#it's night and i just finished this Dramatically Animated Square thing

[nwarrior777]

me, looking at animation in my game, which is Dramatically Animated Square: game industry will be destroyed by this and humanity saved

[hopeintheashes]

@badthingshappenbingo: Anger Born of Worry square.

1.3k. Angst and Emotional Hurt/Comfort. Buck and Eddie. After Buck's decision in 6x04 "Animal Instincts."

Read it below or on AO3.

"So are you ever going to tell me what's going on?"

"What?" Buck's eyes snap up at him from across the table over the pile of plates he's carrying.

Eddie pauses between putting down silverware at each place. "You know, the whole staring-off-into-space thing? Not-hearing-what-anyone-is-saying thing? 'Earth-to-Buckley' thing?"

Buck's face goes hard. "I hear just fine." The next plate goes down with a little more force than necessary.

"That's—" He gestures with a fork, but Buck is pointedly looking only at the table. He sets down the last plate and goes into the kitchen for the glasses. "Not what I meant," he finishes under his breath. "Buck—"

Bobby walks back in to check on dinner, which means everyone else is on their way. Buck reappears with the glasses, lips pressed tight. Bobby blinks at him, then looks at Eddie for an explanation, eyebrows raised. Eddie just shakes his head.

No idea.

. . .

"What?" Sharp and angry.

Eddie opens his mouth to say something, and shuts it again.

"You're staring. So: What?"

He wants to push. He's going to have to, eventually. But Hen and Chim are heading their way, ready to sit down for movie night, so he lets it go.

. . .

There's a dim light on in the lounge on his way back from the bathroom at one a.m. He hesitates, but only for a second. If whoever's over there didn't want to be disturbed, they could've hidden in the dark when they heard him get up.

It's Buck, of course. Lying on his back with his legs draped over the arm of the couch, scrolling on his phone with the screen illuminating his face.

"Hi." Standing at Buck's feet.

"Jesus," Buck mutters, but Eddie knows he saw him coming. "What now?"

He sits down on the coffee table. "What now is you tell me what's going on."

"Nothing's going on." Buck rolls over to face the back of the couch. "Other than you disturbing my sleep."

"Bullshit. On both counts." He puts a socked foot up on the couch and shoves Buck's leg. "Come on. You're supposed to be the one bugging me about shit until I cave. I'm not liking this whole role-reversal thing."

Buck buries his face further into the cushions like he's pretending to be asleep.

"Alright," Eddie says, "I'll just have to guess." He taps his foot dramatically against Buck's leg until Buck kicks him away. "You think you've been cursed by an ancient sorcerer."

"What?" Muffled into the couch cushions.

"You won the lottery and are trying to figure out how to tell us."

Buck groans into the fabric.

More gently: "Your parents are coming to visit."

"Thank fuck, no." Still muffled, but marginally less annoyed.

Okay. Back to the hopefully-absurd. He throws out his hands like he's conveying the plot of a telenovela. "You took this saying yes thing too far and had a one-night stand and got somebody pregnant."

Buck's whole body freezes, shoulders tight. Very carefully even: "I did not have a one-night stand."

Uh. "But you…" He frowns, deeply unsure of where this is going. "Did get somebody pregnant?"

"No!" Buck sits up so suddenly that Eddie has to, too, blinking at the sudden movement in the dimness. "Not…" He deflates, head dropping into his hands, elbows on his knees. "Yet."

Eddie is pretty sure he looks like a fish, mouth moving with no sound coming out. "Um," he manages finally. "What?"

"Not like that," Buck says, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. "I'm not gonna sleep with her, jeez."

Eddie leans in so close their knees are almost touching, hands hovering at Buck's shoulders. He wants to grab him and shake him, just a little. "Buck. I realize it's one a.m., but as far as I know you're not drunk, so I'm going to need you to make a little more sense than that." He pauses. "Wait. This isn't related to you and Hen being drunk in the middle of the afternoon, is it?" His face twists up in confusion against his will. "They're not…" He shakes his head firmly to cut himself off. If they are trying again, that is Hen and Karen's news to tell him. Buck just definitely didn't seem like their… type.

"Not them," Buck says into his hands. And then, like he's finally reached the fuck it stage in all of this: "Somebody else." When Eddie just waits, expectant, Buck says, "An old friend. He and his wife are trying to get pregnant; they can't; they came to see me; I said yes."

Eddie sits back again, sudden. "Because of that book? Buck."

Buck's eyes flash when he sits up as well. "Not just because of the book. I can make my own fucking decisions, Eddie."

He holds up his hands. "Okay! Yes. You can. Sorry. Just…" Soft. "You don't have to."

"I know I don't have to!" Just the slightest shake in his voice.

"Buck," he says again, heart twisting, because it's everything, right? His past, and his present, and his future, all wrapped into one fucking decision that this guy, whoever he is, had no right to ask him to make.

"Don't—" Buck says, on the verge of breaking. Silence. A shaky breath, and then another, stronger, and he sits up with forced calm. "I thought it through, and I told them yes, and that's that."

It's not. It's so obviously not, and Eddie wants to shake sense into him, and into this other guy while he's at it.

But.

A deep breath of his own. Hands on Buck's shoulders. Steady. "Okay. Whatever you do, I'm here. Alright?"

Buck blows out a breath. Eddie can feel his shoulders come down under his hands. "Yeah. Okay."

Eddie pulls a hand down his face and moves from the coffee table to the couch, grabbing the remote on the way. He looks sideways at Buck. He looks impossibly tired, but Eddie knows him well enough to know he's not ready to lie in bed alone with his thoughts. "You want to watch something?"

Buck nods, and turns sideways on the couch, sliding down enough to rest his head against the back. Eddie knows he's going to end up as a footrest in a minute, here. He offers the remote to Buck, but Buck just shakes his head: You pick.

There's some black-and-white mystery on, already halfway through. He turns the volume down low and sinks down into the couch with his feet up on the coffee table, already falling back into sleep.

Buck shifts beside him and Eddie grunts at the sudden arrival of Buck's feet in his lap. He pulls the blanket from the basket beside the couch and drapes it over himself, and pretends to object when Buck tugs it over himself as well, uncovering Eddie's feet. Some angling gets them both under the fleece, and Eddie opens his eyes enough make sure that Buck's not back on his phone, doomscrolling yet again, but no. Buck's eyes are open just enough to see the screen, following the action back and forth.

"It's gonna be the guy in the hat," Buck says, voice already vague with sleep.

Eddie decides not to point out that it's the 1940s; all the guys have hats. He pats Buck's ankle reassuringly instead, and lets himself slip under, lulled by the murmur of the dialogue and the weight of Buck's feet in his lap.

"Now wait just a minute," one of the characters is saying on screen. "You haven't got this figured out at all!"

Buck stirs, and Eddie opens his eyes and gets his hand moving on his ankle again, and doesn't stop even when Buck stills.

"Hey," Eddie says, quiet enough that he can't tell if the flicker of Buck's lashes is in response to him or just a trick of the movie light. It doesn't matter. He'll tell him again tomorrow, when they're off shift. When things have calmed down enough to really talk it through. To remind him that nothing's happened yet. There's still time.

He squeezes Buck's ankle, warmth in the touch, and closes his eyes. "It's gonna be alright."

[aphrodite-would-be-proud]

Enemies to Lover with Erwin maybe? During their cadet days they were always trying to one up eachother.

So imma make this a slow burn mini series with 5 chapters max, I'll also merge it with another request that fits perfectly with the narrative, hope you don't mind anon. There will also be Erwin pinning after Marie at the beginning but it will turn into x reader eventually.

Rivals with Erwin smith pt.1

{pt.1 | pt.2 | pt.3 | pt.4 | pt.5}

{ Erwin x Marie, Erwin x Reader (eventually) | tw: Enemies to lovers, tw: cursing, tw: aot spoilers | fluff, teasing | canonverse }

{"Street in Tétouan" by Eduardo Flórez Ibáñez Spanish, active 1871-1889}

You need to hurry.

Repeated the voice inside your head, as you lead the last horse back to the stables to join the other training horses, Its hooves heavy and stomping in protestion, as you attempted to lead it towards the empty hay stall.

"Please just cooperate this once" you argued as you cursed the fact you've been assigned one of the most dramatic animals to grace the inside of the walls.

And just when it seemed like it was going to stop having a tug of war with you, it lunged forward making you fall back against the ground. 

With an offended huff, it strotes inside its stall with the grace of a noble inside wall sina, the complete opposite of the wild boar that possessed it a second ago.

Not wasting another second on the petty animal, you get up to dust your white cadet uniform off, picking whatever remains of hay and carrots from your jacket. Locking the stall door, you send a death glare towards the horse that looked like it couldn't care less.

Although while you had enough common sense not to beef with an animal, you did have enough brain cells to figure out who's the one responsible for getting you assigned this dramatic prince of a horse.

The Erwin " i once helped get the stable owner's cat from a tree so now he listens to my suggestions" fucking Smitth.

But oh, you're gonna show that prick today, which reminded you again of the fact it's almost sunset and you have to hurry up.

And so you ran and ran, jumping over any pointless fences that only served to make the routes to the main square of the training corps longer.

More specifically the big board in the middle of the square, the one that all cadets pretend not to see when they walk by it.

You might have also been one of them when you first joined, to be completely transparent with yourself you really didn't think you'd ever look forward to seeing that grim too white to be normal look of the papers stamped on the board.

But things change, priorities too.

And now it just happened that yours is putting arrogant always ready to please people into their place.

Which luckily only happened to fit the description of a single local in your area.

Evading all the cadets that were hurrying to finish their end of the day tasks so they could enjoy their limited free time before it's night call, you expertly move in between each group of people without decency to not block the common walk road.

And then you see it, a noticeable empty space around it where none dares to even get close to the cursed board.

Your steps hitting the gravel become heavier as you slow down, your knees would've protested too weren't it for the early morning hikes you've been doing. 

Step by step, your eyes focus as they search the vast board for that small unimportant piece of paper that gets posted here every month.

The end of the month report card, which to reduce production costs only gets a single medium sized paper.

You find the paper by the signature of your instructor, right at the bottom of the page.

A cold breeze makes itself known, swaying the back of your jacket and drying the drops of sweat on your forehead.

Your eyes slowly trail up the paper, reading the names of your classmates, your fingers curl and uncurl themselves.

Reaching the third place, you stare at Nile's name for a bit too long, your eyeballs don't dare move an inch.

Swallowing down the lump in your throat, you decide to rip the bandage off and not prolong this anymore.

Second place, in clear yet hurried written letters it reads.

Erwin Smith.

Your eyes shot to first place, landing on your own name.

…

You did it.

You actually did it, all the hard work, all the bruises from facing people twice your size in one on one training and all the late night studies paid off.

Oh thank fuck.

Glancing back to Erwin's name, you think the second place suits him way more than the first.

That's where he belongs, below you.

"A half point higher." The ever so familiar voice comes from behind, barely a whisper.

Masking your urge to jump from that scare, you sharply turn behind to make it clear that his creepy sneaking behind people strategy won't work on you. 

Your eyes meet his steel blue ones, you shrug. "Yeah and?"

Let's see which one of you out-creeps the other, because you're not backing off despite being able to smell the still fresh soap scent from him, probably had a shower not long ago.

…Did he run here from the cadet chambers? Man that's pathetic.

Erwin stares back, his natural cold expression slipping between the charming facade for a second before a big fake smile replaces it.

"And it's still progress, considering your past rankings." He says, reminding you of just how punch appealing his face looks. "You must have been working hard, so i thought you'd enjoy the first spot, for this month at least."

Is he trying to imply what you think he's trying to imply?

Oh no. Oh no no no, he doesn't get to fucking imply that he gave you that spot willingly, not when you managed to flip him on his back twice in the last physical training class.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night Smith." Two can play this game, "but remember not to cry publicly next month when it's still my name above yours."

He didn't even try to hide his snort. "You really think so?"

"Oh I really really think so."

"Hmm…well that's the spirit soldier" he adds just when you thought his smile couldn't get any more fake.

In your attempt at one upping each other, both of you failed to notice the approaching footsteps.

"You think the corps square is a hangout spot now do you?" The booming voice of the current survey corps commander, Keith Shadis is loud enough to grab the attention of anyone passing by.

Which just happened to be none, with the sun setting on the horizon and the cold wind beginning to welcome the night, you realised just how empty this place got in comparison to when you arrived.

Both of you and Erwin look at each other, look back at the commander and then nonchalantly step away from each other before doing the salute.

With the rare occurrence when the survey commander happened to be visiting the training corps, you began to understand to never try and test his patience. 

Plus He already looks annoyed, better not irritate him further. 

"Our sincere apologies sir, it won't happen again" Erwin, suck up to commanders, Smith is the first to speak.

"This isn't the place to have your stupid young dates, god none of you would have hope to survive outside the walls." You listen to him finish his speech before it hits you.

"It's not a date." Both you and Erwin say at the same time with voices laced with disgust.

"Do NOT interrupt me" and you've already broken your own rule to not irritate him further, " both of you out of my face right now before i-"

"Sir yes Sir." Not letting him finish his speech, both of you just bow before hurrying off towards the closest corner turn to avoid getting into more trouble. 

You made sure to step on Erwin's foot and play it off as an accident, he winced and gripped your arm tightly in return.

"You're acting like a child, stop it." He tugged you along just to make sure the commander wasn't following behind.

Pulling your arm back, you replied " maybe if you didn't interrupt him back there, he wouldn't have been as quick to yell at us."

Quirking his eyebrow at you and your hypocrisy, he decided to just not indulge this argument anymore.

Coming to think of it, why would the commander assume it's a date? You took a good look at Erwin, which is when you actually realised he was…more neat and groomed than he usually is.

"Huh, you're all dressed up." You eyed his carefully styled hair, his neat trousers and ironed shirt. "Were you…actually going on a date? God so you are the one at fault for him yelling at us back there."

From the way he looked at you for a second before turning his face away without saying anything, you knew you hit the spot.

"So you actually had a date and yet you ran here, god that's actually…" your smug smile and amused eyes finished the sentence before you did.

Pathetic.

At least now you're 100% sure he was just as worried about you outranking him this month and didn't just give it to you like he bluffed.

"Shush it." Was all he said, eyebrows knitted with a glare to his eyes. " I wasted enough time here, I should go" 

He looked genuinely surprised at the fact he lost track of time for something so important to him.

"I see," you said with the same smug impression, "Well i don't think Marie would settle for someone who's always late but what do i know."

And that was all it took for his cheeks to flush, he opened his mouth to reply but closed it right after before stomping off.

Getting to see the collected and gentleman Erwin Smith, all frustrated and easy to read like an open book, almost gave you a higher thrill than ranking above him.

Almost, you had a victory to celebrate with your friends.

[delicrieux]

—MAKE YOU SAY “OH” EXTRAS: TINDER

extra meaning non-canonical occurrence; can be placed anywhere in the “make you say oh” timeline after couple (cha. 14) and before the final “oh”. 

pairing—corpse husband x f!reader warnings—tinder profiles, tw: men, swearing.  word count—2.6k. format— written. ─── ❥ req by nonnie​:  y/n makes a youtube vid/live stream where she's just swiping through her tinder acc and corpse literally blocks her lmao

author’s note—akldsljfs this was such a funny idea i could not not write it lmao

ultimate masterlist. myso masterlist

You have pulled the biggest brain move by setting up both a facecam and a screen recorder on your phone. All is beautifully displayed and visible during the stream. Your fanbase is particularly intrigued on what exactly are you planning on doing today, seeing as your tweet of “strea” had been a bit vague, if not downright ominous. No emojis. No elaboration. You couldn’t even be bothered to finish the word. Truly, a mystery. Everyone tuned in and are currently waiting with bated breath.

A few of your fans must sense upcoming doom because the overall mood in the chat turns from optimistically intrigued to...evil. It’s an entity all on it’s own now, clawing at you through the screen with various renditions of laughter and devil emojis. A few eggplants thrown in there for good measure, accompanied, naturally, by the scandalous water drops. At first the common consensus is that you’re biting the bullet and going through your camera roll on stream. Definitely an idea worth considering, though you frankly don’t know what lies at the start of the 11k photograph journey, and you are afraid to check in public. Could be a harmless meme, could be a salacious pic you had saved of an OF star. It’s really a gamble. Either way, you would definitely get banned. You might still get banned. Why do you insist on doing shit like this?

Because it’s funny. Because you’re kinda stupid. Because it’s just so absolutely laughably easy to do.

A smile quirks your lips, and while it is not explicitly smug, the look in your eyes sure is, “Greetings,” You utter lowly, dimming the lights--the budget for this stream! Ugh, you went all out, “my children.”

mother i crave violence

sensing evil energy rn!!

i do not claim the energy in this video for myself or anyone else watching this 💖💖

^with peace and love shut the fuck up

“I know y’all lowkey hoes-” Upon your words the chat splits into two: one side eagerly agrees (even shares a few OF accounts! How helpful, supporting small businesses!), whilst the other feverishly insists on innocence. You make a face stuck somewhere between offended and bewildered, “Now c'mon now-I know you. I know you all. We’re the same, don’t-what was that?”

You try to scroll back to the comment but it’s loss in the sea of incoming messages, “I swear to God I just saw-”

Corpse_Husband: i love late night streams it’s not like i have anything better to do.

“COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORPSE!!!!” 

rip headphone users

i cant feel my face when im with you by the weeknd but instead of face its my fucking ears

yall think full vol on pc is better?my parents woke up 😭😭😭😭

To think he’s spending his last waking moments for today with watching you (he probably still would have anyway, because you do not posses an ounce of shame or self-control and pester him relentlessly)! It makes your heart sing, and suddenly, a traitorous, fun hating idea barges it’s way through the crowd of incoherent buzzing and states: don’t do this. For some reason it also has the voice of Rae. As if that would work in guilt-tripping you- Rae never succeed, and her fictitious rendition in mind won’t fare much better either.

Still, you thought about it. That must count for something. Corpse will understand, won’t he? Why don’t you want to upset it in the first place? Men look so funny when they lose their shit, like hello, don’t you have anything better to do? But the image of Corpse just sitting there, hurt, distraught, leaving you on seen because he’s in his sad boy hours leaves a sour taste in your mouth. 

queen rly went from  🥺😊 to 😕 u ok bbgirl?

