#link has an ipad because he's an ipad kid but also because i have an ipad for school and i said so

[amiharana]

currently declining to study for bio and am instead thinking about college au revalink where they have an apartment together because they are such Boyfriends and link is a bio major because he just Loves Nature but he's struggling with studying (can you see the self projecting😁🙏) he definitely has gifted kid burnout

meanwhile revali is a major perfectionist like if he gets below a 90 on anything he wants to start crying and tbh even a 90-95 is too low for him, don't ask me what he majors in though idk

anyways they are struggling together but link is just not having a good time and is stressing out studying so much he forgets to take care of himself so revali has to get him to remember things like eating regularly or showering or sleeping ANYWAYS i just felt like projecting onto revalink🫶

as a fellow bio major with gifted kid burnout who doesn't wanna study for bio (can you believe i still have a fucking bio lab due tomorrow. it's spring break for me rn. blasphemy.), i 'm 100% all for this projection COUNT ME IN!

link is totally a nature guy but i lowkey feel like he would make a great veterinarian 🥺 he's just a little guy who loves his silly little creatures 🥺🥺🥺 what do you think about revali going to flight school to be a pilot 😳 like i think if revali wasn't doing something viciously intense like. becoming a neurosurgeon or some shit, anything related to aviation is absolutely right up his alley. DEF agree with him being a perfectionist. a 99.9% will make revali lose his shit, he'll be in his professor's office hours taking up the whole time just arguing why he deserves a 103%

link brings home strays all the time and gives revali the 🥺 eyes, and revali is very weak for both link and a cute little creature, but he has to be the voice of reason since they realistically cannot take care of a pet full-time with how demanding school is on both of them. so to compromise, they foster the strays and take care of them with the local vet until they can be taken to a shelter for adoption. link gets hands-on experience which is good for his vet program but he also cries his eyes out every time they send off one of the animals because those are his babies 🥺 link with his strays is that one tiktok that's like BITCH I'M A MOTHER!!!!! NO DRAMA!!!!!

to deal with link's post-foster pet depression, zelda brings her puppy terrako to their apartment to let link cry and play with him, while revali just rolls his eyes (and secretly is looking into surrounding shelters and pet stores to find the perfect pet for the both of them once school isn't so intense for them anymore 🥺)

do you think they have study dates at a cafe or do they stay home and rot in the living room studying together? because i love the idea of study dates but if link is a bio major looking to become a vet and reval is an aviation student trying to become a pilot, these bitches must be stressed out of their mind i think. the week before finals week they're camping out in the living room and haven't slept in their bedroom for a couple days, the room is covered in papers and diagrams and books and pens and markers and flashcards and sticky notes. revali's hair is a mess which is a rare occasion, and it's held up by one of those hair claw clips, he has his glasses on, meanwhile link is lying facedown on the floor having his third breakdown of the hour. in this au i'm thinking that revali is a decent enough cook but neither of them have the energy or the time to go to the grocery store or kitchen to cook an actual meal, so they're living off of takeout and instant noodles for those two weeks. but revali definitely is the one in charge of time maintenance and prying link's ipad out of his hands to make him take a shower or drink water

it all pays off in the end because they both get high grades on their finals!!! link and revali cheer but immediately go to their bed, curl up around each other and sleep for the rest of the weekend because these bitches are exhausted 😭 hashtag ScholarLife

[stari-hun]

More No Storm but Vertin has a Time Traveling Arcanum Content

Inaccurately Named Modern AU

* Apeiron

I think with like knowledge and math becoming more accessible sooo many people in Apeiron would go to the outside world to share their knowledge because 77 (37s mom) showed that even the people most faithful to their school of thought are interested in calculation machines. Give them Mathway.com and people would lose their minds.

6 would be a professional gamer. In fact he’d take so well to modern society that he’d be one of those people thriving in the 2020 lockdown and being away from Apeiron. Afterwards he’d also recover fast and put daily walks into his schedule or something cause he knows how badly his physical would’ve gotten. 6 would have an Instagram that’s the weirdest thing ever. People use it as inspiration for arg characters because he unintentionally posts with the vibe of someone extremely inhuman, and even though with the internet most humans would be aware of nonhuman arcanist they’d still be like what… There’s several video essays breaking down theories on who or what he might be. On the other side his posts are all pictures of objects he sees on daily walks that he sees have interesting dimensions to them or placement in a scene. The issue is that he doesn’t give any preamble or context to his math like 210 who wants to share math with the world would, or 37 who genuinely wants to teach, he just drops it in the caption and closes the app. He’d also have a YouTube explaining how he wins matches with others and insane speedrun content and how he beats games in under three minutes in extremely stupid calculations and exploits. His uploads are once in a blue moon but he’s a really popular faceless YouTuber (unlike 37 he reads comments and thinks about the questions he gets a lot, and even answers them in other videos). Also his like daily wanderings until he wants to go back home and risk interaction with others.

37 would get ahold of the internet like fish to water. She’d be an early YouTuber on 6’s recommendation and get super popular without realizing it. Her upload schedule is a “think of something start recording it and post with little to no editing” kinda style that for her ends up being 6-12 videos per week. 37 probably wouldn’t even realize there’s a comment section but Sophia knows it. Sometimes she’ll relay the comments to her from fans if they’re questions or constructive, but she mostly keeps them for herself because she’s happy 37 is branching out even if she isn’t entirely meaning too. I think 37’s content is a personality type. She’s giving constructive lessons that are informative but her personality and voice made her gain an audience mostly there to listen to her as background noise while she does homework. She does have a very loyal core audience of economists and radiologists since the topic she circles back around to the most is patterns in the weather and how they can be applied to daily life. Her most viewed video would be a super complicated explanation on how to predict when the next storm will happen in your area, and the top comment is a link to a website where someone made it into a calculator (it works with like a 5% chance of error). Also fun fact Vertin tried to use it once and the website was down for a week after she tried it. Sophia would have more kids centered content. Her follower base would mostly be parents who sit their kids in front of an iPad during work, but heavily monitoring their internet use and want them to watch content that’s good for them. She’d be faceless but unintentionally blow up super hard for story reading content, and her process for making up original stories. Afterwards she’d take a huge social media break entirely, only helping 37 with hers before slowly going back to her usual audiobook content with locked comments.

On that note, it’s slightlyyyy canon based, but I also think 210 would become good friends with Sweetheart after the island opened up and he reached out to her through Pandora to be their liaison. They’d do a ton of promotions and fashion statements. 210 already has an established interest in beauty, arts, and how they tie to math, and Sweetheart as a person who’s mathematically perfect would be his best excuse to study arts. Then Sweetheart would enjoy the company of any asexual, especially if they’re good for her image, and 210 is genuinely there to vibe and enjoy the beauty of the world. I also feel like he’d have one of those instagrams where he’s super popular for his looks but vast majority of his posts are sky pics and pictures of flora he sees.

I think in the story Sweetheart and Pandora are already on pretty good terms but I think in a Modern!Twist AU Pandora would be even more active in her writing. I think she’d have a small but famous journalism company where she employs only those she deems have a fresh perspective in a way she can’t supply. I talk about it in my other post, but Marcus interns there after getting an associates degree journalism during her dual enrollment and finishing Highschool. 210 and her run top series in UTTU for numbers and art analysis in a way people hadn’t thought of before, and Marcus runs a deep dive on historical spaces and the hidden stories within them.

UTTU would sometimes have interview segments where guest slots of an employee’s choosing (approved of by Pandora) will get a special feature. Windsong is the most reoccurring interviewee alongside Vila for research papers in ley lines and ecosystem observations respectively. Both are very popular features every time due to how they provide perspective on Marcus’ and 210’s segments.

[naffeclipse]

Hi Naff!! My friend and I are huge fans of Cryptid Sightings, we both run to each other and yell about each new update, and she has a few questions regarding your fic! I'm sending them in for her since she doesn't have Tumblr but we're both very curious about these things! Hope you have a lovely day!!

×

Hello Naff! I hope that you’re having a great day today. I love reading your works and just had some questions regarding Cryptid Sightings. (Most of them regard the boys’ relationship with the kids, but I hope that you don’t mind.)

• How would they help a child that’s scared of them? (With the vessel on because maybe they’re scared of clowns, have accidentally seen them in their true form, or when they’re possessing a toy and are suspicious of the toy “coming to life”?)

• Or if they’re in danger, but can’t touch them because maybe they’ve been baptized or are wearing something holy? (Ex: a cross necklace or hijab)

• How would they react to a child who wasn’t so scared of cryptids? (I remember when I was little there was this boy I knew who would info-dump about different types of monsters to me in a book he had! Specifically, he really liked the monsters that hid in your closet and the Hunchback.) Or what if the child saw them in their true form, but wasn’t scared at all?

• How would they deal with IPad kids/kids addicted to their phone? Or with kids who are a bit bratty/bully others?

• How would they comfort a kid who doesn’t speak English or can’t talk? (Ex: maybe they speak Spanish or use ASL in order to communicate) Do any know any other languages or have picked up a few words/phrases over the years before Y/N?

• Do pregnant mothers fall under the sacred rules? (Considering how they’re bearing a child)

• What if a child was infected by a cryptid? (Like they got bit by a vampire or something) Would they still be safe under the sacred rules?

• What if they come across a rule breaker who’s repenting for their sins or are being purified?

• We know that they love watching Casper with their heart, but how would they react to other forms of children media featuring monsters? (Such as Gravity Falls, Missing Link, or perhaps Monster High)

• Have the boys been in different countries or have witnessed certain historical events? (Considering how they’ve been wandering around before Y/N)

Thank you in advance if you answer these questions! I also hope to make some possible fanart or an edit for your fic <3

Heya!! Oh my gosh, my heart is melting, ahhh, thank you so much! ♥ My day was great! I hope you guys have a lovely day as well! I don't mind questions at all!

The boys would speak very softly to the child, and depending on what would comfort the specific child, hold their hand with their vessel's hand or keep their distance but gently reassure them that they mean no harm and are here to protect them. They would also say that they're not like other monsters, they're a monster that scares those who aren't nice to the kid. They are here for the little one, to keep the kid safe at night, and that nothing bad will happen while they are here watching over the child.

In these cases, Moon would be able to touch the child and protect them, but that would only occur at night. During the day, Sun couldn't be near the child, but he would turn his attention to the threat and take it out first before the danger could ever reach the kid.

(That kid sounds awesome lol) They would be pleasantly surprised if a kid wasn't scared of cryptids/them. Kids come in all kinds of kinds, so to find one that's intrigued by monsters and spooks in the night is fun for them, and though they wouldn't necessarily hang around such a child in their true form, they would like to pat the kid's head before drawing the arm back into their vessel.

Sun is a lot nicer about getting children active and away from devices, and he makes it fun like it's the child's idea instead of Sun's nudging! Moon on the other hand will be a bit more sneaky and hide the devices away, especially if it's cutting into their bedtime, and to make up for it, he'll tell the kid bedtime stories. As for a not-so-sweet kid, they'd be firm but gentle with rebukes, though they would get to the root of the problem and tear it out—addressing the true issue of why the child was acting out in such a way.

(I've never thought of this before!) Sun/Moon knows enough different languages to comfort a kid, but it's not fancy or eloquent, just the basics, but, that's usually enough to help them settle a child down. However, with ASL, they would have to learn that and they would love for a kid to teach them! They're not against learning new things, especially if it allows them to bond better with a child.

Yes, pregnant mothers fall under sacred rules! Sun/Moon can sense the baby's heartbeat so a pregnant mother would be protected by Sun/Moon if she were in danger.

