count? 217,747 and that's uh. about to jump again in a couple days. not sure where this sudden burst of creativity came from but i'm not complaining lol

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? The Idiot's Guide To Roommates (NCT/Kpop); Man's Second Best Friend (With Benefits) (F1); Always Bring A Banana To A Party (NCT); From the Top, Make it Drop (NCT); and How Not To Get a Boyfriend (NCT). you can notice a distinct theme in my fandoms lol

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? i ... try my best! i'd say i reply to most of them but there are definitely some i miss skdfjhskjdf

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? probably We Almost Nailed It (NCT) (i'm NOT recommending this one it's my first published work and i think it's. rough. but it is sad. tfw you have to kill your boyfriend for your job lol)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? that might be Golden Light (my beautiful transfem george i love you so so much)

Do you write crossovers? ummm im not anti-crossover but i think most of my crossover ideas never make it out of the docs. so yes? but not in a way that matters very much lol

Have you ever received hate on a fic? yeah lol

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? yes i do and id say its. sad? i don't think i'm capable of writing smut without putting Emotions and Angst in it usually. but i like it like that so its not a bad thing at all lol

Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that im aware of!

Have you ever had a fic translated? nope

Have you ever co-written a fic before? yes!!! this is where i plug my and @bumblewyn's charlando fic shut your mouth (give me your head) which is REALLY good if i do say so myself. it was such a blast writing it too!

What’s your all-time favourite ship? ... destiel. look. i'm not immune to angel of the lord raising the righteous man from hell, asking him why he doesn't think he deserves to be saved, and both of them then proceeding to save each other over and over. idk it just [shrimp emotions]

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? a naruto fic i got like 10k into and then suddenly stopped having the will to write. rest in peace sasunaru you will get your happy ending in some other universe but not that one

What are your writing strengths? i'd say characterisation for sure. i really enjoy getting to know a character and deciding what their voice will be in my head. i also think i'm not too bad at worldbuilding although i don't tend to spend a lot of time on it within fics

What are your writing weaknesses? endings ... i tremble at the thought of actually properly tying up a fic and settling everything down. also finding titles lol

What are your thoughts on dialogue in other languages in a fic? i don't do it and i don't like it (most of the time when it's in a language i know it just. doesn't work for me lol) (sometimes it can also be downright creepy due to cultural/linguistic differences) (PLEASE stop making max verstappen say schatje. thats gross)

What was the first fandom you wrote for? i used to hand-write self-insert little women fic when i was like eight. so probably that. i had thee biggest crush on jo lmao

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to? i haven't written geochalex. yet. but it's going to happen at some point. otherwise i'd say charles/lewis would be a really interesting ship too

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written? if i have to pick one above the rest ... yeah, probably make me taste alive. it's galex, in which alex is a vampire and george is entirely normal about it, of course.

thanks so much for tagging me! genuinely, i think all the authors i know on here have already been tagged, but if you haven't and you see this, please use it as an open tag if you want to do this.

[ecargmura]

The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons Episode 6 Review - Minato and Uta's Friendship

The two-parter comes to an end on a heartwarming note. Minato and Uta strengthen their friendship and it was the sweetest thing ever. These two do feel like they have a bromance despite them being boy and girl; that doesn’t stop bros from being bros, right? I was surprised with how mature Minato is despite him being the most spoiled and brattiest of his sweeter brothers.

Minato pretty much learns about the ups and downs of relationships. He learns that his relationship with Uta could change when he becomes an adult, and that confuses him a lot. Because he’s only twelve, complicated stuff like this is hard for him to process. All he wants is to have fun with his best friend and enjoy his life to the fullest. He’s not a perfect character and I love how realistic this is. A child his age shouldn’t be thinking so much about the complexities of life; he should just have fun and worry about those things as he grows up.

I know that Minato can be a brat and a bit spoiled at times, but I’m glad that he’s not completely insufferable. Sure, he’s the only extrovert out of his introverted brothers, but he can be sweet too. This episode shows how he has a good heart underneath his prickliness. Man, imagine a fictional 12-year-old being more respectful towards women than a lot of adult men in real life. I loved the part where Minato was frustrated with Uta getting upset over Morita’s words; he was clearly drinking his ‘respect women’ juice for he was giving Uta the biggest pep talk of her life. If a man doesn’t want Uta for who she is, then she shouldn’t deserve him. Minato was definitely brought up well if he has this mindset.

I have to say, the animation was amazing regarding the Minato and Uta scenes towards the end. With the way the wind blew on both characters and how beautiful the scenery looked, I was blown away. This anime’s animation was good like there was never any misses, but this was like a sudden budget-increase in quality and I liked it a lot.