Corpse_Husband: no pouts cutie

akjdjoeijdfse cUTIE??? deadass boutta r.i.p.

Well that succeeded in eliminating everything from mind, doubts included. If this was an anime, the scenery would shift into something roseate, with flowers and bubbles and sparkles all around you along with a halo or two. Alas, not an anime, rather reality. The led-lights, however, seemingly possessing a will of their own, slowly turn from deep violet to pink. You smile brightly, like the absolute dumbass you are, and you are met with a ray of heart and blushing emojis. You are just so cute, a real cutie! Still in your disguise adorable state, you swipe your finger on your phone screen, the grin never leaving your lips.

There, among the plethora of apps, nestled sits a red square with a white fire plastered on it. The delicate calligraphy on the bottom reads: TINDER.

The mood changes once again- you’re giving the roaches emotional instability by how quickly everything flips over- and the chat spams eggplants vigorously; some, of course, bravely fight against the thirst.

nooooooo i thought y/n is gonna stream in a god honoring way!!!

^pack it up girl defined

“So, Charlie and I-” You note a few awfully curious comments and squint, “-yes, we talk a lot. Charlie is a really good friend of mine. We’re best friends. Brothers. Sisters. Cousins. The whole fucking family tree-no, that sounds weird. Delete. Anyway, Charlie, being the absolute fucker he is, said, hey, you know what would be funny? And I was like, nooo, what would be funny, Charlie? And he says to me, he says, says, making fun of men on Tinder. And if y’all need any more proof that Charlie and I are platonic soulmates, then dunno, my children, my roaches, I dunno-I dunno what more to give you.”

You can’t be bothered reading the comments, there’s too damn many. You also need to save your reading comprehension for the actual bios. It has a time limit, that darn thing. 

“Okay, so I made a profile earlier, but I hadn’t swiped on anyone yet-” Despite the fact, Tinder helpfully informs you that already 99+ people have swiped right on you, “So, this is me,” You show the pictures you have of yourself, and damn, not to be a conceited narcissist, but you look really good. Like if you saw yourself on Tinder, you’d super like instantly. “Uhm, so, my bio-my bio says: let’s sauce in the tub together, ya dig? splishy splashy, giggle giggle.” 

i cant believe we are witnessing y/n trying to form a coherent sentence live 

shes trying give her time

ya dig??? y not capeesh

what scene from the godfather is this lol?

“My anthem, is,” You laugh, covering your lips with your hand, “Corpsie, this is form you-” Proudly, you show that indeed, Corpse’s E-GIRLS ARE RUINING MY FUCKING LIFE is listed as your anthem on Spotify, “Hehe.” Yes, you say that aloud.

Corpse_Husband: you’re killing me Corpse_Husband: thanks baby Corpse_Husband: now delete tinder ❤︎

You ignore his last quip, deciding it’s finally time to get this show on the road, “Right, let’s do this shit. I’m not actually going to swipe on any guys that look, uh, decent? Yuck, can’t believe I just said that, uhm, because I-because I feel like some actually deserve a chance with someone? I don’t wanna get anyone’s hopes up, as I am currently in a long distance relationship with Chrollo. So I’m just gonna swipe on, like, frat boy assholes. Because I don’t care if I hurt their feelings. Quite frankly I don’t think they possess them in the first place.”

The chat voices their agreements. With the ground rules set, you, giddy, click on the first profile.

Does Tinder know what you’re doing, your plan? The FBI agent watching you through your phone must be working overtime, bless his heart. They must, because the the first guy to meet you is named Jason, and there he is, blond hair and blue eyes, holding up a fish the size of his torso. Marginally adequate in looks, pretty good muscles. A solid 7 bordering on 8. He’s the same age as you, 15 miles away, and he studies at some college you don’t care enough to look up. Bio reads:

I like to drive fast. Fishing is my passion, but if you can’t catch me by the ocean, you’ll catch me catching waves, bro! Love a good gym date. You do squats, and I’ll keep a close eye to make sure you’re doing it correctly ;) You probably saw me at a party. Leader of the The Phi Kappa Psi. I’m a Gemini, if that matters lol.

You, of course, read it aloud, dramatically; provide some constructive criticism-he seems nice, but he’s a Gemini, so naturally, you can’t trust him at all! Also, that gym date session leaves little to be desired. With your rant done, you swipe right, and shocker! (not), it’s an instant match.

“Okie, I still wanna swipe of some profiles, so I’ll see what he’ll text later-” For a second you wonder the legalities of this stream, but you’re having too much fun to think of it further, “guys, I won't get sued, right?”

NOW she considers it

well....

if you do, we’ll kickstart your lawyer dw <3

Onto the next profile. Kevin, 25, is seen fixing his car- or, you assume he’s mid-fixing it, you don’t really know why else he’d hold a wrench and be covered in oil. He’s shirtless, and the caveman part of your brain echoes something closely resembling AWOOOGA!, but...but!...blonde hair, blue eyes. You pout again, “I don’t...I don’t really like blond boys, ya know? With the blue eyes and all, it’s just not my thing, uhm, unless it’s like-like...Armin from Attack on Titan. Else I don’t care.”

Onto the bio:

You have to treat a car like you treat a woman: go on long rides, take the lead, but most importantly, keep her oiled up 😜 

“What the fuck did I just read?”

The chat is equally confused. You swipe right anyway- another match. Too easy.

The stream continues without incident for a solid thirty minutes- all of your matches, expect a few that genuinely looked like normal dudes that really couldn’t write a decent bio to save their lives, had been blond hair blue eyed gym rats with ranging forms of misogyny. Some opened with asking for nudes out right, some asked about your day first before asking for nudes. You prefer the former. Straight to the point! You admire the gall. 

But then, down the forty-five minute mark a profile popped up that made you still by your phone, your smile dying as your eyes bulged. Dear God. Lord in heaven. Who is this demonspiit lookalike and why is he so fucking hot? The neck tats, the skateboard, the clothes- holy shit, you gotta close your mouth before some drool dribbles out.

No bio, just his name, Tyler, and that he’s 23.

“He boutta be 23 in me.” You mutter, swiping right with lightning speed.

WHAT DID SHE SAYYYYY?????????

tyler is y/ns karma for relentlessly mocking that one guy that had a whole ass list on what his “female” partner should be

^he deserved it and also tyler seems like a typical fuckboi y/n grow a braincell

look at mom 🥺 her eyes are sparkling

It wasn’t a match right away. You somehow expected as much, but it still upset you. Simp behavior, pathetic. The stream continued bravely, and when Tyler messaged you a simple “yo” you totally didn’t sequel. You didn’t manage to text him back on stream: texting all those guys that you didn’t really find all that attractive was easy, but this...You’re a sucker for a man who radiates red flag energy. His whole profile is a red flag. He might just be a red flag himself.

What can you do? Suddenly becoming color blind is not easy. Once the stream ends, you unmatch with everyone expect Tyler. He you chat with for a bit, but a sudden craving for different company makes you abandon him, too. You don’t feel too heartbroken for him- you’re certain there’s already too many girls in his dms. You wish them luck.

Happily, you delete Tinder. You go to Twitter, notice you’re trending again- look at you go! Queen shit- and as you compose a thank you tweet, something strange happens. You go to text Corpse, but when you click on his profile you grow cold.

YOU’RE BLOCKED. You can’t follow or see @/Corpse_Husband ‘s Tweets. 

...Pardon? You hop onto Instragram and-also blocked. Seriously? And you thought you’re one petty bitch. Corpse is seriously prissy about everything. Damn, if he didn’t like your stream, he could’ve just said so. Didn’t need to, like, block you from his internet existence. So not cool.

You try texting him but no text go through. Well how will you let him know you deleted Tinder just like he asked? You relieve your frustrations by punching your pillow a few times. Later, you apologize to her, you didn’t mean to hurt her, it’s not her, it’s you. Fuck, 5 minutes of exile and you’re already loosing your mind.

“Raeeeeeeeeeeee!” You whine loudly. It’s roughly 2am now, but you don’t care. You’re too heartbroken to care. There’s a thump from her room, but nothing else, “Raeeeeeeeee!!!” You wail, wallowing in self-pity on your bed. You hear a very loud, very annoyed sigh from her room, followed by angry marching. Your door is abruptly thrown open, and in the dim, colorful light you see her scowl.

“What?” She grits.

“Can you please tell Corpse to unblock me from everything?”

“What did you do now?”

“I made fun of men on Tinder.”

She pauses, “...That doesn’t sound so bad.” She surmises, voice laced with suspicion, “What else?”

“...There was one really hot guy that I kinda sorta talked to after--”

“Y/n.”

“-But I totally deleted Tinder and honestly he was pretty boring, so, like, uhm, please?”

She sighs, the servery of which implies she is holding the weight of the world on her shoulders, and instantly you know that you won. She taps away at her phone, “You owe me one.” She states, and before you can reply, she exits your room and slams the door behind her.

Grinning, you text his phone again. The message goes through, oh gosh, you’re so relieved you feel like crying. This has been, officially, the worst five minutes of your life.

You Y DID U BLOCK ME LOSER!!! MAJOR LOSER ALERT!! I DELETED EVERYTHING IT WAS A JOKE r u still mad at me? y u always mad at me i never do anything:(

my husband You’re my baby, how do you think I’ll react when I see you publicly simping for some asshole on Tinder?

Oh no, he used the words, he delivered the killing blow. You’re finished. Your heart can’t take such a workout. 

Not that you would ever admit it to him, though!

You hehe ur jellyyyy u always dis jealous hehe?

my husband Not jealous.

Yeah, you might not be the brightest tool in the shed, but even you know that’s a lie. You send him an array of kissy emojis that he doesn’t have the decency to reply to. Then, completely unprompted and dead serious, you send him a simple voice memo, saying: “You really have nothing to worry about, you know? You’re my favorite, Corpsie.”

He responds via text, reiterating that he’s not fucking jealous and that he just doesn’t like when you show such outward interest in anyone but it’s not like he cares or anything. It’s just really, like, weeeeird to see his baby simping for another man like that totally ruins the whole dynamic!!! It was only natural that he should block you on every social media platform, including his personal number (which, like, was completely necessary! Doesn’t matter that his viewers can’t see it, it’s gotta be super believable!), and inform his followers of that, because it’s all a joke, like, for the dynamic, that Youtube grind, you know? Ya dig? No personal feelings were involved at all. He totally wasn’t upset that you found someone else cute, no way!

my husband I’m not jealous. Lol.

You ik u repeated tht like 50 times  u trynna convince me or??? lmao

my husband No comment. ...You don’t actually talk to anyone else like we’re talking, right?

You no one else calls me their baby if thts wat ur wondering at least not to my knowledge lol im all urs

my husband That makes me very happy to hear:)

Yeah, it makes you very happy, too.

hope you liked it!! xx

[newtonsheffield]

Any chance of getting some spicy royals content on this fine Sunday? After they’re married/during their engagement, I have a vision of them doing their events and then going back to palace and just like tearing each other’s clothes off and doing it on any and all available surfaces.

My friend, you understand the Royals vibe.

Their whole romance started because essentially they couldn't keep their hands off one another. That's not going to change when they're together, in fact, it makes it all a little worse. The young queen and her future husband are well known for probably being too in love.

Kate wasn't stupid, she knew what the entire country was saying about her when rumours of her relationship with Anthony started leaking from the palace as these things often did. And she supposed she was a good part to blame. People couldn't help but notice the Security that lined the corridor outside Anthony's flat, and really that meant there had to be someone of note inside, and there was, of course, the very public way Anthony had gone about things. It didn't take long for the rumours to start.

She called off the wedding for him

It was all arranged for publicity

The Queen Regent demanded she marry him if not Stirling

He's a traitor and so must she be.

It was vaguely amusing honestly, the idea that Mary of all people would be encouraging Kate to do anything to Anthony that wasn't punching him in the stomach. The palace PR team had practically begged her not to acknowledge Anthony publicly

"All due respect Your Highness, This will be a disaster." Jenkins had said, the bridge of his nose pinched in his fingers, barely 2 days into her relationship with Anthony,

Kate had bristled, "What are you suggesting, Mr Jenkins?"

"I'm suggesting, that publicly, Our new Queen has no consort, whatever you do in private is of course your own business."

Kate had frowned, "And what about when we get married." A small hiss escaped several people in the room and Kate had pretended not to see the way Mary stiffened beside her, plowing ahead. "Surely eventually I'll have to marry someone, what do you suggest then?"

And no one had really seemed to have an answer for her, which of course meant the answer was clear.

Hopefully you'll come to your senses before then!

But it hadn't been necessary in the end. Sophie had sent them to a primary school, and aided by a rather adorable Hyacinth Bridgerton, Kate and Anthony (Kathony as they'd been dubbed) had emerged as they country's new it couple. Requests poured in for comment, the were star crossed lovers people that certainly weren't supposed t fall in love but couldn't resist the pull. And allegedly, everyone could see it. Just from the way they looked at one another.

It seemed every day in those first few months blurry pictures emerged of them, Anthony's head resting on her shoulder on a street corner, Kate's legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her through the garden on his back, Anthony crowding her against a tree their lips nearly touching. It was relentless, and rather than sullying the image of the royal family, it seemed to make public opinion soar. Yes, their new queen was young, beautiful, and very much besotted with her grouchy boyfriend. It really was quite the narrative, and not very far from the truth. Before long reports of them slipping away at public events seemed to emerge, and this the palace could not abide.

"Kate, please, please do not sneak out of this event." Sophie was practically begging, looking sternly between her and Anthony. "I mean it, "I get it, you just got engaged, and it's adorable that you're so happy but Can we stay to the end of one event this month?"

"Ahh Sophie, when you look this good, lady's are bound to drag you behind a topiary animal for a quickie." Anthony had said, with that insufferable smirk on his face."

Kate had scoffed. "Won't be a problem, Sophie, Anthony won't be getting any for a while."

As it turns out, it was a problem. Before they'd even left the palace Kate was warm. Anthony had been sitting in the small living area attached to her suite by the time her styling team had finished flitting around her, and honestly, the sight of him made her mouth go dry.

He was wearing a light grey suit, the waistcoat of which had a light checked pattern through it, cut tightly across his broad shoulders, his red tie and pocket square in stark contrast. She didn't really need to look at them, she'd known before she even walked in what colour they would be, they always matched, Anthony insisted upon it. Insisted on her crest being neatly embroidered into them, and it was a little unflattering but it aways sent a little possessive thrill through her.

She'd cleared her throat and he'd looked up from his phone, smile already in place though it turned just slightly predatory at the sight of her.

"Well, well, your majesty, don't you look lovely this evening?" His fingertips had trailed over her bare back a little delightfully.

Kate had scoffed, her cheeks burning, "we promised hands to ourselves tonight."

Anthony laughed, "There's almost no way you're going to be able to manage that, Darling. I look delectable this evening."

God his arrogance was startling, even if he wasn't far off the mark. "You look average."

He wasn't deterred. "I'll make you a deal, Princess" She'd been the queen for months but he still called her by her original title, his eyes shining at her. "If we stay until 11:30, I'll give you a reward."

A shiver had run down her spine as she'd thought about last night when he'd bent her over the back of the sofa, his hands hot against her. "Won't be a problem. Prepare to get on your knees for me."

"It would be my pleasure."

By the time they'd been there an hour, Kate was struggling, Anthony's hand was hot on her back, his eyes burning into hers as he laughed and smiled, his glasses shining in the dim lighting, and it didn't help that she was sure the air conditioning was broken.

And he wouldn't leave her alone. Usually at these events after a while they were tugged in different directions, mingling with this lord and that, as directed by their teams. But tonight Anthony shrugged off all of his instructions, keeping his arm like a vice around her, the smell of his cologne a little overwhelming, his deep voice rumbling through the both of them, his finger tapping his watch every time her own hand slipped under his jacket or to the edge of his trousers, a stupid smirk on his face. God he was absolutely unbearable, and she wanted him so fucking much, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

Her eyes didn't leave his watch from 11:28, counting down the seconds as they slipped by, clearing her throat as soon as 11:30 ticked around.

"Can you have the car brought around Steve?"

Anthony's smirk intensified into something like a wolfish grin as they waved once more to the assembled party before they slipped out the side doors.

"Well, Your majesty, very impressive restraint shown tonight." his voice was like gravel in her ear, both hands on her waist now, one on either side, his teeth already nipping at her neck, it was all she could do not to groan loudly.

As soon as the car door was opened, Kate had tugged Anthony inside, her hand wrapped around his tie, his hips bucking against her at the sharp tug she gave it.

"What are you doing?" Her own voice was rough as Anthony attempted to settle into the seat beside her, his eyebrows raised.

"Sitting down so we can go home and fuck?" There was something so innocent about the way he said it, that made her heart flutter with love for him, his hand fiddling nervously with his glasses.

Kate clucked her tongue, tugging on his tie until his knees were resting on the floor of the limousine in front of her. "But we have such a long drive home, Lord Bridgerton, you better get to work."

Anthony's eyes darkened immediately, his hands tugging roughly at the hem of her dress, calming as he slipped underneath it, his lips trailing up her thighs, hands forcing her legs apart.

"Fucking hell I wanted to crawl under this dress the minute I saw you, wanted to do it right there in that fucking room again."

Kate tried to force her voice into something like nonchalance, failing miserably as she shifted her hips a little desperately "Well it would have certainly given the Lords something to tut about, you know how they like that."

His chuckle was slight muffled through the layers of her dress. "They're just jealous, they don't get to have you."

And then his mouth started moving over her, hard and relentless, and fuck she couldn't breathe. The privacy partition was thankfully already up as it always was on the way home from events, but still, Kate knew the driver, and Steve who always rode in the front of her car could hear her, and there was something oddly thrilling about it. Oddly thrilling about the obscene noises that were pulled from her chest, about the soft sound of Anthony's mouth on her, the soft moans falling from his lips at the taste of her, his voice coaxing against her.

"That's it, Kate, you've been such a good girl for Daddy."

Her eyes rolled back in her head, unable to help herself as her hips bucked against him helplessly, desperately seeking just a little more friction.

"Please, Anthony, Please."

He chuckled again and then he started moving impossibly faster, his fingers joining his tongue, forcing her higher and higher, she could see the reflection of them in the window as the streetlights passed, th obscene image of them branded on the back of her eyelids, And everything shattered. A soft scream tore through her chest, Anthony humming happily in response as her chest heaved, her breathing erratic.