It's a very rare instance to meet a cryptid who was turned as a child, but, in the instance of a vampire, they would have no heartbeat, nothing for Sun/Moon to sense and become aware of the little one. It's a very horrifying event for Sun/Moon to confront, but the kid isn't technically alive anymore, and the sacred rules don't apply to the dead. This would be up to Sun/Moon's discretion.

Sun/Moon doesn't care for repentance or purifying, for a rulebreaker is marked and nothing can wash that away. It's very cruel and unforgiving, but there is no way to mend the sacred rules once a human has broken them.

Oh, they would be delighted by other cartoon monster media! Especially if little kids enjoy it.

Yes, and yes.

Ah, I hope these answer your questions! I look forward to it ♥

[caliburn-the-sword]

first cress thoughts!!! and reactions!!! and everything else!!!

i am so sorry that it's literally the first paragraph of the first page but "It was a prison that came with an endlessly breathtaking view" literally no view is breathtaking once you get used to it enough why would a CHILD be banished

omg this poor girl is named after the MOON?? the irony. she literally hides from the moon when she sees it. i would go on about the symbolism and stuff but i'm not going to because my brain is too tired to function rn

cress IS a shell. but then why isn't she dead?? they're meant to be killed. erland mentioned that he lost his daughter and would be about cinder's age, but did he actually SEE it happen?? if not then i reckon she's his daughter (again cause i'm braindead obsessed with ouat not because i'm serious. i'm only 25% sure of this). but i also reckon that she's VERY valuable if she HASN'T been killed. link it to rich people having one rule for themselves and one for everyone else. so either she's useful. or someone wants her alive and is bending the rules for her. otherwise they would not be going to ALL this effort of the satellite

looks like my spy theory in the eastern fed is null - but to be fair cress might just not know about it yet. it's not exactly like she would be trusted with all state secrets and what not

"felt almost like a mother's approval" metaphorically or is sybil ACTUALLY her mother???

i love that despite the stress of having to face off against the queen, figure out how to deal with genetically engineered soldiers and all the weight they have on their soldiers they're still able to act their age and tease each other - except poor cinder

omg does cress have a little crush on thorne??? she is LITERALLY the same as those braindead gen z's on tiktok that simp for killers and stuff

OMG CRESS WAS THE ONE THAT CLOAKED THE SHIP ALL ALONG HOW DIDN'T I REALISE THAT

"Cress was convinced that she knew more about Carswell Thorne than anyone else alive" stalker alert!!! lines are blurred tho because this is literally war

oh no. scarlet has a french accent. jail. (but then is everyone speaking the same language?? or does everyone have a universal translator chip inserted???)

"said Cinder, and Scarlet could have kissed her" i KNOW it's figurative language but also i like diagnosing characters with bisexual/too damn hot disease so scarlet is now bi. if it was wolf that i called bi as well then they're bi4bi. but also i don't want to reread the entire first half of scarlet to try and remember which guy it was i decided was bi and for what reason

between cress playing like 10 different video games at once she's basically an ipad kid. her attention span has been fucked up by tiktok (just like me fr) she can't read or watch anything without subway surfers playing beneath it

also something i haven't said before now: i LOVE how all the girls of tlc have noun names. they're just like me fr. it's so gnc of them. i love their names SO much. it's giving nonbinary. evocative but like in a whimsical way~ it's somehow so fantasy but so futuristic at the same time and i live for it

DAMMIT I FUCKING DELETED AN ENTIRE PARAGRAPH OF THOUGHT. gonna paraphrase here cause i'm too lazy. i'm very curious that cress calls the people of the moon lunars, mainly because she's lunar herself. like imagine i pass by a car and unironically think "oh there go the humans". it's strange. maybe it's her separation?? or is she part human and thus doesn't see herself as fully lunar??? i don't think it's because she's a shell. since the whole shell eugenics thing is a stand in for the lunar equivalent of poc, people with disabilities, minority religions, queer people etc who are all STILL human beings, hence the shells are still LUNAR. i'm sticking with my partial human theory until proven otherwise.

how FUNNY would it be if cress was completely wrong about thorne and he was just a douchebag and he was just lying after all that for sympathy. however given the textual evidence from scarlet, it would completely explain how he was completely open minded and down to support a lunar cyborg. honestly it makes him a lot more three dimensional. that said cress is still delulu

YES after what happened in scarlet i'm GLAD to see scarlet's mixed feelings towards wolf and his place in what happened to granny. forgiveness doesn't come easy!! love is hard. and yes, he has a dark side!! and she's just a normal girl. she's having one of the most human reactions i've ever seen to that kind of thing in fiction. i would have lost so much respect for her if she just ran back into his arms after all that, even tho i don't fully blame him. thanks miss marissa meyer for not just writing idiot lovesick teenagers. i can't wait to see him earn that trust back

@eddisfargo @francforever @winterrhayle @winterpinetrees

[boreal-sea]

It's weird, I kinda feel like this may be more technology related than generation related? I was born in 1999 (which makes me Gen Z I believe, which is a whole other thing, because I feel like I relate a lot more to Millenials than Gen Z), and I very much went outside and played for most of my childhood. My brother was born in 2002 (so he'd definitely be Gen Z) and his childhood was definitely spent more inside than outside. I distinctly remember the shift once things like iPhones and iPads started getting huge, but he doesn't, that's all he's known. Other people probably have different experiences but I think technology getting huge in the 2000s also heavily contributes to this

Yeah, exactly - it's technology linked, BUT because of when that shift happened, it has affected Gen Z MORE than it affected Millennials. So it's still a generational divide in the broad sense: more Millennials probably played outside compared to Gen Z. That doesn't mean zero Gen Z kids played outside, and that doesn't mean zero Millennials played inside, it's just an observable trend on the population level.

And yeah - those years are exactly when I shifted from middle school into high school, and those are the years I saw my play go from mostly outside to being more inside-based. And my brother shifted with me, even though he was three years younger. But we're both solidly Millennials.

[rplayford02]

KEEPER: Test Shoot

@ Harrison Park, 16.11.23

Before even the recce Ben, Alex and I had a meeting to schedule the shoot day. After the recce we met again to make some adjustments. The schedule we agreed upon is linked here.

As 1st AD my job was to keep everything running, and if possible keep us on time. We didn’t get off to the best start: kit transport was taking longer than we’d hoped and then to top it off we very nearly lost the location less than an hour before we were due to start shooting. Luckily, Lucy (Best Producer) Gilmore managed to convince them otherwise!

My job was easy enough. I fumbled the meeting at the start. (Ben likes to gather the cast and crew for a meeting at the start of every shoot day to get on the same page. As a team we’ve adopted it as best practice.) We’ve since reflected on the shoot and decided that I’ll delegate this meeting to Lucy since I hate the public speaking aspect. Instead I’m planning to have individual meetings with each department at the start of the day to get an idea of what time they need to set up, and any other info I might need or might need to pass on.

We occasionally ran behind but easily found the time later and finished slightly ahead of schedule. This allowed us more time to get wildtracks for sound at the end.

[Also I enjoyed waddling round with my iPad like a kid]

I think our main issue on the day (after the location debacle) was the constantly changing weather - from overcast to sunny to raining. And the mud. There was a lot of mud. Alex was annoyed by his lack of control over the light and we deliberated waiting for the sun to go behind the clouds a couple times but in the end it was just so changeable that we had to keep going.

Ben later remarked that he and Alex barely spoke and yet the production kept moving. He was able to focus on cast without worrying about the minutiae of what camera, sound or production design were doing. So apparently I’m doing something right? In his eyes at least.

I think I just need to keep this communication going even more but it’s a fine line to walk between micromanaging and pestering or ‘moving the production forward’. And I’m always keen to avoid panicking the crew with the time limit because it’ll only make them work sloppier and more dangerously. I much prefer asking them how long they need and keeping an open dialogue. Anyway, I’m reflecting more on AD-ing as a whole in a later post.

The fact it ran so smoothly is down to Lucy and her production team - Eilis, Jack, Rachel, Monica - as well as everyone else that came along to help out - Claire, Kushal, Niamh, Sam, Gaby, Tom, Alyssa, Orla, Mary and Alex. A Ben McMorran production is always a powerhouse - in fact he has a reputation for stealing every crew member available - but I think it’s a testament to this group that so many others are willing to lending a hand.

Thanks also goes out to the cast and the supporting actors, especially Lewis and Findlay who continually threw themselves onto the ground in the name of our test shoot.

[Photos by Orla and Eilis]

[therubyreader]

My Review of The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

See a full list of my book reviews here

*Disclaimer: there will be spoilers later on in the review*

Review Word Count, non-spoiler: 752 Review Word Count Total: 1,436

I have done it again folks, I’m writing the review of this book right after I finished it. Can I get a round of applause? Now I was kind of on the fence about writing this review, I honestly wasn’t sure how many people cared (myself included) but my friend who recommended me the series, [insert name here, don’t want them to get doxxed or anything], encouraged me to write this after reading my review of the first book (click here to read it if you’re interested). They did also say, and this is an exact quote, “I forget that you’re like a good writer dude,” so there is that. 

The Dream Thieves takes us back right, kind of, to where we left off in The Raven Boys after the boys plus Blue managed to wake up the ley line and Ronan has let the gang (real quick, do they have an official name because if not I'm going to keep finding new and creative ways to say “group”) know that he’s able to take stuff out of his dreams. Now that his secret is out Ronan starts to learn more about his powers, along with the consequences of using them, while hunters are looking for the Greywaren, believing it is an artifact that makes dreams a reality as opposed to a person. The squad are also experiencing the effects of waking the ley line, Adam is learning what his sacrifice means while they try to recover Cabeswater, the magic place in the middle of the woods, that has mysteriously disappeared.

While, in comparison to the first book, we don’t spend the entire first half waiting for something to happen, there were parts where I kind of sped through them since they weren’t directly linked to the plot until much later. I honestly should’ve learned my lesson and paid attention to everything because I know from the first book every detail was going to come back later, but I am known to have a horrible track record of not learning from my past mistakes, so I didn’t. But it wasn’t that big of a deal with this book because everything had already been established so most of what was going on was able to hold my attention while actively advancing the plot. 

I think that the biggest change from this book to the first one is that we see more into the mental state of the posse than we did in the first one. There are a lot of things going on in their lives along with the search for Glendower that is impacting their mental health, and it’s expected that a couple of breakdowns are bound to happen, especially when it comes to teenagers. We see this the most with Adam and Ronan, Adam because he has gone through a lot in a short amount of time, leaving an abusive home, the discovery of Cabeswater, and his financial issues on top of what his sacrifice really means. Ronan, on the other hand, same soup from the first book just reheated (we actually get a look into his mind). I think this was a wonderful addition to the book, usually the mental health and struggles of characters in books is overlooked or just not expanded on properly. These kids have to deal with this magical mystery on top of being kids with real problems and they are obviously going to take a toll on their mental health.  

I think my biggest complaint with this series is how drawn out everything is, and I get it, Gansey has been looking for Glendower for seven years, this is going to take a bit of time, but I just think everything could move slightly faster. And this is totally my own problem, and it’s the author’s writing style to add details and draw out story lines (which is very good writing by the way) but I, as you may have noticed, have the attention span and need of instant gratification of an iPad kid. I think since the plot is advancing and getting really juicy now leading into the third book (which I already have by the way, so if people (my friend) are still interested I’ll get that review up as soon as I finish it) I’m going to complain less about the pacing. Overall, a solid continuation of the series, again not my favorite book ever of all time but I’m enjoying the series as a whole and I’m going to finish it.  