On the topic of Morita, I don’t like that he already has a toxic mindset at 12-13 years of age already. I get that that he only likes Uta from her physical appearance, so I can’t really hate him for it. He’s just a kid, after all, but hopefully, this would be a lesson for him later on. I hope that he finds someone who can change him for the better. Though, I’m glad that Uta broke up with him quickly before it could spiral into something dangerous.

Though, if there is someone who was kind of annoying in this episode, it’d be Nikaidou. I don’t know what his deal is. Why is he complicating things? Dude, he was the cause of Minato’s confusion when he said that he cannot hang out with Uta now that she got a boyfriend. Kid, I know you have more experience when it comes to dating, but shut up! Seriously! It’s because of you that Minato got sick and started behaving unlike himself.

The other brothers don’t really play much of a big role here as it’s a Minato episode. I did like the cute little interaction between Hayato and Gakuto about where Mikoto and Minato could be. Gakuto behaving like an old man was hilarious and cute.

Anyways, I believe next week’s episode will be about how Uta and Minato met. I do want to know how it went down to the point that they became inseparable. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 22/04/2023 (Lewis Capaldi, David Kushner, Post Malone)

To my surprise, and seemingly everyone’s, Lewis Capaldi takes his third #1 of the album cycle with “Wish You the Best” thanks to CD sales, dethroning “Miracle” by just a couple thousand sales – hey, you can’t say it’s not an exciting chart this week... and it really is in some ways, so prepare for that. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

So, yeah, we had a bit of a shake-up this week, especially at the very top of the chart. Regardless, as always, we start with our notable drop-outs – songs exiting the UK Top 75, which is what I cover, after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40 – and whilst there many dropouts this week, not many are all that notable. My favourite may be that due to the three-song rule, wherein the UK Singles Chart allows for only three tracks by one lead artist (usually) on the chart at a given time, Lewis Capaldi’s “How I’m Feeling Now” – his best song – has dropped out of the chart entirely on what would have been its biggest sales week, which really does make me question why they don’t extend the limit to five – it’s very possible that a standard pop rollout ends up promoting four simultaneous singles, and as we see from these random dropouts, tends to happen. I think that a five-song limit would actually do its job at preventing album bombs for the most part, though big artists of course will still score five debuts in one week. Otherwise, we say farewell to “DOGTOOTH” by Tyler, the Creator, “River” by Miley Cyrus, “Red Ruby da Sleaze” by Nicki Minaj, “22” by JayO, “Shut Up My Mom’s Calling” by HOTEL UGLY and also due to the three-song rule but declining anyway, “Lavender Haze” by Taylor Swift. There’ll be on both Taylor and Nicki later on.

As for what filled up the space, well, we have two re-entries – one normal as “The Kind of Love We Make” by Luke Combs squats down at #75 and one irregular as “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals shoots back to #24 thanks to an ACR reset and what purpose do we have on Earth other than to suffer? Outside of... that, we do have a small batch of gains: “Flip a Switch.” by RAYE at #48 (expect this to go even further), “Snooze” by SZA at #39, “Never Felt So Alone” by Labrinth making the top 40 at #33 (that’s awesome), “Peaches” by Jack Black at #28 (that’s... something) and “Cupid” by FIFTY FIFTY at #26.

Our top five starts relatively normal with “Eyes Closed” by Ed Sheeran at #5 and “People” by Libianca at #4 but then we have David Kushner of all people debut at #3 with “Daylight” before of course, “Miracle” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding dethroned at #2 by Capaldi’s “Wish You the Best” at #1. We’ll talk more about those two songs afterwards, but for now, I’ll say that I honestly have more expectations for longevity with Kushner than Capaldi. Before we even think about those songs anymore, however, we have our list of new entries to work through.

NEW ARRIVALS

#74 – “live more & love more” – Cat Burns

Produced by Jordan Riley and Stuart Price

It seems like Cat Burns is finally revving up for that second single after “go” was a massive hit last year, and since singer-songwriter types tend to be slow burns – no pun intended – it’s no surprise that this has debuted pretty low, but does it deserve to get higher? Well, it’s inoffensive, but almost offensively so, with writing that feels so basic it’s practically patronising. It’s a self-empowerment anthem with plucky guitars that sound really cheap over some of the grossest percussion I’ve heard in pop, as a really sandy, non-existent snare is for whatever reason amplified in the mix so heavily that it is actively distracting from the otherwise muddy, compressed ocean of a mix. I can get behind the sentiment of spending more of your time loving and following your dreams but if she’s having to point out the cliché in the bridge, maybe she shouldn’t have released the bloody song. Also, “your life can start when you choose it to” is a lie, just flagrantly – the attitude in the song paints with such a broad brush that it seems like Cat Burns wants to ignore all external factors that would potentially hinder someone’s life. There’s zero nuance to this and whilst that may work on the radio, it makes for an unflattering second single that honestly kind of puts me off Cat Burns, who I thought was otherwise promising. This is just toothless garbage.