Anthony's head popped out from under her dress, checking his watch a little dramatically.

"Well that took 5 minutes so I think I can probably do that another 3 times before we get home."

He managed another 4, one rolling against the other like an endless wave, her screams getting louder and louder, condensation covering the windows in the back of the car. And Anthony's smug smile as he tugged her boneless from the car, really was absolutely insufferable.

[bluejayblueskies]

53 + Jon for kiss prompts <3

kiss prompt list!

53 - against a wall kiss

i went with jontim! cw for mentions of ghosts, hauntings, and demons, mentions of decay and rot, bats (the animal), and mentions of alcohol

.

Jon looks up from the small scrap of paper he’s holding, squints suspiciously at the building in front of them, and looks back down at the paper with a frown. “This can’t be right.”

 “Huh,” Tim says, peering over Jon's shoulder at the paper. It’s barely illuminated by the faint glow of the streetlamps, small pinpricks of light against the night sky. “This was supposed to be a haunting, right? Some lady kept seeing a shadowy figure out of the corner of her eye, and her lights kept burning out.”

 “Alleged haunting,” Jon says tersely. “You know as well as I do that the ‘ghost’ statements are usually absolute rubbish.”

 “Yeah, but this one’s got zest,” Tim says with a grin, swiping the paper from Jon’s hands and ignoring Jon’s noise of protest. “Usually it’s all oh, there’s a cold spot and I came home to find the telly on or whatever. But shadowy figures of darkness and deceit—”

 Tim gasps dramatically. “Jon, we could be dealing with a demon.”

 Jon fixes Tim with an unimpressed look. “It’s more likely that we’ve driven two hours outside of London just to waste our time staring at a house that looks like it hasn’t been lived in for thirty years.”

 “Yeah,” Tim says with a grimace, “the place could really use a paint job. And, uh. Some actual glass in the windows.”

 Jon sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose, and mutters something under his breath about don’t get paid enough to—

 Tim couldn’t agree more.

“Fine,” Jon says, sounding resigned. He rifles through his satchel for a few moments before retrieving a small black torch. He clicks it experimentally on and off a few times. “We might as well get this over with.”

 “As much as I love your enthusiasm,” Tim says, “the place is very clearly condemned, Jon. The chains across the door don’t exactly scream hey, come in, it’s completely safe!”

 Not to mention that, technically, they’d have to break and enter. But Tim had learned long ago that the only problem Jon had with that was the physical effort it took to lift himself through broken windows and over chain-link fences. He’d decided, the first time he’d seen Jon pull a lockpick set out of his pocket and pick a lock in less than a minute, that he did, in fact, have a bit of a predilection toward delinquency. Particularly when said delinquent dressed like a college professor and used words like ‘ostentatious’ and ‘salient.’

 The being a little bit in love with him bit had come later. But it wasn’t like Tim hadn’t seen it coming.

 “I don’t think there will be any demons,” Jon says flatly, and before Tim can explain that he was actually talking about things like asbestos and rotten floorboards, Jon’s crossing the street at a quick pace and approaching the house.

 “Christ,” Tim mutters under his breath, scooping his backpack up from the ground and swinging it over his shoulder as he jogs after Jon. “Forget safety, let’s- let’s just run right into an abandoned building. Great.”

 By the time Tim’s wriggled his way through one of the ground-floor windows, Jon’s already scanning the inside of the house with his torch, an expression of intense concentration on his face as he maps the walls, ceilings, and floor. “Forget thirty years,” Jon says under his breath. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s ever lived here.”

 Jon’s right; beneath all the rot and decay and dust, the house itself is threadbare and hollow, walls a dull white and floor still an unfinished wood. Somehow, that more than anything makes Tim’s stomach turn with unease. “Right, well. This has been fun, but I think we’ve established that the statement belongs solidly in the discredited section so maybe we should… go?”

 Jon makes a noncommittal noise. “Why? It’s just gotten interesting.”

 “Right,” Tim says under his breath, hating how fond he sounds. “If this house collapses on top of us and we die, I am never going to forgive you.”

 Jon scoffs. “Don’t be ridiculous. Nothing’s going to happen.”

 .

 “Nothing’s going to happen?” Tim demands, having just sprinted halfway down the street and into a small side alley with Jon’s hand firmly grasped in his, practically pulling him along.

 A bit breathlessly, Jon says, “Well, I- I was right. The house is still very much intact.”

 Tim affixes Jon with the strongest glare he can muster, his heart still threatening to jump straight out of his chest. “Jonathan.”

 Jon throws his hands up in the air, dragging Tim’s hand with them. “How was I supposed to know that there was something living in there?”

 “Because it was condemned, Jon! Of course there were things living there.”

 Jon lets out a noise that’s somewhere between a groan and a laugh.  “They were just bats, Tim. I would think that would be a significant improvement from demons.”

 “Hey, at least I get paid to deal with demons!” At Jon’s raised eyebrow, Tim amends, “Alleged demons. I can handle the monster-under-the-bed stories, but—”

 Tim shudders. “Bats. I hate bats.”

 Jon’s mouth curves into a smile, and this time the noise he makes falls squarely into the realm of a chuckle. “Yes, I noticed. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you make a noise quite like that.”

 “Hey, if you were getting assaulted by God’s most abhorrent creation on this Earth, you also would have screamed. I feel no shame.”

 Jon seems to realize that he’s still holding Tim’s hand at the same time Tim does. But instead of letting go, Jon squeezes Tim’s hand tighter and says, “I am sorry. I… may have gotten a bit carried away.”

 “Mm, a bit,” Tim agrees pleasantly. He squeezes Jon’s hand back reflexively, and Jon’s intake of breath is audible.

 Huh.

 Maybe it’s the adrenaline making him bold, or maybe Tim’s just gotten tired of waiting, but he finds it surprisingly easy to take a step closer, bracketing Jon between him and the brick wall of the alleyway, and say, “Jon, if I’m being completely honest: running away from a swarm of bats after breaking into a half-rotted building isn’t the worst way I pictured this evening going.”

 “Oh?” Jon says, voice pitched slightly higher.

 “I mean,” Tim says with a barely-concealed grin, “running from danger, hand in hand, catching our breath in a very narrow alley?” He shifts a bit closer to Jon, just to prove his point. “Could be worse.”

 Jon looks down at their still-joined hands, then back up at Tim with a small frown. “Are you…?” He cuts off with a small sound and a shake of his head. “Ah. Never mind.”

 God help him. Tim opts for bluntness, because if he’s going to show a few cards he may as well turn over his entire hand. “Jon, there is nowhere I’d rather be right now than holding your hand in a dingy alleyway.” He pauses, considering, then says, teasingly, “Well, almost nowhere. I hear the Canary Islands are nice this time of year.”

 Jon just stares at him for a long moment. Then, just as nerves start to creep up the back of Tim’s throat, Jon lets out a small, breathy laugh and says, “Well, until we get a statement about the Canary Islands, I suppose this will have to do.”

 Tim scoffs. “Have to do. You flatter me.”

 The smile Jon gives him warms him from the inside out. Carefully, Tim lifts his free hand and settles it on the bricks next to Jon’s head. Jon inhales sharply, and his eyes when they meet Tim’s are wide. Suddenly unsure, Tim says quietly, “Is… is this okay?”

 The noise Jon lets out is startlingly close to a whine, and he nods once before saying, in a small voice, “Are you going to kiss me or not?”

 Oh, Christ.

 Jon’s barely finished speaking when Tim leans in, tangles his fingers more firmly with Jon’s, and captures Jon’s lips with his. Jon lets out a contented sigh and relaxes back against the brick wall, and god, Tim’s never going to get that sound out of his mind. He presses closer and deepens the kiss, documenting every one of Jon’s little noises and sighs and storing them away for later, so he can relive this moment again and again and again.

 Tim’s not sure how long they stand there, Jon’s back against the wall and Tim’s hand splayed flat on the brick next to Jon’s head, before a bright flash of car headlights startles them apart. As the light fades, Jon lets out a sound suspiciously close to a giggle before pressing his free hand to his mouth to hide his smile. “Sorry,” he says, his voice muffled by his hand. “I just… all the times I imagined kissing you, I really didn’t have this in mind.”

 Tim’s brain, for a brief moment, bluescreens. “All the times?” he says in disbelief. “Jon, all the times?”

 Jon drops his hand, looking sheepish. “Yes, well. In my defense, I thought you weren’t interested.”

 “Not—” Tim cuts off with an exasperated noise. He reaches down and takes Jon’s hand in his, threading their fingers together and squeezing once. “Let it go on record that I have wanted to kiss you for a long time now and that I am very much interested.”

 “Yes,” Jon says, amused. “I know that now.”

 Tim groans. Under his breath, he mutters, “Not interested. Ridiculous.”

 Jon laughs softly before leaning forward and pressing another chaste kiss to Tim’s lips. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m glad that I was wrong.”

 “Jonathan Sims, admitting that he was wrong? I thought I’d never see the day.”

 Jon gives him a glare without any heat. “Yes, yes, all right.”

 I love you, Tim wants to say. But it’s entirely too early for that, and he’s certainly not going to give his heartfelt love confession in an alleyway that he’s starting to realize smells something awful. So instead, he pulls lightly on Jon’s hand and says, “Well, I’m definitely not working any more today. Fancy a pint?”

 “Only if you don’t ridicule my taste in beer.”

 “One time, Jon! That was one time.”

[fuckyeaharthuriana]

I watched all the arthurian tv series I could possibly find and put them all from best to worst (imho)

Regarding my opinions and my taste: I am okay with low budget, bad special effects and even bad/weird acting, I prefer enjoyment over any kind of historical accuracy. I also enjoy cheesy movies, and I prefer characters over plot, and plot over the rest (pace, acting etc.).I tend to prefer movies that uses characters with a reason (ex. using Morgause as Arthur's sister versus using a random guy and calling him Gaheris just because it's an arthurian sounding name). I am also a bit Mordred fan.

Here I considered miniseries part of the tv shows/series list! 

(the sequel to this movies post)

The Legend of King Arthur (1979) - my favourite arthurian media EVER. Among movies and tv shows, this is my favorite ever. It focuses a lot on Morgana and Arthur and on her revenge in particular. If you like Morgana, this show is for you. It also has a great Mordred, and some very beautiful moments for Bors.

Kaamelott - Amazing arthurian parody that starts as full on sketches and gets pretty serious and dramatic by the 5th season. It focuses mainly on Arthur.

Arthur et les enfants de la Table Ronde (animated series) - amazing animated show about a kid Arthur living in Uther's castle and having a bunch of adventures with Guinevere, Morgana, Gawain, Sagramore and Tristan. Pretty heartwarming!

The Boy Merlin - while I am not a Merlin fan in general, I still loved this miniseries which focuses on Merlin's childhood and small adventures without being too cheesy.

Arthur of the Britons - I love this show, and I am a big Kay fan so this show is really a gift. Sadly, it lacks in arthurian events/characters.

The Mists of Avalon (2001) - I hate the novel, but the miniseries managed to cut out my least favorite parts, and kept the bone structure of it. It also focuses on Morgana and she is played by one of my favorite actresses.

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot - episodic and fun, this has one of my favourite Lancelot ever. The only thing I disliked was that there is no overall plot or drama

Camelot (Starz, 2011) - the series was cancelled after the first season so it never gets to other events, but as a Morgana focused series it was pretty amazing. Arthur was quite weak as a character, but at least Eva Green was in it.

The Legend of Prince Valiant (cartoon) - this is my favorite adaptation of Prince Valiant and it has tons of arthurian elements, in particular it also had some great episodes for Gawain and Guinevere.

Fate/Apocrypha (anime): This season is not connected with the other seasons and can be watched alone. It is about humans summoning historical figures as servants to fight and obtain the Grail (basically a wish-giving object). Mordred is one of these figures.

Trollhunters (animated series) - (only first season and third season) The arthurian elements are pretty vague at the beginning, but the new season explored Camelot and the relationship between Morgana and Arthur. In general, Morgana is a great character in this show.

The Librarians - Mainly not an arthurian series, but it is a general fun show and it has Galahad as one of its main characters, with some specific episodes about him.

The Adventures of Sir Galahad - a fun watch but very repetitive. Still, I enjoyed this one tv series where Mordred and Galahad actually interact

Cursed (Netflix) - Tv show focusing on Nimue. Pretty fun, especially by the end, but many times the whole "this character by neutral name... is actually *insert arthurian character here*" ended up being not necessary and pretty fanservice-y, without any real meaning.

Merlin (1998 miniseries) - while I enjoyed it, in particular the second episode, I generally disliked many of the "beauty as most important for women" elements

Merlin (BBC) - I enjoyed the first two seasons more than the rest. The show ends up with a lot of plot stuff missing or forgotten and it ends up with no particular coherent plot at all.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (anime) - I am still at episode ~ 12, but I am really enjoying it. It focuses on the adventure of Arthur on a journey (with some other knights) to find out who killed his parents and stop the big anime style villain

Sir Gadabout - I only watched a few episodes so take this with a grain of salt, but it's a funny parody show, but nothing special

Il cuore e la Spada - an Italian Tristan and Isolde tv show

Stargate SG1 season 9 and 10 - This was a good show, but it's this low because the arthurian elements of these "arthurian seasons" are only a few.

King Arthur's Disasters - Episodic parodies about Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere (mainly).

Fate/Stay Night and *Fate/Zero (*anime) - The anime has some arthurian elements (Holy Grail and Saber/Arthur), but I did find it pretty confusing e boring.

Once Upon A time - The tv show had some arthurian elements and then an entire arthurian arc. Unfortunately they dropped so many plots points that it literally made no sense.

Merlin's Apprentice - Melrin 1998 without the interesting parts

The Seven Deadly Sins (Anime) - It has Merlin, Tristan's Dad and Lancelot's dad among its main characters, plus other arthurian characters and Arthur as a guest character. It has some really problematic elements and the third season was also pretty boring.

Mr Merlin - this is barely arthurian. It's also about Merlin in modern times, and nothing too exciting.

Alias the Jester - I don't even know why I watched it. It only had, like, one arthurian element and in general it was pretty boring

Not watched/in the list:

Arthur And The Square Knights Of The Round (I watched some episodes ages ago, but I remember nothing)

King Arthur and the Knights of Justice

Blazing Dragons

Guinevere Jones (it's impossible to find in English)

Merlin (1980 German tv show and, sadly, I don't know German)

Arthur Prince on the White Horse (sequel of the other arthurian anime that I have to finish)

Space Knights (I only recently found out about this and haven't watched it yet)

House of Anubis (never found it in English)

Merlin (2012, only in French)

Runaways (I watched the first season, and have yet to get to the arthurian elements in the third)

Honorable mentions:

The MacGyver's arthurian episodes are among my favorite Connecticut Yankee adaptations. Doctor Who Battlefield was also a pretty good arthurian arc.

[writing-wrxngs]

Winter Day

(I got the idea for something with wintery vibes very suddenly as I was walking to my math class the other night. It’s only mid November but we got our first little snowstorm cause I live right on Lake Ontario. It was shit to actually walk through bc I was underdressed and not about to take the elevator back up 8 floors and change. Still, I got super excited to see snow! I love winter, or at least the romanticized version of winter. Also this is hella long, enjoy!)

It was the Saturday after a snow day, which meant an extra free weekend for Techno, Wilbur and Tommy. For the older boys, it meant a break from all the work being loaded on their adolescent backs. Tommy was only in his first year of school so he was just excited for a long weekend away from boring teachers.

Phil let the boys sleep in even more than usual. It wasn’t often school closed on a Friday, they deserved a treat. They had spent most of the snow day messing about and had tired themselves out. Instead, he sipped his coffee in the kitchen and waited to see which boy would roll out of bed first. To his surprise, it was Wilbur.

“Mornin’” the boy mumbled, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a bowl. Setting it down on the table, he went to the pantry and grabbed a random box of cereal from the top shelf. The ease with which he was able to do that still surprised Phil. Wilbur was growing like a weed, and even at his age, was taller than his father already.

Phil watched this ritual silently. Tired teenagers were like wild animals, and agitated easily. Of the two older boys, Wilbur was the one with the worse sleeping habits. Neither of them slept well, as was expected of teenage boys, but Wilbur was definitely the stereotypical tired out insomniac. Phil had no clue what kept him up, and let him for the most part, as it seemed like any attempts to help the boy change his sleep schedule failed.

Once he was done making the cereal, Wilbur sat down to eat. He scowled as he took the first bite. He might not have paid attention to what cereal he got, but he still wanted a particular one. Whatever. He had already poured this bowl. It wasn’t bad, either, just not what he had hoped for. The disappointment already wavering, he continued on eating.

It wasn’t long after that Techno came down the stairs. “Wow,” he said as he entered the kitchen. “Wilbur’s awake before me?”

Wilbur looked up from his cereal. “Don’t,” he replied morosely.

Techno couldn’t help but chuckle at the response. “What, didn’t sleep or something?”

Groaning, Wilbur turned to his brother. “I slept. I slept quite well, thank you very much,” he snapped.

“Doesn’t sound like it,” mumbled Techno.

“Like you would know. You somehow act just fine no matter how much sleep you get. I’m just not a morning person.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll back off,” said Techno. He did indeed back off, leaving to find himself some breakfast.

Phil shook his head at the two of them. Not in any disapproving way, more so a playful acknowledgement of their behavior. Their petty little fights were unstoppable, so he let them happen, waiting in case the fight escalated.

Wilbur finished his cereal as Techno sat down to eat his breakfast. After that, he left to go back to his room.

In his room, he flopped haphazardly onto his bed and relaxed. He wasn’t tired or anything, he just wasn’t awake yet. From his bedside table he picked up the book he was reading last night and continued where he left off. From over the top of his book he saw Tommy leave his room and head downstairs. He was finally alone for a while. Tommy would be a while downstairs, occupying Phil, and knowing Techno, he’d stay down there the whole time, talking about something Wilbur couldn’t care less about.

It was whatever. Wilbur was quite adept at slipping out of familial situations. Tommy and Techno seemed to fill his father’s time plenty anyways.

To his surprise, and perhaps even his chagrin, Techno came in earlier than anticipated. “So like, why’d you lie about not sleeping at breakfast?” He asked as he sat down on his own bed. “You know I know when you’re up.”

