#i've been to vegas though it all makes sense from what i've seen

[t00thpasteface]

the king is still so funny to me conceptually. the npc ever. what if the gang that had the biggest influence over the lawless part of post apocalyptic las vegas was all elvis themed. what if the gang's leader was a benevolent anarchist who got elevated to unrivalled gang leader status just because people like him so darn much. and what if he had no idea who elvis was and considered his dead-ringer impersonation schtick to be a religious thing

[kiss-inthekitchen]

same sky | spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x reader

a late night phone call with Spencer. unruly amounts of fluff. no gender identifiers in this one. apologies to residents of las vegas, i did insult your city's aesthetics. i had to do it. for the plot

word count: 2k

notes: this is a rework of a very old fic i used to have up on ao3 by the same name. it's the second in a series of fics i've updated from my vault of oldies :) this one's for the girlies who liked the banter in no vacancy <3 oops! all banter

“I miss you,” you say into your cell phone, standing on the back porch and gazing out at the sky. It’s late, but you can’t sleep. Spencer has been gone on a case for the better part of a week, and you don’t sleep as well without him. 

“I miss you, too. But I’ll be home soon,” Spencer replies, keeping his voice low.  

“Is everyone else asleep?”

“Yeah. It’s been a long day.”

“Where are you right now?” Even though you aren’t in danger of waking anyone up, you find yourself mirroring Spencer's tone. 

“Best guess, somewhere over New Mexico.” They’ve been in the air about an hour, and given their trajectory, he’s pretty sure he’s right. Spencer is seated at the edge of the couch, his back against the arm of it and a blanket thrown over his legs, barely covering his mismatching-socked feet. 

“How come you’re still up?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” he says. Somehow, he can feel you smiling across the line. It makes him smile, too. He doesn’t ask why you’re awake when it’s even later where you are; he knows already. "What are you doing?”

“Looking up at the stars.”

“You know, you won’t be able to see me up here.”

“Ha ha.”

“Here, I’ll open the shade on the plane window. At least we can share the same view.”

“Hm. Almost like we’re together,” you hum. 

His heart aches. It’s only been a few days and he still can’t stand it. “Almost.”

For a minute, neither of you speak, looking out at the sky from two different time zones.

“When I wake up tomorrow morning, you’ll be here, right?” 

“Mmhm. Maybe even before that,” he responds, a low, soothing hum in your ear.

“Should I stay up until you get here?” you already know what he'll say, but you kinda like the idea of it anyway.

“No, no, it’s at least another four hours. Don’t worry about it. When you wake up, I’ll be there.”

“Sounds good. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

You’d intended to let him go after just a quick call once you realized that the rest of the team were resting not too far from him, but you don’t want to hang up. He doesn’t make any moves to do so either, wanting to hear your voice as much as you want to hear his. “So, how was Tucson?”

“Oh, you know. Hot. Desert-y. Lots of murder.”

“Less murder now.” 

“Yeah.” 

His voice sounds strained. He doesn’t like indulging in a sense of accomplishment after closing a case, doesn’t ever feel like he’s done enough. He shows up too late and does too little, and then he gets to leave while the families of the victims have to pick up the pieces. You understand why he doesn’t like to think about the work that way, but you’ve tried to remind him that the good he does is incalculable; how many lives saved, how many tragedies avoided. It’s all you can do. 

You pivot a little, not wanting him to get too caught up. “I remember, when I first moved to Virginia, I was so shocked at how green everything was. I swore I’d never seen that much green in my life.”

“I had a similar experience,” he says, fondly, aware of your tactics. 

“Oh, I can only imagine. I’ve been to Vegas. It’s icky.”

“Icky?” he asks, laughing at your word choice. 

“I mean, no offense, but… it’s kinda ugly.”

“Wow, okay, insult my hometown, why don’t you.”

You laugh. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’re right.”

“I know,” you sigh. “Always am.”

“Well, statistically, you actually have a seventy-two percent chance of being right, which is still impressive, but hardly a flawless track record.”

“Spencer Reid coming in hot with the stats. I love when you talk numbers to me.” 

“I don’t think we’d have gotten very far if you didn’t.” 

“But I think I should be right more often than that.” 

“Are you asking me to fudge the numbers?” he asks with put-upon shock. 

“I’m just saying, maybe you’ve got it wrong.” 

“Oh, so you dare to challenge the accuracy of my eidetic memory? Or is it the statistics that you think I’ve calculated incorrectly?” 

“This is affecting my score, isn’t it?” 

“I’ll have to factor it in. You understand.” 

You giggle, and Spencer starts to feel some warmth come back into him after too many days of stress, doubt, and destruction. He hadn’t been able to talk to you nearly as much as he wanted. And it was hard to talk to you on certain cases, to allow you to make him feel lighter when reality was so dark. When he felt so much weight on his shoulders, when he should be focusing on the profile and apprehending the unsub and… sometimes he just didn’t feel like he deserved to have that weight lifted by you, even for a little while. 

“Spence?” 

“Will you go inside?” he asks, his tone full of something like reverence for you. “Please?”

“If you insist,” you sigh, already opening the door. 

“I do. I do insist, very forcefully.” 

“I’m already inside with the door locked.” 

“Man, I’m good.” 

“Mmhm.”

“Going to bed?”

“Yeah. Will you talk to me for a few more minutes?” you ask, sliding under the covers. Spencer hears the slip of fabric as you pull them up over your shoulders, and it sharpens the ache he feels to be home with you already. 

“I’ll talk to you for the rest of the night, if you want me to.” 

“No, I don’t wanna keep you awake, too.” 

“I probably won’t get much sleep regardless.” 

“I don’t condone that,” you say, your frown evident in your voice. 

“Noted,” he replies, though he sounds apologetic. 

Four hours feels an eternity too long to wait. You miss Spencer, and you hate how tired he sounds. You want to fix things for him. You want to run your fingers through his hair til he falls asleep and you want to make sure his dreams are peaceful when he does. 

“What do you wanna do when you���re back?” you ask, hoping that planning for it will make the time go faster. 

“Oh, I’m taking a shower and getting right into bed. And you can’t make me get up.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I’m serious. Don’t ask me to do a single other thing cause I won’t do it.” 

You laugh. “For the whole day?” 

“Probably. And you better not go anywhere either. We could both use the rest.” 

“Okay, rest day all day.” 

“We can order Thai though. So we’ll get up for that. But even then, it’s just to sit on the couch.” 

“Maybe the floor.” 

“I will also accept floor,” he concedes, and then it occurs to him that you might’ve been asking because you want to do something with him. “Is there something you wanted to do the next day though?” 

“Well... the saucer magnolias are blooming at the Smithsonian again.” 

“Say no more.” 

You sigh wistfully. “You’re my favorite boyfriend I’ve ever had.” 

“Well, I should hope so,” he says, smiling. “You’re my favorite, too.” 

“Aren’t I the only partner you’ve ever had?” 

“Ha ha. I had a girlfriend in college.” 

“Spencer, you were like sixteen in college.”

“I wasn’t sixteen the entire time,” you hear the eye roll in his voice, “I have three PhD’s, it took me a little while.” 

“Well, who is this girl? Do I need to beat her up?” you joke. 

“No,” he laughs. “You are my favorite, after all. She wasn’t very nice to me.” 

“Okay… so you told me not to beat her up but then gave a reason why I should?” 

“Please don’t beat up my ex-girlfriend. I do appreciate your violent impulses though.” 

“Mm, okay. As long as you know I could.” 

“Sure, angel. You’re very scary,” he placates. 

You let out a little gremlin laugh. 

“Oh, and you’re delirious,” he notes, an amused lilt to his tone. 

“Delirious because I miss you,” you sing, dragging out the ‘you’. 

“God, where did I even find a weirdo like you,” Spencer laughs. 

“I found you. You attracted me with your peculiar aura and soulful eyes. Trapped me in your… fucking what’s-it-called. Tractor beam.” 

“You know, the term tractor beam was actually coined by science fiction author E.E. Smith in 1931 as an updated version of his original term ‘attractor beam.’” 

“Hmm, yup. You caught me in that.” 

“Did you call my eyes soulful?” he asks, seemingly just processing that part. 

“Oh, you don’t like my adjective choice? Next you’ll have a problem with me calling your aura peculiar.” 

“I mean… I don’t know that I loved it.” 

“Here he goes fishing for compliments,” you sigh, rolling over to your other side and creating a bunch of shuffling noise on the line. Spencer wrinkles his nose, holding the phone a little farther from his ear until he hears you speaking again. “Okay, your eyes are big and brown and beautiful and they contain a standard unremarkable amount of soul, and your aura is also really regular. Regular Reid, that’s what they call ya.” 

He’s frowning, you can practically see it, but he’s also fighting off an amused smile. “Well, that one started off nice, at least.” 

“God! You’re so difficult. My boyfriend is sooo difficult. Why don’t you come home to me first and then I’ll come up with some more adequate compliments?” 

“I’m going to hold you to that.” 

The two of you talk for a little while longer, with you telling Spencer about the new coffee shop you’d tried out and how their lavender latte actually tastes like lavender, which is basically unheard of. Spencer tells you about the standoff between him and an all too curious roadrunner that he swears was trying to get into his motel room. Calling it a standoff is generous; the man got bullied by a bird. 

You try not to laugh and end up unsuccessful, with Spencer insisting that you were taking sides and he was well and truly in danger, which only makes it funnier. His voice pitches up even as he tries to keep his volume low, and you argue that his energy is just so attractive that even the local wildlife are drawn to him. 

“Don’t start,” he warns, overwhelming fondness in his voice. 

You make Spencer tell you something boring to calm yourself down from the image you’ve conjured of him being chased by a roadrunner, which, in your exhausted state, is even funnier than it should be. He claims to regret confiding in you with this, but he knows he’d do it again just to hear you laugh. 

Instead of telling you something boring, he recites some of the poems he’s memorized over the years. It works the way you’d intended, and you regret it when you have to stop him to tell him you’re falling asleep. He’s just a little smug about it. 

“So, you’ll be home in four hours?” you ask, the start of your goodbyes. 

“More like three now.”

“We made time go faster.” 

“We did.” 

“Will you try to get some sleep?”

“Fine. Only because you asked.”

You hum, victorious. “Goodnight. I love you.” 

“And I love you.” 

Hours later, just as the sun is beginning to change the hue of the sky from deep navy to a hazy cerulean glow, you feel your mattress shift underneath you. You’re barely awake, but still you register the scent of Spencer’s shower gel, fresh and sort of woodsy. 

Half asleep, you shift to accommodate him, and he slips an arm around you as you lay your head on his chest. You wrap an arm around his torso and throw your leg over his hips, as close as you can possibly get without literally being on top of him. 

You sigh, deep and relieved, and Spencer’s heart stutters. 

“I missed this,” he chuckles, resting his cheek against the top of your head and wrapping his arms tighter around you. You just hum in response, the last of your energy before you’re pulled back under. Within minutes, Spencer is asleep too, and the two of you sleep through sunrise and into the afternoon. 

[respectthepetty]

PETTY HI OMG

I wanna ask, what do you mean when a character is a fake *insert colour*? Like you said wandee is a fake blue. What does that mean? And also, according to that logic, he's wearing that blue during that first kiss and I dunno how to feel about that...

@cryingoverweiying, what I mean when I state a character has a "fake color" is that I'm crazy, and I'm quickly losing my mind over fictional characters. But to give you some examples before I get into Wandee's fake blue, I will offer Vegas from KinnPorsche and Jae Young from Semantic Error.