#71 – “Maria Maria” – TECH IT DEEP

Produced by TECH IT DEEP

So, this is a bit of a bizarre one. TECH IT DEEP is the pseudonym of Essam, a Dutch festival promoter and I guess DJ, though this is to date his only song on streaming services. It’s also a remake of the classic Santana track of the same name featuring The Product G&B, mostly known for its iconic guitar solo, which originally peaked at #6 in 2000. I question why then that the guitar solo, the most widely known part of the song, mentioned by the lyrics themselves, and heavily sampled later on in DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts”, is simply not included here. Sure, there are other important parts of “Maria Maria”: The Product G&B have nasal voices yet the melodies in even the verses are immediately recognisable and they play off the Latin guitar incredibly well. The groove synced up with the clap is a slick rhythm, and of course, the guys actively shout out the guitar played by Carlos Santana before that solo which acts as the refrain. It’s also a kind of bizarrely-structured song, with the chorus being incredibly long, the bridges being out of rhythmic mantras and... Wyclef Jean being there for some reason. It’s not as good as “Smooth”, sure, but what is? This remix by TECH IT DEEP has literally none of that, and I’d usually appreciate something that has the gall to completely recreate a song from scratch, but it immediately starts with the slap house groove coated in echoed, processed vocals that again, actively shout out the guitar played by Carlos Santana... which doesn’t play, there’s no remnant of it. There is a Latin guitar riff but it’s clearly not Santana, and once it gets to the build-up, it occurs to me that... “Maria Maria” could have easily been a dance song. Its original groove was inspired by a Wu-Tang Clan beat, its bridge has that rhythmic vocal line that is essentially already percussion, and the guitar solo acts much like the main lead in an EDM drop. Why TECH IT DEEP decided to move the song around like they did is beyond me – it feels kind of arbitrary and random where each verse or refrain ends up which, to be fair, is the case with the original song, but the original also had that one thing driving it all: the solo, and the bass drop in this version is not nearly climactic enough to replace it. What a butchering of something that could have been a cool idea.

#68 – “Karma” – Taylor Swift

Produced by Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift, Keanu Beats and Jahaan Sweet

I think we’re going to get a new fan favourite off of Midnights hit the chart ever so often depending on the success of the Eras Tour as we kind of have intermittently, but “Karma” may be the most bizarre choice yet... mostly because it sucks. I don’t mind Antonoff’s buzzy synths here, giving off a lot of chillwave vibes, but the drums do them no justice and Taylor absolutely doesn’t, with a combination of some of her most heavy-handed delivery and awkward lyricism ever. Midnights is full of moments just like “Karma”, but this song in particular doesn’t do anything new in presenting itself as anything other than annoying and unlikeable. The harmonies are alright, but they contribute to the childlike, sing-songy nature of that embarrassing chorus – I mean, “flexing like a Goddamn acrobat”? Seriously? Taylor portrays karma as her companion and she has said that it is the most important life lesson to be learned, but it also makes her blissfully ignorant if she’s going to make poetic leaps in the verses and basic analogies in the chorus over chintzy synthpop. It doesn’t make her sound like a badass or a cheeky karma fairy going around stealing teeth, it just makes her sound aggravating. I’m not completely against songs from Midnights still picking up traction, but I much would have preferred, say, “Midnight Rain” or “Vigilante” over this nuisance and tonal clash of a song.

#60 – “Try Me” – Jorja Smith

Produced by SANDAME

R&B singer Jorja Smith is back with a new single after what honestly feels kind of like forever – she’s been only intermittently releasing singles, mostly collaborations, since 2021 and this potentially could be the lead single for that sophomore album, finally, and it would be an interesting one, given how percussive it is with the rumbling drums and jingling percussion that starts off the track before moving into a fluid groove with some incredible bass guitar and background shrieks that further the intensity of this song, which transitions into the chorus through a bloody gun sound effect – that’s how confrontational it is. To be honest, I don’t fully think that Jorja adds much to the song – I love the backing vocals and the mantra of “change” and it makes perfect sense for her vocals to be so heavy in the mix, but the chorus melody isn’t all that flattering and she kind of gives up on her most fittingly percussive flow in the second verse. The lyrics also feel incredibly vague, which takes me out of really understanding why the song is so confrontational. The outro is gorgeous, with Jorja merging her belting with a falsetto over string stabs and backing vocal riffs that merge into the melting pianos as her mantra continues to cascade over an increasingly incoherent, paranoid instrumental. The atmosphere is immaculate but I don’t think as a full song that the delivery and lyricism lives up to SANDAME’s top-notch production. It’s still good, but this could have transcendent.