Wilbur slapped his book closed. “I lied ‘cause it’s nobody’s business.”

“We literally share a room. Your business is my business. It’s my right as the eldest to bother you about it.”

“Don’t you have things to do besides be a dickhead? A recital to practice for? Strategy books to read?” Asked Wilbur.

Shaking his head, Techno said, “I’m not in the mood for that today. Spent all of yesterday doing things like that ‘cause of the storm.”

Wilbur nodded in agreement. “More than I did. When did snow days become boring?”

“Well, Wilbur,” said Techno, “they got boring for you when you started spending all day waiting for a girl who definitely isn’t gonna call you to call you.”

Wilbur shot a glare at Techno. “At least girls have my number.”

Rolling his eyes, Techno shrugged off the comeback. “Seriously though, Wil. You should do something.”

“I was doing something,” said Wilbur, gesturing to his book.

“I mean actually doing something. Get out of bed. I know, come downstairs and we can do a little sparring.”

“If you just wanted some sword practice, you could’ve just asked me,” said Wilbur dryly. In all honesty, it didn’t sound like a bad idea. “Gimme a sec to get dressed and I’ll meet you down there.”

Techno nodded and left Wilbur alone to change out of pajamas and into something more fitting for a fight.

He walked downstairs and into the practice room. Well, half of it was a practice room. It was still technically a playroom, with half of it still having Tommy’s toys strewn about. In the half dedicated to the older boys, part of it had all their musical instruments in a corner, with sheet music and guitar tabs haphazardly splayed about on stands. The part that mattered was the fighting corner. It had practice weapons, and fighting dummies. Phil had this part put in a year ago, at the boys schools suggestion, after Techno’s third suspension for fighting.

“You ready to lose?” Asked Techno, who was waiting for him in the corner.

“Losing won’t sting too badly, there’s no audience,” replied Wilbur. “Can’t bruise my ego if no one sees it.”

“You’re still gonna lose.”

Smirking, Wilbur said, “I know, but what’s a win if there’s no witnesses?”

Techno tossed a practice sword to Wilbur. “You’re really taking all the satisfaction out of this, you know.”

Catching the sword, Wilbur nodded. “I know. It’s called mind games, Technoblade. I thought you’d know all that, with all the war books you read.”

“I think it’s called ‘delaying the inevitable’. Get over here and fight me.”

And that’s exactly what Wilbur did. Techno was correct. Wilbur did lose, but then again, Wilbur always lost. They weren’t kids anymore, and Techno had long stopped giving his little brother pity wins.

Wilbur got himself up, and turned to leave. As he did that, the good mood he had fell. Tommy was standing in the doorway.

He didn’t even say hello. “How come you always lose?” He asked.

“How come you never let people know you’re watching them?” Retorted Wilbur.

“I just got here,” said Tommy. “I’ve been watching cartoons, but they’re over now. Dad said I could play outside if you and Techno watched me.”

Techno, who had been putting away the swords turned to the other two. “And who says we want to watch you?”

The question made Tommy think. “Me,” he said, stretching his arms out to fill the doorway. “I won’t leave until you say you’ll go.”

“Kid, I can literally pick you up with one hand,” said Techno.

“Didn’t he try to bite you last time you did that?” Asked Wilbur.

Yes. Yes he did. Techno grimaced at the memory. “I think we’ve just been cornered by a five year old.”

Wilbur silently agreed. “Fine. We’ll take you.”

“Yes!” Cheered Tommy, who immediately ran out to get dressed.

The two followed behind, knowing he’d take longer than the two of them, seeing as he was younger and getting dressed more than they were. Still, it was decently cold out, so they threw on some heavy jackets and your usual winter accoutrements. After slipping on some boots, the two older boys followed Tommy out.

With intent, Tommy marched out to the back yard, which was piled high with snow from the storm. “You know, it kinda looks like a fort,” Tommy said, looking at the snowbanks. “Oooo,” he mused. “We could have a snowball fight!”

“We’d pummel you if we did a snowball fight,” said Techno.

“Well, maybe we could do teams?” Tommy suggested.

Wilbur shrugged. “I mean, me and Tommy would be pretty equal to one of you, Techno,” he added.

“Not really but it that’s what you wanna do, go ahead,” Techno said.

“Yes! That’s what I wanna do!” Said Tommy, already dragging Wilbur to one of the snowbanks.

Once there, Wilbur hunkered behind it, not easily hidden the way Tommy was. “Start making snowballs, go!” He whispered, then standing up. He turned to Techno, who was behind his own snowbank. “Now,” he said, putting on an extra dramatic voice for Tommy. “These are the official rules of duelling with snowballs! Number one: you cannot start throwing until the end of the count! Number two! You must announce when you’ve been hit! And number three: first one to hit their opponent ten times is the winner! Understood?” He called out.

“Understood!” Called back Techno.

Melodramatic? Yes. Did it keep most of the other neighborhood children from playing with them? Probably. But was it fun and made Tommy look at Wilbur like he was a god? Absolutely. “Oh-Kay! Three! Two! One! Go!” He shouted, immediately dipping behind the snowbank. A snowball whizzed above his head.

Tommy chucked one, and to everyone’s surprise, landed the first hit of the fight.

“Hit!” Called Techno, who went down to collect more snow.

“Nice one, Tommy!” Said Wilbur, throwing a snowball and missing. As he shook off the loss, was hit square in the chest with a snowball. He made a noise as the impact was made, then called the hit. He left Tommy and moved to another part of the snowbank for a different angle. As he did so, Tommy tried to hit Techno again.

Techno, being Techno, dodged it. He instantly retaliated.

The hit almost knocked Tommy backwards. “Ow!” He cried, before shaking it off. “Hit!” He called out, heading back down and rubbing the shoulder that was hit.

Tommy’s reaction made Techno pause. He wasn’t sure if he actually hurt Tommy or if he was just being a baby. It could be hard to tell. This pause was just long enough for Wilbur to pelt him, hitting him on his cheek.

“Get your head in the game, Techno!” Teased Wilbur.

“It’s not my fault! I was only standing there cause Tommy acted like he got shot!”

“Just call the hit, dude,” Wilbur said.

“Fine,” Techno said, rolling his eyes. “Hit.”

This went on for some time, them calling hits until they were almost tied. Seven to nine, Techno’s favor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tommy, so he turned went to throw a snowball at him, but Tommy jumped out of the way just in time.

While Tommy distracted Techno, Wilbur ambushed him, and got a hit off, as called by Techno.

And then, Tommy pelted another snowball at Techno.

“What the hell?” He asked, dumbfounded by the ambush. “Hit,” he added realizing he hadn’t called it. Both of his younger brothers were on him, and very close. Closer than he knew they were. He was stuck. They would obviously the final blow as soon as he went to make a snowball. They already had snowballs.

“And you said it wouldn’t be an even matchup,” said Wilbur. He tossed the snowball in his hand once, then whipped it.

It hit Techno right in the face. Frowning, he wiped the snow off of his face and called the hit. “You guys won. I hope you’re proud of yourselves.”

“We are,” said Tommy.

Before Wilbur could get in a snarky comment, the back door opened. It was Phil, who had popped his head out now that he saw his sons were done with their game. “You guys have been out for too long!” He called. “Get inside before one of you gets sick!”

“Fine!” Wilbur called back, already heading to the front door.

Techno and Tommy followed behind, and they took off their winter gear together in the foyer. Both Wilbur and Techno wiped their glasses on their shirts to defog them as they walked into the living room, taking in the heat of the house.

“I was gonna call you boys in earlier, but you were having too much fun,” said Phil from the kitchen. “I figured I’d use that time for something else.”

Tommy was the first to notice, and broke out into a run. “Hot chocolate?!” He asked in surprise.

The older two followed behind, the suspicion correct. Wilbur eagerly grabbed a mug and sat down. “Thanks,” he said, taking a sip. The warmth spread through his chest and into his stomach.

“Did you three have a good time out there?” Asked Phil.

Wilbur nodded.

“Me and Wil beat Techno!” Added Tommy.

“I saw,” said Phil. “You wanna tell me about it?”

Tommy’s eyes lit up. The chocolate already giving him a rush, he began to tell Phil the story of how he and Wilbur conquered their older brother.

Watching this, Wilbur couldn’t help but smile into his mug. Today was a good day. He hated to admit it, but Techno was right. Getting out and actually doing something did make him feel better. Now, even though it was still midday, he felt good. As much as he sometimes felt out of place in his family, he still loved good times like these. Yeah, today was a good day.

[spencer-reid-in-a-pool]

It Was You All Along (Part 2)

Part Two is here! I haven’t been this inspired to write in so long, and I promise I will get to all the Criminal Minds and Supernatural requests in my inbox. I was just so excited to get this out. This part is all fluff and realizations, with a sprinkle of pining thrown in. It was partially inspired by the scene in Tangled where Eugene and Rapunzel enter the town and start dancing. Enjoy and please leave feedback! 

---------------------------------------------------

Since we had come to a stop, I looked around to try and figure out why. Geralt never really says anything. He just does stuff. 

He got off Roach in a very not graceful manner, and began to walk towards the trees on the side of the path we stood on. I felt Jaskier shift behind me. 

“The hell is he doing?”

I shrugged. Then I wondered if he even knew what he was doing. The thought made me chuckle to myself. Until Geralt came out of the trees and stood impatiently on the side of the path. 

“The town is this way. It’s covered by the trees.”

Without waiting for our response, he turned and led Roach through the trees by her reins. I guess that meant it was our turn. 

Jaskier got off Lily first, then I followed suit. The two of us walked over to where Geralt went, Lily’s reins in my hand. Jaskier walked a few feet ahead of me, swatting branches and leaves out of his way as he went. Luckily, I didn’t quite reach them, so I could duck instead of doing that. As we walked, I watched Jaskier in front of me. The past few days had felt...different around him. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I felt different when I was around him. He felt different. The air...everything was just different. Not bad, however. It made my head spin and my chest flutter just thinking about it. Only, I didn’t even really know what I was thinking about in the first place. I had never felt this way before. And I wasn’t even sure what had started it. Jaskier was the same person. I was the same person. Yet the feeling was beyond off. 

Jaskier humming drew me out of my thoughts, and honestly I really didn’t mind. There had been many a night where we sat up late, talking and singing around the fire when Geralt fell asleep or was off doing something violent somewhere. It was a way we bonded. It took forever for me to start feeling comfortable enough to sing or even hum around him. But it had become one of our favorite things to do together. 

It was then that I noticed he had started to hum a new song that I didn’t recognize. 

“Jaskier, what song is that? I don’t think I’ve heard that one before.”

His tune stopped abruptly, and he looked over his shoulder at me with a small smile. 

“A new piece I’ve been working on. What do you think?” 

I smiled back at him before saying, “I like it” a little too loudly. 

He laughed and it made my heart skip a beat. There’s that feeling again! What is it? 

“Good. I’m glad.”

“But what about the words, Jaskier? Are there any words yet?”

He laughed again, this time a bit nervously. 

“Th-those are a work in progress, my fair lady.”

My breath hitched in my throat. What in the world is wrong with me? Am I falling ill? He calls me names like that all the time. It’s what best friends do. Right?

~

We walked and walked for what seemed like forever. Then we finally reached a clearing past a large break in the trees. And it took my breath away. 

All sorts of small huts and shacks and buildings lined the field in front of us. Some were on small hills, others in the valleys that had been created between them. Cows, chickens, and every animal you could imagine grazed on the grass surrounding us. The greenest grass that I had ever seen. Each blade seemed to blow in the breeze to its own rhythm, but together they made a song. 

“Geralt, how did you know this town was hidden like this?” I asked him incredulously. 

“I heard it,” the Witcher said simply. 

He walked off with Roach, leaving us behind as he usually did. 

I turned to Jaskier, the weird feeling from before completely dissipated in the present moment. He stared out towards the town as well, completely in awe. 

“Why would they want to hide something like this? Something so beautiful?” 

“Maybe...,” Jaskier said beside me, “maybe they want to keep it hidden. Until it’s ready to be seen.”

I glanced at him. He had an almost forlorn look on his face. But only for a split second. Then he was back to his regular smile. But his smile...it looked different now. Had it always looked like this? Maybe it was the lighting.

~

Upon walking into the town, we soon found the inn. Geralt and Jaskier got a room to share with two beds, and I got my own room with a single, small bed. I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Geralt’s face when he found out that he had to share a room with Jaskier. 

“Come now Geralt, it won’t be all bad! I can sing you to sleep if you like,” Jaskier said grandly as we walked up the stairs to put our things away. 

“Try it and see what happens,” Geralt growled. 

A slightly terrified expression fell upon Jaskier’s features, and I couldn’t help laughing once more. 

Once our things were put away and Jaskier finished complaining, Geralt left us to our own devices with only these words as a parting gift: “Don’t fuck anything up while I’m gone.”

We watched him ride Roach away to the edge of the town, to wherever his contract took him. Then it was just me and Jaskier. 

“Well, what now?” I asked, turning to the bard. 

He put his hands on his hips and looked around. 

“What is there to do around here, I wonder?” 

I jumped in front of him excitedly before asking, “Want to find some trouble to get into?” 

He bent down to meet my height with a smile that I thought would split his face in two. 

“Let’s.” 

~

The more we walked around, the more I didn’t understand how this beautiful, bustling town could fit into what seemed to be a small corner of the woods. All sorts of shops and stalls lined the street we were currently on, but one in particular caught my eye.��

“Jaskier, look!” I grabbed his arm and pointed in the direction of the stall I wanted to see. “There’s a woman selling flower crowns over there. They’re so pretty, I want to see them up close.”

I dragged him along behind me before he could say anything. 

He laughed and said, “We’ve gone into so many towns and seen so many things before, and yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this excited.”

“Well, today is different!”

There’s that word again...different. 

He smiled and my heart seemed to stop in my chest.

“Yeah, it is.” 

We finally approached the stall where the woman had her flower crowns laid out. There were so many different colors and flowers, I hardly knew where to look first. 

“Jaskier, which one would suit me? I don’t even know where to start, they’re all so lovely.” 

He looked around at the vast display in front of us, seemingly deep in thought. Then his eyes twinkled and he reached forward to a crown made out of small yellow buttercups and tiny clumps of white baby’s breath. 

Before I could say what I thought, he leaned down and placed it gently on my head, adjusting it so it would sit straight. 

“What do you think?” I asked, holding my skirts and spinning around in a circle dramatically. 

Jaskier thought for a moment, his finger pressed gently against his chin in concentration. 

“I think it was made for you, dear lady.”

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks and I hoped to the gods Jaskier didn’t see. In order to conceal it, I turned to the merchant who was watching us with an amused look on her face. 

“How much for this one?” I asked, pointing to the crown on my head. 

“Twelve marks,” she replied. 

I dug around in my pockets for the money, but stopped when I felt a hand on my arm. 

I turned and saw Jaskier was the one who had placed his hand on my arm, but his other hand was in the pocket of his trousers. 

“I’ve got it,” he said with a half-smile. 

Before I could protest, he handed the woman her money and thanked her. 

“Jaskier! What did you do that for? You know I don’t like people spending their own money on me.” 

He began to walk away, and I followed, almost jogging to keep up with his long strides. 

“Then pretend I didn’t do it,” he quipped over his shoulder at me. 

Finally I caught up to him and walked at his side. 

“Jaskier!” 

The bard smiled down at me. 

“If you feel that badly about it, then buy me something in return. We’re best friends, remember? Or have you forgotten that revelation we came to already?”

No witty response came to mind. So instead, I settled on thanking him. 

“It was my pleasure, (Y/N).” 

At some point, we made it to the town square. Some sort of celebration was going on, and everyone was dancing around while a group of musicians played an up beat song made for parties. 

“Eh, I’ve heard better versions of this song. One done by yours truly, of course,” Jaskier said as he wiggled his eyebrows at me. 

I pushed his arm lightly. 

“Jaskier, the only thing bigger than your ego is your head”

“There are some women out there who might disagree,” he said with a wink.

“Gross!”

All of a sudden, someone roughly grabbed my arm and turned me around, pulling me further away from where I was standing with Jaskier. 

I shrieked in surprise and Jaskier yelled for me, reaching out with one hand, a startled look on his face. But before I was spun around again, I saw someone grab him too. 

Then I noticed who grabbed me. A breathless young man, probably about my age. He had his hands in mine and was twisting me about the square. I realized that I been pulled into the dance by accident. 

“You know, you should really ask permission from someone before you grab them for a dance!” I yelled over the music and commotion. 

“Do forgive me! Once you’re in the thick of this dance, you can’t help but become impulsive.”

Against my better judgement, I started actually performing the dance as well. I suppose the man had a point. At events like these with the music, the wine, and the people, you tend to get carried away. I must have looked like I was waiting for my turn in the throng of people. 

Once I let myself relax and the feeling of panic left me, I began laughing with the man in front of me. It was fun. I don’t remember the last time I had danced and celebrated something. Whatever it is the people in the square were celebrating seemed important. 

We stumbled and twirled about, passing other dancing couples. It was so unbelievably loud. But it was a good type of loudness. The kind that made me giddy and feeling as if I was floating. 

Part of this dance was to switch partners every few rounds in order to get everyone into it and to meet new people. Meeting new people wasn’t really my thing, and I slowly started to feel more and more drained and nervous as the dance went on. All good things must come to an end, I suppose.

I had been thrown into another man’s arms now, the first one I was dancing with long gone. But I just wanted to find Jaskier. Or even Geralt. Someone familiar. 

The song was coming to a close which meant this dance was also ending. But there was still no sign of Jaskier anywhere. In my defense though, there were so many people and it was hard to focus on a specific person when you were in the middle of something so chaotic. 

At the last second, I was shoved into someone else’s arms, right as the song came to an end. My hands gripped his forearms to steady myself, although my vision was still reeling. 

“I’m so sorry! I’m not used to these types of dances,” I mumbled before trying to focus on the man before me. 

Lo and behold, it was Jaskier himself, looking almost as unsteady as I felt.

“(Y/N),” he said, out of breath, “Thank the gods I finally found you. I thought you had been kidnapped.” 

My vision finally settled, and I looked up at his face to get a better look at the state he was in. 