Vegas looks green. He pretends to be a chill dude who is easy going and down-to-earth in front of the main family's bodyguards. Jae Young looks red. He pretends to be an aggressive rascal so he can work Sang Woo's nerves. But we know those are LIES!

Vegas is actually a red devil who has an affinity for torturing people, and Jae Young is really a chill green dude which is why he wasn't showing up for class in the first place. This is why I call their initial colors fake.

I've written a little bit about this in regards to characters changing their colors throughout a series.

So when I write that I believe Dee's blue is a fake color, I mean that I don't think it represents him as a character, and that Dee is pretending to be blue.

Blue Boys are calm, loyal, and passive aka all the things Dee was to Ter for eight years while being in love with him.

But I think Dee was faking it for love. I think the colors are telling us that Dee is actually a Purple Prince who is immature and emotional,

but also encouraging and compassionate.

Because the day after being rejected by Ter and sleeping with Yak, Dee showed up to work in purple.

And he just keeps getting more purple. Purpler? No that's not a word. You understand me though!

But it only happens the more he spends time with Yak.

Since Yak seems to have unleashed Dee's true nature of being childish and arrogant, which are things he never allowed Ter to see.

All these traits would seem negative (emotional, immature, arrogant, childish), but once again, this is only part of who Dee is, and he never actually showed that to the man he was in love with, for eight years! He hid parts of himself behind this fake blue to impress Ter, but with Yak, he can just be himself.

And it's because Yak was his yellow egotistical and energetic self around Dee from the start.

So his openness is contagious.

But this has caused a problem because I don't think Dee is the only one faking a color anymore in this fake relationship.

I wrote before that as much as Yak was picking up Ohm's style to impress Taem, Dee was actually the one to pick out the outfits and the color aligns with Dee's first love.

Brown Boys are wise, stable, and predictable. In fact, they are like the more solid version of Blue Boys.

So it makes sense for a Blue Boy to be with a Brown Boy.

They'd be super stable. They'd be totally truthful. They'd be really reliable. They'd be perfectly predictable. But does that sound like these two?

NO! THEY ARE CHAOTIC LYING TRASH PANDAS!

So I am praying that we see these two not only embrace their true colors once again like Vegas and Jae Young, but for them to embrace the other's color as well, and the only way to do that is through a good old fashion color exchange.

I don't want to see Yak in this fake ass blue or Dee in this light yellow or brown.

I want Yak in purple and Dee in bright yellow because even though I already know it's love since the pink keeps showing up,

I need the colors to tell me there's nothing fake about them or the love they have for each other.

*fingers crossed*

[ghouly-boiiiii]

Hey, y'all! Sorry I haven't been around much this month. I've been dealing with some personal stuff, but I'm working on the last chapter of My Name Is Cooper and it should be ready to post soon!

On another note, I've been watching a lot of Fallout lore videos lately and it's been really fascinating! (Spoilers for Fallout 1, New Vegas and the show ahead!) Even though I've been playing the games for years, there's a lot I didn't know. Like the story of The Master / Richard Grey in Fallout 1. First off, what a design! He's gotta be one of the most grotesque and horrifying character designs and concepts in any video game I've seen. And all the different voices. It's chilling! I didn't know the original Fallout game was so disturbing. And I love it! Also, I've just always loved the look of these old games. I used to love Baldur's Gate 2, which Interplay also worked on (or rather a division of it), so it's kinda nostalgic looking at the old Fallout graphics, which are very similar. Very cool! I might have to give it a playthrough some day!

Second, I found it interesting how the show kind of takes things from the games and mirrors them. Like it's not the same characters or circumstances, but the themes remain the same. For example, in the show, Vault-Tec's solution to end war is to eliminate everyone else so that they are the only faction left. Which is exactly what The Master tried to do as well, but with super mutants. I think it's pretty cool how they went full circle, using this recurring theme, (because they aren't the only two factions with this philosophy either in the lore) pulling that idea from the very first game and working it into the show as one of Vault-Tec's primary motivations.

I also found out that Bethesda brought back many of the original creators for New Vegas, so it makes a lot of sense why people say it's the best Fallout! I'm currently playing through New Vegas on my YouTube channel. (I have one full video and a bunch of shorts, but I took a break because, well, I became a little Ghoul obsessed, hehe. But now that I'm almost done with my first fic, I'm gonna start doing more videos again!) So come check it out if you want! I kinda spoiled some things for myself when it comes to Mr. House, but it's also made me want to play the game even more! Also, with the second season apparently taking place in New Vegas, it's basically a necessity at this point!

And! I have also discovered yet more instances of Ghoul / Human relationships in the Fallout universe. If I remember correctly (I can't remember the specific video now, and it would take forever to go back and find it, so bear with me lol) there's a female ghoul prostitute your character can sleep with in New Vegas. And also a ghoul named Gob in Fallout 3 (whom I vaguely remember from way back when I played it, but forgot his story) who appears to be in a secret relationship with a woman he works with, who is also a prostitute (but not a ghoul lol).

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO yes, Ghoulcy is absolutely %100 on brand for Fallout. People be fuckin' ghouls all over the place. So if Fallout's gonna have a romance of any kind, it's gonna be with the hot ghoul character and his narrative foil, y'all. Yup. That's just how it is. It's canon peeps, case closed!

[hislittleraincloud]

Old Man Rambling

Yanno, I kinda miss the days of Tumblr where you kids were identifying as inanimate objects. There were kids IDing as kiwis and biscuits. Biscuitkin, kiwikin, shit like that. It kept this place relatively quiet because, well. Inanimate objects don't make much noise. And it was amusing as shit because there was always a teeny tiny part of y'all who knew it was all goddamn bullshit, but you never let the razzing force your masks off. You wanted attention and ya got it. You still kept to yourselves, even though you were thoroughly obsessed with your otherkinship.

But now. Holy Hell.

The current "kids'" personal lives are so hollow and so horrible that they've resorted to policing the lives of people they don't even personally know (celebrities, particularly young Hollywood). The identification is so strong that what they love so obsessively* couldn't possibly be anything else but what and how the heavily biased observer wants to see them as.

It is for that reason why I do sympathize with Ortega, if only a little (she did choose this life, her parents could've stopped it at any time knowing how strange celebrityhood has changed throughout our decades alive). Social media is evil. We did not have this when I was young, when the young Winona Ryder who is being splashed all over my fyp was posing for those photos, we only got to see them on paper, in magazines, bro. We didn't have all of this creepy connectivity where there was a very good chance that a celebrity would see our comments. It just was not like that at all.

So I get it, I get that it's changed and it can be really hard just to be a regular person because everyone has a goddamn video camera in the palm of their hands with videos ready to go online within seconds. It's shitty, and probably one of the things that's killing pro paparazzi (though in some cases it's made them worse); anyone and everyone can get a scoop now.

And if that's the case, why are kids behaving like paparazzi, knowing what the paparazzi did to Princess Diana (and Britney, offering up those umbrella photos out of their context of her situation that hardly anyone really knew about). The Chappell Roan concert footage is the best current example of that (I've removed the one part that I briefly posted as promised), and I've seen the biggest Wenclair accounts pass that shit around here like it's normal to invade a girl's private moments. And in some instances, using Photoshop/AI to gaslight people into believing crap that never happened. It's RPF to the worst degree, and it isn't cool.

*ETA: I started writing this last night before I passed out from the heat, but now I want to go back to the obsessive fan thing (partially bc of my recent experience here). User name redacted because I don't want to give her any more attention:

This ain't cute and not to be normalized. Had a male done this, it would've been seen as creepy.

It's this level of obsession — and the false sense of closeness that social media connectivity brings — that gives the Ortega stans a sense of entitlement over her (personal and professional) life that they do not have a right to influence.

And as someone who has studied and observed adolescent psych for decades, it amazes me to see young ♀️ adolescents behave like stalkers and get a pass for the behavior just because of their gender. Some of the most dangerous stalkers can be female, since they're not always taken as seriously as the males (male stalkers aren't always taken seriously either, so think about how much less female ones are). Jodi Arias, Victoria Rickman, Shayna Hubers, Liz Golyar, Vegas Bray...the list goes on and on.

It's obviously not a direct comparison; I'm not saying that what the kids are doing is necessarily dangerous for the object of obsession (since there is no direct relationship and physical access) or that it even has the potential to get violent (doesn't seem so), but it's not always entirely harmless.

Now, I understand that obsession is a thing with adolescents. I've seen it first hand. One of my favorite films is about the very type of 🏳️‍🌈 obsession that forms between two girls sometimes**, and features Kate Winslet's first screen kiss with a ♀️.

Most of us old farts grew up in an era where acting was acting: Even with the lack of connectivity, we knew Kate Winslet and Lyndskey weren't gay, but we still adored and appreciated the performances. Same goes for Hillary Swank in her Oscar winning role as 'Brandon Teena'; we knew she wasn't a 🏳️‍⚧️man. It was acting. More than half the cast of the original L Word was straight, and there wasn't anything close to this kind of creepy stalker crap back then.

Sadly I think that the more connectivity there is, the less real connectivity happens, and that presents obsessively attached fans with a false sense of security that would crumble if the people they worship turn out to be something contrary to the image in their minds that they've cobbled together from their celebrity's public behavior and works.

I don't think this type of delusion was present with Biscuitkin and Kiwikin. The foodkin did nothin' to anyone but exist, and food is food. The Ortega stans are fucking scary and need to cut it out. It's made fandom a scarier place for celebrities, because the Internet is forever and you're out there showing just how twisted up/potentially obsessive towards people you can be. It may not be embarrassing to you now since you have this false sense of 'community', but out there where y'all actually have to talk to real people and get on with real life crap, this type of behavior wouldn't fly. In 15 years when you're not a pimply, awkward high schooler/early college-aged person, someone might ask you how you spent your teen/high school years when a good chunk of it was scrolling through social media for pics and y/n stories about your favorite actress (and sometimes her co-stars).

[imaginesforeveryone]

UFC Girl (Part 1)

Pairing: Nate Diaz x Y/N Description: You had recently come into the light of being part of the UFC girls, that pretty much stood there and looked pretty. Even though you have been training about 80% of your life to be a fighter, this could be your step into the UFC world, and a step closer to Dana white. But, along the way, you meet the wild, give no fuck, Stockton Slugger, Nate Diaz. Warnings:language, angst, smoking weed, alcohol, anxiety

Standing in your hotel room right smack dab in the middle of Las Vegas, in font of the body mirror, you adjusted your shorts a little, and then your sports bra.

I look stupid

You thought to yourself as you wore the super revealing clothes, but at least the training has paid off in your favor and don't look terrible in the costume.

"5 minutes ladies! 5 minutes!" You heard the event coordinator yell down the hallway letting everyone know they had to be in the lobby, and on the bus in 5 minutes. You adjusted your hair, and gave your make up a once over, before grabbing your UFC track jacket and zipped it up. Looking once more, you rolled your eyes and scoffed and left the room.

"Y/N!" You heard a loud squeaky voice calling.

"Aren't you excited?" The girl with long blonde hair, big tits, and a perfect smile said. Or as you would call her, Jenny, your best friend.

"Eh, I guess." You said as she interlocked her arm in yours. You two were complete opposites, but have been at each others side since elementary school.

"Listen, I know this isn't what you wanted to do in the UFC, but it's a step towards it. You will get there, I've watched you my whole life and you don't let anything get in your way." She said as you two and a few other girls entered the elevator.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." You said with a slight smile.