#59 – “J’adore” – Strandz

Produced by Strandz and Henry Pritchard

Strandz is back with his follow-up to the breakout “Us Against the World” and it elevates a trend that I’ve found kind of fascinating: UK rappers going back to the 2000s G-Unit sound with their production. In this one in particular, Strandz straight-up sounds like 50 Cent occasionally which is partly impressive considering the difference in accent. The sparkling flutes in the sample are drowned out and chopped up in a pretty great, hard-hitting beat that is stiff in the best way, yet with a better, more technical rapper it would definitely feel more worthwhile, as Strandz murmurs his way through rapping about his love for his girlfriend – mostly because she wants to learn about economics, apparently. I don’t know, it’s a bit of an awkward one – the great beat, which Strandz produced himself, doesn’t mesh all too well with his delivery but not awfully either. The chorus is a pretty cool idea, having the female vocal come in, but she just reinforces Strandz’s lines and it’s still mind-numbingly repetitive and basic, which is particularly annoying for a song that is still under two minutes. Much like “Us Against the World”, I feel like there are vaguely good ideas that go to waste not because of lack of talent but just lack of people helping him fully formulate these tracks. I will always root for independent artists, but a second co-producer or feature, preferably a woman to give extra balance and depth to the track, would really help out for now until he can refine his sound even further with this 2000s throwback style, which I will say is pretty unique. You know what isn’t?

#46 – “Waffle House” – Jonas Brothers

Produced by Jon Bellion, Pete Nappi, Tenroc, Ido Zmishlany and Daniel Tashian

Waffle House, Inc. is an American restaurant chain with over 1,900 locations in 25 states in the United States. Most of the locations are in the South, where the chain is a regional cultural icon. Waffle House is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The first Waffle House opened on Labour Day weekend in 1955 at 2719 East College Avenue in Avondale Estates, Georgia. That restaurant was conceived and founded by Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner. Rogers started in the restaurant business as a short-order cook in 1947 at the Toddle House in New Haven, Connecticut. By 1949, he became a regional manager with the now-defunct Memphis-based Toddle House chain, then he moved to Atlanta. He met Tom Forkner while buying a house from him in Avondale Estates. Rogers's concept was to combine the speed of fast food with table service with around-the-clock availability. Forkner suggested naming the restaurant "Waffle House", as waffles were the most profitable item on the 16-item menu. On 17th September, 2019, customers who ate at a Waffle House in Goose Creek, South Carolina, were exposed to hepatitis. I shall provide no further comment.

#22 – “Princess Diana” – Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj

Produced by RIOTUSA

Ice Spice has given someone the remix treatment and now is granted it by the Queen of Rap herself who has massively cosigned and well, literally signed, Ice Spice as the newest up-and-comer when it comes to female rappers. I get why they chose “Princess Diana” – it doesn’t have an expensive sample to clear, but it still has a recognisable, basic guitar line and more resembles average trap in its groove than New York drill. It also completely blows as a solo song, with Ice’s flow never changing and the rhyme scheme staying consistently uninteresting and basic, though she – in the chorus – decides to pronounce similar sounds in very, very slightly alternating ways, which flips the rhyme scheme on its head a bit in a really awkward way when she could have just made them all rhyme. It sounds like a nitpick, and it is, but it also really throws me off – and probably only me – every time. There’s nothing of interest in her flexing and she sounds practically dead rapping it. The beat is perfectly fine, though, so with less Ice Spice and more Nicki, this could be alright and well, yeah, it is: the version in the video and the most-streamed version is a bit weaker in my opinion when compared to the extended version, simply because it makes the song feel more complete with a third verse from Nicki... and well, what do you know? You add a great rapper on a bad song and even through her opening ad-libs, I’m more convinced. She adds a lot of energy and her verses as always are full of charisma. Her first verse – and only verse on the original – is bonkers, starting with a brief spoken interlude, “grah” ad-libs that clip in the mix, counting in Spanish, and finally she starts rapping and comparing herself to Popeye... before switching the flow to compare herself to “the gamers”. She continues to change her flow and rhyme scheme effortlessly and constantly, but she keeps to the second for long enough for the verse to feel like it has focus, and it seems like a little detail but the “grah” ad-lib helps it feel cohesive. I’m not the biggest fan of Nicki but once she brings out the British accent, it’s just over for anyone else on the song – she probably should have had this beat and chorus to begin with because she completely takes over the song. Some people may want the two to trade bars but whilst even Nicki’s verses are mostly empty flexing, I think having the two compare bar for bar will show the drastic disparity in personality, lyrical dexterity and general skill, so having Ice work as a build-up for the Nicki verse is definitely a better way of going about it, and honestly completely changes my opinion on the song. Again, not a big fan of Nicki by any means but she has a certain presence about her that bulldozes a lot of the competition, male or female, and I’m glad she finally brought her A-game again to this. “Red Ruby da Sleaze” had even better versions but an awful chorus, so I’ll settle for slightly worse verses and a catchy if mind-numbing chorus that actually fits the instrumental. When’s that next album coming though, Ms. Minaj? Hopefully in the next decade. Now for someone who I think we’ll be treated to an album from very soon...