His hair was disheveled and a bit of sweat made his face shine in the evening light. He was breathless, breathing through his lips with an exhausted smile. The shirt underneath his doublet had fallen to the side a bit, exposing the dark hair that decorated his chest. With each rise and fall of his chest, my pulse increased slightly. I caught myself wondering what his heartbeat sounded like. How it would feel to have my hand resting on his chest as he breathed and talked. What would it have been like to dance only with him? Then I felt myself become sad, and almost angry that I hadn’t been dancing with him. But more than anything, I realized that this isn’t how best friends think about each other. 

I blinked rapidly to get myself out of my thoughts. 

“Jaskier, let’s get out of here. I’m exhausted. Please.”

[riotwritesthings]

song and dance number not included

WinterIron, T, 1.9k, crack, this is just crack, banter, vague nonpowered AU | A03

Once upon a time @gayspacesprinkles made this post. And fun fact about me I will write basically anything Ant says ahaha ILUBRO.

I know this has already been done better don’t fight me I just wanna make everything crack

Title: song and dance number not included Collaborator Name: Riot @buckybarnesbingo Square Filled: U4, One Night Stand @starkbucksbingo Square Filled: N1, World Domination Ship/Main Pairing: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags & Triggers: Crack, banter Summary: Bucky has seen some wild things in his time as a Professional Cuddle Buddy. Nothing beats finding himself in Tony Stark’s penthouse with the sleep deprived genius himself. Word Count: 1,897

-

Bucky steps off the elevator, into the giant penthouse, and he is 90% sure that this is some kind of elaborate prank. Ten minutes from now someone is going to be shoving a waiver in his face and demanding to broadcast his embarrassing surprised face on national TV.

Because no way does someone like Tony Stark need to hire a cuddling agency.

He takes another couple steps, and there’s no cameras. There’s nothing, just a giant empty penthouse, and Bucky glances down at his phone to confirm that yep, he is in the right place.

He’s just about to turn and leave when a face pops up over the back of the couch.

The first thing Bucky notices is the big doe eyes, warm brown and huge like a Disney character, but so sad. The second thing he notices are the bags under the eyes, deep and dark like bruises, like they’ve been there for a while.

The fact that he’s just staring dumbly at Tony Stark is actually the fifth thing Bucky notices, after the insane lower lashes and the fluffy hair.

Luckily the man is apparently as sleep deprived as he looks, because he just blinks at Bucky for a couple seconds and by the time he speaks Bucky has mostly gotten his brain back online.

“Please tell me you’re really not a hooker,” Tony says, squinting at him, voice rough and a little whiny as he adds “I literally just want a hug.”

Bucky sputters out a laugh, rocking on his heels as he says “I solemnly swear I am not a prostitute. Though I do give great hugs.”

“Awesome,” Tony says with a happy sigh and flails his arms up over the couch, making grabby hands at him.

“Did you wanna move somewhere more comfortable?” Bucky asks, rounding the modernist monstrosity of furniture that is the couch. When Tony opens his mouth, suspicious look on his face, Bucky rolls his eyes and says “Still not a prostitute.”

Tony snaps his mouth shut again with a sheepish look, then huffs out a soft laugh.

“This is fine,” he says, sitting up fully and patting the spot between himself and the arm of the couch, “It’s just me here, I end up falling asleep out here half the time anyways.”

Which is... kind of a sad thought, actually. This penthouse seems huge, too big for one person, and based on the dark circles under Tony’s eyes he doesn’t get much sleep anywhere.

Bucky has barely dropped onto the couch before Tony is plastering himself to Bucky’s side, surprisingly strong arms looping around his waist and his face pressing into Bucky’s shoulder.

“Okay, start the clock,” Tony says, already going limp against his side.

“Hold on,” Bucky says with a laugh, twisting to the side slightly so he can lean back into the corner of the couch and get his arms around Tony in return, pulling him in a little closer and nearly fumbling his phone in the process. “Is that comfortable, um, Mr- Ow.”

“Just Tony,” Tony says, peeking up at him sourly and removing his impressively pointy finger from Bucky’s side, “unless you want to be ‘Mr Cuddle-Buddy’, that is.”

“I’ve been called worse,” Bucky says with another laugh, guiding Tony’s head back down to his chest. “I’m Bucky, though, for the record,” he adds.

“What are you, a Disney character?” Tony asks, voice muffled as he nuzzles into the curve of Bucky’s shoulder and then quickly blurts out “please play with my hair.”

Bucky doesn’t need to be asked twice, burying the fingers of his free hand in Tony’s messy curls, soft and wild like Tony has been running his own hands through it.

“Mm, perfect,” Tony sighs as he pulls his legs up onto the couch, curls himself into a neat little ball against Bucky’s side.

Bucky lifts his phone just enough to see the screen and punches the shortcut to set an alarm for three hours. “Okay, now you’re on the clock," he says, and then wedges his phone into the couch near his head where the armrest meets the back.

“You are already getting marked highly recommended,” Tony slurs out, and Bucky laughs softly. “Seriously, you are like 90% muscle how are you this soft.”

“It’s my specialty,” Bucky says dryly and Tony’s answering laugh shakes his whole body.

“Shh, I’m mentally composing my review,” Tony says, patting lazily at his chest.

“Out loud,” Bucky can’t help pointing out.

“Yes,” Tony says, lifting his hand again to wave it slightly as he talks, “Now where was I- Ah yes, guaranteed ‘not’ a prostitute-”

“-I could hear those air quotes-”

“Very warm,” Tony continues, completely ignoring his interruption except for the way his hand flails a little harder, “Possibly a Disney character."

“Pretty sure I’m not, someone woulda told me by now,” Bucky argues, grinning helplessly and pressing his fingers a little harder into Tony’s scalp.

“Oh, you definitely are,” Tony says with a happy sigh, rubbing his nose against Bucky’s chest, “The only question is, with a name like that, you’re either an adorable animal sidekick, or a villain. Possibly both.”

“What-“ Bucky objects around a sputtering laugh, “I don’t think there was actually a question there.”

Tony tilts his chin up just enough to give Bucky a sleepy glare as he says “Well, which one is it, is the question! You planning world domination?”

“Yes. My plan begins with cuddling you into submission.”

“Well it's working,” Tony says happily, and his expression really does look lighter than it had when Bucky first got here, even if he does still look exhausted. “But when is the song and dance number?”

“Later,” Bucky says with a snort, “It’s my dramatic exit.”

“Or you gotta pay extra, right? In the back room?” Tony asks with a grin and a lazy wink that’s really more of a slow, uncoordinated blink.

“Not a stripper either,” Bucky huffs with a roll of his eyes, resisting the urge to tug at Tony’s hair.

“Too bad,” Tony says with a dreamy sigh, and Bucky really does pull at Tony’s hair a little in admonishment even as he laughs.

Tony continues his rambling ‘review’ amid Bucky’s protests until his warm, teasing voice slowly tapers away, and an hour in he’s fast asleep, snoring quietly into Bucky’s chest.

Bucky is torn.

On the one hand, Tony probably wants to be awake for the time he’s paying for. On the other, he looks so tired.

Waking him up would probably be a crime, and despite Tony’s claims Bucky is not actually a Disney villain.

So he wiggles down a little more against the arm of the couch, slow and careful even though he figures that if Tony does wake up, he has two more hours to fall back asleep if that’s what he wants.

Bucky certainly wouldn’t mind, Tony is warm and pleasantly heavy against his side, draped over his chest, and he looks so much younger when his face is softened with sleep.

He looks so different in real life, so much more real than he looks on TV. So much smaller, curled up into a tiny ball on his giant couch, in his big empty penthouse.

Tony’s hair is a mess of fluffy curls, so soft as Bucky continues running his fingers through it, the muscles of his back strong under Bucky’s other palm.

When Bucky’s alarm goes off it’s startlingly loud in the quiet of the penthouse, and even though Bucky has to fumble with it a bit before he turns it off Tony doesn't do anything more than make a quiet, sleepy sound and wiggle in a little closer.

Bucky hesitates for a second, glancing down at Tony’s peaceful face, and then wedges his phone back into the couch.

He was going to make this his last appointment of the night anyways. He’ll just stay until Tony wakes up.

Bucky wakes up staring at the incredibly high ceiling of Tony Stark’s penthouse, bathed in early morning light.

“Ah, fuck,” Bucky groans quietly to himself.

“Yeah, I actually get that a lot,” comes the voice from somewhere around his sternum, and when Bucky tips his chin down it’s to find Tony with his chin propped against Bucky’s chest, giving him a thoughtful look.

He looks a little less tired, bags beneath his eyes a little less pronounced, gorgeous even with crease marks on his cheek from Bucky’s shirt. Even if there is something wary in his expression.

“Hi,” Bucky says stupidly, still trying to blink away the grogginess in his brain and wincing when his neck aches sharply. That’s what he gets for accidentally spending all night with his head tipped way back against the arm of the couch.

“Hi,” Tony says back, and his big Bambi eyes dart to the side for just a second before he says “I’m not wholly unfamiliar with the one night stand, but I must admit we usually make it further than the couch. Fully dressed. What-“

“If you accuse me of bein’ a hooker again, ‘m gonna roll you right off this couch,” Bucky says before he can wake up enough to stop himself, and while he’s busy mentally cringing Tony’s eyes go wide with recognition.

“Ah fuck,” Tony groans while his cheeks flush an appealing, distracting pink, “What’s the overtime charge look like for top rated pro cuddlers?”

“Nah, don’ worry about it,” Bucky says quickly, finally untangling his fingers from Tony’s hair so he can rub over his eyes, “sorry, should’a woken you up-“

“So you’re saying you’re off the clock?” Tony interrupts, one eyebrow raised in an incredulous look, “You stayed off the clock?”

“I’m- um,” Bucky sputters awkwardly, and then realizes he has no excuse and sheepishly finishes with “Yes?”

“Even after I’m pretty sure I called you a prostitute at least three times?” Tony asks, and he still looks mildly baffled but there’s a smile growing on his face.

“It was five,” Bucky corrects, smiling back helplessly, “Once by callin’ me a lady of the evening, which, incorrect on multiple counts.”

“Right, I remember now,” Tony says slowly, and there is a devious look in his eye as he adds “We decided you’re an animated cow.”

“It was a horse, an’ I think you know it,” Bucky says with a mock-glare, gently pinching Tony’s ear and then tightening his arm around Tony’s back when he unexpectedly bursts into wild giggles.

When Tony settles down again he digs his chin into Bucky’s sternum with a happy sigh. His expression goes thoughtful, chewing on his bottom lip, and Bucky tries really hard not to get distracted.

They’re so close that Bucky can just barely feel the way Tony’s breath shakes nervously on the inhale, and then he asks “So, what are your feelings on breakfast?”

“Important,” Bucky blurts quickly, heart jumping in his chest, “Very important. Especially if I’m going to accomplish world domination today.”

“I knew it!” Tony crows victoriously, pushing himself upright and elbowing Bucky in the gut in the process. He grins happily in response to Bucky’s pained grunt and climbs to his feet, grabbing Bucky’s hand and giving it a tug. “C’mon,” he whines when Bucky moves not at all, “we need to go raid my kitchen. I want to get on your good side before you take over the world, I’m hoping it’ll get me a good spot in the dance number.”

“Yeah, I think that can be arranged,” Bucky says, grinning wide as he lets himself be pulled to his feet.

[stray-tori]

Making peace with TPN S02E04 (anime-only)

Post summary: my problems with the episode, possible explanations for why and how to minimize the problems. also some speculation.

The thoughts are mostly based on the anime in a bubble, aside from the segments where I mention otherwise.

.

#0 - My mixed feelings about staying anime-only

This is strange, because... I’m not really hype for next week? I want more, but not in the same excited way I did before. Because I simply don’t know what to expect anymore.

I want to stick as an anime-only so I can deliver stand-alone thoughts as this... clunky and stumbling adaptation makes its way towards the finish line (obviously it won’t be done this season but, yeah ---- i mean, hopefully not, who knows what they’ll do at this point).

But another part of me is just... more excited to read the manga to see what it is like and what the differences are, after the anime is done (which was always my plan, but I was never really actively excited about it pff-). And I feel like your anime approach has failed when I’m moreso looking forward to reading the source material eventually. I do hope that with ep5 they’ll get back on track and this feeling will fade. That they have a meaningful plan and reason for why ep4 felt so messy and disjointed - a reason why it had to go this way, because I feel like they just wanted them out of the bunker, but this is not the way imo (more on that in the next segment)

.

#1 - Leaving the bunker - mix of feeling “rushed” and “waste of time”

I feel like where the anime is going, they kind of wrote themselves into a corner in Episode 4. The story setup was leading them to this place (i.e. the bunker), but they obviously didn’t want them to stay there long.

What is the problem? / The way it was setup, we got about an episode of them being there (too few to have emotional attachment to the place) and then being chased out when things went well. In a way it is both too soon, but since nothing really worth the ~1 episode “fluff” happened there in the end, it feels pointless or as if we just wasted time, just for them to leave in the end.

Imo, the bunker is needed for two things, 1) being the first goal for them to go to, so the story isn’t aimless right away and 2) info dumps. Most of the children’s content can be repurposed during their forest time or doesn’t seem relevant right now.

For the record, I personally think that they got found out makes sense in-universe,

WM said he was found out, it’s not unlikely the farm knows that bunkers exist and might even have a vague idea of where they are

that there are multiple could be assumed by the army guy saying, “That’s how shelters usually are” -- If the world has been like this for 1000 years, what other purpose than human survival in a demon would could shelter even have? 

I don’t think the pursuers communicated it back (got lucky, Ray) because if they did, they wouldn’t show up a whole month later.

they could have just observed them, they’ve been on the surface quite a bit.

(though I also agree it should be confirmed how the farm found out)

I’m just questioning the impact it had on me as a viewer (which is little) - the world is rigged against them, they can’t catch a break in a system this powerful chasing them and I think part of the confusion and “wait we’re back at square 1??” (literally) is intentional, to evoke the feeling of something being lost. If possible, I would keep the spirit of this idea (see “it’s a trap” in the next segment)

.

So what can we do to fix it?

Skipping the bunker / I don’t think we can remove the bunker outright. I suppose they could have had them just go straight for the new location by having the last keyword be another puzzle instead of the phone recording giving it away directly. But that might have too few things happening. That way they also would have gotten more time on their own to be wandering OR Mujika and Sonju might have been with them longer (which would honestly make sense from a meta point, too. I feel like they were a little short-lived.)

Less time in the bunker / if it feels pointless anyway, get it over with quickly

More time in the bunker / stay longer and have them do something else. Maybe they prepped to already go back to GF, time has passed and then they get raided. Problem: why did it take the farm force so long?

To be honest, I’m not sure that would have been much better so I’m personally more inclined to fix it with a very tightly connected problem, which will be the next segment:

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#3 - the HELP wall scare was pointless

What’s the problem? / the scare was used in between two segments of “the happy life in the bunker”(TM). The segments are the exact same feeling to me personally, just fluff. The scare changed NOTHING. Nothing that was revealed justifies it existing.

Pre wall scare: WM is an ally, the bunker is for escapees

Post wall scare: WM is an ally, he got discovered, the bunker is for escapees, there were escapees there before (?)

The wall doesn’t even have anything to do with WM. And we didn’t get enough details on the HELP wall, even on its own. Was the book and the “HELP”s from the same person? Why were they going crazy there? What did their siblings die from? It can’t be food, so it must have happened outside. Where they picked up by the Task Force(TM)?

The “don’t give up” is nice, but our crew didn’t need that pep talk I think - i guess with Minerva gone, they lost a hope for allies, but at the same time he gave them coordinates where to get support. If they didn’t get that and now were on their own, I’d get the whole uplifting book more, personally. I guess the tragedy here is that WM is dead? Maybe I’m not emphasizing with the characters enough on this.

. So what can we do to fix it?

Give more details to the wall / i.e. answering the questions posed above. Maybe show more of the diary. Maybe two were left and one killed themselves (they scribbled HELPs and were crazier) and left the other alone, and they decided they’re leaving for the human world. It doesn’t change that the scare doesn’t mean much, but it would at least be a little more personal.

Change the wall / remove the helps, leave the names and the counting. It would be a tragic reveal (instead of a over-dramatic scare) to see that people had died (around) here, making them scared for their own lives (I guess that’s kind of implied to be happening but since it doesn’t linger, I didn’t really notice.)

It’s a trap/they definitely know of the bunker / it’s not “help” but “run” which was a warning someone put there because they figured out the farms knew of the bunker (or they got attacked and one couldn’t leave). It being a trap would make sense because even as it’s now, I’m just assuming they vaguely know of the bunkers’ existence anyway. Then it wouldn’t be “yay bunker life! - scare - yay bunker life! - BOOM” but instead “yay bunker life! - it’s a trap... what do we do?” - you can still have the info dumps & the phone call and then they either realize it’s a trap and just leave (removing the problem of the....... interesting raid scenes), and BOOM (haha) you’re where the anime is now, since the troup got nom’ed anyway and aren’t a threat anymore. The mission would still fail since they’re gone, so Isabella’s plot is in tact too. I think this would also partly solve the bunker problem, because now something actually changed about the setup we know. It’s NOT the safe bunker anymore. It changes a lot about the world too - the farm knows of them so how much more of the WM support net is affected? It makes you think more about the larger scale implications (and ligns up nicely with the “I was discovered” talk from James, therefore making the wall shown at the same time relevant), + the bunker has another reason to be there, to reveal that. Personally, it would change our perception and understanding of the situation, which imo would make up for the lacking investment in the bunker itself. It would also prompt them to leave faster (likely), thus eliminating the “we spent so much time here for nothing” thing. If you really want to you can even have them stay anyway, since it’s the only thing they have and they opt to just leave on the first sign of someone actually being on their back. This requires a better night watch than Don though :D

.