Spoilers Below!!

One quick thing I’m going to say before I start talking about the plot points is that I read the scene where Ronan admits he’s gay to Kavinsky (who I’m pretty sure is gay too and has a crush on Ronan) on the first day of pride month, so happy pride everyone!  

There’s honestly a lot of the plot I want to mention so I’m going to rapid fire some of the smaller plot points right now before I get into the meat. First, the kiss between Blue and Noah was actually very cute and sad, shout out to Noah for being a good friend about it and letting Blue have a kiss that won’t kill anyone and shout out to Blue for managing to pull every single guy in that crew except for gay icon Ronan. The almost kiss between Blue and Gansey was cute and sad also but for different reasons mainly because she’s going to kill Gansey. Calla, Persephone, and Maura beloved. Matthew beloved. Literally everything in the Barns is so strange that I won’t even attempt to get into it in this post, but just know I’m thinking about it. The whole Kavinsky thing too, how many dreamers are there? Why him? How does dream land work? Did he really commit suicide? Was he in love with Ronan? What was up with that “with me or against me” nonsense? Also, what happened to the dragon and dream horror after their epic showdown?  

Ok, cool, now that that’s out of the way let’s talk about Adam. I know this is bad, I have to give props for the way that his mental health struggle is written. I mean the internal battle between the violence he inherited from his dad and his need to be better only being exacerbated by his sacrifice to the ley line was such a beautiful arc in like a twisted way. It felt really real and raw and I enjoyed reading his chapters and seeing his growth as a character from a scared boy to the magician was probably my favorite part of the book.  

Alongside that Ronan’s arc was also very similar with him learning his father was also a dreamer and his mother was a dream he brought to life which kind of reminds me of that old Reddit post about Ogtha the roach if anyone knows what I’m talking about. I also want to know if Declan is also a dreamer, because there is only one Graywaren and its Ronan, and maybe also Matthew as since they’re the products of a dreamer and a dream. That whole thing is bonkers and I’m excited to see how this plot point evolves over the course of the next two books.  

Lastly, I didn’t get the point of the Gray Man. I know he’s supposed to be strange and mysterious but he was too strange and mysterious to the point where I didn’t understand why he was needed in the book at all besides to be in love with Maura and talk about her feet too often, which like I get is supposed to be some sort of metaphor for them being opposites or whatever, but like dude, get some hobbies. Maybe this is because I speed read through his chapters because I didn’t like him so I didn’t get it or they’re going to expand on his character in future books but he was easily the worst part of the book. I hope for less of him in the future and if they give Maura a love acute angle (because its technically not a triangle if you think about it) with the Gray Man and Blue’s dad I will riot, on God.  

Anyways, if my friend commands it, I will be back for a book three review in the coming days, I will admit I did read the first chapter already because I have no self-control. Unfortunately, the fourth book is currently unavailable so I have it on hold which is going to make me slow my roll at least a little. Until the third book!  

[3liza]

it is explicitly a child marketing genre. the reason it has slowly crept up in explicit content/maturity (some of it) is because FNAF came out in 2014 and everyone who grew up with it is now a teenager or older. also no offense to OP but there does seem to be a weird blank spot in the minds of many, many tumblr users where "childhood compulsion to seek out traumatic media having to do with children" got skipped over during their own childhoods, and they express confusion at children really, really wanting to seek out and look at and scare themselves with stuff that is incredibly disturbing to adults, sometimes moreso than to children. but thats extremely normal and common in the general population because even kids who arent being abused and traumatized conventionally in the majority of the population who has access to stuff like mascot horror is still experiencing alienated, rights-free childhood under capitalism and is continually seeking to externalize that anxiety in the context of play in order to process and master it. FNAF is literally a multitasking anxiety simulator about a sub-minimum wage job and so are most of the others, in a sense the predatory nature of the genre in terms of marketing commodities to children is spelled out by the genre itself being about what are essentially children's toys literally stalking and killing/devouring the player. its a way for children to externalize their sense of being stalked by uncanny and deceptive constructs designed to lure them, even if they arent aware that's what's triggering their interest

banban specifically was explicitly a shitpost that got accidentally popular and the creators walked back the parody in order to cash in. people will argue with you about this but they are wrong. the first game is undeniably "this is a low effort pastiche of the genre" and anyone who has doubts about that is probably very young or willing to take the word of grifters who immediately saw that kids didnt get the joke and could badger a parent into buying them a $30 opila bird plush (at target). poppy playtime isnt a shitpost, but did just put the merch link directly in their start menu UI.

scott cawthon has inadvertently contributed massively to this by almost never telling fan game creators to knock it off, and also by often incorporating fan works into his canon or hiring them or endorsing them in various ways, which i think he doesn't do cynically, but has been sort of short sighted because the parasocial situation it has created is real bad

there are also a massive number of pedophiles operating more or less openly in the fandom/genre, which is where a lot of the money and expertise is coming from. there are a lot of extremely popular youtubers who get millions of hits making Party Time Chica Bikini Twerking GETS GROUNDED!!! pt 6, marking it "For Kids", and waiting for the ipad kids to watch preroll ads. the slightly older tweens then joining the creator's discord to get groomed is just a side hustle

mascot horror is frustrating because i dont know who its for. the material is adult enough to have explicit gore be prominent, but the puzzles are for baby children. they'll dangle the idea of child murder having possibly maybe i dunno happened over you as if that's scary. it wants none of the responsibility of telling a meaningful story or getting actually dark. it's the worst of both worlds of horror aimed at adults and children, cause you still have to give a shit about the children playing it!

[aprofessionalwithoutstandards]

OK *cracks knuckles*

Scout: Redditor. Weeaboo. Bisexual but full of extreme internalized homophobia. Extremely edgy and naruto runs. LARPS as a demon. Spends half his money on hentai and anime figurines, sends the other half home to his mom.

Room looks like this:

Spy: He tries to act like an Instagram fuckboy even though he's like 40-50 something and he calls people "kitten." but only in French. He tries to dress like an e-boy and has "aesthetic" room decor. Regrets having Scout

Room looks like this:

Demoman: Prank youtuber. Sometimes lets Scout be the cameraman. Acts like a frat boy. Also makes cringe compilations.

Videos Look like this:

Pyro: Only allowed on youtube kids on an Ipad because Medic has seen what is on the internet. Was incidentally exposed to Elsagate content and it fucked them up. Now they try to stab people with used needles while they sleep.

Ipad case looks like this:

Sniper: 4chan dweller, unironically says "kek" out loud. Scout thinks he's so cool and tries to convince Sniper to share some of his weed. Has a gamer room and is proud of his piss jugs. Bordering on misogynistic.

Inside of Van looks like this:

Engie: Acts like a white 40-something facebook mom. Think Live, Laugh, Love. Insists on decorating the interior of the bases with the worst fucking minimalist "aesthetic" white "rustic" decor with that lettering and succulents.

Insists on making every room like this:

Heavy: Minon. Memes. Thinks they're the funniest shit ever unironically and sends them to the groupchat. Probably the most normal one.

Memes look like this:

Soldier: Paranoid Conservative with a crazy conspiracy Facebook page. Mildly xenophobic, obsessed with the military, promotes gun ownership.

Posts shit like this:

Medic: Redditor. The Big chungus kind. Browses the deep web and looks up fucked up shit while drinking his coffee like he's reading the newspaper. Torments his team with outdated meme references and sends them shock site links like goatse or tubgirl.

Would find this unironically funny:

Whew, that took a while. Happy suffering :-)

OBSESSED however I would like to argue u see Sniper tf2 use the Internet every day. and I like to hope I'm not misogynistic

[anauro]

Hello again, the vamp regulus/ ballet dancer reg anon here! to the other anon who gave the links, THANK YOU!! and yes! my thought exactly, those two are sooo Reg and Pandora dancing.

Honestly i mostly picture Reg as a former ballet dancer, because im sure he has the BEST posture ALL THE TIME (probably because of his childhood too) and most ballet dancers are so cool and poised. I will die on this hill (Also, thank you for the encouragement! if you were willing to give out some tips i would really appreciate it!!)

Hey again!

Okay, Regulus with a perfect posture is canon. That man never slouches, not even for dick.

I could also imagine other kids trying to give him shit for doing ballet and he'd just destroy them with sarcasm and if that didn't work, Barty would gladly punch some manners into people, cause Regulus couldn't risk breaking anything.

As to writing, I'm afraid you may have come to a wrong person, my dear. I know next to nothing about writing, I just had a story stuck in my mind and decided to write the first scene and post it pretty much without giving it any thought lmao.

I'd say write the scenes you have stuck in your mind first, rather than doing it in order, cause there's a high chance the perfect wording you had all along suddenly escapes you and your beautiful scene ends up mediocre at best.

Also Google Docs. The fact you can edit the documents offline has been a lifesaver to me so many times. And you can type on your laptop, iPad, phone... it's excellent!

Here are some tips from @thebattlehamster and I would recommend listening to them, cause that's what I do and they haven't failed me yet!

Tips part I

Tips part II

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (June 8/2021) -        Lore Suit

As the conflict over L’Llamaburg and the supreme fridge continues to escalate, Ponk and Puffy exchange claims against each other to be settled in a court of law for once instead of turning to war.

Puffy writes a countersuit with her own list of charges and grievances, including not only the recent ones but all their conflicts dating back to Puffy’s very first days on the server.

What counts as a crime on the Dream SMP?

---

VOD LINKS:

Ponk

Captain Puffy

Awesamdude

---

On June 6, 2021, Ponk wrote a message for Puffy and Bad declaring an official “Lore Suit,” challenging them to a legal battle in court.

The Lore Suit's list of claims against Puffy and Bad are as follows:

---

- 2 x destruction of property

- 1 x emotional damage

- theft - tree law - animal murder - animal miss treatment - kidnapping

- 10 x tresspassing

- MURDER IN THE HOLY GROUNDS -  georgenotfound

- Damaging the holy ground

- upseting catye - upseting oogway - upseting Foolish - kanye slander - Drinking milk with ice

- Flushing the toilet while still sitting and knowing someone is still in the shower making the water really hot and then cold because you flushed the toilet

- Not seeing how I see Coraline’s mum

- Keeping sea turtles in un sea turtle con-

- conditions

turining on the microwave and 2 am and not stopping the beeping before it hits 0

---

Ponk gave Puffy and Bad three days to come up with a counter suit.

---

June 8, 2021

---

- Puffy visits Foolish’s summer home and finds the Lore Suit Ponk left for her, reading it

Puffy: [About the murder in the Holy Land] “This was an accident, okay? If anybody has to stand up on that stand, it’s Callahan.”

[Server]: what did you say

Puffy: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘WHAT DID I SAY?’ You were there! You told me to punch George that day and I didn’t know he was on half a heart! You baited me into that murder! God, we’re never safe on this damn server...”

[Server]: im watching u

- After grinding at the guardian farm for a bit, Puffy returns to the mainland and visits her old secret base at Bad and Skeppy’s mansion

- She later goes back to the summer home to build a statue for Foolish

- Puffy also responds to Ponk’s declaration. She declares the Lore Suit’s continuation and notes that Ponk was the first to cause property damages. 

She writes her own list of charges:

---

2x Counts of Griefing, 1x Count of Turtle Ransom 2x Counts of making Puffy Salty 1x Count of Robbing BBH whilst AFK 69X Counts of Combat logging you weenie!