#11 – “Chemical” – Post Malone

Produced by Post Malone, Louis Bell and watt

This is technically a single from a greatest hits compilation, but given the under-performance and transitional nature of his last record, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a sort of damage-control follow-up, and this is a pretty safe example of what that could sound like. Honestly, the guitars sound like complete ass, but they essentially fade into the monogenre, reverb-drenched production which gives Post free reign to warble, even if he feels like he’s slightly straining here. The drums are typical “indie” fluff and nothing feels substantial as he once again balances his drug addiction with his relationships, making some vague parallels that have been done a lot of times before. This would be a perfectly serviceable song if the percussion wasn’t so pattering and kind of irritating, or if the guitars had any more rock grit to them than they do (current amount: none). There’s not even a bridge here, just a vague inflation of tensions with keys and Post repeating himself. It’s honestly kind of a sad and pathetic retread that back-tracks a lot of the progress he made on his previous album, which isn’t even one I particularly liked. ‘Tis a shame.

#3 – “Daylight” – David Kushner

Produced by Rob Kirwan

David Kushner, whose debut EP only charted in Lithuania and was an opening act for LAUV, which is perhaps the most embarrassing and degrading position in the pop music industry possible, could have been #1 this week. He definitely had the streams, yet was just a bit far from “Miracle”... and then the CD sales came for Capaldi and his chances – for now – were blown away... but this particular song is still yet to slow down all that much. You may remember his random 2022 hit “Miserable Man”, which peaked at #39 and was aptly miserable. Apparently he had another top 75 hit in the UK, which means I must have reviewed it... but its name is, I’m not joking, “Mr. Forgettable”. What perfect coincidence that is. Okay, let’s calm down on the jabs and give the song a chance – after all, people must have seen something in this to get an otherwise unknown to #3 – and I kind of get it. The chair rocking and squeaking over the pianos is a nice ambiance touch, and Kushner has a uniquely deeper voice compared to some other singer-songwriters... but then I realised that this was basically a Hozier song. He sounds like Hozier, he has the same distorted harmonies and backing falsettos that mix with a deep croon. He has a tendency for Biblical imagery too, and integrates some electric guitar, even if it all ends up being just part of another monogenre ballad that doesn’t have an effective climax, partly because it’s about... nothing? The lyrics demonstrate a paradoxical desire... what one? I don’t know, I don’t think it matters, but the problem here is that he expects me to care about a song that is explicitly about vague ideas rather than any constructed narrative like Hozier would have done, but it’s basically an “in the style of Hoizer” prompt, so I’m forced to question where the narrative is and sure, if he wants to do a song about vague concepts, feel free to, I like abstract lyrics when done well...  but he doesn’t say anything that provokes much nuance or interest, and his unchanging vocal delivery doesn’t do a pretty boring song any favours, especially once we get to that muddy faux-climax that is just melodramatic, echo-drenched Hell. In a world where Hozier literally just released an EP with a good lead single, I don’t understand why the public are craving for this disposable derivative.