#4 - The little things

Missed drama - the episode was pretty casual about a lot of things; testing potentially dangerous food (fair because it was a nice segment), their new home being gone (fair because no attachment) and them seeing humans being eaten right in front of them (WHY WASN’T THIS MILKED). It makes it all seem like it’s not a big deal - which I guess in a survival story, it kind of isn’t. But I still feel like there wasn’t really any impactful moment this episode it just kinda went “brrr” and now we’re back to episode 1.

for real, please milk the wild demon eating people / he just kinda goes "nom" and the children are there and run. It feels like the anime itself barely takes it seriously - it's the first time (I think), they see a human get eaten by a demon and I feel like that could have used like a close up shot, and some more disgusted reactions by the children. I get that it's a world where that just happens but I feel like the anime just didn't take or see the change to do something more personal with it. I like it as an element at its core because it makes sense; they shot around, attracting the demon and I also like the irony of being saved by a wild creature. Even if that now chases you.

incompetent soldiers - why do they have guns? they can’t HARM / KILL the quality food, so WHY GUNS? -- People with guns are usually incompetent in anything because they just can’t hit anything, but that at least makes sense here. Still, what was the plan? Sheer intimidation? They’re the farms’ force right? Why don’t they know how to deal with wild demons? Possible answer: to prevent humans with guns knowing how to eliminate their higher ups :D doesn’t change that it makes them look stupid. Bro really got defeated by getting a cup thrown in his face. To be fair this specific one didn’t seem to be the brightest bulb, why the “huh?” when he found Don??? Is this relevant I’M SO CONFUSED.

where’s the character moments? - when they got to the bunker, everyone else kind of got the focus, and the main cast just didn't have any of those character moments anymore that made the previous episodes, especially episode 2, so touching and emotional for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the kind of fluff content with the children a lot but I kind of missed some.... it feels like it's more event driven (#BOOM) than character driven now, and idk how to really attach to that? Especially since with ep4 we didn't even really learn anything new (aside from a name and that he was indeed good and is now dead I guess).

.

#5 - Why?

Warning: this goes a bit into comparisons (nothing concrete though), and I obviously don’t know more than I picked up from fandom reactions.

My guess is that

“So... I cannot at this point say that we are going to animate the entire story to the very end. We are not at a point where we can say that. Sorry. (Laughs)”

from the MAL interview might be a factor. It seems they wanted to tell their own spin regardless (which I personally respect) but maybe they thought that unless they had a two-cour, it would be hard to keep up the investment the first season set up with what was originally in the manga (I had heard that it would be a weird pacing to do 11 episodes and maybe they wanted to make sure viewer engagement was high).

> “We know that there are viewers who, after they watch the anime, want to continue on and read the manga, and there are viewers who have read the manga first and are now watching the anime.”

(I’m not sure if “after the anime” means after a season or after the the whole adaptation)

Their goal is definitely an “unique” experience. And they seem to at least be aware that some people watch the anime first, so it has to make sense in a bubble.

I can’t say if I would have preferred a slower start into whatever the manga has that caps off at 11 episodes (idk how much rewarding stuff could have fit in there), since they probably fear of not being able to do a complete adaptation too. And I feel like as I’m getting it, they are trying to quickly reintroduce what people cared about in s1 --- in Isabella’s case, maybe a bit too early. there was barely any time to really miss her imo.

But I’m also not sure if whatever they’re aiming for will be rewarding. I hope so, because I don’t want their efforts to go to waste. And I don’t want to come to dislike it.

I can admit faults, ep4 is definitely a lowpoint even without knowing the alternatives. Just that for me, it is annoying little things and not the shocking deviations from the manga.

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#6 - Hope

I have hope though because Isabella’s stuff was good, and now that they’re over the no-return divergence point, they might be able to... (meta spoiler) not repurpose manga scenes without any buildup (is what I’m getting) anymore :”D, because they really only set themselves up for disappointed with that. It might seem like a homage but it’s moreso out of place, the people who read it aren’t happy because you didn’t earn it (and of course they’ll compare) and the anime suffers from it because it can create unnecessary confusion forced in just to make a reference.

Ironically I think they’re too stuck in the manga too and could have benefited from a blind perspective.

I don’t really mind anything overall I think (world is against them, that’s fair, being out on the run again is fine, the demon “rescue” is fine), the execution / some details of episode 4 were just... strange. idk where they are going with it and maybe that really was the best way to transition but until I know where it goes, I can’t really judge that. Highly doubt it though.

I really hope they completely just do their own things now with some base elements from the manga.

.

A lot of what I talked about in this post ended up making me appreciate the crumbs of intention. The realization that previous escapees didn’t make it (not all of them, anyway) and WM being dead, and then having that uplifting message. The message of “you don’t get to rest, you’re on your own again”. The irony of the wild demon being their (temporary) rescue. The past escapees.

Ironically, I wanted to dunk on the anime but really, all I feel is more content now. Would I have preferred some fixes? Yes, but I see some semblance of meaning in it even with the errors.

Thanks for reading this goddamn essay.

[venomous--fics]

@ke-roero​ Requested: eddie and venom going out for a stroll but venom is acting up and he senses something and forces eddie to follow the feeling he's having only to find reader, and later on in their relationship he finds out that she's been hosting a symbiote as well

a/n: This one was really fun to write, so I hope you like it!! Also sorry if you hate the symbiote name, I used a random name generator to pick it because I had no ideas! and i may or may not have changed the prompt a little. Hope that's cool! Feedback is always appreciated and requests are always open!

Eddie was walking through the park, tapping his pen on his notepad. He had used some of his vacation time at work so he could clear his head and try to think of real story ideas, rather than just pick something dull and spit something mundane out. 

It wasn't going so well, seeing as the only story he had written down was the one that had burned him out. He stared at the barely legible scribbles on the paper and sighed.

"Maybe we could take about all the stray dogs running around the city?" Eddie asked Venom quietly, as to not bring unwanted attention, "Maybe just ....talk about the homelessness?"

He wasn't getting an answer.

"I'm.. Asking for suggestions." Eddie paused, "And you know I'm desperate because I'm asking you."

Still nothing.

"What? No snarky remark? No name calling?"

Radio silence. 

"Listen, man-"

"Quiet."

"Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter, Eddie."

"What's gotten into you?"

"Something's here..."

"Descriptive." Eddie chuckled, "Mind enlightening me?"

"I can sense another presence here."

"What kind?"

Venom sighed, "Do I have to spell everything out?"

"I am currently utilizing the one brain cell I have, buddy. I need all the help I can get."

Eddie could feel Venom's sarcastic ass eye roll, "A symbiote."

Almost as if it was routine, which it probably was, Eddie went on high alert. There was another symbiote just out and about?

Venom decided that he wanted to know where this other alien was, and made Eddie walk. Most of the time, Eddie didn't mind, but seeing as Venom didn't even ask.. He minded a little. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, you were sat on a bench, tossing out gluten free oyster crackers out to the ducks. You were also feeding M&M's to your symbiote, Vex. He enjoyed the small crunch of the outer coating.

"Look, V, there's that new family I was talking about." you gently pointed towards the pond and watched as a family of ducks swam over. There was the mama duck followed by five babies. They all made happy little noises as they began to eat the crackers. 

Vex seemed very happy at the sight as she said, "How cute."

"Think we could get a duck?"

Without hesitation, Vex replied, "The pet shop on fifth had the cutest chicks."

You giggled at the thought of you, a human, raising a chick with your alien friend. It sounded like some sort of cheap sitcom premise. 

You and Vex had been bonded for a few years now. You remember that day all too well. You were trudging home in the rain, doing your best to keep the groceries you had bought dry. You were passing an alleyway when you had heard a rustling noise.

You knew that only stupid people in horror movies go down the empty alleyway alone, but you thought maybe there was a stray animal that needed help. Unknown to you, there was an alien lifeform that was dying in a mud puddle. It didn't take long for you to help the poor thing. You knew exactly where it had come from. It was all over the news that the life foundation was secretly using some strange 'parasite' to test on people. Of course, most people wouldn't believe that, but somewhere in your heart, you knew it was true. 

"Are you okay?" you asked quietly. 

It didn't have a face, or a voice, or any real identifying features, but you knew it was in pain. You weren't sure what came over you, but you had held your hand out to it, in hope of helping it. You were certain that that wasn't a big deal, to help someone or something in need. Little did you know that the poor, dying symbiote had already accepted your offer and even swore to protect you. And that's the story of how you made a permanent friend. Ever since that day, Vex has been nothing but nice to you. She's also saved your clumsy ass a few times. As time passed, you had expected Vex to be a violent type, just like the rest of the rumored aliens, but to your surprise, she actually told you that she wanted to just live a normal, peaceful life. She didn't like the unnecessary attention. And that brings you here, every afternoon, to the local park. You'd spend your morning running errands, then for an hour or two, sometimes three, you'd watch the animals in the park and bring them snacks sometimes. After that, you would head out to get stuff for dinner. And Vex liked this. 

"Oh, look how fluffy that one is!" You gushed, pointing to the smallest duckling. "They're very precious." Vex agreed, smiling.

You tossed out some more crackers, giggling when all the ducklings swarmed to them and began plucking them out of the water. You had began another conversation, but were quickly cut off but a startling voice. Vex retreated, and you quickly turned your head and looked over your shoulder. All the ducks scattered at the sudden noise, and you were extremely saddened by that.

"Oh god!" The distraught man said, obviously embarrassed, "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to.. I didn't mean to scare you." 

The man's voice didn't match the one you had just heard, but you were certain that maybe you had just imagined it being deeper.You stared at the man in complete shock for a moment, watching him nervously look around. He looked like he was having a panic attack because, one, he wasn't even the jackass who startled you, but two, he couldn't say who did it because he would look like a crazy person.

He took a step forward, voice calmer, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that... Uh, I'm, eh, well, uhm, I'm. Eddie." 

He stuck his hand out, and you noticed how much it was trembling. Again, you did nothing but stare for a moment before you slowly reached out and shook his hand. He had sweaty palms, and you tried not to cringe. 

"Uh, sorry. I- ... Think I'll just go now. I'm sorry, again, for interrupting-"

"It's okay," you said softly.

Eddie stood still for a moment, seeming very confused. He wasn't used to social interactions. 

"You could make it up to me." you added, "Could you help me get the ducks to come back? You.. Scared them." 

"Oh, yeah, right." Eddie let out a breath, stepping over and carefully sitting at the other side of the bench, "So, how do we......Do that... Do we have to just.. go in there and grab 'em?"

You tried to stifle a laugh, but it came out anyways, "You're kidding, right?"

Eddie realized that that was Venom's answer slipping out and not his, "Yeah, I was joking." 

You held out your bag of crackers, "Try these instead."

Eddie, still a tad bit nervous, took some crackers from the bag and stared at them. He's never done anything like this before. Normally him and Venom just took a brisk walk through the park to get some fresh air on the way home. They never payed any mind to the animals, the plants or the people. What was the point in that?

Eddie had watched you toss some crackers out, and a second later, copied you. He wasn't expecting much, and so he felt terrible for scaring the ducks away, which was very odd of him. Why should he care about some stupid ducks? "Look," you said quietly, "They're coming back."

Eddie watched as the ducklings came back, followed by the bigger ducks and they began snacking on the crackers again. Eddie stared at the tiny, innocent little ducks, and not to be dramatic, but he would've died for them.  

"I understand why you like these guys. They're pretty cute."  

"You've never sat and just ... Enjoyed what's around you?"

"Do I look like the type of guy who just does that?"

"You look kinda- No." 

"What were you gonna say?" Eddie smirked, "I can take it." 

"I was going to say homeless." you chuckled.

"I get that a lot." Eddie chuckled with you.

You chuckled some more as you carried a decent conversation with this oddball Eddie. You two wound up talking for an hour or two, before Eddie said he had to get going, something about needing to finish up some stuff. You bid him farewell, and asked if he would come back tomorrow. Without hesitation, he said yes. That was almost two years ago. You liked Eddie a lot, but you were a bit scared. You never told him that you had a symbiote, and of course, you knew he had one, it was obvious, but you weren't sure how he'd react knowing that you had one. 

You were currently standing in the middle of Eddie's apartment. He had invited you over for your usual dinner and movie night at his place, but he was still out at the store getting a few things.

Vex was currently watching you pace back and forth, rather nervously. She was confused as to why you couldn't just tell Eddie. He was a weird dude, surely he'd love an alien too. Vex just got that vibe from him, though, she never said anything because she figured it would've come off as rude. 

"Why can't we tell him?" Vex asked innocently.

"What if he ... Y'know, understandably, doesn't want to be with a freak like us?" you sounded worried.  

"We aren't freaks. We're just..." Vex hesitated, trying to be mindful of your almost fragile human feelings, "Odd."

"What if Eddie doesn't like odd..." you stopped pacing and sighed, hanging your head in defeat, "V, he's like so normal it hurts. He writes news articles and takes pictures for said articles, and he comes home and usually burns everything he cooks- Like... A normal person.. He's a square, we're a triangle."

"I think we're more of a circle, but okay.." Vex saw the sad look you had given her before you directed your attention to the window, "We have to tell him, Y/n. He'll understand."

"What if he doe-"

"His loss."

There was a long pause before Vex nudged you softly, "It's going to be okay. I promise." 

"If you're wrong-"

"If I'm wrong, I will do whatever you want for a month."

"Fine..." 

You decided to sit down and try to calm down and think about what the hell you were going to tell Eddie. God, what if he didn't want to be with you anymore? What if he made you choose? You already knew what you'd choose, Vex, of course.. You just didn't like the thought of not be able to be with Eddie. 

"You're getting awfully nervous, why don't we just relax?"

"Easy for you to say.." you looked at Vex with a soft smile. 

"Let me try something." she replied shyly, "I saw it on a tv show." 

"Oh boy." you chuckled, "Here we go." 

She seemed to vanish for a moment, and you thought you had hurt her feelings. You went to rub your neck, but noticed that she had decided to appear in the palm of your hand in the shape of a very small shape.

"Oh my god," you cooed, "You're so adorable." 

You rubbed her little head with your finger and she seemed pleased, sticking her tongue out a little, "I saw that pets help relieve stress." 

"Snake was your go to?"

"Lady on the show had one.. And I told myself, 'Hey, I can do that.'" she seemed amused. 

You were about to crack a joke when the apartment door opened and you shot out of your seat, symbiote still in hand. Your mouth hung open as you saw Eddie come in and set his stuff down. You gently, but quickly, covered the hand with Vex in it, "Hi, Eddie!"

"Hey!" he chirped shaking off his slightly damp jacket, "Did you know that it was supposed to rain today?”

Your eyes quickly darted to the window and then back to him, "No, i did not.”

Eddie raised his eyebrow and looked you over, "You alright?'

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

He pointed at your awkwardly clasped hands, "You've been stuck like that since I came in. You okay?"

"Uhm..." You could feel the nervousness creeping up your throat, "Yeah, just, uh.."

"Tell him." you heard Vex in your head.

And much out of habit you replied back in a whisper, "I'm getting there."

"Huh?" Eddie asked, now putting his full attention on you, "Really, babe, you okay? You're looking a little flushed." 

You needed another excuse to not stand there like an idiot, "Yeah, I'm just.." 

You sighed heavily, looking at your hands for a moment, and then turning your head to Eddie. He seemed rather interested, and almost a little bit nervous himself, almost like he could tell where this is going. You were positive that whatever he was thinking wasn't accurate, but hell, here goes nothing.

"I think I need to tell you something." you said, trying not to stutter. 

You saw Eddie tense up a little. This could not end well, mainly because in his experience, people needing to talk or say anything lead to him being alone somehow. 

"O-okay, go for it." he tried to sound calm. 

You nervously walked around the couch and over to where Eddie stood like a fence post. You extended your clasped hands and winced a little as you finally opened your hands. There was a good minute and a half before Eddie chuckled.

"Am I missing something?"

your eyes snapped open and you looked at your palms, "What the fu- ..Hey..." 

Eddie smiled, "Did you lose it, or, did you just want to show me your clammy palms...Because I've seen those plenty of times.”

"No, no," you sounded even more nervous, "I did have something to show you." 

Eddie, not wanting to downplay the idea of you having something extremely sensitive or serious to say, gently pulled you into a hug, "It's okay. We'll find it." 

"It's not exactly something I can lose..." you sighed, wrapping your arms around Eddie, "It's something I'm kinda-"

"Stuck with?" he asked, a little too quickly. 

"Not the words I'd use." you looked over his shoulder and noticed the little shit of a symbiote you had. Vex was still in the, now due to sheer spite, you'll dumb the wet noodle form. Her eyes were turned up in a devious smile, and her small tongue was still hanging out. 

"Hmm." Eddie hummed, "I'm sure whatever it is, it can't be that bad." You held Eddie a little tighter, "So, you remember that whole Carlton Drake fiasco?"

"Of course?" Eddie awkwardly remained put as you latched onto him, "Shit changed my life." He paused for a moment or two, "For the better, obviously." 

Eddie knew where this was going. You knew he had a symbiote. You were probably trying to let him down easy. Better get this show over with. 

"I know where this is going," Eddie sighed as he pulled away from you. 

Vex, being surprised, had hid up your shirt sleeve, and you did your best not to laugh at the sudden tickling feeling of it. You covered your mouth for a second before playing it off as clearing your throat, "You... You do?" 

"It's not like this is the first time," he sounded a bit hurt, "Look, I know I should've told you forever ago, but I really, really, really like you... And I don't know, I thought you'd think I was some kind of freak..I couldn't really.." He awkwardly rubbed his neck, "I just didn't want to lose you so quickly."

Now it was your turn to be confused. There was no way that this was going where you thought it was going, "Hang on a second." 

Eddie nervously bit his lip and looked at you, "Yeah?" 

"Are you about to," you were trying to play it off as an oddly specific joke, "I dunno, tell me that you have some sort of alien living inside of you, but it's totally okay, because maybe they're pretty cool and keep you company. Even though som-"

"Was that really just a guess?" Eddie seemed rather surprised, "That's...Eerily specific." 

"But you were, weren't you?" 

Oh god, he didn't have an alien.

"I.." He fiddled with his bracelets for a moment, looking at the floor like a child, "Well, I wasn't gonna phrase it like that..."

"What are the fucking chances of that?" you asked, almost amazed.

"Chances of what?"

"Oh geez, uhm." you nervously laughed, "Man, would it be crazy if I told you that I also had an alien friend too?"

"You're just dicking with me."

"I'm being serious! I just never said anything because I thought you'd leave because you're a total square." 

"I'm not a square." Eddie replied defensively.

"You recorded Bride Wars on the DVR, Eddie."

"That wasn't me. That was.." He did record it, and he wasn't about to explain himself, "Okay, wait, hang on a second. Let me just... Process this."

The room fell very quiet. You awkwardly pulled at the bottoms of your sleeves, not knowing if you should say anything. After abut 3 minutes, you sighed, "It's not a math question, you know." 