1X Count of Mugging Foolish on his first day 1x Count of trying to sell me suspicious oils on my first day and then threatening to kill me when asking if I was going to make a rival oil place. 1x Count of making an uneven , unsymettrical , not centered giant red brick of a fridge

1x Count of literally naming your cat Sacrifice and then bringing into a war to die,, and then somehow being surprised about it. 1x Count of quoting Roadtrip during your Red Banquet speech. 1000x counts of arson 1x Count of your one arm

1000x counts of giving cats bad names and then leading them to their death.

Too many counts of making lemon trees that look nothing like lemon trees.

10x counts of putting photos of Kanye everywhere

10000x counts for everytime you mention the brand Supreme

100+ more counts of everytime you’ve killed , threatened or have stolen from someone on the server.

1x count for thinking that you are somehow going to win this loresuit considering you literally were the person who started this all

EXTRA COUNT FOR ASSISTING IN THE MURDER OF MY SON YOU DIRTY EGGPIRE SUPPORTER.

1x count of blowing up foolish’s statue

1x count of being the “Im not touching you” kid.

1x count of being an ipad kid

1x count of probably hissing at people in the hallway at school

1x count of potentially being a horse girl

1x count of stealing Sam’s heart

1x count of buying of Supreme Fridge

7x counts of leaving plastic straws around turtles you SICKO

1x count of making a maze that made my eyes feel like they were flashbanged

11x count of not using a paper or metal straw.

1x oogway thinks you’re a menace

1x count of being one letter away from being called “Punk”

1x count of leaving your stream for icecream

---

- Puffy ends off the message saying she’ll see Ponk in court

- Sam does a birthday stream and works on building the bank, planning the layout of the vaults inside and testing a door mechanism

- Sam visits Fran back at home

- He then decides to go around and visit some old builds on the server, including the guardian farm. He spots Phil at the top 

- Afterwards, he visits Sapnap and Punz’s old base and bounces in the Punzo Chunk a bit

- Sam then rigs Boomer’s frog, Pickle, with TNT

- Boomer calls Sam, pleading for him not to. Pickle is the only thing Boomer has. He says if Sam does this, he will get back at him somehow

- Sam fires the bow to light the TNT and Pickle goes up in an explosion. There’s nothing left

- Sam says he can build another Pickle and Boomer leaves

---

Upcoming Events:

- The court battle

- The final Egg lore stream

- Tales From the SMP: “Space Race”

- Ponk’s lore stream

- Dream’s lore video

[let-me-luve-you]

Winter Storm

Jared Padalecki x Reader

Summary: You play Cordell Walker’s daughter on the new show Walker. Jared takes you under his wing. What happens when a winter storm hits all of Texas.

Warnings: Mentions of a rough upbringing, Texas winter storm, power outage, water problems, some angst, scary weather, fluff, protective Jared, maybe a cuss word somewhere

A/N: As a Texan, this past week has been scary. I have been extremely blessed to not have the problems that a lot are. I was lucky and did not lose power and did not have any pipes burst. This idea came to me after seeing that Jared and Gen were helping others while dealing with their own problems at their house. 

HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO HELP OUT IF YOU ARE ABLE TO. 

KICK THE COLD - AUSTIN MUTUAL AID

GENESIS WOMEN’S SHELTER & SUPPORT

FEEDING TEXAS

LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS SEEKING DONATIONS IN DALLAS AREA

THE WAY HOME

You do not have to donate to any of these organizations, but if you feel the need to help, here are a few links. ^^^^ There are plenty more out there if you don’t want to donate to these links. 

MASTERLIST   BUY ME A COFFEE

Winter weather will be hitting Texas this weekend. You can expect lots of snow and ice. It is best to prepare for possible power outages and water being turned off. That is worst case scenario, but be prepared as Sunday will be a cold one.

You panicked. Growing up in North Texas you never had to deal with severe winter weather. You were used to dealing with tornados. But the way they were talking on the news, this weekend was going to be bad.

Thankfully you had the day off and were able to go to the store. You grabbed a case of water and food that you could prepare and food that didn’t have to be cooked to eat. You were still getting used to the adult life as an 18 year old, but since you had been taking care of yourself the last few years, you learned a thing or two in the kitchen. You made sure to grab some snacks as well since they didn’t have to be cooked or stored in the fridge either.

As you pulled up to your apartment building, you got a call from the lead and producer of the show you were on. You still weren’t sure how you managed to land the role of Stella in the new show Walker, but you were grateful. You put the car in park and grabbed your phone.

“Hey Jare.” You said. Jared was the older brother you always wanted, even though he plays your dad and he has moments where he acts like your dad. You didn’t have a great life growing up and to have a male figure in your life to help you in anyway, made you happy. Same thing with Gen.

“Hey Y/N/N. How’re you doing?” He asked.

“I’m doing good. Just got back from the store. Am I needed on set?” You asked in a panic thinking you missed something.

“No, no you’re not needed. Just wanted to call and tell you we are not filming Monday or Tuesday next week. And depending on the weather and roads, we may cancel Wednesday as well.” He informed you.

“Oh. Is it because of the storm?” You asked.

“Yeah. We aren’t sure how bad it’ll be, but we are hoping we are just being over cautious.” He said. “You said you went to the store?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to get something’s so I won’t have to get out. And I got some stuff. I won’t need to cook in case we lose power. Also filled up with gas in case I lose heat and need to warm up some.” You told him.

“Come stay with us. We have plenty of room and we have a fireplace. We just restocked our firewood supply. I don’t want to be worrying about you all weekend.” He said.

“I’ll be okay. Really. Thank you for the offer though.” You said nicely. You really did mean it. You were used to taking care of yourself that when people did want to help you, you appreciated them.

“Well. I have my truck if I need to come get you. If you change your mind, come over. The kids would love to see you.” He said. You heard Gen agree with him in the background. “And Gen would too.”

“Well after the storm, I’ll come over for dinner to see everyone. And I’ll even come another night to babysit so you and Gen can go on a date.” You said with a laugh once you heard Gen immediately laugh.

“Gen says you don’t have to, but I will take you up on both offers.” Jared told you. “Okay. Well stay in touch. They say it’ll start sometime tomorrow night.”

“Y’all stay safe and stay in touch too.” You said. “Bye Jare.”

“Bye Y/N/N.” He said before hanging up. You put your phone back into your pocket before lugging all of the groceries into your apartment. You put everything away before going to change out of your winter clothes.

After changing into some PJs to be comfortable. You decided to meal prep some so you wouldn’t have to worry about it later. And if the weather isn’t as bad as they think it’ll be, you can just eat them throughout the week.

Sunday morning, you woke up and looked outside. All you could see was white fluffiness. You smiled as the world looked at peace. You loved snow. You always thought it brought beauty to the world.

When you walked back to your phone where it laid on its charger, you saw a couple of texts from Jared and Gen. Both had sent you photos of Tom, Shep, and Odette playing the in the snow. Then you saw Jared’s text about possible rolling power outages.

You picked up the phone and called Jared and before he could even say hello, you asked, “What does that mean? Your text... I don’t understand it.”

“It means they’ll shut the power off for an hour to three hours to preserve energy.” Jared said.

“Oh.” You said.

“Yeah, so if the power goes out, don’t worry, it should come back on.” He reassured you.

“Okay. Thank you for letting me know.” You replied.

“Of course. How are you doing anyways?” He asked.

“Good. Just woke up. Felt good to sleep in. I’m probably about to start warming up my lunch.” You informed him. “How are y’all handling it over there? I saw the pics you and Gen sent. The kids look like they’re having a blast.”

“We’re doing good. The kids are definitely loving the snow. I did have to help Gen gather the chickens this morning which wasn’t fun.” He said with a laugh.

“Oh gosh. Yeah chasing chickens isn’t fun. Are they okay? I didn’t even think about y’all’s animals?”

“They’re all in the barn with heat lamps. Thankfully the barn is powered by solar so we don’t have to worry too much if the power goes out since we have a lot of energy stored up.” He said.

“Good that’s good. Well I’ll let you get back to doing whatever you were doing. Thanks again for letting me know.”

“Anytime. If you need something, holler. Okay?” He asked.

“I will. Bye.” You said. You heard his farewell as you went to hang up the phone. After preheating the oven, you took the lasagna and boxed garlic bread out of the freezer. You figured, while the power was still on, you could cook the one meal you prepped that couldn’t be eaten cold until you cooked it and it was leftovers.

An hour later, you sat at the counter charging your phone and iPad while you ate. When you went to take another bite, the power cut off.

“Great.” You whispered. You knew it was only going to be for a few hours, but you were a little aggravated by the inconvenience. You stood up and went and put on thicker sweatpants and your socks. When you made it back to your phone to text Jared that your power went out, you saw you barely had any service. That concerned you in case you needed to make a call for an emergency.

Power just went out. Hopefully y’all didn’t lose power. I’ll let you know when it’s back on. Sent 1:23 pm

You continued to eat as you awaited a response. Shrugging when you finished your meal and put the dirty dish in the sink, you moved to the living room to read a book you started the night before.

Hours later, you still had no power and you still hadn’t heard from Jared or Gen. You had checked social media, but neither had posted anything. You decided to scroll through Twitter and saw the horrors of people’s pipes bursting and roofs caving in flooding their homes.

Seeing people in Austin posting that, you decided to grab a tote to store your valuables in. Sadly, it wasn’t a lot, but the idea of losing what little you had that meant something to you scared you.

You needed to go to your car to charge your phone and warm up some, so you decided to store your valuables in the trunk. Thankfully you had a covered parking space that was right in front of your apartment. When you put the tote in the trunk, you checked to make sure the tail pipe was clear of snow before you started the car.

After spending an hour in the car, you decided it was time for bed. Grabbing every piece of blankets you had, you cuddled up in Jared’s hoody that you stole from him when you filmed episode 2 of Walker and all the blankets. You even had on two pairs of socks on since you got cold earlier.

The next morning, you checked to see your phone still had more than half its battery life left. But what shocked you was still no response from Jared. You got on Instagram and saw that Gen had posted a boomerang of him with his socks on as gloves, but neither had checked in with you.

You were kind of upset by this. You knew they didn’t owe you anything, but it still hurt. Going to the kitchen, you saw it was flooded.

“Oh no. Oh no. Nonononono.” You panicked. You ran to the bathroom and grabbed all the towels you owned and rushed back to the kitchen. You threw them down to try and absorb as much water as possible. You opened the cabinet and saw the pipe that had burst. You grabbed your phone and called the landlord.

“Hey Craig. I had a pipe burst this morning.” You said when he answered.

“Can’t do much with the weather like this.” He said not really caring.

“Can you turn the water off or something? Or tell me where it is and I’ll do it.” You said getting angry.

“Can’t do that either. If I do that, your neighbors lose their water too.” He said.

“Well what am I supposed to do. Just sit in water all day?” You asked with an annoyed tone.

“City’s running out of water anyway so they may shut it off. So won’t be long before it stops.” He said. You got so mad that you hung up. He was useless.

After 3 hours, all of your towels were soaked and you started using some of your clothes to help absorb what the towels couldn’t. You had tried calling Jared to see if he knew what to do but it went straight to voicemail. Same with Gen.

After using most of your clothes to stop the water, you decided to pack a bag in case you had to leave. Plus it would let you know what you could use to absorb the water that still remains. Thankfully your landlord had turned the water off after multiple people called about pipes bursting. All you had to do was finish cleaning up the mess.

Two days later, you were sitting in your car, about to go back into your apartment when you got a call from Gen.

“Y/N. Oh my gosh it’s so good to hear from you. We haven’t had service, plus we lost power and had a few pipes burst. Are you okay?” She asked worriedly.