#1 – “Wish You the Best” – Lewis Capaldi

Produced by Lewis Capaldi and TMS

Well, Capaldi really impressed me with “How I’m Feeling Now” so maybe this newest #1 showcases some more of those signs of improvement... and yeah, it kind of does, but it transposes them within the “Someone You Loved” mould, as it’s a dire piano-based post-breakup track where he struggles to accept the relationship is over. He’s particularly manipulative and guilt-tripping in this one, which really hits a sour note considering how seriously I’m supposed to take this, but it’s not nearly as bad as his earlier tracks. He underplays the verses, has some genuine lyrical detail in them as well, whilst playing to some of the frailer emo-esque touches in his voice during the breaking falsetto in the pre-chorus and rough belting in the chorus. These are good elements, but I don’t think they fit within the more typical, expected Capaldi track – the man needs to use more guitars is what I’m saying, essentially, and allow for rougher production so he doesn’t need to iron out his rougher voice. You can at least tell that Capaldi cared about the writing, considering how the chorus changes in its final iteration that better fits the new tone, and I kind of like the subtly distorted strain he puts on in order to reach the song’s climax... but still, it just feels a bit watered-down and awkward. It’s a transitional-sounding song for Capaldi, I think, but it is a shame that he may have to continue making renditions of “Someone You Loved” to get #1s when I know he can do better.

Conclusion

That really wasn’t a great week, huh? I didn’t find much to care about and at worst, the songs felt like they have this weird, commercial distaste for their own audience, with all of the bad songs here and Hell, even some of the more okay and decent ones, presenting a version of the artist or song with much less potential than they actually have, which is a really sad trend honestly. Regardless, the Best of the Week goes to Jorja Smith, I suppose, for “Try Me” but it’s mostly for the production, with the Honourable Mention going to, let’s be honest, Nicki Minaj for injecting some life into “Princess Diana” by Ice Spice. I think I’m going to give Worst of the Week to Cat Burns for “live more & love more”, mostly because of its gross lack of awareness, with the Dishonourable Mention being a bit tougher. I think I’m going to tie it between “Chemical” by Post Malone and “Maria Maria” by TECH IT DEEP because they share this irking distaste or disrespect for the audience’s expectations that makes the artists and/or song seem disappointed and unsatisfied with their own work. Oh, and Waffle House of the Week goes to “Waffle House” by the Waffle House Brothers. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next week!

[adamsart]

As long as I was at the house he never I was drinking or smoking weed or hanging with girls then it was ok with Mel. I went from strait Fs in Utah and most people giving me a maximum of five years left to live to being an honor roll student and I wouldn’t say popular but I actually had friends and no one hating on me. I settled in for high school and graduated early with a full ride scholarship to a good tech university with a full time job in my spare time being paid top dollar. After not being home to Utah for 3 years I had forgotten how horrible it really was and after gaving an argument with my uncle because he broke my weed pipes after I had smoked with my other aunt KB. LB instantly got paranoid and thought I was going to sell her out or something so she beat me to the punch I guess and she went to my house found my pipes and made up all sorts of lies about me and was trying to get me in trouble for smoking weed of course she refused to admit she had smoked with me the day before. So I’ll show everyone I’ll just turn down the biggest opportunities of my life and go back home to Utah where I’m really from. Dumb Dumb Dumb. Got arrested before my 19th birthday and was back on paper less than a year after finally expirating my juvenile probation. This is when I met my ex wife. Christine weaver I was attracted because she was the only girl I knew that had her shit together had her own job her own car her own money. I met her selling weed she was my best girlfriends friend from cali. Her boyfriend apparently was a girl beater and I stepped in when he was in Utah and tried to pull some shit where I was at. Maybe he could get away with that shit in cali but he wasn’t in Cali so I helped him with a little attitude adjustment and after he went home I took over as Christine’s man. The next 10 years was my married years. Christine and I moved in together after knowing each other a month. I pretty much moved into her parents basement for a short period it was like a year. I was working as a CNA/MedTech at an assisted living center down the street. I loved my job but hated the dehumanization of people and the coldness that was being shoveled to CNAs. Don’t get close with your residents because thier on their way out of this world so save yourself the pain of getting to know and love these people. I honestly still am disgusted with the way people treat each other but definitely couldn’t understand how they were actually teaching people to detach and dehumanize the elderly. Just went against everything I had ever been taught by my RN mother or Walter my streetdad who both taught me that the elderly deserve respect and to be listened to because of their wisdom. I wish I would have listened more. After finding out that a 50 year old resident I loved died and wasn’t even found for two days after having a seizure and cracking her head on a corner in the bathroom. She was an hourly check which means whomever was working had to check on her every hour because she had seizures. Two fucking days. Crazy after that I found out the other med tech was keeping everyone’s pain pills and swapping them for Tylenol. When I confronted the building manager about it he pretty much called the other med tech in and then told me to keep my mouth shut and that it wasn’t going to happen again while at the same time leaving this girl on the med cart. After the building manager I went to the head nurse and then found out that when she was supposed to be destroying outdated pills with another witness her and this other medtech would just split the pills and sign them out like they had been destroyed which I didn’t care about but once again I was told to keep my mouth shut. That was it for me My friends brother offered me a job as an electrician apprentice so I went to work in construction after making tit threw the first week I learned fast and had my own crew wireing houses after a little over a year. I was making good money so Christine and I purchased our first house. 628 n Monroe blvd in Ogden. Paid 76,000$ for it then sold 1 year later for 106,000