Eddie looked at you and smiled, "I know, I know. I just don't know what to say." 

"Anything would be good." 

"Anything." he said.

"Eddie-"

He laughed a little, "What you said say anything.."

You sighed before smiling, "Okay, so now what?"

"Is dinner okay?"

"Dinner? I just- You just- Are we not going to talk about the, I dunno, aliens we have inside us?"

In typical Eddie fashion, he shoved his hands into his pockets, "Can we talk about it over dinner?"

You were about to object, but Vex poked out of the neck hole of your shirt, "Depends, what are we having?"

"I was thinking spaghetti," Eddie replied, not even batting an eye, "But if that's not your thing, we can do whatever." 

Vex looked up at you, seeming pleased with the whole situation, "Yes, spaghetti is good." 

"Great!" He replied, walking over to the stove.

You took a seat on one of the small bar stools that was situated at the kitchen island, "Soooooo.....We're just, like, chill about this?"

Eddie turned to look at you, and you noticed there was something different about him. He seemed relaxed, "I'm just relieved is all." 

"Relieved?" 

Eddie looked back at the stove for a minute, absentmindedly picking the stains on it's shiny surface, "Well, yeah. I really didn't think there was anyone out there who'd really... Get it. Y'know?" 

You leaned forward a little, smiling softly, "Yeah. I was just surprised you had your own. Funny how that worked out." 

"Mm." He hummed, turning on the sink faucet and grabbing a pot. 

"Need any help there, chef?" you chuckled. 

"Perhaps." 

"I'll take that as a yes."

You got up and joined Eddie in front of the stove. You busied yourself with gathering the ingredients, and Eddie was tasked with not burning himself. You were preoccupied with opening the jar of pasta sauce when you heard a rather deep voice.

“I told you.”

“You did not.” Eddie replied, opening the box of noodles.

“I did too.”

“Whatever you say, V.” 

“V?” you asked. Out of habit, Vex popped out of your sleeve and looked up at you.

Eddie looked at your symbiote for a second and then at you, “Yeah, short for Venom.”

“What a name.” you replied, setting the jar to the side, “Uh, mine’s name is Vex...So, also V.” 

“That’s not going to get confusing.” Eddie smiled. 

Vex looked at Eddie and watched him put the noodles into the boiling water. She also caught a glimpse of Venom giving her a death stare, but it didn’t feel aggressive, even if that’s how it looked. He was probably shy and just didn’t want to say it.

“What if we came up with like cool nicknames for them?” Eddie asked, a little too excited. 

“Like what?” you replied with curiosity. 

“What’s their favorite candy?” 

“I like kitkats.” Vex answered, “I like the crunch of the wafer.”

“See? We can call you Kitkat!” 

You scoffed playfully, “That’s ridicu-”

“I love it.” Vex was practically radiating joy.

“Do I get a new nickname?” Venom asked, surprisingly sheepishly, “I like-”

“Peanut M&M’s.” Eddie finished his sentence, “So, we can call you Peanut.” 

“Thanks,” Venom replied, “I hate it.” 

“You love it.” he replied, “Hey, can you get me a spoon, Peanut?”

Venom glared at Eddie for a moment before obeying, fetching a spoon for Eddie, “Just because I listened doesn’t mean I like it.” 

"We think it’s cute,” You and Vex said together.

Venom seemed surprised and he looked at you. He never made it known, but he had grown quite fond of you. Never in his life did anyone’s opinion mean more than yours and your symbiotes.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah,” you said, “It suits you.”

Venom peeked up at Eddie, who gave him a sly wink, and then returned his attention to you, ‘It’s not so bad, but that’s only because Y/n likes it.”

You and Vex chuckled as you two got plates and silverware out. You felt better, and you were sure everything was going to work out just fine. All you had to do now is make sure that Vex and Venom got along. How hard could that be?

[ladyvader23]

The School Play

For @slx99, who inspired me to write this little Dad Vader piece! I also have no idea if walrus’ exist in the Star Wars universe, but THEY DO NOW! 

I also take requests!

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

Vader stared in horror at the announcement slip his children had brought home from preschool. 

Apparently, the children would be putting on a play--or, rather, a presentation, if the description was anything to go by. The school had the children research a topic, and the children would be putting on a dramatic retelling of what they’d learned. It actually sounded terribly boring, but he’d read in that parenting book the children’s pediatrician had given him that supporting their interests, including school activities, helped foster confidence in children. An important quality in the two most important children in the galaxy, even if his presence would terrify everyone else in the room. 

The problem wasn’t the boring play. It was what his son was signed up to be. 

A walrus. 

A walrus. 

Leia had a stormtrooper, which was normal enough. But Luke had a walrus? How in the galaxy had he even had the misfortune of getting such an unfortunate aquatic creature?! 

He looked up at Miss Laena, who’d handed him the announcement slip in the first place. “My son will not play a walrus in front of a crowd of people!” 

The school the children went to was full of senator’s children, as well as other important Imperial figures, such as Grand Moffs, generals, and the like. Vader doubted most of those important figures would actually be at the play; most likely, their partners or nannies would go. But it did not matter. Word would spread fast that the son of Darth Vader had played a walrus. 

“Luke is very excited about the play, my lord.” Miss Laena said carefully. “It’s all he’s been talking about for weeks, now. I even helped him make the costume.” 

His stomach dropped. “There’s a costume?” 

It just got worse and worse. 

“Yes, my lord. I might be able to pull together another one in time, but it will break his heart.” 

Vader gritted his teeth. If this was any other assignment, he’d tell the boy to deal with whatever he chose for him, but he also didn’t need him crying on stage in front of everyone because he was unhappy. 

He would need to convince him. 

“Summon my son. I will speak with him.” 

Miss Laena hurried to do so, and soon the tiny form of his son came running into his office, immediately climbing (uninvited) into his lap. Vader had no change to stop him before his little arms wrapped around his neck with a hug. 

Despite the dire situation, he couldn’t help but melt a little under the embrace. 

“Hi daddy!” Luke said, pulling away after a moment, settling in comfortably on his leg. “Am I in trouble?” 

Perhaps that was the reason for the immediate hug. He would need to discourage such behavior in the future. 

“No, my son.” He reached up and ruffled his hair. “I just wanted to know why you were assigned to be a walrus in this play.” 

Luke brightened. “Oh! I’m going to be a walrus, daddy!” 

“Yes, but why?” Perhaps he hadn’t understood the phrasing of his first question. He struggled to speak on a level the twins would understand, at times. 

“Because I like them.” 

Vader winced. That would make it harder to convince him to change topics. 

“But why?” 

Luke shrugged. “They look funny.” 

And that was precisely why he didn’t want him to play a walrus in the first place. “Why don’t I help you choose something diff--” he cut off as Luke’s expression immediately began to fall, his eyes watering. 

“No, daddy, I wanna be a walrus!” 

Damn. 

Already, just from his presence alone, Vader could tell it would be far more of a fight to force him to choose something else than to just do the walrus. 

“...I will need to have a word with the school. But fine.” 

Immediately the tears were gone, and Luke threw his arms around him again before climbing off and running to find his sister. Vader watched after him, wondering how his children had so thoroughly wrapped him around their fingers, before he pulled up his datapad to send a message to the school principal to order that no footage be allowed at the play. 

If Luke insisted, he could at least make sure the incident was nothing more than a strange, unconfirmed rumor. 

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

The night of the play, he’d debated on pretending his schedule was too full to attend. That way, perhaps no one would notice that the son of Darth Vader was dressed as a walrus. It wasn’t like he didn’t have plenty of things to do instead anyway, but every time he thought about not showing up, the imagined disappointment in his children’s faces when they returned home was enough to guilt him into keeping the time reserved for the play. 

That didn’t mean he didn’t show up at the last possible second before they closed the doors for the performance. 

Naturally, the moment he walked in, a hush fell over the crowd of nannies and parents. He made a face when he recognized a few important officials there who were also apparently trying to be good parents despite their schedules. Normally he could respect that, but today of all days, he wished they’d remained at work. 

The principal, a short, portly man, came rushing over not long after he’d found a corner to stand in. “I have issued a strict no recording policy as you wished, Lord Vader.” 

“Good.” Vader crossed his arms, looking over his head to the curtained stage. “Because if there is any recording of my children distributed, I will personally pay you a visit.” 

The man paled, gulped, and nodded. “Understood, my lord.” Then he turned and rushed off. 

Moments later, the lights dimmed, and an announcement was made over a microphone to remind everyone of the very fact that no recording was allowed. He half expected them to use him as an excuse, but they mentioned nothing of the rule being a direct order from him. 

Hm. He might have mentioned it just to make sure, but if he had to dispose of the principal, he would not lose sleep over it. His children barely knew the man and wouldn’t notice if he disappeared. Perhaps he’d do it anyway just for the fact that someone in his staff showed the boy a picture of the infernal animal in the first place. 

Once the announcement was made, the “play” began. Sure enough, it was less of a play and more of various small children of different species in costumes reciting facts about whatever they’d researched for the parents. This was followed up by polite clapping, which he did not participate in. They were not his children, after all. He did not care, and he thought most of them were terribly boring anyway. 

He was also certain that none of these children had actually done their own research. What a complete waste of time and resources. 

But then came Leia. Somehow, Miss Laena had managed to help her construct an almost perfect replica of a stormtrooper armor set, fit perfectly to her petite size. The only thing that he could tell was real was the helmet, which she carried in her arms as more of a prop than anything else. 

When she walked onto the stage...as he suspected she would, she immediately acted as though the entire room was there for her. She squared her shoulders, looking over the audience with as high and mighty of a look that an almost five year old could muster. 

“Stormtroopers are soldiers who help protect the Empire.” She spoke clearly into the microphone. It was...well, as natural as a four year old could get, and a pang went through his chest at the thought of her suddenly looking very much like a mini version of her mother. “They serve over the whole Empire. They can be foot soldiers, or fly TIE fighters, like my daddy does.” 

He wondered if that was something she was supposed to say, or if she said it just because she was proud of what he did for a living. Not that she knew the full extent of that, but...he offered a rare, unseen smile nonetheless. 

“This is a real stormtrooper helmet. My friend let me use it tonight.” Friend? What friend? “Stormtroopers are not like clone troopers. They’re normal people like you and me.” 

He refrained from snorting at that. In his opinion, Clone Troops were far superior, but the Emperor did not seem to care for that opinion. 

“There’s also lots of types of stormtroopers. You can tell what they are because of their uniform. In conclusion, stormtroopers are pretty cool and I like them. They keep us safe, and are friends to all.” 

That...didn’t really make sense. But she was four, and again, probably had her lines written by someone else. Still, when she finished and did a little curtsy, he clapped proudly for the first time the entire show, then watched as she practically skipped off stage. 

Then...it was Luke’s turn. 

It was an experience to have one child give a basic but Imperial pride-supporting speech, then directly afterwards have another child walk out wearing a walrus costume to talk about an animal he’d never even personally seen before. He was sure that anyone who knew Luke was his son probably had a lot of questions he’d never answer right about now. 

But there Luke was, walking out wearing a well made, but monstrosity of a costume. He wore a dark gray, long-sleeved tunic that reached his knees, except that the sleeves ended well past where he knew Luke’s hands to be, and the end was in the shape of walrus flippers. A tail flopped around with each step Luke took, and his head was almost completely engulfed by a walrus-face hood. The face opening was framed by two giant tusks, what he supposed were whiskers, and at the top of the hood, giant eyes that Vader could swear were staring into his soul. 

And underneath, Luke had obviously painted his face. Probably the same color as the tunic. 

Half of Vader wanted to have the ground open up and swallow him whole. The other half was admittedly impressed with the lengths his son had put his nanny up to in making this costume. He was also dead certain that if Luke looked back on this costume as an adult, he’d be embarrassed beyond all reason. 

“Walruses are water animals who live on water worlds like Mon Cala.” Luke began, just as confidently as Leia. It was also obvious he was very proud of the whole thing; he was bouncing a bit in excitement, causing the tail to flop around constantly. Nearby, Vader heard a few parents coo adoringly at the display. 

He wondered if it would be noticeable if he used the Force to hold his son in place. 

“They can dive deep in the water, but they like to stay near land. They are really, really fat. Also, both the girls and the boy walruses have tusks, like this!” He reached up and tugged on the tusks, earning chuckles from the crowd. 

Well. Both of his children definitely liked to use visual aids. It was interesting to know, at least. 

“They also live for a super long time. Forty years!” Luke lifted his flipper-hands up in excitement. “They also can live in the cold because they’re fat. They like to eat fish. And they make these really funny noises, like--” then Luke proceeded to demonstrate, and more laughter erupted around the room. 

As well as Luke was doing, Vader couldn’t help but curse whoever had even shown the cursed animal to his son. He would definitely be finding a replacement for the principal after he was through with him. 

What had he done to encourage such a fascination with the animal? He was from the desert, so this had to be something from his mother’s side of the family, he was sure of it. 

But Luke seemed pleased by the audience’s reaction. He himself would have to ensure this incident never left this room, but at least his son was happy. 

“So yeah, I like walruses. They’re funny looking, and that’s why I chose to tell you about them.” Then, with that said, Luke made a bow, and the audience erupted in far more clapping than had been heard the entire night. Luke straightened, grinned, then ran off stage, his tail and flippers flapping wildly behind him. 

Well. It was certainly the most interesting part of the night, he thought as he clapped for his son. And despite being a walrus, his son was perfect. Just...had some odd interests that he sincerely hoped he grew out of. 

When the show ended, Vader waited uncomfortably by the doors for his children. Plenty of parents and their costumed kids walked by, all giving him a wide berth. He ignored them all, scanning the crowd for his children. He could sense them coming, but for whatever reason, they kept stopping. 

Finally, he saw the small figures of Luke and Leia pushing their way through their crowd, beaming smiles on their faces when they saw him. 

“Daddy!” Leia crowed, and he quickly reached out to place his hands on their shoulders before they could try to hug him. He had grown used to their hugs in private, but they were still learning that it was not permitted in public. “Did you like my play?” 

“You did well.” He confirmed, patting her head, which caused her to make a face and pull away. 

“Don’t mess up my hair.” She muttered. 

Luke had pulled the hood down and his painted face looked up at him. “What about mine, daddy? Lots of people told me they liked it.” He paused, frowning. “Did you?” 

Vader paused, deciding how to phrase it. He did not like that he was parading around in a ridiculous walrus costume, but the whole point of him coming to this ridiculous excuse for a play was to support his children and build their confidence. He could not ruin it by telling his son that he hated the animal he was portraying. “You played your performance well, my son. I am proud of you both.” 

Yes. That seemed safe. And to his satisfaction, the twins beamed up at him. But the moment was ruined when Luke asked, “Can we go to Mon Cala to see the walruses?” 

“Yeah! Let’s go, daddy!” Leia added. 

He paused for a few breaths of the respirator. “Mon Cala...is not safe for humans.” 

Luke frowned. “But my friend said he went, and--” 

“Why don’t I take you to a zoo, instead?” Then maybe Luke would see a different, less embarrassing animal to portray next time. Or maybe he’d lose interest in animals completely. 

Luke considered for a moment, then nodded. “Okay daddy.” He paused. “Can I be a walrus for Trick Or Treat?” 

Again, he paused, trying to come up with an answer that would not hurt his son’s feelings. “Why don’t you wait until after we go to the zoo?” 

Luke also seemed to accept this answer, and Vader took his children's hands in his own, and led them from the theater. 

Vader made sure to give pointed glares at anyone who dared look their way.

[promptsausandshit]

Picture this; #393

A Month of Fluff Prompts;

(Note; While the goal is to do one a day, please go at your own pace, this is for fun after all!)

1.  Their science uncle was always ready and willing to do something stupid in the name of science, especially if snacks were involved.

2.  There are many beautiful sights in the universe but nothing quite beat the sunset shimmering across the ocean after the celebrations of the liberated planet had calmed.

3.  “Now wear this bow so everyone knows you’re a gift to the world.”

4.  Finding out that fairies were not in the practice of birthday parties they decided to set up a very small get together to give their magical friends a little mortal fun. Now what to use as candles for this tiny cake?

5.  An impromptu board game between passengers sees strangers on a long train journey reach the station as close friends.

6.  Their roommate from ancient Egypt recently discovered emojis and uses them for everything now.

7.  They found the resident bad-ass napping, arms wrapped around the softest thing in the house. Dependant on what is considered the softest thing, this may be rather sweet or something of a problem.

8.  It was thought that the ship’s mechanic was shy but it turns out their species traditionally only speak while maintaining some form of physical contact.

9.  Teacher finds a lovely thank you letter from a former student on their desk along with a new desk toy.

10.  “I like my loved ones like I like my hot chocolate; warm, filled with marshmallows and wearing a themed pun.”

11.  It was a nice day to relax indoors, rain poring lightly outside and a small project waiting to be finished. Their companion was similarly occupied carefully decorating their prosthetic, so they could enjoy the quiet together.

12.  It had been a rough week for the theatre team and so they decided to forget about sticking to the script for a night and just have some fun messing around in appropriately dramatic fashion.

13.  Two dorks having fun learning how to dance to music that isn’t suitable at all, long having forgotten that they had been worried about messing up the steps.

14.  “Careful minstrel, one might think you’re becoming besotted talking like that. Keep such poetry to music.”

15.  Supervillains celebrate holidays and anniversaries too, and this time their nemesis decides to give them a gift that might encourage them to start their journey back to the light.

16.  Postman idly singing while they work finds themselves with some unusual backup singers.

17.  A child proudly presenting their hard earned fairground prize to a family figure as a gift.

18.  Two office workers share a coffee break and speculate on the secret identities of their co-workers, not realising the other actually has a secret identity.

19.  A newly created god is at first irritated to be followed around by particular wild animals but after learning a little more about their unexpected companions and what they symbolise they start to gain a new confidence in their role.

20.  “I think ‘Sunshine’ suits you perfectly. See, even my sunflowers agree.”

21.  A warlock is having some trouble convincing their beloved familiar to remain in one place long enough to complete their family portrait.

22.  They returned to the town square to find their robot companion newly decorated by the local children and seeming quite pleased with the results.

23.  They had completely messed up the kitchen and their appearance wasn’t much better, but the treat they had cooked up was practically perfection and they presented it so proudly, so being mad wasn’t an option.