"We'll have fun, and I heard there's an after party up on the top floor in the pent house. So we'll have fun tonight, probably sleep all day tomorrow on the off day, deal with the hangover, then its fight day, and we all know thats what you really want to see." She said raising an eyebrow. The elevator opened and you all walked out meeting the coordinator by the front door in the lobby.

"Nate Diaz is literally your favorite fighter, and you cant hide it from me so I know you are excited for that." She said in a whisper.

Not only was he your favorite fighter, but he's hot as fuck. His floor work is amazing, and those strikes always land. Might of had a bit of a crush on him, but also you looked up to him in the fighting sense.

"alright ladies, tonight is the weigh in. 5 of you were hand picked by Dana to stand on stage, and the rest will stand else where. So can I have, Stacy, Jessica, Hailey, Jenny, and Y/N come up here please." The coordinator said. You and Jenny looked at each other in shock because this was your guys first event and you got chose over veteran girls.

"You 5 will be going in the transit that is parked out back by the fighters buses. You have to enter where they enter and there will be someone there to put you where you need to go when you get there." He explained quickly and then the 5 of you went to the back entrance to get in your transit.

You stood mingling with Jenny and the rest of the girls while you waited. You heard the door behind you but didn't turn around and look.

"Y/n...." Jenny said looking passed you.

"what?" You said looking at her confused. She just raised and eyebrow, looked at you and then looked back passed you. With a confused look on your face, you turned and saw why she was being weird.

"Oh my god." You whispered turning back to her, then turning back around. It was Nate, you looked at him in awe. Only a few feet from you, the best fighter you've ever seen, also probably the hottest. He sparked up a joint and you watched as he did so. Slowly his eyes scanned all the girls and then for some reason, locked with yours. He gave you his signature smile, making you turn around back to Jenny.

"OMG, OMG, OMG." She silently yelled.

"Alright ladies, let's get a move on it." You heard a women say ushering you to the transit van. Piling in one by one, and you being he last, before the door could close, you and Nate locked eyes again, but was cut off quickly by the door closing.

"Y/N, you have to say something to him next time you see him." Jenny said scooting close to you.

"I cant, he doesn't know me. I'm a nobody. Just a girl with tits, an ass, in small clothes, thats all he cares about." You said leaning back in your seat.

"Stop it. Just do it and stop being a pussy." She said scoffing and then pouting. It was about a 10 minutes drive to the arena, but pulling up finally, you all got out of the van and entered into the arena.

"Okay girls, now we are going to head the the main stage and we wait side stage till it's time. Only about 5 minutes till it starts. Remember, if they start fighting, just move back and just stay out of the way." She explained quickly as you all walked to the side stage. All the girls took their sweatshirts off and gave them to her. Jenny looked you over fixing any little imperfections that were needed and you did the same for her. Those 5 minutes felt like a minutes as you were being ushered onto the stage quickly being the first people up there. Smiling as you were instructed to trying not to have the resting bitch face you normally had. Still mingling every once in awhile with the girls, but then you saw Dana, and Joe walk out onto stage together and the place erupted. Dana smiling at you girls as he walked passed. Going through all the prelim fights and their weigh in felt like forever but not to bad. You were excited to see these people fight.

"And now for the main event ladies and gentleman! In the Welterweight division, Nate Diaz Vs. Tony Ferguson!!" Joe yelled into the mic as everyone cheered and clapped, including you. Tony coming onto the stage first, taking off his shirt and then stepping on the scale.

"For 5 rounds ladies and gentleman, in the welterweight division, official weight, 171!" Joe calling out Tony's weight.

"AAANNNND his opponent Nate Diaz!" Joe said once Tony stepped off. You adjusted your hair, and clothes this time as you saw him emerge from the side already with his shirt off making you stare. Coming up the stairs he looked at you for a split second and smirked before going back to a serious face and stepping on the scale. You felt your face getting red and you tried to contain it. You saw his notorious brother who stood just a couple feet from you holding Nates shirt. You were just in awe with the position you were in. Surrounded by such amazing fighters.

"Weighing in at 171!!" Same as Ferguson. Nate stepped off the scale and went over to Tony, they shook hands and took their pictures. It was going to be a pretty respectful fight and they even shook hands again. As everyone exited the stage you and the rest of the girls were last to come off. Taking your jackets from the women and putting them back on, you guys were ushered pretty quickly back to the transit van and brought back to the hotel. You and Jenny made your way back up to the 5th floor where your rooms were located.

"I'm going to get ready for the afterparty, you better be to." She said pointing her finger at you and you just rolled your eyes going into your room. Taking your jacket off and throwing it on the chair in the corner of the room, then walking into the bedroom and plopping onto your bed. You were already tired, and didn't know if you should go to this after party thing. You heard your phone ding on the bed next to you.

Mom: Hey sweetie how is everything going? Do you like it so far?

Me: Its going good. Just got back to the hotel, the weigh in was interesting but not bad. Just bored doing this. I want to be in the octagon. Not being eye candy.

Mom: I know sweetie, but it takes time. Make your impression, you always do a great job at that. lol

You set your phone down back on the bed and laughed thinking of the fighting you did in high school that got you in quite some trouble. You got up and went to the closet seeing the dresses you brought, and said just hell no. You found a pair of fitted jeans, and a tank top. So you opted for those. The jeans outlining your toned legs from all the kick boxing, and jujitsu you've done and the tank top showing off you toned tattooed arms. You fixed some of your make up, and put your hair half up half down, and added a bit of curl to it. You slipped on your high top vans to complete the look. You didn't want fancy, but you didn't want super casual. The make up and hair helped out the not super casual aspect. Adding a few pieces of jewelry to top it off and giving yourself a once over. You heard your phone ding again taking you out of your trance of the mirror. You walked over and opened the text.

Mom: Oh and I was waiting till you were done with the weigh in, but Eddie showed up looking for you.

You rolled your eyes. Eddie is your ex boyfriend/ ex trainer. You found him cheating on you with his assistant that you also worked very close with at one point.

Me: Did you tell him to fuck off?

Mom: No, I told him you weren't here and wanted nothing to do with him.

Me: Good enough.

You slipped your phone into your pocket and heard a knock at your door. You want over and opened it and it was Jenny.

"Look at you looking all cute and shit." She said looking you up and down. You looked at her and she wore a tight pink sparkly dress, definitely her vibe.

"Look at you trying to get some dick." You said laughing ad stepping out of your room.

"So who's throwing the after party?" You asked as you walked together to the elevator.

"Uhm, so about that." She said as you two stepped in ands hit the button for the pent house.

"Jenny.." You said looking at her.

"Nate Diaz." She blurted out. You felt your heart start pounding in your chest.

"Y/N calm down, it'll be fine, just drink, smoke, have fun." She said making you look at her. You took a deep breathe and stared her down.

"Why didn't you tell me?" You asked.

"Because I was worried you wouldn't go. Ever since you and Eddie, all you've done is go to the gym, train, work and go home. You haven't had any fun, and you are in NEED of fun. So pull the dick out of your ass and lossen the fuck up." She told you surprising you with the words coming out of her mouth. The elevator door opened and you walked into a super fancy hallway, looks like a whole new hotel up here. You turned into the hallway and went to the double doors all the way at the end. You took a deep breathe and walked in. The place was packed. You saw familiar faces, new faces, beautiful women, and lights dancing on the ceiling in the dark. The music was loud but everyone seemed to already be fucked up. A waitress walked by you and Jenny with shots on a plater, Jenny grabbed 4, two for each of you.

"What is it?" You yelled over the music.

"No clue, just drink it!" She yelled back and you did, both back to back.

"Tequila" You said with a sour face. You two went in further to the room and saw a bar, you and Jenny pushed your way to it and sat on two open stools.

"What can I get you girls?" The bartender asked.

"two shots of whatever, Titos and red bull and a Long Island" Jenny said to her.

"You got it." she said and went to get the drinks. You scanned the room seeing who was all here. You saw Nick Diaz sat at a table in the corner smoking with a few other guys, not Nate though. You saw a few heavy hitter fighters mingling and drinking.

"Here you go" She said setting the drinks down in front of the two of you.

"Put that on my tab." You heard a voice say from behind you. You turned and saw him. Nate Diaz inches from you, your back practically touching him.

"Thank you." Jenny said breaking the tension.

"No problem. You girls are new, have to do something for you." He said grabbing the shot that the bartender set down in front of him.

"Nate!" He yelled over music to you two.

"Jenny!" She yelled shaking his hand.

"Y/N!" You yelled still not being able to take your eyes off of him.

"She knows who you are! You've been her idol for awhile now!" Jenny yelled at him making you spin around and give her daggers.

"I'm going to go over here." She said taking her shot and walking away. Your eyes widened at the thought of now being alone with Nate. He came around and sat where Jenny was in front of you. You held your shot in your hand and he picked his up and clinked you glass.

"To a good fight!" He yelled making you smile and took the shot. You set the glass down and took a sip of your drink. It was getting hot in the room, and you felt the 3 tequila shots coming on.

"Are you okay?" He asked getting closer to your ear so you could hear him better.

"Yeah, it's just super hot in here!" You yelled back to him.

"Come here." He said standing and grabbing you hand, pulling you threw the crowd. The room was spinning a bit so it was hard to focus. You stepped through a door into a low lite room, that was a little more quiet, but then to another door where you felt the cool air hit your face. You sucked it in through your nose, you were on a balcony.

"Air" You huffed out making Nate chuckle.

"Sorry, I haven't drank in over a years so a little light weight." You said setting your drink down.

"Thats alright. So was she telling the truth? Am I an idol of yours?" He said looking down at you as he sipped his drink.

"She's an asshole. But yes. I've been training almost my entire life. Boxing, jujitsu, kickboxing, karate, just about everything. Have had a few fights here and there, nothing too crazy, just trying to make it to the big leagues." You explained like it was word vomit. You spoke to him like you were comfortable with him even though you just met him 10 minutes ago.

"Wait you Y/N Y/L/N. Like Y/N "honey trap" Y/L/N?" He asked. Your eyes widened in awe trying to figure out how he knew who you were.

"How do you know that?" You asked taking a gulp of your drink .

"Stockton fighters know Stockton fighters. I remember you when you were younger. You used to fight at the strip club when they would have fight nights there. I was just about in the ultimate fighter, when you were fighting there. I've seen a few of your fights on YouTube over the years and I know Dana talked about you for awhile." He explained sitting down in the chair in front of you.

"Wow. I literally don't know what to say." You said leaning up against the hand railing and looking out across Las Vegas.

“Sorry. Let’s get off that topic and lets have some fun. What do you say?” He said standing and holding his drink out for a cheers.

“To a successful fight and to even even better night.” He says as you clink drinks and down the rest of it.

“You feeling better?” He asked.

“Depends on what you define as better. Am I drunk? Yes. Do I feel sick anymore? No. Am I nervous as fuck right now talking to the guy I’ve been watching on tv for the passed how many years and model my fighting style after? Yes. Oh god. I’m embarrassing. I need another drink.” You said throwing your hands over your face.

“You aren’t embarrassing.” He says pulling your hands from your face.

“I think you are cute.” He said looking down at you. You felt your face turning red and you couldn’t stop it.

The rest of the night seemed to be going well until you couldn’t remember anything. You blacked out. All you know is you and Nate were on the balcony with Nick smoking a joint as that’s the last thing you remembered.

* the next morning *

“Ughhh.” You let out a loud moan as you rolled over onto your back and slowly peeled your eyes open. It was kind of dark in the room with a little light from the sun coming through the curtains instantly making your head hurt. You sat up slowly holding your head in your hands feeling you brain pounding against you skull. Looking down at yourself you were in a big black UFC T-shirt that you don’t ever remembering having, but then nothing else. Slowly you lifted your head trying to not feel pain but there was no dodging that. You looked over to the curtains and noticed that isn’t the same as your room. The curtains ran all the way up the tall wall to the floor, you looked in front of you and saw a huge double door, definitely not your room, then looked to your right and saw a body laid next to you starting to stir. Their face turned to you and you froze.