“I’m okay. Sitting in my car right now so I could charge my phone and warm up a bit.” You told her.

“You don’t have power still?” She asked.

“Nope. And I also had a pipe burst. But I cleaned it up and nothing was damaged. Did you have any damage done? Is everyone okay?” You asked concerned.

“Yeah. We are fine. And just minimal floor damage.” She told you. “Jared is cleaning that mess up while I’m going to the store. Do you need anything? We have some of our neighbors over trying to stay warm and I’m grabbing them stuff too. So I don’t mind getting you anything.”

“I’m okay. I have plenty.” You said. You wanted heat. You wanted to sleep without having to wear five layers, but you refused to ask.

“Well if you do need something, text or call. Hopefully we get service back.” She said.

“I will. Thanks Gen.” you said as you hung up. Ten minutes later you got a call from Jared.

“Pack a bag and bring some blankets.” He said before you could even greet him.

“What?” You asked genuinely confused.

“I said, pack a bag and bring some blankets. Also if you want to bring any food you don’t want to go to waste or if you have water, bring that too. I’ll come in and help you carry.” He said.

“Wh-wait.. what is happening?” You asked.

“I’m coming to get you and you are going to stay with us for a couple of days. I just got off the phone with Gen and she said you had a pipe burst and you don’t have heat. So you are going to come stay with us until your power is back on and the pipe is fixed.” He said. “I’m pulling up. I’ll be inside in a second.” He hung up before you could say anything.

You went and unlocked the door before moving to your room. You grabbed your big suitcase and packed what few pair of pants you had, a weeks worth of underwear, two weeks worth of socks since you hated having cold feet, and the remaining three sweaters and seven shirts you had. It barely filled your suitcase so you decided to throw in a couple of hoodies as well.

“That all your packing?” Jared asked concerned. No one knew how long this was going to last.

“It’s all I got clean.” You answered honestly.

“No way.” He said in disbelief. You shrugged and told him to follow you as you walked into the kitchen. He saw the pile of clothes and towels on the ground. “Oh Y/N. I’m sorry this happened to you.”

“Happened to you too.” You said before moving back to your room. You grabbed a blanket and started to fold it, starting a pile you were taking with you to the Padalecki’s. Once you finished that, you grabbed your pillow too.

“Want any books or anything? You have room in your suitcase.” Jared said as he pointed to it. You shrugged and grabbed a few books you had been wanting to read. After throwing them into the suitcase, you ran to the living room to grab your iPad and chargers.

“We can charge them in the cars if we need to.” Jared said when you thought about not putting them in your bag. You nodded before throwing them in and zipping it up. “This ready to go to the truck?” You nodded once again before he grabbed the suitcase handle and stack of blankets and your pillow with ease. “Go figure out food and I’ll come back to help.”

Once in the kitchen, you grabbed the full water case you had bought a few days before and the almost empty one that you had already opened. You then moved to the fridge to grab the few casserole dishes you had left to eat. You grabbed your travel food carrier and put the casseroles in first before the almost empty case of water in after it. You saw Jared walking back in and asked,

“Is there any food of mine you want? I’ve got everything packed that will definitely go bad before I get back. The rest has already gone bad.” You said while looking at Jared who was looking through your cabinets. He found your snack one and grabbed a few things and shoved them in your carrier.

“That’s all I want.” He smirked. “Ready to go? We can come back in a couple of days if we need to.”

“Ready.” You walked to his truck and he helped you load the water and carrier. As you got into the passenger seat and started to buckle, you said, “thanks for coming to get me and letting me stay with you.”

“Anything for family.” He said smiling at you before driving carefully back to his house.

“But we aren’t family?” You said more as a question.

“You’re my tv daughter, so technically we are.” He said with a laugh. “But in all seriousness, I do see you as family. Me and you have gotten close over these past few months. I can see you as a daughter and I can see you as a little sister.” You could hear the sincerity in his voice.

“Really?” You asked. He nodded his head. “It means a lot to hear you say that. I see you as a big brother.”

“Good.” You saw him smile. “That means you can ask me for anything or do anything and I’ll be there for you. Sorry I didn’t come get you sooner. I thought about it.”

“It’s okay. I tried calling but could never get through. It happens. I’m just glad nothing more serious happened. I’m glad we are all safe.” You said honestly.

“And we are about to get you warm. We have the fire going in the living room and in mine and Gen’s room. Kids have been sleeping with us or on the floor in our room. You’re welcome to make a pallet in front of the fire and crash there.” He said as he pulled into his driveway.

“Sleeping in front of a warm fire sounds lovely right now. Thank you.” You leaned over and gave him a big hug. “I love you Jare.” You said before pulling back to kiss his cheek.

“Love you too y/n/n.” He smiled at you. “Now let’s go take all this in and get you warmed up.”

Tags: @deadcoldhearts​

[andysbubba]

friends [ two ]

-> steve’s your best friend. you know damn well that won’t change. [ also you’re really stubborn in this au and steve has to deal with that ]

AKA two idiots in love but one doesn't want to admit it

link to chapter one | two | three | four |

𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

-

10 years later, 2020

“How is it going with you two?” Bucky sips his coffee as he sits across you and Steve.

You raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”

“I would’ve expected a wedding invitation by now from both of you,” He looks at the two of you pointedly.

You choke on your latte and then glanced at Steve. “Seriously?”

Steve glances back at you and laughed, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

Bucky bursts out in laughter. “Shit. That was priceless!”

“Oh shut up, Buck.” Steve rolls his eyes at his friend.

“Yeah, Barnes. We’re just friends,” You nudge Steve with your shoulder. “Right, Steve?”

Steve shrugs and nods, leaning in front and picking up a fork to cut into his slice of chicken pie. “Yeah,”

Jesus. What was that stinging pain in your heart?

Steve left for the washroom and it was just you and Bucky.

“Bitch move, Y/N.”

You look at Bucky cluelessly. “What did I do?”

“That guy is hopelessly in love with you and you just told him that you two are just friends.” He pointedly says.

You roll your eyes in reply. “You’re exaggerating. He’s not hopelessly in love with me, Buck.”

“Say that to his lost, sad, depressed puppy dog face whenever you get into a new relationship.” Bucky kicks your leg under the table.

“You’re just bullshitting now, Barnes.”

There was no way Bucky was right. Your mum’s told you the same thing, so did Steve’s parents. And then there was Natasha who said something along the lines too. Lets not forget Sam either.

Steve being in love with you? That’s just impossible.

“You shouldn’t deny the truth, Y/L/N.”

Steve walks back to the table. “Deny what?”

You turn to Steve in slight surprise before you quickly recovered. “Bucky was just saying some things about-”

“-About how you’ve been in love with Y/N since you were kids,” Bucky interrupts you.

Steve blushes immediately, the pink flowing up to his pale cheeks and he stuttered a little. “W-what?”

You step on Bucky’s toes with your boots and glare at him. His knee shoots up and hits the table as he groans in pain.

You turned to Steve and smiled kindly, “Nope, Bucky was just playing with you,”

Steve nods and settles back on the seat beside you.

You thought to yourself while the two guys chat about yesterday’s baseball game.

Steve gets sad when you get into a new relationship? And then he gets awkward when you say that you two are just friends.

Damn it, Bucky.

But Steve’s just being Steve. He’s always awkward... right?

-

“I’m not even kidding, Nat. Like seriously, Steve? Liking me?” You huff.

“Think about it this way,” She was lying on the couch, her legs resting on your lap. “He has a lot of flings and ex girlfriends. But why did none of them last long?”

You look down at her. “Because he hasn’t found the right person?”

Natasha shrugs. “That could be one. But you two already act like a couple.” She shifted and sits up straight, turning to you seriously. “He’s looking around for something he already has. Except, it isn’t official.”

You were meeting Natasha so you ended up leaving the guys earlier at the cafe. Apparently, they were planning on having some guys night with Sam.

You frown at Natasha. “We don’t act like a couple.”

Nat raised an eyebrow at you with a ‘really’ expression. “You cuddle, you know what each other like and dislikes, he spends money on you, you spend money on him and you sleep together on the same bed.”

“Isn’t that the norm for best friends?”

Tasha rolls her eyes. “You don’t see Sam kiss my forehead before he goes home or see Bucky buy me an iPad, now, do you?”

“I’ve known Steve since I was one.” You pointed out.

This topic was seriously making you think like crazy. You didn’t even know you acted like a couple with Steve. Like seriously???

“Valid point. But do you really think his exes give a shit about that when he helps you put on your coat and shit?”

“But-”

Natasha laughs at you, completely stopping your speech. “Denial is not a good look on you, sweetie.”

You sigh as Nat stands up and heads into the kitchen.

She comes back out with two bottles of beer. “Listen, Y/N. All I’m saying is, maybe you don’t see it but everyone around you sees what’s going on.” She settles beside you on the couch. “Your brain just functions at a slower rate than others.”

You gasp and smack her arm harshly. “Rude!”

Nat bursts out in laughter before calming down and snuggled into you. “Just, if it’s meant to be, it will happen someday. Forcing things will only make it worse.”

“Does he really sulk when I get into relationships?” You rest your head on top of Natasha’s.

“Yeap!”

You sigh again. “Okay then, why do my relationships not last long?”

“Because the intimacy you want with said partner is already something you share with Steve.” Nat stops and tried to think of a way to convey her thoughts. “Minus the kisses and sex.”

You sighed for what seemed like the nth time that day. “Alright lets change topics. How are your ballet lessons going?”

-

You had some guy named Jake over at your place a few days after your girls night with Nat. It was just a one night thing and he was already in the corridor outside your apartment when Steve appeared from the stairs, slightly breathless.

You see his face drop when he sees the guy standing outside your door. Wait- why have you never seen that before? It wasn’t the first time Steve came over while there was a guy at your apartment?

Fuckfuckfuck. Damn it, Bucky. And Natasha.

“Hey, Steve.” You turn to Jake, or was it Jacob? “Bye, Joseph.”

Said guy just looks at you in shock. “It’s John.”

“Yeah, potato, potahto.” You flashed him a grim smile before dragging Steve into your apartment and leaving the John in the corridor.

“I’ll make breakfast?” You ask Steve, already making your way to the kitchen.

He follows closely behind you. “I’ll help. What do you want?”

“Mom’s congee?”

Steve looks at you in shock. “You’re the best.”

“I know, Stevie.” You wink at him. “Just fry the chicken. And cut the onions, please, I beg you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Steve hurriedly washed his hand and took whatever he needed from the fridge.

“You wanna call the others to hang out?”

Steve shrugs, “Up to you. But you call. I just washed my hands.”

You took out your phone and shoot a text to the groupchat. The one with Sam, Nat and Bucky.

Y/N: congee day

Y/N: no beer no entry.

Sam: OOOO

Nat: beer and congee? seriously?

Y/N: hey, no one’s forcing you to come nat ??

Sam: there in an hour. with beer.

Bucky: is steve making his fried chiken

Y/N: yeah

Nat: fine i’ll be there with bucky in 20 mins

Y/N: bring gummy bears please thank you ily

-

Steve glanced down at his smartwatch at raised his brows at your last text.

“Gummy bears, really?”

“Gummy bears and beer is literally the best thing Stevie,” You snort, “But of course you wouldn’t know since you’re an old hag, Steven.”

Steve gasps, looking at you in shock. “Did you just-”

You smirk at him, casually walking to the fridge. “You know I did, Rogers.”

You looked inside the fridge, completely not noticing that Steve was already behind you.