24.  A mermaid decides to keep a lost tourist company and guide them around the aquarium, luckily they both know sign language and have similar humour, so they’re both having a lovely time.

25.  “I have decided that I deserve twenty pillows and a movie marathon, that’s why.”

26.  The strange noises from the loading deck had troubled them greatly but it turned out that their recent alien companion had an unusual way of expressing their love for candy floss.

27.  Have the one character that often has the grimmest stories or isn’t very popular and let them have a very nice welcome to the new year.

28.  “Nope. No more work allowed. Get over here so I can kick your arse in Mario Cart.”

29.  The many little adventures of a beloved childhood toy and how it brought together a number of characters.

30.  The song on the radio brought them all back to one of the most impacting yet comfortable nights of their lives.

31.  A potter creates the perfect vase as a means of silently confessing their feelings to the flower shop owner.

Completion Bonus!;

Do a one shot or a sketch for something you love that you haven’t had the chance to do for a while! Or read one chapter of an unfinished story! Or watch one episode or movie of that thing you like! Satisfy whatever urge you have right now, you have all the time in the world for this so relax and treat yourself, you did great!

[ivory-sunflower]

Arty Art Things ✨

Hellooo!

I've decided to post some of the arty things I've done either recently or in the last few years, well the pieces I'm somewhat proud of at least. All my posts tend to be a lot more wordy than they need to be but hey it's what I do here!

Conchúr White

Anyone one who's been on this blog for a bit will have probably have seen me talk about this lovely Irish fella. The pencil drawing is actually a year old as of yesterday, I only know that because screenshots of me flipping out about Conchúr following me on twitter popped up in my memories yesterday. I think I'd sent it to him at about 3 in the morning (I was not in a good head space at that point in time), so probably not what he was expecting to see when he opened his phone in the morning aha

The biro version is much more recent: I got bored while sat at my desk and doing research about university courses, saw a biro, saw my old drawing of Conchúr, had an idea. I revisited my GCSE art techniques and here we are. Again, I put this up on Twitter and now (at the the time I'm writing this) when you google "Conchúr White" it's the third top image of him which is a bit mad really. I think I spent all of about 20 minutes on Conchúr but another 45 minutes on the words behind him. The words are the names of the songs on his EP 'Bikini Crops', he doesn't just really love the idea of Channing Tatum driving him around at night in a daisy print bikini... Well maybe he does but what he does in his spare time is none of my business...

TechDif

So I mentioned that the pencil drawing of Conchúr came from a rough patch in my mental health and this one is no different! In fact this one came from an even worse circumstance so we love to see it. I had a bad, bad time in July and this started as a way of distracting myself from what was going on in my head. Without it, I can't honestly say I'd still be here so even if the final product of this had been a terrible mess I would still love it for keeping me alive. However, it did not turn out to be a terrible mess!

Now that the origin of this is out the way, where do I start with TechDif? Unlike Conchúr, I haven't really talked about them on here (unless you count one brief post about Citation Needed) before so I guess I'll do it here. The Technical Difficulties are a wonderful group of 4 British fellas who have had their fair share of fun online and even before. They did a radio show at university together, which went on to become their Reverse Trivia Podcast, later moving on to a panel show called 'Citation Needed': and a game called 'Two of These People Are Lying'. All of which I would thoroughly reccomend, they're one of my go to things when I'm having a rough time. All 4 of them are excellent! Tom Scott (red top, blue jeans on the picture) has his own YouTube channel which does content aside from TechDif. If you're quite nerdy and like science, linguistics, computers, or any number of other things you may enjoy Tom's channel. He is probably best described as "The Moderator" of the group, much like a tired teacher he tries desperately to keep everyone on track with what they're meant to be doing, but usually it does not end well for him. Then we have Matt Gray (space top, holding an ice cream) who also has a channel away from TechDif stuff, he does techy electronic things and has a series called 'Will it Soft Serve?' where he puts all kinds of strange things through a soft serve machine. Matt brings a very specific energy to TechDif and I can't fully describe what that vibe is but I love it. Matt and Tom also share a YouTube channel where TOTPAL is posted and they had a series called 'The Park Bench'. Moving on to everybody's favourite Gary Brannan: Gary Brannan (SATIRE hoodie, glasses) and can I just say, what a fella he is! He's just excellent! He is the one that will argue and rip into Tom the most (not in a malicious way) and hilarity ensues. There are some episodes where he is absolutely on it, getting all the points and others where he very clearly has no idea and that's where some of his funniest quotes come from. Given how badly I was doing at the time I made this, his response to it on Twitter was so so lovely. I specifically remember one tweet where he said I'd made him happy and although it was probably a flippant comment, it just made feel alright for a bit. Yeah I might be feeling awful right now, but I've made someone else happy so that's a nice feeling. Then last but certainly not least, we have Chris Joel (buffalo check shirt, beard)! I would be lying if I said he isn’t my favourite... His sense of humor is the one I vibe with most, he can get rather dramatic in parts and can chat bollocks like a champion. He has absolutely no online presence away from TechDif and, like Rens from Temples, I fully believe he’s a cryptid and lives off in a tree somewhere. 

The picture took me about 4 days to complete, well 4 nights because I did most of it between the hours of 12 a.m. and 7a.m. - I remember watching the sun come through my window each morning. It’s made up of lots of little pieces, all cut out and stuck on; even the sky and hills are made of separate pieces of paper. Nothing was actually drawn on the piece of paper it’s all stuck on, it’s not how I usually do things but if I messed up one little but I could just redraw it rather than ruining the whole thing. The most tedious parts to make were Chris’ shirt because I had to draw each square individually and then join the as well, and cutting out the ban-hammer in the bottom right was surprisingly hard. Every single detail of the picture is a reference to the podcast/shows, I still have the plan sketch and reference list knocking about somewhere. I listened to a lot of true crime videos while making it to the point that certain parts remind me of different cases: the brandy now reminds me of Peter Tobin, and the big spiral thing reminds me of Tim McLean (very harrowing case) - sorry that fact is a bit morbid but interesting nonetheless. 

I did post this for a little bit back in July, but I received some rather awful messages so I took it down. Generally, Tom Scott/TechDif fans are lovely but there’s been a few that have taken a disliking to me for some reason so I’m hoping they don’t resurface again. I’m in a better head space now though, so even if they do I’m more equipped to deal with it this time.

Hozier

This was a quick sketch I did in April, I was getting bored with lockdown and decided to summon the bog man himself. There’s not really much more backstory than that, no poor mental health story, no fun twitter story - he’s just here. He’s vibing. I will say I’m particularly proud of his nose, I just think it’s one of the best noses I’ve ever drawn. His hand is okay, but I think that the hands on my Conchúr drawings are better. So there is the Hozi-Boi...

The Corpse Bry

I’ve talked about Bry on here before as well, I love him, he’s excellent, top lad. He is a living Tim Burton character, he’s 6′6, very skinny, and his legs are longer than my will to live. I was watching ‘The Corpse Bride’ a few weeks ago and suddenly had an idea and so ‘The Corpse Bry’ came to be. I gave him a little panda friend because the panda has always been his animal - he used to wear a panda beanie all the time and his album had a panda on the cover. Again, there’s not really a fun story behind this one, I guess it’s somewhat fun because it’s the first art I made after finishing my psychology exams in October so it was nice to actually have the time to draw.

James Bagshaw

Ginger talking about Temples for the third post in a row? it’s more likely than you think! I did this one last week, I’d had a bit of a wobbly day and had group therapy on Teams in the evening and I just couldn’t concentrate on what was going on and I ended up doodling Mr James E. Bagshaw, the glitter crying fraggle man himself. It’s a bare-bones drawing that I could definitely work into more but I’m happy with it as it is to be honest. I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit and add the individual bits of fringe to his jacket, just thinking about doing that makes me tired. Maybe I’ll get around to drawing the whole band at some point...

Alice in “Wonderland”

This one is from about 5(?) years ago, it’s not my typical style and was a “study” based on another artists work (basically i just had to copy this fellas work). I’ll be honest, this one has a sketchy backstory that I won’t go in to because it’s not exactly a nice one, and because of that I also won’t say who the artist is that it’s based on. Despite this, I’m still really proud of this one and I’m so sad that I never got this piece back after I got taken out the class. I’ve considered trying this style again, I’ve even joked about doing another Conchúr drawing in this style as a nod to my progression through GCSE art, eventually leading to Conchúr drawn in ink on music manuscript and stained with neon paint and dyes - it would be quite the project!

So this has been quite a lengthy post so apologies about that but life goes on. Similar to the vinyl post, I’ll probably add to this as and when I make more art. Even if no one is reading these posts, I’m enjoying making them so that’s the main thing. It’s just nice to document things and the feelings that go with them. 💕

~ Love Ginger xx 

29/11/2020

[lostinornes]

And They Were Roommates

A/N

So I have started rewatching New Girl again, and it has just inspired a world of ideas. So please enjoy. Bucky x Sam x Reader. Minor swearing. Teen + Audience.

The alarm buzzed aggressively, the high-pitched screech ringing through your ears and forcing your body to move in the bed. With a heavy yawn, your arm lazily danced across the bedside table. Finally stopping when it found the source, your fingers gripping the phone and finally stopping the noise. Your eyes squinted towards the glaring screen, a few messages from the previous night waiting to be read greeted you, as well as a missed call from an unknown number and a couple of notifications from tinder. Glancing at the time, it was 7 am. Far too early to reply to your friends, let alone random people who you would most likely end up never replying to again. Your hand dropped the phone onto the sheets, your body taking one final stretch before moving to your feet. Sluggishly you moved across to your drawers, pulling out some underwear for the day. Allowing you to begin your morning adventure to the shared bathroom.

Your hand slapped against the shower, forcing the object to spring to life. You decided to brush your teeth first, allowing the water to warm up before forcing yourself into it. “Bucky! Sam! Bathroom Now!” You shouted, throwing your brush down into the sink. You listened to the noises shuffling around the apartment. A few annoyed grunts, doors slamming and finally muffled “What did you do” being shouted by both men.

“Are you crazy? Its 7am, only crazy people shout at 7am!” Bucky huffed, folding his arms across his body. You could tell he had only recently gone to sleep, his eyes heavy with bags. His lower half was covered in pyjama bottoms and his top in a loosely zipped up hoodie. “Who left hair removal cream, next to the toothpaste! They look the same” You held both of the bottles towards the two men. “I could have lost my teeth” You dramatically hissed towards them both. Their bodies recoiling at your words. “I don’t think it works like that?” Sam questioned with a laugh. He had clearly been up for a while. He was dressed in his training gear, and his water bottle half empty already. “I. Could. Have. Lost. My. Teeth” You stressed the point to the pair of them. Almost willing them to just confess now. “Sam said it helps him go faster” Bucky blurted out. Sam’s hand swiftly smashing itself against the others chest. “Shut up. That’s private” Sam snapped at him, smacking him again. “Plus, Bucky asked me to do his back yesterday. It’s his fault”

“Shut up” Bucky shoved his shoulder into Sam, causing Sam’s body to collide with the door frame. A heavy bang created against his landing. You threw the tube of cream towards the pair, snapping them out of their argument. “Well whoever it was, just clean up after yourselves. Now leave” You pointed your finger towards the door, your eyes watching as the pair shuffled away.

After your shower, you quickly threw together an outfit for the day. You didn’t really have any plans, since it was the weekend. But you liked routine, and wanted to feel like you had some form of structure for the day. You let your feet lead you towards the open plan kitchen living room. The apartment had a large sofa, which could comfortable seat around eight people. A coffee table sat in front, which was regularly used as a foot stool and across from that a TV Bucky had managed to get for free hung on the wall. Just behind the sofa and slightly to the left sat the kitchen. There was a large wooden island in the centre of the area, a few stools tucked neatly underneath it. A fridge stood in the corner by Bucky’s bedroom door. The name tag “Steve” thoughtfully written across the front of the metal object. You grabbed your cereal box from the top shelf and a bowl from the cupboard below. Balancing them both against your chest, as you moved to the island.

You sat quietly chewing away, your finger scrolling down your phone as you shoved more food into your mouth. You let your eyes leave the phone, as you heard the bedroom door click open. “Since I can’t sleep because of you, I am having some of your cereal” Bucky huffed, grabbing the box from the counter and pouring some dry into his mouth. “Wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t spend so much time on your hair care and less time on cleaning up after yourself” You cocked your head towards the sink, piled high with mugs and cups from Bucky’s room. “I’m getting to it” He shrugged back, pouring another mouthful in. “What are your plans today?” “Nothing really. I’ve been asked to go out for drinks tonight, but I’m not too sure” You went back to your phone, your eyes rereading a message from someone on tinder. You didn’t really want anything serious right now, but also you were bored and just wanted some attention. If it came with free drinks surely it wouldn’t be too bad? “Wow, you have a date. Good job” Bucky’s hand slapped against your shoulder. Your lips forming a small “Ow”. Sometimes the man with a metal arm forgot just how strong he was. Bucky and Sam had seen you at your relationship highs and lows. Just like you had with them. When you got dumped Bucky sat and watched the whole of the twilight saga with you. He didn’t even moan about how ridiculous the wolves looked. Whereas Sam taught himself dance routines to try and cheer you up. When Sam got ghosted by the girl he had been talking to for 5 months, you and Bucky took him out and got him so drunk he forgot his own name. There was also the time Bucky decided it was time to date again, only to be catfished. So, you and Sam created a whole new drinking game based in the apartment. A mixture of the floor is lava and nominations. “It’s not a date as such…” You turned your phone to Bucky showing him the persons profile. “Just a couple of drinks” You watched as he snatched the phone from your hand, his finger scrolling through the photos. “Really” He asked, holding a group photo in your face. The photo was a group of six people dressed as farm animals, all downing their drinks. “You must be lonely”

“Jheez thanks Buck” You took the phone back off him, and picked up your bowl. You pushed passed him, dropping your bowl into the sink. “You can clean that as well now” You sung back towards him. His eyes glared towards you, keeping full eye contact as poured more cereal into his mouth.

You decided to go tonight. It was only the bar across the street, if anything too serious happened you could easily run away. Plus, if the worse came to worse, you could just shout out the door and Sam and Bucky would be over there in a second. You didn’t make too much of an effort with your outfit. A pair of jeans and a nice shirt hanging off of your shoulders. Your hair just fell naturally, and your face was lightly dusted in makeup. Just enough to give you that extra boost of confidence. A pair of boots sat on your feet, you had made sure they were comfortable enough for you to be able to run away if you had to. “Look at you” Sam whistled as you opened your bedroom door. His body rested against his door frame. “Who’s the lucky person?” “Just a random tinder date” You shrugged, pulling your door shut behind you. “Wait a second” Sam slipped into his room. The sound of fast movements coming from behind the door, before he returned to his previous position. “Be safe” You fumbled as you caught the object he threw in your direction. A small purple latex square glaring at your face, as Sam started to laugh. “Thanks, I’ll use your bed” You smiled back, shoving the condom into your purse. “I would say don’t wait up… but wait until I text please” He just nodded, firing a thumbs up towards you. The bar was nothing spectacular. It was dimly lit, with booth tables scattered around the floor. There was a large wooden bar which covered the centre of the room. The bathrooms sat on either side of the object. You let your eyes scan around the room for your date, a slight sigh of relief when you realised you were there first. Walking over to the bar, you let your body drop onto a stool. Ordering yourself a drink, as you constantly watched your phone. A slight twinge of excitement shooting up your spine, as you saw a message flash up.

Bionic Man 20:08 pm

Where is my jacket?

You rolled your eyes and ignored the message. Continuing to sip on your drink, as you carried on waiting.

Bionic Man 20:20pm

This date must be amazing if you are ignoring my serious issues.

You were now onto your second drink, still waiting for your date to arrive. You opened up tinder, releasing maybe it was time to message them. But when you opened the app you were greeted with something that caused confusion. The person you had arranged the date with was no longer there. The messages no longer existed and the profile was no longer visible to you. You heart sinking as you realised you had been stood up. You didn’t really want the date. Of course, you didn’t. But it still hurt to not be good enough for someone to want to meet up with. You downed your drink and locked your phone again. Holding the glass up, as you waited for another refill. “Right I am sorry to interrupt” Your head turned towards the man storming towards you. Your eyes meeting Bucky’s. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting dark t-shirt. His hair was slightly slighted and his facial shaped more than it had been recently. “Oh, where is your date? Are they in the bathroom?” “No, just me” You span around dramatically, your hands indicating towards the empty seats either side of you. “What are you so dressed up for?” “Oh well Sam has gone out. So, I decided to go out, you know give this whole meeting new people thing a chance” He stood behind you, looking down on you as you finished another drink. “Do you want a drink? Or do you have to go?”

“Are you buying?” His mouth twisted into a smile, as he moved to the seat next to you. “No, I thought you would buy a drink for the heart broken person” You squeezed your eyes together hoping to push out a few tears, resting your head against his shoulder. Quickly Bucky shoved you away, trying to gain the bartenders attention.

“I don’t buy drinks for sad people” He laughed ordering himself a beer. “This is why you don’t get dates” You huffed, squinting your eyes at him. His mouth releasing a laugh at your reaction. When the bartender returned, he passed your glass back over to him. “My point still stands” You teased back, taking the drink.

“No, I don’t get dates because I spend all my time looking after you” His finger poked into your side, as he took a drink from his beer. “Me” Your hand slapped against your chest in shock. “I think it’s the other way around” “Is that so?” His eyebrow raised, as he shuffled closer to you. His shoulder resting against yours. “Look since I moved in with you, my dating life is non-existent. I thought living with a literal wingman, I would be having a great time!”

“I have been frozen, an assassin and now I’m years older than everyone in this time …and you think you are having a bad time dating?”

“Yes” You replied back, shoving against him. “I do”

“Right, well if that’s how you feel. I am going to leave you to wallow in yourself pity” Bucky took one last long drink from his bottle. His hands rested against the bar, as he began to push himself away. “If you leave me now, you will have to deal with me crying tomorrow. Do you really want that? Do you?”

His hands quickly dropped from the bar, and back to his bottle. A slight smile on his mouth as he held the drink towards you. “It’s still half full you idiot. Now are you buying this round, or are you going to make a war veteran spend all of his money to fill that void in your chest”