“Nate.” You let out in a whisper.

[argentumcor]

Sandrock Thoughts, no particular order

-Ya'll, Logan's hair isn't super long, it's Aragorn's hair, just tied back. He's a Dunedain ranger, of course it's Aragorn's hair.

-He really is. I just actually me him on my replay and he's just such a decent heroic person oh my goodness. Dunedain ranger, I'm not kidding. I wish actually there had been a flirt option to essentially say 'well now I've heard you talk...' instead of all meta. Out here being the dangerous, rough man defending the decent folk of Sandrock from the definite dangers of the wilds, taking all of that on himself. He isn't exactly Aragorn, though I think there's parts of his design are meant to call back to movie Aragorn, who had a lot of elements to his costume design meant to call back to westerns- that sort of duster jacket thing he wore, for instance.

-The dynamic between Justice and Unsuur (and the cat Captain) is one of my favorites. Justice is a great character in his kind of tired lawman way, plus he does have some great lines- "tracking device? What kind of budget do you think we have?". Unsuur does, too. ("Is it so wrong for a mole to love a princ--" "Yes."). It's a really great dynamic and I actually wish we'd gotten more of the Civil Corps and Logan teamup.

-I know Unsuur is a potential love interest but he makes me all maternal. That boy is my son and I will have no word said bad about him. You just leave him and his rocks alone!

-Speaking of kids, I really like the kids in this game. Jasmine is pretty great as the town princess, essentially, and Andy is a delight in his chaos gremlin ways. Pebbles is cute as, well, essentially an extension of Rocky and Crystal and a representation of what they see in Sandrock. Child characters can be too precious or too annoying easily, but there's a sincerity to them and a genuine stumbling childishness.

-I haven't had the PC have a kid because those mechanics seem like more intensive farm animal ones. Thematically, it makes sense because it's a game about forging a future for a town, but. But I would like to enjoy playing the game.

-The horny French moleman just has to be a reference to the horny French moleman of Atlantis: The Lost Empire. He's fun. That whole mission is fun even the platform part where if you screw up enough the game asks if you'd like to skip this part. Heh, and assault rifle for boss killing wins.

-Someone wrote Qi to be very Sheldon Cooper but it works because they hit it just the right amount and he is, in fact, as much an agent of chaos as Cooper or Andy or Elsie in his enthusiasm for giant robots. Being as the Vega 5 rep asks how you worked with him and didn't throw him out a window, his scientific peers are quite happy to have him tinkering away in the ass-end of nowhere and so is he.

-Elsie's story is a nice tale of maturity that the player plays a very small role in. You just give her some fish, really, and serve as a sounding board. Her story is hers, and I see her as just being a year or two into adulthood while most of the town's love interests are in their mid-20s (this is explicitly stated about Logan, who is a few years younger than Owen we know for sure and probably Justice).

-I kind of wish that, if you get both parties past a certain relationship level and you still haven't flirted with them, that some of them courted each other. I have found out that this can happen for Owen and Amirah under certain conditions- not a pair I'd have picked- but I haven't seen it. It would make sense for this to happen in such a small town and with the game's themes.

-Owen courting Amirah makes sense- she's an out-of-towner and is written and designed to be stunningly beautiful, but it's not a good long-term match IMO. Owen wants someone to run the Saloon with, and he really cares about the Saloon, as it is his family's legacy and he runs it really well. He has no angst about the Saloon, thank God. This really is what he wants. Amirah is very introverted and...well, women like that, their great beauty tends to make them mercenary or cynical about romance for good reason- look at how often people hardcore hit on her- and Owen is a romantic at heart. He's romantic about Sandrock and the Blue Moon and a thousand other things, but Amirah is a cynic in a lot of ways. Amirah likes being in Sandrock because she finds it inspiring in a challenging way and allows her to be an introverted beauty, but she doesn't and can't love it and its people like Owen does.

-I could see Owen with Jane or, as I've read in fic, Mi-an. Jane grew up in Sandrock but left and came back, so there's distance there from the town dynamic I think is crucial to the crew pairing off but a love for the place. She likes people. Mi-an as she develops gains more confidence, she loves to fix and grow stuff, and loves the town, too. Writers don't seem to embrace Owen/Amirah often at the moment, possibly because they're unaware of the quest and it's non-intuitive.

-Arvio gets a bad shake from fanfic, poor guy, but his is a tale of growing up in life and business. I really like his and Amirah's plotline. Musa basically tells him to actually think if he's going to chase big dreams and then he damn well does. He is another one, like Elsie, it's hard to see as a romantic interest for me but that doesn't mean I dislike him. What's interesting about his height- he is the shortest adult male townie, I think- is if he talks about his past you realize he might have been malnourished and a child laborer in a quarry.

-Heidi's a fun and a grounded career woman. I like her 'smart country girl who wasn't interested in city life' vibe. She mentions her dad pushing her to find someone, which all the older people would, but her focus makes sense. I think it would be really funny, and fun, if she sort of paired off with Qi of all people. They work together so much in the main plotline and she does rein him in. It's a fun dynamic even if platonic, at any rate. Them dating would mystify the townsfolk hilariously, you have to admit.

-Fang is interesting and I get why many ladies love him but...it seems an uneven relationship. There's something coercive about how one would get involved with him, some feeling that you're taking advantage of someone you're helping, at least to me, YMMV. It may be my age. He is a really interesting character with his personal tragedies and deep sense of medical ethics.

-Pablo is there. He may have more going on, I am happy with how my character looked so I didn't go into the salon much. If he had a store selling other stuff I'd probably swing by more...or had more commissions. If the fashion show story had more meat- I'm not there yet in my second playthrough- maybe I'd feel different. It's the talk of the town when it happens but there has to be a story with talking Logan and Fang into it and I'd like to see that. Maybe I missed it.

-I generally wish there were reactions to you getting involved with someone specifically more. Maybe there are and it wasn't something I was paying attention to because I am a Logan girl and that only happens later in game. Nasty thing to code for in a kind of complicated game, though, and even more writing in a writing-heavy game. It does make it seem like it's a secret relationship though. These people are realistically so gossipy that it would be a subject of conversation.

-I like the ranch family and Cooper's rambling and sort of earthy madness are endearing. He's written as much more...closed-minded in fanfic than the game if you actually listen/read his rambling. His issues with Elsie are issues of parenthood and being far too alike, not some sort of 'but the old ways!' thing. His rambling to Fang about vegetarianism isn't actually judgmental, more curious; I think he really appreciates what Fang does for his ranch and family. It's so cute how he adores his wife and she adores him, the latter of which is surely a mystery to the rest of the town.

-Hugo and Heidi are mutants themselves, as Vivi wandered through some kind of gas when she was pregnant, giving Hugo his superstrength (short skinny Cooper is a brave one for antagonizing him so often), which Heidi got as well. I've seen in fanfic Logan (and his unnamed mother) as mutants, which they are at least with hair color which is commented on so it isn't just stylized blond. It's kind of cool that there's some mutations that aren't harmful, though when Heidi explains her strength she hints that it is known to be debilitating.

-In fanfic, of course, the Church of Light gets run down, and the plot does make that easy, but in game it is a lot more nuanced than the hostile-to-religion culture of most fanfic writers, which is to be found in Burgess. Burgess is a doofus, no doubt, but he isn't only that. When he gets free of the people manipulating him, undermining his confidence, treating him like a weak-minded idiot, he starts to grow. He's still a doofus a lot but he is also capable of serious insight and leadership. The quest where you make him a confidence hat to preach really shows that. Also, Burgess is the one who made the really insightful point about equal application of the law at Logan's trial- that Logan agrees with- that made me drop my controller. He says a lot of great things about what forgiveness means, too, and he really is going to be a good and wise minister. It would have been complicated to code, but I kind of would like the character model to lose a little weight after the conspiracy transpires because I like to imagine his weight was a part of how he was being run down- and also eating meals with Pen, who eats like a high-intensity athlete.

-I'll have to pay attention to Rian to see if his habits change post-conspiracy. I'd have liked him to open a furniture store after that, actually, the way Mi-an opens a plant store after some quests. It almost feels like cut content, as there's a great big building next to the museum that seems set up to be a shop. This is what I'd call a AA game, so stuff had to get prioritized, I get it.

-Have a pregnant model for Dan-bi post conspiracy. They kept talking about their future child but I'm not clear if that's an upcoming or ongoing plan until, you know, they have one. It would have been nice to have more going on with that. Again, I get it.

-When you know the twist with Grace, it becomes more obvious what's going on early on. She needs the insulted lunchbox thing to get food to Logan, Haru, and Andy, for instance; not sure this tracks with the timeline stated in game, where she contacted them after he train hijacking, but it's so small it could have been missed if it's off.

-Nia is very dull in a game full of big personalities. I get why she exists and she's not a stupid person, but she feels like she's from another game. Maybe it's her too-cute body language and kind of generic character model. YMMV, though I do see fic writers feel the need to punch her up a lot.

-I like Grace and I think she's more someone who would be my friend as a peer than the others who get more of that. I wish she had an outfit during the invasion that showed what she really was, some kind of Black Widow suit instead of her waitressing outfit, but near as I know the only people with a plot-related costume change are Elsie and Logan.

-I kind of wish this game had quest-modding tools. Most of the quests are text only and I really do want more. The pet DLC came out in May and I feel like the storylines have a lot more to give- again, maybe I just haven't found everything- so who knows.

-The Free Cities' governmental structure is different and not stupid. It's pretty clear there's not a strong what we would call federal government- these are in effect city-states. Trudy has a lot of power as mayor over Sandrock and she doesn't really answer to anyone but the locals. The population of humans worldwide seems low, which makes sense given the Calamity and its dangerous aftereffects. There's a fear, I think, of the Peripheries spreading. It does create a political tension because there's land to the south but no one can live there. They can barely live in a good chunk of the Free Cities' territory. Sandrock only exists because of ancient water generating tech, Duvos can't produce enough food for itself (this may be self-inflicted, as they are extremely Soviet which you can see if you know Soviet jokes; whoever wrote this was smart).

-Someone in a fic had most of Sandrock's assorted prior-to-invasion misfortunes be sabotage and I wonder if that was the canon intent. Howlett's death is stated to end the truce with the Geeglers, but how did they know he was dead? The Bandirats were the ones breaking the Greeno pipes in an attempt to find the princess, but it's not clear how it would help, though the queen is crazy...maybe it was part of some deal, because that starting right after big investor Musa had been convinced to give Sandrock a chance and is himself in town is suspicious when the Valley of Whispers had been there being a no-go zone forever right next door. With the road being built, you have to think Tiger and crew were in a bit of a panic because things weren't supposed to start getting better for Sandrock.

-Musa's pretty cool. Gives good business advice. Acts like a real investor who is a decent human being, too, yes they are out there...not in Silicon Valley or DC maybe, the Orthanc and Barad-Dur of the United States.

-It is thematically relevant that the superfund site gets turned into the Happiest Place in the Free Cities. Catori seems like a satire of a conniving entrepreneur at first pass- she's another one I think doesn't get a fair shake in fanfic but has a good story in game, I think part of it is her accent which is a little grating- but no she actually wants to build something better. She has a dream and she's trying to make it work. She has to learn how to think and she casually builds all these castles in the sky in conversation but when it comes down to it she actually goes and figures it out in a way that actually works. It's not just belief and a dream, it's risk and thought and hard work and a dream; someone who wrote this actually knew a thing or two about Walt Disney and admires him. Not many cozy sort of games would have you get returns on your investment from a theme park entrepreneur but this one does! And explains what an angel investor is, too, like outright explains it.