You turn around after grabbing a can of Schwepps from the fridge. You jumped seeing Steve towering right behind you. “Jesus, Steve.”

“You wanna try that again?” He held his hands up on both sides of the fridge, eyes twinkling playfully.

You shake your head and pointed at him. “None of the food war crap. I had to clean up the mess the last time.”

Steve gazed down at you. “You better take it back if you don’t want a new mess to clean up.”

You took the time to look at him– really look at him.

Steve's hot, and goodlooking. You’ve already known that. But have you ever really looked at him?

How there’s that weird drain between his brows when he’s frowning, or how his chin is like a shade darker than the rest of his face. There’s a spot on his cheek and his forehead. You’ve never really noticed them before. His eyes always had a shine. The only time you saw it dull was at his dad’s funeral and then again when Sarah Rogers passed away about 4 years after. Your parents took him in straight afterwards.

Those blue eyes are always so intense. Whether he’s trying to get a thread into the needle or reading Paper Towns, Steve’s eyes are so goddamn intense. Like he’s trying to burn a hole through the pages of that stupid book.

“You’re staring,” He noted, even though his eyes were deeply staring into you too.

“You’re staring,” You dutifully told him in return.

“I’m looking,” You see his eyes glancing down to your lips quickly and then back into your eyes.

Your eyes shifted down to his lips too. You know how it feels firsthand. Plump and soft, and it feels so good against your own. The natural pink only compliments his pale skin.

It has never been this intense. He was staring into you and you were gazing into him. His body warmth completely overrides the cold air of the fridge behind you. And his presence was... present, huge. Was this what people called sexual tension?

Damn it, Bucky. And Natasha. And Sam. And your parents.

Fuck.

His gaze switched between your eyes and lips, leaning down slowly and hesitantly. You leaned in too, slowly going up on the tip of your toes.

You could feel his breath on your face.

“We shouldn’t,” You whispered lowly.

“I know,” Steve’s hand still shifted to your jaw, though and he's caressing very lightly.

Your hands trailed up and linked at the back of his neck, and you completely press your lips against his.

Fuck.

It has been at least a year since you’ve been this close to Steve. But this, this was just different.

Steve kisses you back, lips soft but a little rough. It reminds you perfectly of the first time you kissed him he kissed you.

There was a thought in the back of your mind about how this was possibly going to be awkward later. But, fuck. His lips feels too good to stop.

You pull away from him, just about an inch or two away from his lips. “Steve,”

He speaks lowly, “I swear if you tell me that we shouldn’t do this...”

“We shouldn’t.” You breathed deeply. “But we need to talk about this,”

“Talk about what?” His voice raises the slightest bit. “Talk about how I’ve been in lo-”

The doorbell rings.

And just like that, your moment broke.

Steve closed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, before he completely pulls away from you and turned around.

“Go get the door. I’ll get started on the chicken.”

You listened, stepping out of the kitchen and to towards the door. Your mind was still processing what just happened. Was he about to say... But, Fuck.

Even if he did say it, you have no idea what you’d do.

Your hand curls around the door knob and you pushed it down and pulled the door open.

Nat and Bucky were on the other side, holding up bags and something that looks like 10 bags of gummy bears.

Not that you have any complaints.

“Your face looks weird. What happened?” Natasha brushes past you as she strides into your apartment, dropping her handbag on the dining table and then going into the kitchen.

“Yeah, you look weird. Why does the house seem so quiet?” Bucky asks next, pushing past you and going straight into the kitchen.

“Yeah, cause I just kissed Steve. Of course it’s gonna be like the fucking Kardashians’ house, ain’t it?” You mutter lowly under your breath, knowing damn well they can’t hear you.

“Hey, Steve,” Tasha sets the bags in the counter before she goes over and pecks Steve on his cheek. “You look weird too. What happened between you two?” She glances between you and Steve with a question mark on her face.

“Did you have sex?”

You turn to Bucky almost immediately. “No!”

“Alright, no need to get so defensive, Tiger. Did you kiss?”

The blush on Steve’s cheeks and the silence from you was a good enough answer for the both of then.

“Oh, so something did happen, huh?” Natasha teased, eyes glinting with some sort of evil.

“Shut up.” Steve grunts as he continues dipping small chicken cubes into flour and then into the egg mixture.

“Did you kiss his dick or just his mouth?”

You roll your eyes, stepping towards the sink to wash your hands, completely ignoring Bucky’s question.

You eyed Steve from your peripheral vision. He was silent too.

Well, fuck.

-

like comment reblog? i’ll love you forever

[bts-reveries]

where’s moonji?

the most beautiful moment in life | drabble/oneshot #4

genre: fluff, family

tw: very very very light mentions of death (if you read page turner, it’s just mentioning moonji’s mom)

member(s): namjoon

a/n: THIS IS FOR YOU ANON WHO ASKED FOR NAMJOON/BYUL/MOONJI CONTENT NEXT! <3 and also thank you to @serenjiminey for this idea~ 

“for the drabble you could probably do something where byul and joon work on a small children’s book about the whole gang for moonji’s bday where joon writes it and byul draws the illustrations for it :)”

also since this is a drabble, i didn’t make the little story too long, but i did try my best to make it sound like a kids book! hope this fulfills your need for some content, even for just a teeny bit~

btw, namjoon’s yn is byul in the other aus (yn in page turner) -> yn here too since it’s a solo member drabble anyways :)

and lastly, none of this would make any sense to you if you haven’t read the series! here’s the link to the master list: 

the most beautiful moment in life

This takes place after taehyung’s au~

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

“Mommy!” Moonji yells. 

You were currently working, standing behind the counter at the library you worked at. Your eyes widened as her yell echoed throughout the quiet library. You put your finger to your lip and Namjoon puts his hand over her mouth, but instead his whole hand went over her entire face. The two walked over to you and you scanned a few more books you were entering into the system. 

“Sorry,” Namjoon whispers to you as he gets closer. Moonji managed to get her dad’s hand off of her face.

“Hi,” she whispers to you, smiling widely. You couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Hi sweetie, come here,” you tell her, reaching over the counter to take her. Namjoon passes her over and you press a small kiss to her cheek, hugging her tightly. “What brings you two by?”

Namjoon looks around him as if no one can know. 

“What?” You say. 

He then reaches over to cover Moonji’s ears, making her whine. “Birth-day-talk,” he mouths. Your mouth forms an ‘o’ shape when you get what he said. 

“Moonji there’s some new books over there at the kids’ section, do you want to go check it out?” You ask, Moonji furrows her eyebrows as she couldn’t hear what you were saying with Namjoon’s big hands on both sides of her head. 

“Oh! Joooon~” You say, pushing his hands off of her little ears.

“Daddy and I will take you to the kids’ section okay? They have new books there,” you tell her. With this, her eyes lit up and she excitedly wiggles out of your hold and runs out of the back counter. She knew where to go as she’s been here plenty of times. You then tell your coworker that you’ll be “helping them find a book” so that she can take your spot in entering the rest of the books.

-

As Moonji sat on a bean bag surrounded by the new books she picked out, you and Namjoon stood by the shelves, discussing what to do for her birthday that was coming up.

This was the second year you got to be there for Moonji’s birthday. The first one being her third birthday and now she was turning four! How time flies. 

Her third birthday was just a small party with the group. You and Namjoon made her a cake that day instead of getting one from Sohyun’s bakery and the two of you treated her like the princess she is. The two of you got her a couple of books that reminded you two of her. I know. Typical dad author and librarian girlfriend. But books are really special to Moonji! Namjoon has told you about how the very first thing Moonji’s mom and him bought when they were expecting, was a book for her. Moonji loved flipping through pages and looking at the pretty pictures, as she does not know how to read just yet, and also having her dad or aunt and uncles, and maybe sometimes her older cousins read to her. 

So of course you had to get her a book for her birthday. She loved it anyways! But this year you were thinking of something a little different, yet the same.

“Why don’t we make a book for her?” You tell Namjoon. He tilts his head to the side. 

“A book? Like write one?”

“Yes! I mean, you’re a best-selling author after all~ Why not make one for Moonji?” You look behind you to see Moonji engrossed in the book she’s holding.

“You write, I do the illustrations, what do you think?” You ask, you already had so many ideas running through your head.

Namjoon laughs at your excitement, he found it adorable, “I like it. But what would we write about?”

You think a bit to yourself, thinking about all the children’s books Moonji has read. 

“We can talk about the whole group, maybe a fun, little birthday story? It’ll be cute!”

-

“So how do you want to do this?” Namjoon asks you. The two of you were currently in his office while Moonji was down for a nap. It’s been a few hours since you two first talked about it. You were very excited to work with your favorite author on a book!! I mean, you never imagined for it to be a children’s book, but nevertheless, you were excited!

“I don’t know, I’ve never done this before,” you tell him, staring down at your iPad. You were in charge of the illustrations, something Moonji always looked forward to whenever getting new books. “You can write first? Then I’ll draw accordingly~”

“Okay, but I’m going to need your help in writing,” Namjoon says, taking out his laptop. You giggle, leaning your head onto his arm.

“I can’t believe I’m making a book with my favorite--”

“Sttoooopp,” Namjoon laughs, nudging you off. “I would think we were over that.”

“Hey! Boyfriend or not, you’re always going to be my favorite author,” you say, laying back on his arm. Namjoon shakes his head, smiling and also giving up with you. 

“Fine, you win,” he says, turning his head, placing a hand on your cheek and pressing a kiss to your forehead. “But my princess’ birthday is in a few days so we really need to get started on this.”

-

~a few days later, the night of Moonji’s birthday~

Moonji’s party has come to an end and Namjoon and you were finally going to give her her birthday present.

“Daaadddy~” Moonji says as she was already climbing into her bed, ready for bedtime. “Where’s my present?” She pouts, looking down at her empty lap, motioning with her hands. Namjoon laughs, climbing in to sit on her bed as well, carrying Moonji onto his lap. 

“Yn is getting it,” he says. “It’s from both of us and it’s full of love, you’re going to like it.” His daughter’s eyes light up as she sees you walking into her room with a gift wrapped in your hand.  

“Are you excited?!” You squeal. You were very excited. More excited than Moonji herself. 

“Yeah!” She laughs, jumping up and reaching out to you. You hand her the gift as you get closer.

“Here, happy birthday baby,” you say, kissing her head as you hand her the gift. 

“Thank youuu~” She says, quickly ripping the wrapping apart. A small gasp comes out of her mouth when she sees the cover.

Where’s Moonji?

It said. With a cute illustration of Moonji on the front with her adorable smile and crescent eyes. 

“It’s me!” She says happily. 

“Daddy and I made this especially for you,” you tell her as you sit down next to Namjoon. 

“Can you read it to meeee,” she says, looking up at her dad. 

“Of course,” Namjoon says.

Where’s Moonji

To our little moonchild by Daddy and Yn

Today is a very special day. 

What day is it today?

“Moonji’s birthday!” Moonji yells out, making the both of you laugh.

Daddy and Yn were preparing for the princess’ birthday!

Of course, they were not alone.

Where’s Uncle Jin?

Uncle Jin walked in with his kids, Minseok, Soojin, and Haneul.

Of course, Auntie Mae was right by their side. 

“Where’s Moonji?” Soojin asks. Haneul wanted to find out too.

Minseok, being the oldest, knew where Moonji was.

It was still early so Moonji was still sleeping!

“Uncle Joon, can we go to Moonji’s room?” Minseok asks. 

Daddy says okay.

The three ran to Moonji’s room, ready to see the birthday girl.

“Good morning Moonji!” Yells the three. Moonji stirred in her sleep, not knowing what was going on. 