[takecareluv]

okay...so i have an idea for the photobooth piece...

imagine the reader and vinnie have been married for a long time - they have children and grandchildren, and are still in love with each other as if it is the first times they are dating.

one day, their grandchildren are having a sleepover at their house and the older grandchild finds these old family photo albums in a closet. inside the album are strips of the photos from the photobooth and the grandchildren are in awe of seeing their grandparents so young and beautiful/handsome and in love. they ask the reader and vinnie to tell the story of that day, which brings us to the past and we read about the day when vinnie and reader find the photobooth on the street and take photos in it.

since the photos are in that vintage, not-exactly-black but black & white colour, i thought it would be fitting to have a nostalgic and romantic feel to the piece as well <3

a.n. thank you, thank you, thank you livie for this incredible idea !!! that beautiful mind of yours is always cooking up the best ideas <3 i hope that i did this justice and you, along with everyone else reading, enjoy what i came up with. also everyone reading this, go give livie some love because she is amazing, and also just so happened to put out a new fic for the first time in a while and you all need to go read it immediately if you haven't already !!! it is one of the most beautiful things i have read and she deserves a lot of love on it so go give her some right now 😠 also credit to @beauperalta for the header image i used below !!!

a picture is worth a thousand words || v.h.

it had been many years since you were once that young and in love kid living in the city of angels, pursuing your dreams.

you and your husband of forty years were currently settled in a little cottage on the outskirts of seattle, washington. a home the perfect size for just the two of you, along with enough play space in the back for your adventurous grandchildren to run around in.

life was perfect. well, if there ever was such thing as perfect, this was as close to as you were getting.

you were just as in love with vinnie as the day you had met him all those years ago at the mere age of eighteen. and that love only expanded as he gave you your very own family, three lovely children, who weren’t quite children anymore. in fact they had a few of their own.

your once little family had grown larger than you ever expected, and with that, your heart as well.

it was the night of your grandparent and grandkids sleepover you held at the house at least once a month. you loved your family dearly and wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, giving your grandchildren the best childhood they could ask for, just as you did with their parents.

the kids would be arriving any minute, although knowing your daughter they would most likely be running late.

✧ ⋆ ࣪.* ࣪ ♡ ࣪.* ࣪ ⋆ ✧

you were setting out some extra blankets and pillows, having just finished renting the newest pixar movie you knew the kids had been aching to see, when the doorbell rang.

“they’re here!” you squealed, running over to the entry way to let them in, never once not as excited to see your babies like the day they were each born.

“careful, darling. don’t want to break a hip.” vinnie teased from where he was lounging on the lazyboy all morning.

“oh shut it. these hips work just as good as they used to and you for one should know that.” you cheekily smirked back at him before throwing the front door open with the biggest smile on your face. “hello, my loves. come in, come in!” you announced, giving each and every one of them a big squeeze as they walked through the doorway.

after everyone was settled in and the kids said their goodbyes, which was always a bit harder on the little one, you brought out some coloring pages so they could draw and “surprise mommy with beautiful pictures when she picks you up tomorrow”, which caused your youngest grandchild to perk right up.

while she was at the table, focusing all her attention on making a masterpiece for her mother, the rest of the kids were rummaging through the closet to pull out some games to play.

reaching for a game board tucked away on the top shelf, your grandson lost his balance, knocking over a box full of photo albums, hundreds of pictures spilling out as it hit the ground.

one photo in particular caught your granddaughter’s eye as she leaned over to pick it up. she had seen many photos of you from your younger years, but had never seen you look so happy as you did in these four little images.

she walked over to where you and vinnie were sat with her younger sister, wanting to ask the story behind her new favorite photo of you.

“whatcha got here?” you asked as you saw her approaching with something that definitely did not look anything like a board game in her hands.