-There's some broken English in a few places in the interface ('get a discount when consuming in the store' for relationship perks) and in a blurb asking for a Steam review in a billboard outside the game center, which is bizarre because the majority of the game is written by people who know English so well they can handle dialect well. Weirdly, it's sophisticated broken English- 'when consuming in the store' is a very archaic turn of phrase.

-The PC gets some real great dialogue despite being restricted to one or two lines. That takes talent. A few of my favorites:

Some absolute bullshit is going on...."how are you so strong!" PC, well aware of the BS: "I don't know, diet maybe!"

"What did they make in this place anyway?" PC: "Shampoo! Evil shampoo!"

-Speaking of...the ancient evil corporation is named frelling Geegle, and the post-apocalyptic lizardman cargo cult of the Geeglers uses sendups to Google logo art as their graffiti. It's great. It is also not nice at all to Google in a not generally anti-business way; this is anti-corporatism. It's specifically definitely anti-Google.

-The theme of environmental stewardship is really well done. It's not heavy handed or anti-civilization. I thought it'd have the boilerplate bad and sometimes hateful Lorax knock-off like everything else but it doesn't. There's a groundedness and humanity to it. It's outright Tolkienian.

-The imp and fiend designs are the most disturbing monster designs I've seen in a video game for a long time. They creep me out because they're so clearly things that used to be human in a game with people who are definitely human and you're talking to all the time and are being affected at that moment by the thing that made these monsters this way. They are, unlike all the mutant animals who are part of an ecosystem if often a dangerous and bizarre one, not right. If they were in a Banjo Kazooie game or something like that, they'd be just another enemy, but in this context they are downright disturbing and the game leans into it just the right amount. Style over graphical intensity as always.

-I know Portia is the game that started this but what I like about Sandrock is the people and I just don't get that from Portia. I guess it's because I'm a gun-toting western hick myself and the region reminds me so much of home. The Free Cities are an interesting setting and a lot could be done with them, but I'm not really interested in Portia and maybe not the other places. I like this place and these people, like I liked Kirkwall and those people in Dragon Age 2, but have no interest in anyone really or the places in the rest of the series afterward (you would have to pay me a lot to even read the follow-on comics; I do not even check the DA wiki for updates on the plot anymore). This could change depending on what Pathea does next, of course.

-I am floored and delighted by how smart this game is written, I cannot say it enough. Hope is hard to come by these days, I find, but this silly game gives me some.

[steelbluehome]

Entertainment Weekly

Captain America: Brave New World trailer reveals Red Hulk, first look at Giancarlo Esposito

Harrison Ford and Tim Blake Nelson also star in the upcoming Marvel movie.

By Nick Romano Published on July 12, 2024 09:00AM EDT

Marvel has dropped the first trailer for Cap 4 (shown above), officially titled Captain America: Brave New World, which confirms that a long-rumored comic-book baddie is making his MCU debut. The final moments of the footage reveal a shot of Red Hulk catching Cap's vibranium shield in an epic battle playing out amid the cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C.

The Captain America: Brave New World trailer also gives us our first look at Giancarlo Esposito in a mysterious villain role, which was added to the movie following fairly recent reshoots. He's shown wielding an automatic assault rifle, shooting at someone off camera.

The film continues the journey of Mackie's Sam Wilson, who assumed the mantle of Captain America after Chris Evans' Steve Rogers in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). Now, Mackie headlines his own Cap movie.

Meanwhile, Harrison Ford takes over the role of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, following the late William Hurt. Ross is now president of the United States and tasks Sam with reconstituting the Avengers team, but everything goes awry when they uncover a sleeper-agent conspiracy.

Potential spoiler warning: In the comics, Ross is fated to become the Red Hulk when his long-held hatred of Bruce Banner leads him to become the very thing he always fought against. Of course, the MCU often plays with and remixes comic book source material in new ways, so perhaps a few surprises await.

A sneak peek screened exclusively at CinemaCon in Las Vegas first hinted that we'd be getting major Captain America: The Winter Soldier vibes. Similar to how Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) could activate Bucky Barnes' (Sebastian Stan) brainwashing in that movie, turning him back into a sleeper-agent assassin, Carl Lumbly's Isaiah Bradley (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) is now one of various individuals activated by a mysterious sound that forces them to attack the president. The incident leads Sam and Ross to realize that the president's inner circle has been breached.

"It made more sense for it to be more of a grounded espionage action movie as opposed to aliens and airplanes coming through portals and s---," Mackie previously told Entertainment Weekly. "Even though I've been in so many of them and have seen it all now, the opportunity for Sam to really establish himself as a true action star and Avenger comes with this movie."

Captain America: Brave New World also features Danny Ramirez's return as Joaquin Torres, another face from the Disney+ series, destined to become the next iteration of Falcon. A shot from the trailer shows another individual wearing a Falcon flight suit soaring through the sky alongside Mackie, so we can only assume this is Joaquin.

Shira Haas will play Ruth, a member of the U.S. government, while Liv Tyler and Tim Blake Nelson will return as Ross' daughter Betty and Samuel Sterns (a.k.a. the Leader), respectively, for the first time since their debut in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Xosha Roquemore also has a role in the film.

"This movie is a clear reset. It really reestablishes the idea of what this universe is and what this universe is going to be," Mackie told EW. "I think with these movies, you're getting a clear, new branding of what Marvel is headed towards the same way they did with Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

Directed by Julius Onah, Captain America: Brave New World opens in theaters Feb. 14, 2025. Watch the trailer above.

[bugmomwrites]

How NOT To Adult: Itsuka Kendou

I swear I didn't forget about this series, I've started college back up again and I think it's about time I update. Give some sense of normalcy as life gets more chaotic again.

Check out the rest of this mini series here

Two words: wine mom

She was a hard working responsible class rep, and now she’s a hard working responsible hero. She deserves a break.

When she takes a “mental health day off” she stays at home to relax and make fun of shitty soap operas while daydrinking alone

Texts the (still active) former class B group chat to let them know what’s up

“It’s wine o clock!”

“Mom it’s nine thirty am on a Tuesday”

A few seconds later a selfie appears of her lounging back on some decorative pillows with a fluffy blanket

She’s holding up a glass of fancy wine filled to the brim smiling like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme. You know the one

If there’s a party or event somewhere and they’re serving booze she usually gets to all the fancy/expensive shit before anyone else

Will 100% share with Kodai though if she’s around

Steals bottles from every PTA meeting to gift Shishida whenever he has to bail early

Drinks coffee black, but still has a flask of vodka somewhere on her person “just in case”. Girl in case of what? Prohibition?!

It’s usually in a garter with pockets and she’s not above keeping it close by even when patrolling

The garter also holds a small pocket knife, lighter, and a pack of smokes

Says “vaping is for pussies” like acoustic lung cancer is any better than electric

Unironically has decor somewhere that says Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss 

Offers to babysit your kids, takes them for motorcycle rides around town

If they’re slightly older (like at least twelve or so) she offers to teach them how to drive it

Not technically legal, but she’s responsible enough that nothing bad has happened yet, knock on wood

Might have left your child in a locked car by accident oops

Puts up a sign that says “the AC is on, he’s listening to Kidz Bop and has his favorite snack”

Your kid could be eating cigarette butts off the ground and she’ll just shrug it off like “he needs the protein”

Child leashes have saved her ass so many times it’s actually alarming- but “if it’s stupid and it works, it’s not stupid”

Shit talks her boss on her break, but looks out for newer rookies that feel like they’re walking on eggshells

“Yeah no you’ll be fine, but if she vents about her divorce, just smile and nod- yes Kevin I know it’s uncomfortable, but you’ve only been here 3 weeks you can’t afford to make enemies”

The former 1B girls get together every year for a girls trip, and when it was her turn to organize, they all went to Vegas

Orchestrated a Vegas wedding between Setsuna and a male stripper

After arriving home and unpacking, found an inflatable doll in her luggage. Has no idea how it got there, has never even seen it before

Regifted it anonymously in a white elephant exchange at work just to finally be rid of it

The coworker never took it home, they just dressed it up and had it sit in the cubicle, directly across from Kendo's desk

It gets redecorated throughout the year depending on the season, haunting everyone at their computers with it's cold dead eyes like the ghost of girls' trip past

The most memorable was during June one year, when someone had taken the liberty of decking it out in booty shorts, a cheesy tourist shirt, sunglasses, and a disposable camera

Her friends think it's hilarious when they visit her at work, but they can't say anything to her coworkers bc they all took a vow to secrecy. "What happens in Vegas" and all that jazz

Let me know if you want to be on the tag list!

@thatgirlgames

[autisticempathydaemon]

Hello there! I'd love to have a match based on your opinion. I love your content!

-> Song I'm fixated on | Repeat Until Death - Novo Amor – "I can't seem to let myself leave you / But I can't breathe anymore / I can't seem to not need to need you / And I can't breathe anymore" (Anchor too, but this one has been more on repeat).

-> Enneagram type | Type three. Eight and six were the next ones though!

-> Imaginary friend | I don't really remember much about it, but when I was a teenager, I remember having a lot of OCs as imaginary friends. They were all interesting, and my favorite one was one named Ciel. He was tall, lanky, and really serious. His hair was white with a red strand, and his eyes were purple. He had pale skin and a vitiligo stain on his right eye. He always wore dark clothes. Mostly a dark, emo style. I miss him.

-> Go way to sleep | I start with audios (mostly Guy or David's playlists) but I end up listening to my sleep playlist. It has calm songs or just songs I feel like listening to.

-> Name change | yes! I don't really know why I chose my current name, and if I had a reason at all. If I did, I forgot. I used to have an oc who I called that name, though, and I believe I liked it so I took it from him once I decided to change my name. It was the last time I changed my name, as I went through a lot of them before.

-> Favorite audio | Currently, I'd say Guy's stolen hoodie audio. Either that one, or the friendsgiving audio with the damn boys.

-> Least favorite rboy | I'd say Vega or Blake. I'm sure their storylines are cool, but I'm not personally interested in them. (I haven't listened to Vega's storyline because of this). No hate to them, because they're really cool characters, they just bore me.

-> Favorite Show/Movie | not a book guy, but I can easily tell you all the plots of each episode from The Mentalist. Is not a super popular show, but God do I love it. As for movies, I'd say 'Mary Poppins Returns' and 'The Pacifier' are two movies I can say by heart. I've seen them countless times and I never get bored of them.

-> Platonic rboy | I absolutely adore Asher, but with him, I don't really see myself with. He's amazing, and I'd love to have him as a friend because from what we've seen, he's loyal and utterly amazing, but not really my type.

-> Comfort topic | Probably redacted, or talking about what I did that day. When I talk with my boyfriend before bed, we always end up just talking about how our day was and what are we planning for tomorrow, and I often start telling him stuff about whatever audio comes to my mind. I also like doing random silly games, such as asking questions, or opinions on something.

-> Comfort drink | I don't have a car, and I don't really buy drinks outside. But I do love chamomile tea and Sprite. I'd say Sprite is my go-to, and chamomile is a good alternative if I don't have a sprite. I also adore apple juice, but not all brands, just a specific one and that one only.