Haneul pouts as Moonji doesn’t wake up.

They want to say happy birthday!

“Uncle Joonie!” Yelled Haneul. 

Daddy came into the room right away.

“What’s wrong?” He asks.

“Why I don’t wake up?” Moonji asks, looking up at you. 

“Maybe because you stayed up late watching movies with daddy again,” you say, booping her nose.

“Moonji won’t wake up!” Complained the three. 

Daddy tells them that she’ll be up soon. 

The three then left the princess in her room.

Then Uncle Yoongi, Auntie Sohyun, and Hana came in with cake!

Moonji’s birthday cake.

Special cake that fell from (24/7) Heaven.

Hana looked for Moonji as well.

“Uncle Joonie, where’s Moonji?” 

“Sleeping,” says Soojin. 

“But it’s her birthday!” Argued Hana. 

Will Moonji miss her party?

“No no no! Wake up!” Yelled Moonji as her dad continues to read.

“Haaaaaappppy Birthday Moonji!” 

Even the loud voice of Uncle Hobi did not wake up princess Moonji. 

Auntie Sarang and Huimang looked around for the birthday girl.

“Where’s Moonji?” They asked.

“Sleeping,” says Hana.

Now Uncle Jimin, Auntie Yuna, and baby Mingyu came!

Hey.

Baby Mingyu was sleeping too!

But where was Uncle Taetae? Auntie Bora? And Youngjae?

Uncle Kookie and Auntie Rina and Sian came instead.

“Moonji is STILL sleeping,” complained the kids before they can even ask.

“It’s okay,” says Yn. “Let’s decorate while we wait!”

Uncle Kookie helped blowing up balloons while Auntie Rina tied them. 

Auntie Yuna put baby Mingyu down to help Uncle Jin and Uncle Yoongi with cooking!

Uncle Jimin put up streamers with Uncle Hobi.

Auntie Sarang and Auntie Mae organized the presents!

Auntie Sohyun fixed the desert table.

And Daddy and Yn were EVERYWHERE!

“I’m here!” Yelled Uncle Taetae. 

Youngjae and Auntie Bora were right behind him!

“Where’s Moonji?” They all asked, presents in their hands.

“STILL SLEEPING!”

As everyone finished up with the decorations, it was time to wake up the princess.

How do you wake up a princess from their deep sleep?

“A true love’s kiss!” Moonji yelled. 

“You’re right,” Namjoon tells her.

Daddy and Yn quietly walked into the princess’ room.

Both of them pressed a kiss to her cheek, instantly waking her up.

“Good morning!” They yelled. 

Moonji smiles from ear to ear. 

“Happy birthday princess,” Daddy says.

As Namjoon was about to close the book, you stopped him. 

“Wait! There’s still a page or two left,” you tell him. Namjoon furrowed his brows as he only remembers writing until that part. You motioned for him to keep going. Moonji already flipped it before he did. 

A little gasp escaped her lips and Namjoon was just as surprised.

You drew an extra page or two, adding in Moonji’s real mom. 

Everyone that loves Moonji was at the party!

Uncle Jin was there. Auntie Mae and Minseok, Soojin, and Haneul!

Uncle Yoongi was there with Auntie Sohyun and Hana!

Uncle Hobi was there too! Auntie Sarang and Huimang came with.

Uncle Jimin, Auntie Yuna, and baby Mingyu too!

Uncle Taetae and Auntie Bora, with Youngjae~

Uncle Kookie was with Sian and Auntie Rina!

And of course Daddy was there with Yn.

I call her mommy.

Oh! And my real mommy was there too.

Can you see her?

You look up at Namjoon as he reads the last few lines. A tear ran down his cheek. You look down at Moonji and she was smiling, running her hand over the drawings. 

Mommy was there with us. Right in our hearts.

Everyone she loves was there. 

Moonji had a very happy birthday. 

Now the book was really over. 

“I love it!” Moonji yells with joy, throwing her hands up in the air. Namjoon wraps his arms around her, pressing kisses to her cheeks, making her giggle. 

“Happy birthday again princess,” you tell her.

Namjoon then looks at you with teary eyes.

“When did you put that in there?” He asks. 

“You sent me out to get it all printed and I had it made before hand. I sneakily added it in when you gave me the flash drive,” you say, smiling up at him. 

“... was it okay though?” You then ask. You knew that Moonji’s birthday wasn’t the easiest day to celebrate every year considering it’s also the death anniversary of her mom. Namjoon did his best to try and not to let the bad memories of that day get to him. He still loved her of course, and will always have her in his heart. Now that he had you with his daughter, you never ever want it to seem like you were ever replacing her. You want to let them both know she’ll always be there in memory and in your hearts. You, personally, never met her, but you knew she was amazing. 

“More than okay,” he tells you, pulling you in to kiss you on the forehead. “Thank you.”

[steves-on-a-plane]

Life Hack

Written for: @star-spangled-bingo​ 2021!  (& All Caps Flash Bingo!)   Words: 1970 SSB Square Filled: Alternate Universe AU  All Caps Flash Square Filled: Science Experiment   Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Warnings: None, E for everyone!   Summary: Tony & Steve have created a Youtube channel both as a way for the Team to stay busy & for them to communicate with the outside world. Participation is highly encouraged and when Reader finds out Bucky hasn’t contributed to a single video yet, they enlists his help in testing out some life hacks. 

“What are we doing again?” Bucky questioned. He was standing next to you in the makeshift recording Studio Tony had built in an unused office.

“Making a video for the Youtube channel.” You commented. You inventoried the items on the table in front of you and made sure you had everything you needed.

“And why are we doing that?” Bucky grumbled.

“Because Tony and Steve want everyone to contribute to the channel.” It would surprise no one that the idea to start an Avengers Youtube channel had been Tony Stark’s idea. Actually, the team had always had one, as far back as the early shield days. It was more for publicity. Things like showcasing highlights from non-classified missions, charity events and press conferences were the types of clips that were typically uploaded. There were even occasional interviews from new members as they joined the team.

After the virus had struck, Steve and Tony had been looking for more ways to connect with the public. Tony wanted to have a way to talk with civilians about the real science of everything. While Steve’s motivations were a little more home grown. He wanted to give people on the outside a chance to see what life was like for the Avengers. He wanted people to know that the team was just as suspectable to the virus as the public and that the public could have as much of an impact on fighting this thing as the Avengers did.

“Peter may have let it slip that you haven’t contributed one video to the channel since we started it months ago.” You explained to Bucky. “I know cameras aren’t exactly you’re thing so I figured you could help me out with my segment today. Plus, you’re my favorite.” You said before tapping him on the nose with your index finger. “Ready?”

“Do I have a choice?” He complained beside you. You nodded to Peter who was standing behind the camera and began the video’s intro.

“Hey everyone! It’s [Y/N] here with another segment of the Avengers Quarantine Fifteen! That’s where we give you a fifteen-minute glimpse into what it’s like here at the Avenger’s Compound in Washington, DC.! Today I have a special guest with me, in his Youtube debut, Sergeant Bucky Barnes!” You paused to indicate Bucky who was standing next to you.

“Hey.” He nodded to the camera and offered it an awkward half wave.

“Okay, everyone,” You said looking into the camera. “I know we’re all bored out of our minds. We’ve been quarantining or sheltering in place for what feels like forever! I have to admit I’ve become addicted to watch those weird life hack videos; Buck you know the ones I’m talking about?” You asked him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He shrugged. He looked past the camera at Peter who tried to wave his attention away.

“Don’t worry you will very soon. For those of you at home who, like Bucky, have no idea what I’m talking about, a life hack is something that’s supposed to make things easier.” You explained.

“Like waterproofing your shoes with beeswax?” Bucky asked excitedly. “That really works!” He insisted.

“Yes, like that.” You nodded. “So today we’re going to be testing out if these internet hacks actually work in a little game I like to call Helpful or Hustle. Okay, here we go.” You pressed play on a video that you’d already queued up on your iPad.

“Is Parker just going to film us watching a video for fifteen minutes?” Bucky asked you with uncertainty. You couldn’t help but laugh.  

“No.” You told him. “We’re gonna watch the hack first, then we’re going to try and recreate it.”

“But they can’t see it.” He commented pointing to the camera.

“They’ll see if after. In editing.” You assured.

“I’ll take care of everything Sergeant Barnes!” Peter called from behind the camera.

“There’s no way that works!” Bucky commented. Together the two of you watch the first hack where a woman deflated a balloon around a phone to act like a protective case. “They think because it’s made of rubber it’s going to protect…Do we have balloons?” He looked down at the table. I want to try this!”

You handed Bucky a balloon and an older cellphone that no one was using anymore. He began to inflate it immediately. At first it took Bucky a few tries to deflate the balloon like the woman in the video did. His initial attempts left him with a completely flat balloon, but after realizing he had to release the air more slowly, He had a rubber seal around the device. Bucky held the phone in his vibranium hand before letting it drop several feet the floor. You both heard the distinct sound of touch screen glass shattering.

“Well, Bucky, Helpful or Hustle?” You questioned as he bent down to pick the phone up.

“I think you already know the answer, [Y/N].” He said, holding the shattered screen for Peter to capture on camera. “I like this game. What’s next?”

“Back to the video.” You said, pointing to the iPad. You both watched the next “hack” Which involved filling a balloon with hot glue, tying it off and then using it as a sink stopper.

“I mean I guess that works.” He commented, scratching the back of his head. “But you know what else works?” He looked into the camera. “Fixing your sink so it has a stopper. If you can’t fix it yourself, hire a plumber. That’s a Hustle, next!” He pressed play again.

“I think you’re going to like this one.” You told him. You watch a video of someone blowing up a balloon using a water bottle, a funnel, vinegar and baking soda.

“Tell me we have the stuff to do this one.” He asked excitedly. “I very much want to know if this works.”

You and Bucky each picked up a balloon. You poured a cup of baking soda into each of the balloons using the funnel. You then filled the water bottle about halfway with vinegar. You had to guess with the measurements as the hack hadn’t provided them.

“Parker, you’re a science kid, is this safe?” Bucky asked Peter as you portioned out the vinegar.

“It’s what most schools use to make volcanos. Should be fine.” Peter nodded.

You and Bucky stretch the end of your balloons over the mouth of your water bottles. You nodded, and on your signal you both held up the balloon so that the baking soda dumped from the balloon into the vinegar. Almost immediately the balloons began to expand.

“[Y/N] look! It’s actually working!” Bucky exclaimed with disbelief.

“Well, I think this is as good a place as any to leave things. I’m afraid to see what happens when we try to remove these balloons. I’m [Y/N]…” You left a pause for Bucky.

“And I’m Bucky!” He said, thins time giving the camera an animated wave.

“This has been the Avengers’ Quarantine Fifteen!” You called, peering over your expanding balloon.

“Cut!” Peter said to let you both know he’d finished recording.

“That was great you guys!” Peter said enthusiastically. “Uh, [Y/N], you might want to take those things outside.”

“Good idea, Parker. I’ll take care of it.” Bucky offered. “Thanks for making me do this. I actually had a lot of fun. We should do it again sometime.” He collected both water bottles and carefully escorted them from the room.

“I have a few more things to film and then I can start editing. I’ll let you both know when it’s live.” Peter explained. You thanked him and started cleaning the room so it would be ready for the next person who needed it.