“i found these old pictures of you guys in the closet,” she explained while handing it to you.

you smiled once you caught a glimpse at the photos she was talking about. you almost teared up at the sight, having not seen these photos in a long time. the fond memories of that night, and others like it, flooding your mind in an instant. those really were your happiest days.

when the youngest saw you all awing over something, she began to feel left out and quickly moved out of vinnie’s lap to see what all the fuss was about. “grandpa that you?” she asked, pointing to the much younger vinnie in the photo.

“yeah, bub, many years ago.”

“so pretty! you and grammy,” she giggled before crawling back into his lap and picking up her crayons to color again.

“she’s right. grandma, you were so beautiful.” your eldest granddaughter complimented, still staring at the photos in awe of your beauty, now knowing exactly where her mother got it from.

“wasn’t she? the most beautiful girl i’d ever seen, still is.” vinnie beamed, looking at you with the same amount of love in his eyes as the very day those photos were taken.

“how old were you?” your granddaughter questioned, pulling you out of a daydream, it was always so easy for you to get lost in vinnie’s eyes for a moment.

“we were both freshly twenty at the time…”

✧ ⋆ ࣪.* ࣪ ♡ ࣪.* ࣪ ⋆ ✧

it was hot august night, too hot in your opinion. you didn’t know how vinnie could bear wearing a leather jacket in this heat. although when you questioned him on it, he claimed “you just don’t understand fashion.” whatever that meant.

you had just left the birthday party of some tiktoker you didn’t even know the last name of but vinnie apparently had to make an appearance at.

after an hour of pushing through an endless amount of drunk, sweaty kids just to find a single familiar face, which was a failure by the way, you and vinnie decided to get out of there and have your own fun. which ultimately meant going to the rundown arcade around the block.

you spent the rest of the evening there competing against each other in ski ball, air hockey and every other game they had. not without taking a snack break to slurp down a cookies and crème milkshake along with the biggest basket of cheesy fries you’d ever seen, it was heavenly.

by the time you had made your way through almost every game there, to which vinnie cheated and won most, you were the only two left. you were having so much fun to even realize three hours had gone by and the only other person there was a worker begrudgingly sweeping the place up and yelling at you both to get out.

you quickly listened, grabbing ahold of vinnie’s hand and shuffling out of the arcade before you had to deal with the wrath of the old man and his broom. something you knew was probably best not to mess with.

on the walk back to vinnie’s car, you stumbled upon an old photo booth. you honestly weren’t too sure the thing would still work, but when vinnie entered a couple quarters, the machine began to light up, much to your surprise. vinnie promptly took your hand, pulling you inside the booth before sitting you on his lap.

you had thirty seconds before the first photo was taken and you were a giggling mess trying to come up with a pose. at the very last second, you placed your hand on vinnie’s cheek, quickly bringing him into a kiss until you heard the click of the camera.

you were too caught up in your own world after the kiss, you didn’t have time to pose, and the next picture captured you and vinnie basically staring into each other’s soul with so much adoration in your eyes, oblivious to everything going on around you.

you start giggling even more once you realized you missed the second photo and before you knew it, the third was being taken, showing you and vinnie with the biggest smiles on your face in a fit of laughter.

“okay, serious time.” you said to him, but mainly for yourself as you couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped you. “we gotta make the last one count.”

and with that, you wrapped both your arms around vinnie’s neck, pressing your cheek to his as you smiled at the camera. there was still time left so vinnie swiftly turned, giving your cheek a quick peck that the camera caught at the perfect moment.

once the last photo was snapped, you faced vinnie, your soft lips practically touching from how close you were. you leaned in, closing the small gap between you. vinnie deepened the kiss as you ran your fingers through his hair, playing with those curls you loved so much.

you moved in sync, as you always do, for a few minutes before pulling away to catch your breath. a smile spreading across your face as you did. “i love you,” you whispered in his ear.

“not as much as i love you,” he cooed back, placing one last kiss on your lips for good luck.

you snatched the copies of the pictures on the way out, handing one to vinnie which he immediately placed in his wallet for safe keeping.

you, however, held yours close until you made it home. running up the stairs and straight to the desk in the corner of your bedroom, you pulled out a sharpie, writing the date and a little message on the back before sticking it in a box of more photos and knickknacks from throughout your relationship that you only hoped to add on to.

✧ ⋆ ࣪.* ࣪ ♡ ࣪.* ࣪ ⋆ ✧

now here you were, all these years later, holding the very same photo in your hands. turning it over, you grinned at the words scribbled on the paper.

8/22/22

my love for you is forever, sweet vinnie <3

and that it always will be, you thought.

a.n. hey god. it’s me again. when is it my turn ??? 😭