-> Favorite playlist | Don't really know if it counts, but I can't stop listening to PORTALS lately. I'm obsessed with the album and I can't leave it for a second. I do have a playlist though, it has a few songs I'm obsessed with (ex. What are we gonna do now - Indigo De Souza, Sex on Fire - Kings of Lion, Grocery Store - Cavetown, and so on!) And I absolutely adore that one too.

-> Guilty pleasure | Probably redacted, honestly. Or shitpost videos that literally don't make any sense and shouldn't be as funny as they are, but I die with them. I also love watching ts4 builders making different building challenges/houses.

-> Facts about myself | I'm a really stubborn guy, and sometimes I try to do every possible thing to fix a problem either than asking for help from someone who I know can easily help me fix it. I don't like bothering people with things I think I'm capable of solving, or even with things I know I can't. I like baggy clothes, and when I go shopping, you'll see me buying clothes based on the fabric rather than the pattern/color/style. The first thing I check about any clothing item is if I like the fabric of it. And if I don't, I won't buy it at all, no matter how much I like it. I like dogs, the color red, watching kid shows, and eating ice cream in excess. I'm scared of darkness, any kind of horror games/movies, bugs, and loud noises.

I hope that's enough! I really can't wait to see what you do with me. And I'm excited to reveal who I am once you do! It was super, super, super fun to write this down, so I'm already having tons of fun. Tysm!!

Type Threes (and Eights and Sixes actually) can be characterized by their stubborn, can-do, do-it-yourself attitude. They either, respectively, feel the need to prove themselves capable, feel it is their duty, or feel doing it themselves is the only way to get it done properly. This gives you major Smartass vibes that would be balanced well by having Aaron as a partner. 

Aaron, as an oldest child and a high-achieving professional, is wonderfully capable and dependable. That doesn’t mean he needs to be or is capable of keeping that up all the time, but it does mean you can rely on each other when the other isn’t feeling up to task. Your independent natures can balance one another, give you a safe place to land and lean should you need it. 

Also, he strikes me as the type of dude who adores a good, weekly crime procedural. Aaron is so cozy and domestic in his own special way; I could see y’all being very much at home, on the couch, in your jammies, watching a particularly favored episode of The Mentalist together. 

Song: 

If there is a load you have to bear/ That you can't carry/ I'm right up the road/ I'll share your load/ If you just call me

Again, depending on each other is a throughline I think works very well for the both of you. Also, we know Aaron’s a fan of classic country, so him liking some classic soul is not a big stretch of the imagination. (Oddly enough, this works really well for Aaron and Elliott’s relationship too, and ain’t that a kicker.) 

Runner-Ups:

Huxley would be a good contender given he’s dependable and reliable like Aaron. I also have this adorable image of him growing the chamomile for your tea which I can’t get out of my head. David is the above traits plus dog. There’s nothing quite so simply silly as pairing a dog person with a werewolf lol

Note: I'm sorry, you were supposed to get this, like, two days ago, but the tumblr app kept deleting this despite all the times I hit save. Thank you for being patient!

Want a match-up of your own? Read this post, and tell me about yourself! 💌

[dummerjan]

Getting to Know Your BL Mutuals - Tag

rules: answer the questions and @ some people. include the tag ‘g2ky BL mutuals 2022’ on your post so we can find everyone’s answer.

tagged by @baby-droll thank you :) <3

(I am including everything I've watched in 2022, not just what was released this year.) What have been BLs that took you by surprise this year? Definitely KinnPorsche. I've never had so much fun watching something and I am so glad I got to experience it while it aired even if I only started watching after the 5th episode had aired. Since May my life has been entirely consumed by KinnPorsche and my life has been the better for it. Bad Buddy surprised me as well, it is so unlike other BL series I have seen and Ohm and Nanon are amazing actors. I watched it within the span of 24 hours and the last scene and line were so lighthearted and funny I didn't even feel sad. Never have I laughed so much even though something was over. The Eclipse took me by surprise with how openly political and critical of society it was. Last but not least I have to mention My Tooth Your Love, it might win an award for silliest title but the story itself is anything but silly. Both of the protagonists read as autistic to me - my favourite kind of character: unintentionally autistic. I couldn't adore them more. It is a true comfort watch and I continue to be surprised by the healthy communication and boundary setting displayed. More people should give it a try despite the silly title and odd premise. It is so much more and not at all a typical BL, though still typically Taiwanese. What have been BLs that you felt a bit disappointed with this year? The Eclipse to an extent. It kept getting better with every new episode until the last, I think, three episodes. How the curse related plot got wrapped up was very unsatisfying and clumsy, though they still did great with the relationship aspect. Similar goes for Minato Shouji Coin Laundry, it just was too long and I didn't care about any of the side couples and it got repetitive. I was also disappointed and wholly underwhelmed by the Korean BL series I've watched (Blueming, To My Star, Wish You). I've seen so much praise for the first two but they just weren't for me and I had a hard time caring for any of the characters. The acting felt very stiff and I found it difficult to make sense of the emotions they were supposed to feel when judging by their faces they seemed dead inside to me. What has been your favorite BL this year? KinnPorsche, no surprise there. Favorite BL couples (not just of 2022) This is hard and why they are my favourite is due to very different reasons. A lot of the time I care less about couples themselves and more about the story they help to tell. But some are also proper OTPs of mine for which the relationship is the main draw. - Pat/Pran - Akk/Ayan - Kinn/Porsche - Vegas/Pete - Kim/Chay - Teh/Oh-aew - Tutor/Fighter - Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian If you had to suggest a BL for someone what would it be? Regardless if someone is familiar with BL or not, my top pick would be I Told Sunset About You. Though I think it is barely BL compared to other series. Same goes for Gaya Sa Pelikula. What's your non-BL favorite this year? I have watched mainly BL and everything before KinnPorsche is hazy. I am having a hard time remembering other shows or movies I've seen this year and nothing I would call a favourite of mine, I think. Derry Girls S3 was disappointing, Skam Italia S5 was such a treat and I really liked it but it hasn't stayed with me that long after watching it.

@blventingspace @thiansong @supernovasimplicity @fanfictionroxs @mvickym @varis-world (But there are also several others where I am not sure how much BL they watch aside from KinnPorsche - tagging always makes me anxious.)

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

i don't think they are in relation but jkkrs are spreading misinformation/lying on letter song, even though jimin said it's for fans they are creating bs very similar to tkkrs. Their narratives are he can't speak like that on public etc and these same people propagated to watch OG content and said all the things coming out from jkk mouths but where is that now ? Larries 3.0 in making or tkkrs 2.0! Lmao!😐 I really disliked how they are talking like jimin is lying, it's a hidden track for fans a letter for fans and was sung by him in last music show too! This is ridiculous coming from people who were preaching here lol.

I've been so fed up about that too. A year ago I already said that jikookers were turning into taekookers. It's what happens when shippers don't get content, when they don't get what they want. It's what happens when the ship starts saying things they don't want to hear. Literally the same happened to taekookers; the moment taekook grew apart in 2018ish, the fake sightings, the "he didn't mean to say that" "he's not telling the entire truth", all of that started when they weren't seen together and the same happened with jikookers last year.

Jimin has talked in the past about overcoming and getting through a really hard time by watching videos of fans singing Young Forever. Just some days ago on that pixid video he teared up when the fans talked about their struggles. Everything he said about the song being written after the hiatus, about the way he was feeling during Las Vegas and after that, everything about the type of person he's proven to be through the years, how grateful and thoughtful he is; it all makes sense with the song.

Listen, I don't have any feelings of "aww this song is for me", at all. I've said that I don't understand JK interactions with fans and the way he flirts with them is really cringe, and when I listen to promise or letter, I just hear comforting words in a comforting voice. I'm not thinking "Jimin loves me so much omg he wrote this for me". But to say that he's lying... c'mon now. And letter is written in the past tense. What now, he wrote a song in the past tense for his current partner? Jimin doesn't know how grammar works? The song also very clearly references previous BTS songs, like Sea (also a hidden track in a different album) and Spring Day, which is quintessentially THEE army song.

Even more, I'd tell you that Jimin doesn't care. If he wanted to write a love song about a real romantic relationship and have JK sing it with him, he would've done it. I have no doubt about it. Why would Jimin need to rely on BTS songs and fan quotes to write a song about a personal romantic relationship, make it make sense. He can do better than that.

[marinerainbow]

AHHHHHHHHH I've reread this reply at least three times this morning!!! I love it so so so much!!!!!

'Please do not feel pressured to respond to everything or anything' I don't feel pressured, but B R O. How can I NOT respond to this!?!? XD

Omg I love these fucked up kangaroos so much XD I'm glad that Lottie got to be with the weasels, but... My heart aches for Kingston a bit. He's just trying to do the right thing for 'his' baby 🥺🥺🥺 I also want to know more about Ryan! Reading your tags, I can see him and Lottie getting along. He seems to be the most sane member of the Roo family.

Also, to answer your confusion. The Hangover is one of my favorite comedy movies XD it's about three groomsmen who go to Vegas with their friend, the groom, for his bachelor party. But things got out of control, they don't remember a thing, and the groom is missing. So now they have to figure out what happened and find him for the wedding! I do warn you if you choose to try to watch it, it's kind of raunchy 😅 not nearly as bad as Zombie Strippers or 2001 Maniacs, but still. You might want to proceed with caution XD

Ohhh I see. That makes sense ^^ Poppy and Shiny love Lottie, but they also knew that that isn't their kid, so they shouldn't interfere. They still do what they can, like being available to babysit (Poppy especially would love to babysit. She loves kids ^^), and Poppy may get fretful of her when she was around (she would not at all approve of Psycho and Lottie swinging high at the park XD), but they both ultimately know to let Smartass raise his kid.

About the housing situation; for Pocho, I can see Psycho moving in with Poppy, even before they had kids! Once they both were comfortable with that kind of change ^^ when they started trying to have kids, Poppy wanted to move into an actual house so they would have room (her one bedroom apartment would definitely not be big enough), so Shiny helped her find a house in her neighborhood. They're literally a block or two away from each other now. As for Griny, since they were comfortable with how the relationship was at that point, they didn't move in together until after they realized they were having a baby (they both have seen how Teddy goes between houses every other week. It's comfortable for her, but I don't think Shiny at least would like to do that. It'd be too hectic in her eyes. And she doesn't care about being away from the gang life like Jane Doe is. So why not?). I think maybe at first Shiny stayed in the TP house for awhile, before they decided that Greasy should move into her house instead. Which was especially difficult for Smartass, Stupid, and Wheezy now that they've lost the only one who can cook XD

(For the Grychoppy timeline though, I imagine Poppy moved in with them instead. Smartass wasn't going to let her take two of his men XD for the Grinypop ship, I can see Greasy and Poppy moving into Shiny's house. And for Shincho since I've been lately thinking about that, Shiny moves in with the TP)

AAAASAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH I LOVE THESE QUADPLE FAMILY HEADCANNONS SO MUCH!!!! I'm want them to be the main timeline so bad now!!! 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 Jewel could actually develop a kind hearted side with Poppy's guidance, just like the twins! And Shiny can be the fun relaxed mom that balances out the fretful mom Poppy is! And Psycho can make sure that none of his babies get to witness Greasy and Shiny being gross XD

And Poppy would absolutely be on board with Lottie's plan. She wants them to be able to make friends, and knows they've been having trouble. Shes happy that they have each other, but also knows that it's unhealthy for them to be so attached to each other. She and Psycho even help out! They do something with the other twin that's not with Lottie, and Poppy does her best to make them understand that this is for the best for them ^^

Percy and Penny definitely (lightly) argue over who can go our with their cool cousin XD Lottie is just standing back, sipping at a soda Poppy gave her, and she's just like "So, did you tell them I only came here for a cookie sheet?" "I did. But you know how they get... Are you going to tell them?" "... They can figure it out themselves."

Yes!!!! Yes yes Jewel definitely goes to their school. The twins get so excited about it because finally!!! There's a kid at school who actually approaches them and isn't deterred by their eye contact or their perfectly timed speech. And all the students are just boggled that this little kid approaches the designated creepy kids of school. Though that might even encourage others to talk to Penny and Percy too ^^

Also, I'm making it canon now. Percivals favorite food is indeed pink marshmallows XD when he was a kit still learning words, he called them 'squishes'.

Percy: *peeking up onto the counter and looking at Poppy with those big baby eyes* Mum, can we have squishes tonight? Pleeeaaase?

Poppy: *laughing and cooking* No, sweetie. We can't have marshmallows for dinner.

Psycho wondering if he should take Jewel. Bro better be prepared to wrestle Shiny if he does XD "I did not spend nine months in Hell just for you to take my baby-"

STUPID BEING THE BEST UNKLE STUPID BEING THE BEST UNKLE STUPID BEING THE BEST UNKLE-

Also, I forgot to mention before. Since Poppy asked Shiny to be her kids' godmother, Shiny asks her the same for her kid. And Poppy of course accepted ^^ I swear, these women are so tightly knit, it's a wonder they didn't have a fling before getting together with their husband's (unless... 👀)

Him throwing the book at Greasy!!! Oh my god I died at that XDDD I like to think he kind of did it on purpose, but didn't mean to nearly kill him-

Jewels plan failed. She showed Lottie the book, knowing she would show it to Stupid, and had intended for their unkle to show her other cousins. At least Lottie is scarred right along side her now XD

(Maaaayyyybe he and BAMF S/O could have a baby together to add to the cousin group? 👀)

Alright before I go, here are some MORE Griny family stuff that I forgot to add last night XD

When Jewel went to high school/college, both Shiny and Greasy expected there to be plenty of PTA meetings... But the first thing they hear from teachers is that their daughter is a perfect student! Straight A's, always gets her work done. Is always on time. And they are proud, but also very confused???

It turns out though that Jewel has actually started a sort of business at school XD she'll change a students report card, forge hall passes, or get another kid in trouble for the right price. The reason why she's putting effort to look good in front of the teachers is so that if any of her 'clients' try to snitch on her, no one will believe them. Like I said, my girl here is a master at planning ahead (Greasy and Shiny are so proud of her XD)

Even though she is definitely a little devil, she does have her sweet side too. It's saved for her family mostly, and it wouldn't be as obvious without Poppy as a second mother to her. But it's still there. With her cousins, she'd have a 'I'm the only one who can call them idiots. Anyone else does it will suffer"

Ok more angsty/dark, but I've been thinking about Jewel not having the best luck with boys at first. Shiny would definitely do her best to prepare her for any assholes that approach her, but I've been thinking about one boy she was interested in trying to pressure her into things and breaking her heart. She does get her revenge on the guy after healing, at least. And nobody in the family was happy when they found out what her boyfriend tried to do (this kid is fucked).

Ok to heal from that angst! Jewel does find a good guy ^^ he's a humanoid toon, actually. And- he's an average Joe. That's literally his name. There is nothing special about him XD and that's what Jewel likes about him. She already has too many flavors of crazy in her family. She needs normalcy XD though he does have red hair (her and dad have the same tastes it seems XD)

Back to baby Jewel. I can also see her getting along with Smartass the most. That's her dad's friend, first of all. And they also relate to being so sick of idiots XD they'll share a look with each other when the other members of the family are being dumb before Smartass goes and does what he's gotta do. And Smartass was officially put in Jewel's cool book when he received Lottie's letter and made her parents stop 'making noises at night' for her XD

Hm... Ok looking back at my monster AU families, I made a mistake XD Percy and Penny are humans too (maybe. I haven't figured out what kind of monsters they'd be otherwise). So at least Percy, Penny, and Teddy aren't alone in being the most normal in the cousin group XD though how would Teddy be conceived if Wheezy is an undead? Maybe Teddy would be fathered by another man and Wheezy becomes more like her stepfather? What do you think?

Ok I better stop this here now. I apologize if this isn't so comprehensive. I got too excited! XD

I had to think about the cousins XDD It's such a cute idea!!

I LOVE THESE SO MUCH MAN I REALLY DO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

👇 Actual footage of my heart everytime I read these 👇

Ok this is gonna need a readmore because I have SO MANY THOUGHTS BEHIND THIS

First off, WE GOT LORE FOR LOTTIE'S MOM!!!! LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!!

Omg omg omg I've been wondering about Rena for so long! But I keep forgetting to ask about her 😅 She's from VEGAS you say??? Did the Toon Patrol have a The Hangover style adventure in Las Vegas?? And that's how Smartass met her? Was it a drunken one night stand and that's why he was wondering who she was? Or was he just pretending in front of his boys that he had no idea who this 'Rena' is?? Did Rena manage to hide this whole thing from her husband? Does she want to see her daughter someday? Does Lottie want to see her? AHHHHHH I'm sorry, I'll stop before I bombard you XD

Though Lottie being the only one who was raised by all the weasels and no one else was around caught my eye. When does Lottie come into their lives? Was it before Poppy and Shiny came into the picture?

And- And Lottie knows Teddy's mom????? Lottie, reveal your secrets!-

Lottie and Penny bonding!!!!! Yes yes yes yes yes!!!!! Imagine if they have little inside jokes with each other. Or they're constantly checking each others' bounce to see who has the better one XD also I absolutely love that Lottie takes them out separately! I can imagine that the first time she did that, when they were little, Penny and Percy got upset about it, having used to being around each other constantly and not getting what she was trying to do. Though soon enough, they genuinely enjoy these times! They love each other, but it's nice to spend time with other people ^^ (especially since I can imagine they probably didn't/don't have the easiest time connecting with other kids. As horror toons, they can be creepy even without trying to be. Not to mention the habit they would probably pick up from dad. So for a while at least, the only friends they had were each other).

Also, yes! Shiny would absolutely be their favorite aunt. Poppy would still ask Shiny here to be their godmother, so she has a sense of responsibility for these little hooligans (which also helps her come into motherhood easier ^^). She's not judgmental at all with them; she herself was a crazy kid, she gets it. As long as they aren't hurting themselves. Fortunately, these kids also have Poppy as a parent, so even if they could easily be Devil children if they wanted to, they also have their angelic side ^^ that might also make the twins and Jewel close too! They kind of feel more like siblings because of Shiny's responsibility and care for all three of them, making the two families close (*cough quadple Greasy Shiny Psycho Poppy *cough*)

In general, the kids know that Shiny is the cool, non-judgmental aunt they can come to if they need help ^^

And Poppy with Teddy!!! Omg that touches my heart so much. Poppy and Stupid are the two breaths of fresh air in this insane boogle that Teddy needs XD I can so see Poppy being an ear for Teddy (or any of the kids), and possibly her mom too, about the troubles of being a civilian related to a criminal in some way. She's so understanding and offers her best advice ^^ imagine if Poppy got to be Teddy's babysitter when she was younger!!! (She's close to the family and a sane adult. Wheezy can trust her XD). And Poppy can help reassure Wheezy that he's doing an awesome job at being a dad ^^

On the topic of Poppy and the Wheezy family, if i may; if Poppy ever got to see Wheezy and [Jane Doe] together after they separated, it would be soooo awkward. Why?

Poppy: *not knowing what happend between these two* Aaaaw, you two make a cute couple! ^^

Wheezy and [Jane Doe]: ...

Poppy: ....

Poppy: *leaning over to Greasy* Did I say something wrong?

Greasy, knowing exactly what's going on: Ehhh... Not in the way you think, amiga.

Ahhhhh Psycho giving Jewel a knitted hoodie!!! That's just so heart warming ^^ I can see that when she gets older, and she doesn't grow out of this 'phase' that plenty of people told her she would, Jewel would get confused about herself. But she then remembers unkle Psycho has the same attitude as she does about that sort of thing, and feels a bit better ^^ I'm not sure who she would open up to about her asexuality first though; she and Psycho relate to each other, but her mom is the most laid back and understanding about this topic. But either way, Jewel will be able to better understand herself in the end.

STUPID WITH ALL OF HIS NEICES AND NEPHEWS!!! I'm so sorry Stu, we need to do more with you. So here is a quick unkle Stupid paragraph! He loves them all, obviously. They are all just so precious!! I can see him asking Pocho and Griny soooo many questions after they reveal they're having a baby ^^ he's almost like one of the kids like that XD and they all absolutely have days where it's just the kids and Stupid, watching cartoons and playing games and just having fun while the grownups go do their own thing. Like a giant sleepover! I like to imagine that even when they are all adults, they still have these get togethers. It's a tradition for them all ^^

Oh... Oh God, all these kids playing Truth or Dare... This is going to become their version of Uno; blood is drawn, alliances are made and broken. All hell will break loose.

You are right, I can see Penny being a bit of a daredevil. Though if she sees her prank has gotten too far/out of hand, she'll do what she can to fix it. She's mischievous but also nice ^^ and Jewel is the kind of kid who has a backup plan in case things go wrong. (If you play chess with this kid, you will lose. Just putting that out there XD). And Perry absolutely would be the lawyer of the group and makes sure to get signatures and proof XD I can see him being more devious than his sister, despite being the more low energy of the two. He'd probably be more like a lawful evil or something and grow up to be a lawyer something.

I want to see Lottie pulling truths out of her cousins and Teddy being nonchalant about her own truths XDDD the other three are watching them both with shock and awe XD JEWEL TRAUMATIZING HER COUSINS WITH HER PARENTS' BOOK "If I have to be scarred, I'm taking you all with me."

Ok the cousins sending Lottie letters and pictures is just so adorable and sweet... But when I first read Jewel's part, I immediately imagined that one of the chicken scrawl letters she sent Lottie was pretty much just "I miss you, but how can I get mami and papi to stop making noises at night?" Complete with a picture of herself frowning at a door; Greasy and Shiny's bedroom door 😅 what would Lottie's reaction to this cursed child's letter be?

Before I end this post (I have to before I make it too long XD), heres some headcannons for Griny family life. This is better done in bullet points.

The day that Jewel was born, was the day that Greasy finally started to believe in karma XD all the women he chased, and now he has to raise one. Shiny had a ball when she realized this (it took her a bit. Girl just brought a new life into this world, she is exhuasted).

Jewel's nickname is Pumpkin. Because Shiny's biggest pregnancy craving was anything pumpkin related. Ironically, Jewel hates pumpkin. She can't stand the taste. She will consider you her mortal enemy if you offer her some pumpkin pie XD

As a baby, whenever Shiny and Greasy would try to get some ~quality time~ in while Jewel was napping, she would start bawling out of the blue. It stopped them everytime, and then she would just magically be calm again. Almost like she planned this XD

I can imagine that even though they had Jewel, Greasy and Shiny didn't get married. They were just fine with their relationship as it was, and the stress of raising a kid didn't prompt them to think about a wedding. And to Jewel, that was normal too. It wasn't until when Jewel started going to kindergarten and talked with other kids, one of whom came from divorced parents, did she actually ask her parents why they weren't together together. Did they divorce at some point? Greasy and Shiny cleared it up for her and explained that they truly do love each other, but it did get them thinking about officially tying the knot.

Jewel has very vague memories of her parents' wedding. She remembers walking down the aisle with her mom most vividly. (Jewel was supposed to be the flower girl. But when the time came, the toddler just grabbed Shiny's hand and walked with her- still carrying the basket mind you XD everyone got a laugh out of it, and her parents have pictures)

I can see Shiny and Jewel bonding over makeup, actually! Jewel tried sneaking into her mothers makeup one day, though Shiny caught her. Instead of getting mad, she just chuckled and sat down and the two had a makeover, and now it's become a tradition for them ^^

Jewel and Greasy bond over having similar devious minds. Granted, his is more fine-tuned since he has had to use it for his own survival and his job, but he can still see when the gears in his daughters head are turning. Sometimes Jewel will come to him, asking him what he would do in certain situations, and Greasy knows that she's looking for answers of what she can do.

They also bond over cooking. I can see Jewel being fascinated with her father's talent since she was young, and likes being in the kitchen with him ^^

I sweat there was more in my head, but it's late here so my brain is shutting off XDD so have these two memes of Jewel I made. Thank you so much for sending this in! ^^

Actually wait, no. One more thing. Since it's the Halloween season, here's one more though for you.

Monster AU family's. Jewel is a half-demon. Lottie is a natural born werewolf (assuming she was conceived after Smartass' curse). The twins are two orphans that Poppy and Psycho adopt (or they were conceived magically), and Teddy is the only human among them.

Ok now bye-

[lafemmedarmitage]

Well, I guess I should just come out and say it - I can't find a single reason to be angry with Kinn for hurting Porsche's feelings cause I can't see where he actually did that. Seriously. Porsche says that Kinn doesn't care about him and I'm just... Porsche, baby, are you blind?

He forgave your inappropriate behaviour during the whole 2 episode (and kindly said "you'll get better")

He saved your life when you messed with Macau

He sent you out of the room the minute he saw your distress while Ken and Pete were beating Mes

He saved your life again

He saved you from your good friend a rapist (ok, this one you may not know but still, he took care of you, by himself).

And then he gets sulky only because of the punishment that he might actually deserve? Like, let's admit it, he did fail, Porsche says that himself. Yeah, the punishment is a bit ruthless, yeah, it hurts, but it doesn't make Kinn this awful monster that Porsche's talking about. So with the exception of this incident Kinn did nothing wrong. And I was taken aback when Porsche said that Kinn harmed him unlike Vegas (oh boi it's still so funny). Like baby... where? You're oblivious, I get this, but still... where? Well, Porsche's ridiculously blind, I should just get along with it.

And let me say one more thing - Porsche reminds me of a baby right now. Well, actually, not only now, it's started since episode 2, I guess. First he behaves like a baby to drive Kinn insane (while Kinn did nothing wrong). Then this childish behaviour, like "you don't think I'm the best? I'll prove you wrong" (though I absolutely adore the fact that Kinn's opinion mattered to Porsche, you can't help admitting that it's more cuz of Porsche's character rather than Kinn himself - Porsche just likes to be admired). Then his constant need to get the confirmation that he is special (would you take me back; admit it you like me) - and not because he's already so in love, no; it's more for his ego. And finally he's accusing Kinn of being indifferent to him which, considering all of the above, sounds absurd.

And I can't get over the fact that Kinn

Kinn who's not a talkative one

who's quite secretive

who's already been hurt

Kinn tries to communicate. Tries to talk about what happened. Both times. Their kiss means smth to him. Their sex clearly means a lot smth to him. And if the first time Porsche got amnesia so they didn't have a chance to discuss it, the second time Porsche just refused to communicate. And my point here is not to blame Porsche (like I get it, he had his reasons), my point is to admire Kinn's intentions to behave like a grown-up, to admire his courage to accept his feelings. Despite his nature. His experience. His previous scars that I'm sure haven't healed.

So I'm not sure whether someone agrees with me here cuz from what I've seen on tumblr, almost everyone feels sorry for Porsche and is waiting for Kinn to come to his senses. But I truly ache for Kinn right now. He has done so much for Porsche, he already feels so much, and Porsche simply doesn't see that and continues accusing Kinn of being heartless.

(that's why my previous post about Porsche in the future being head over heels in love with Kinn is still relevant. cuz now he's not even close. Kinn's already falling for him. Porsche's still oblivious about Kinn's feelings for him, so his feelings for Kinn are not even close to be revealed (even to himself). and I sincerely hope that Porsche'll come to his senses in the next episode).

[ofpineapplesanddawns]

Do you have thoughts on a human version of Arthur? (w/ a human DT character then I suppose) Idk, obviously being an android is a big part of his personality, but then again he is incredibly human most of the time and the thought just came to mind. 🤔

Hmmm...

I mean, I love Arthur as is, he's perfect and needs more love because he's pretty much the star of his movie, but now you've got me a bit curious. But I'm up for writing a human version.

As for a human DT character...

I've got someone.

On with the fic!

--

Arthur had seen a number of customers of all walks of life come to his bar, that's expected when one works in a city like Las Vegas. He, however, was surprised by the gentleman who walked up to his bar counter, sitting down on one of the stools with a heavy sigh.

He looked a bit of a wreck, roughed up clothing, smelling of dirt and... ash, strangely enough, and had a dried, red smear on his cheek. But even with the dirt and leather jacket, Arthur recognized the man. How could he not, there were billboards with his face on them, and his commercials played on the local stations.

It was a bit of a surprise to see Peter Vincent walk through his doors, especially considering he seemed the sort that wouldn't really come into somewhere that was more... high class, to put in nicely. Mr. Vincent seemed the type that liked the louder bars, the clubs and dives, not something more upscale, for people who wore rich clothing, drank from fine crystal, drank from bottles that were worth more than what Arthur made an hour.

Still, he smiled as he always did for a potential customer. "Good evening, sir." It was beyond evening, it was two in the morning, but this city never slept, and the bar didn't close for another hour.

Luckily, it wasn't busy right now, the night was slow, as was typical for the middle of the week, so his focus was on cleaning and Mr. Vincent.

The man looked up, slowly blinked, then grinning just a little. "S'up."

Charming.

"What can I get for the gentleman this evening?" Arthur asked, setting aside the glass he had been polishing to a shine. He liked order on his shifts, he liked things neat and clean, unlike his coworkers. This was a gentlemen's bar, and thus a certain level of class was expected.

"What's the strongest, most expensive thing you can make me?" Mr. Vincent asked.

"Well, I have an aged rum if you like that sort of drink, limited release for just a few orders once every year."

This seemed to please Mr. Vincent. "I'll take a glass of that," He squinted, looking at the small name plate pinned to the front of Arthur's suit, "Arthur."

"Coming right up, sir." Arthur turned and walked to his selection, organized, he knew where every drink was. He grabbed the bottle, still unopened, and broke the seal. He poured a glass, then presented it to Mr. Vincent.

He took a sip, licked his lips, then down the whole glass. "Refill?" He asked, smiling.

Arthur raised a delicate eyebrow, taking the glass and refilling it. "How is your night, sir? It is quite late." He asked, making small talk.

"Uhg, exhaustin'." Mr. Vincent replied, sipping this time around. "Got into uh... into a fight, with some assholes. Don't worry, I won, of course."

"Of course." Arthur set the bottle aside, just in case he needed to refill the glass. He then returned to cleaning as Mr. Vincent seemed to explain the events of the evening, though Arthur had a weird sense that he was skimping on details.

It wasn't his business to judge, or even bother, unless if a serious crime took place.

"So, after I kicked their asses, showed 'em who's boss, I decided I wanted a drink. But, like, I didn't want to go to some club or whatever, didn't really wanna drink at home alone either. Found this place by accident, decided to check it out." Mr. Vincent glanced around. "Seems a bit dead."

"We often do not get late customers around here, except for events or the occasional weekend." Arthur explained as he picked up another glass to polish. "We stay open late though, in case someone still wants a drink while they explore the city's nightlife."

"Well, luckily for me, you guy's've got a policy like that." Mr. Vincent grinned, and Arthur couldn't help but to note that while he looked rather roughed up and grimy, it seemed to add to the smile, giving him an almost boyish charm.

Arthur offered him a real smile, not his polite ones for work. "Yes, quite lucky." He commented and moved to put the clean glass on a shelf.

--

This is such a clash of personalities, but I don't care.

[gophergal]

The Stupid Miniscule Issue I Have With Fallout 4

Welcome to a PROPER Gopher Ramble. Been a while since we had one. Strap in, folks

I've honestly seen so many people talk about their own grievances with fo4, whether they love the game or hate it. Is it old hat? Yes, yes it is. However, I dont really care. I really don't get into a fandom until the source material is super fucking old anyway. Anyway, I've seen some people complain about the settlement system (which is admittedly poorly integrated, but I'm a sucker for resource management and village building games) and the lackluster way companions are handled, but those aren't actually a big problem to me. What is then? The goddamn canon player backstory.

Honestly, the entire inciting incident is uninteresting to me, I really don't care for fo4's "Find your son" plot. However, the more manageable problem comes from the Sole Survivor's background and how it changes based on which gender you choose.

Not to sound like a whiny bitch, but why is Nora/Female Sole Survivor a lawyer? What does that bring to the game? It doesnt give you any special abilities, so why bring it up? Why isnt she a veteran like Nate/Male Sole Survivor?

You can't just say "There are no female soldiers in pre-war Fallout!" or because yes, they actually did. And we have that canon to fallout 4 though environmental storytelling and terminal entries.

Gladys, one of the residents of the retirement home run by Mr. Handys(apparently it's called Sandy Coves Convalescent Home) was a combat veteran. Her room has TONS of military paraphernalia including grenades, for some reason. She was an OLD gal, which means that, before the war, female soldiers weren't a new thing!

But why does it matter? Why am I so up in arms about this itsy bitsy detail? BECAUSE BETHESDA MADE THE GAME WITH A MILITARY BACKGROUND IN MIND

For context, let me explain how power armor worked in fallout 1 through fallout new vegas.

Before fallout 4, power armor was something you had to be trained to wear. Not just to fight in, to actually wear. This primarily came from becoming a member of the Brotherhood Of Steel and getting your training there, but pre-war would have come through army training.

Which explains why Nate can use the power armor found on the roof of the museum of freedom. Sure, the raiders can also use it, but I can excuse that as something they learn from each other (I'm ignoring the settlers using it. DEAR GOD I'M IGNORING THEM USING POWER ARMOR AS A BETHESDA-ISM). Either way, a Sole Survivor not trained to use power armor really shouldnt be able to. Yet either gender can.

Nate makes sense. He was a combat veteran who was trained to use it pre-war. Nora was lawyer, and probably shouldn't be able to use a gun larger than the 10mm if we're being honest.

So why didn't they make her a veteran too? It would have helped to cover their bullshit plothole when it comes to power armor use!

And don't get me wrong, I really like how power armor works in fallout 4. Having it use a non-renewable power source makes it precious. Being able to customize it RULES. But being able to use it Fresh Out Of Vault makes it feel less special, like a sort of toy. ESPECIALLY when your character shouldnt logically be able to pilot it.

Of course, there may be the argument that it changes the story too much from the original because it would change Nate and Nora's relationship. Not really. Legit all that would need to be changed is the opening flavor text where they talk about their accomplishments. It could have been a "met in the army" thing. It could have been a "met before, enlisted separately" thing. Either way, it still works. Besides, the gender or your Sole Survivor makes no other differences in this game anyway (aside from the Black Widow/Lady Killer perk. I miss my gay counterparts to this though U_U) so the choice of making Nora a lawyer baffles me.

Like, I know that having a female player character option is a fucking afterthought in most games, but this honestly feels a little stupid lmao