A little time passed, and you’d help some of the other team members film their own segments. You’d been staying busy doing other things too like raising a quarantine kitten. Yes, even the Avengers were not immune to the desire for new pets after being trapped inside. In hindsight trying to raise a tiny mammal in a giant military compound probably wasn’t a good idea, but you and Mittens were adjusting to each other. You’d almost forgotten about the segment you’d filmed with Bucky until Peter texted you the link one day.

You pressed play and started watching the video. You were surprised to see that Peter had been recording the banter between you and Bucky before you’d officially started filming. He kept every second of it in too, even the part where you booped Bucky on the nose and told him he was your favorite. You felt your cheeks get hot knowing the others were going to razz you about that later.

“Hey [Y/N]!” You heard someone calling your name down the hall. You poked your head out of your dorm room door. Bucky was walking towards you.

“Did you see Parker posted our video?” He pointed to his phone.

“Yeah, I was just watching it. What did you think?” You asked.

“I haven’t watched it yet. I’ve been reading the comments.” He told you. You scrolled through the commented on the video. Your eyes growing wide. It seemed the videos viewers liked seeing Bucky on the channel. They also seemed to really like you and Bucky together.

“I came to ask you, what does ‘Ship It’ mean?” He said.

“Where did you…” You assumed he’d read it in the comments and sure enough as you continued to read on there were plenty of posts with things like ‘Why and I shipping [Y/N] and Bucky so hard?’ and ‘I’m calling it, Bucky x [Y/N], I’ll go down with this ship and in this TED Talk…’

“Well, Bucky Ah…” You fumbled with your words trying to think of exactly how to explain the situation. “Shipping is an internet term for…”

“If you don’t want to tell me, I can just ask Parker or his friend…Ed?” He started to turn.

“No!” You caught him by the elbow. “Trust me, you do not want to ask anyone else about this one. Shipping is a term people use as a way to say they want two people to be a couple. Sometimes they’re already a couple or they may not be together any more and people aren’t ready to let that go. It’s usually about fictional characters but sometimes celebrities too.”

“Oh…Oh!” Bucky stared down at this phone with sudden realization. “So, when they’re saying that they Ship you and I, they’re implying…”

“That they want us to be a couple, yeah.” You nodded uncomfortably. You wished you could melt into the floor or fly away on a jet pack because the truth was, you’d always had a bit of a crush on Bucky. You never thought he’d be into you. You knew that the opinion of hundreds of people online wasn’t going to change anything, but at least someone else had seen a spark, as imaginary as it may be. “It’s a pretty common thing.” You added, trying to fill the awkward air. “Like I might say I ship Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson together because they seem really happy together. I don’t really know them, so it’s not really my place to say…”

“But I know us. So, would it be completely inappropriate for me to say that I also Ship us?” He questioned, looking up from his phone.

“Does being in a video on Youtube with the man you that gets tons of people commenting what a cute couple you’d make, so you’re both finally brave enough to admit that you have feelings for each other, count as a Life Hack?” You asked back.

“As usual, I have no idea what all of that meant, but I’m going to kiss you now okay?” He asked. You nodded ‘Yes’ in response.

[beware-of-you-98]

Ice Cream (BAU Family Fluff Fic)

BAU fam getting ice cream on a road trip featuring Hotch being a disgruntled dad, Emily being a rebellious little shit, Derek being an annoying big brother, Spencer just existing (seriously, all he wants is a Dilly Bar for god sake!!), Penelope egging them on, JJ being a sweet baby angel and Rossi being the only sane one in this entire fic

ao3 link

Aaron Hotchner loosely grips the wheel of the SUV, briefly looking in his rear view mirror to check on the rest of the team and ensure they're ready for the nearly two hour drive back to the jet (and to make sure they're buckled because, well, it's the dad in him that wants to check.)

Derek sits directly behind him, buckled up and lounging back comfortably in his seat. His earbuds are in, and no doubt his music is on full blast to drown out the rest of the team crammed into the van.

Penelope sits in behind the passenger's seat on her iPad, a set of thick, chunky headphones plugged into the device. She's buckled, immersed in whatever game she must be playing.

Directly behind her in the very back is JJ, who has her chin resting on her palm as she looks out the window even if the van isn't in motion yet.

Buckled.

Spencer sits in the middle at the very back, his long legs stretched out between Derek and Penelope. He has a thick, worn book in his hand, his finger gliding quickly down the pages as he takes in the words. ("Yes, he really can read that fast," Hotch often has to tell skeptics. "Yes, he can really process all that information. No, he's not a robot.") By the speed the young profiler is reading, Hotch knows that he'll be done with that book by the time they make it to the jet.

Buckled.

Sitting just behind Derek is Emily. She leans her head against a pillow she must have somehow smuggled in the back (Hotch also thinks it's entirely possible JJ gave her travel pillow to Emily, but none of that really matters.) The brunette is struggling to keep her eyes open, will probably be out as soon as the van is in motion.

Not buckled.

"Emily, put your seatbelt on," Hotch reminds her patiently.

Emily grumbles, grouchily reaching behind her. "You put your seatbelt on," she mutters, laying her head back down on the pillow.

Hotch let's the comment slide because he hears the click of her belt buckle.

He turns to briefly check on Rossi, whose sitting beside him in the passenger's seat. He's designated himself as the  map reader, the large square piece of paper folded out on his lap. (Hotch doesn't really think they need a map because they have a GPS right there but whatever. He'll let Dave do what the hell he wants.)

"Everyone ready to go?"

A chorus of "yes" and affirmative hums (and a disgruntled grumble from Emily) is all the motivation Hotch needs to start up the van and head out for the long trip they have to make back to the jet.

The highway is lit up harshly under the bright, unforgiving Arizona sunlight, heatwaves practically radiating from the asphalt. The air conditioning is on full blast in the van, providing semblance of relief from the harsh  and unforgiving heat. The van is sandwiched between the desert landscapes, long, green cacti and orange canyons towering like giants in the sand. Despite the time of day, the flat roads are virtually clear, sparse amount of other vehicles littering the highway.

Spencer looks up from his book after forty-seven minutes of straight reading, using his finger to mark his place. He brings up his other hand, uses the back of it to wipe his eyes as he yawns. He stiffly stretches his limbs, blinking hard as he stares out the bright windshield.

He focuses his attention up ahead on a blue highway guide sign, eyes scanning through the fast food and gas station logos without much thought. His eyes light up, though, when he spots a white square, signature red lip shaped logo stamped in the middle. "Hotch, there's a Dairy Queen at the exit coming up in the next five miles!"

"I saw that," Hotch says with a nod, using a tone much like he would with Jack when his son would bring him something the boy deemed really interesting. It's a tone that suggests the unit chief is listening, but has other things preoccupied on his mind. Probably getting the team to the jet on time.

But Arizona is hot. Unbearably hot. Like, if Spencer didn't consider himself a very logical man of science, he would swear his skin would melt off his bones hot. Even with the air conditioning on full blast, the sun's rays are completely and totally unforgiving and heat up the inside of the van like it's a god damned toaster oven.

A frozen treat from Dairy Queen, honestly, a Dilly Bar, sounded so perfect right now.

Spencer's mouth waters at the thought. "Can we get ice cream?"

"Reid, we're on a schedule," Hotch reminds the young profiler patiently. "We have to be on the jet to go home in a little over an hour and we're making great time."

Spencer can't help but pout a little. "But, Hotch, it's Dairy Queen!"

Derek pops out one of his earbuds. "Did somebody say Dairy Queen? Are we getting ice cream?"

With extreme patience, Hotch replies. "No, Derek, we're not getting ice cream."

"Ice cream?" JJ perks up from the back, lifting her head off her hand.

"I wan' a Blizzard," Emily mumbles with a start, sitting up in her seat and rubbing her eyes with both of her hands.

Hotch sighs, looking at Rossi. "Dave, tell them we can't get ice cream."

Rossi stares down at the map in his hands, flipping it over to read the facts printed on the back about the desert dwelling horned toad. (It shoots blood from its eyes. Gross.) "Why not?"

Hotch scowls, feeling betrayed that the senior profiler wasn't on his side. "Because we have to get to the jet!"

"Actually, if we take a quick five minute ice cream break, get back on the highway and maintain the speed you're going, we would make it back to the jet with ten minutes to spare," Spencer calculates, leaning around to look at the speedometer.

Emily reaches over and ruffles his hair with a sleepy grin. "And that's why we keep you around, wonder boy!"

Penelope slips her headset from her head and hangs it around the back of her neck. "What's going on?"

"Dad's getting us ice cream," Emily fills her in.

"I'm not getting you ice cream!" Hotch declines, sounding a bit more firm. He shoots Emily a glare from the rear view mirror.

She sticks her tongue out at him childishly in response.

Penelope pouts at Hotch's answer. "Why not?"

"Because I said so!"

"Mom, dad won't get us ice cream!" Emily whines in a pathetic tone.

Rossi looks up from his map in surprise when he realizes he is in fact "mom" in this situation. Glancing at the "kids" in the back of the van, he turns to Hotch with a shrug. "You're on your own for this one, Aaron."

"Gee, thanks, Dave," Hotch scowls.

"Wait, now I'm confused," Penelope starts up. "Are we getting ice cream or not?"

"We're not getting ice cream!" Hotch says in a louder tone, trying his best to put on his "chief voice", the one that let's everyone know that what he says goes.

"I just wanted a Dilly Bar," Spencer quietly says, pouting as if Hotch just killed his puppy or something equally as serious occurred.

"A chocolate milkshake sounds so good right now," Derek agrees with a hum. "Come on, Hotch. It's hot as hell out. You're telling me you don't want any ice cream?"

"No."

"I say we take a vote," Emily pipes up rebelliously.

"Emily, no," Hotch says firmly.

Emily ignores him, because of fucking course she does. Pain in the ass. "All in favor of ice cream, say I!"

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss! Do you realize you are way too old to pull this childish sh—"

"I!" Emily cries out over Hotch's scolding.

"I!" Derek says just as boldly.

"I!" Penelope and Spencer say in softer voices.

JJ stays silent, but shyly raises her hand up in the air.

"Majority rules. We get ice cream," Emily says with a smug smirk.

Rossi raises his hand and draws an invisible checkmark in the air.

Hotch huffs in annoyance.

Unbelievable.

"Unless one of you is bleeding out, we're not stopping," he declares firmly. "And that's not an invitation for you to start, Emily!" he adds, glancing back in the rear view mirror.

Emily frowns, throwing her arms across her chest. "I wasn't even going to do anything!"

"Ooo, princess is in trouble. Princess is in trouble," Derek smirks in a sing song voice.

"Oh, go eat a dick, Derek Morgan!" Emily snaps at him.

His eyes shine gleefully. "Was your nap cut a little too short there, sunshine?"

Emily and Derek continue to bicker, their voices slowly being drowned out by Spencer and Penelope slowly chanting "Dairy Queen! Dairy Queen! Dairy Queen!"

The van screeches to a halt in the middle of the highway.

Emily lurches forward, busting her head off of Derek's seat with an angry cry, Spencer and Penelope nearly choke against their seatbelts, and Derek stumbles, reaching his hands out on the window to steady himself.

JJ has the foresight to brace herself with her palms against the back of Penelope's seat. She leans over Spencer, checking Emily's forehead with a concerned frown.

Emily's breath hitches as her soft fingers brush against her forehead, forgetting for a split second what just happened. JJ's fingers brush against the upper corner of her head, causing her to wince. Ow.

"What the fuck, Hotch?" she starts to demand, holding a hand to her forehead. She closes her mouth immediately, only getting out "Wha-" before she's silenced by Hotch swiveling around in his seat.

The unit chief shoots them a steely glare that even has Derek squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"All of you, knock it off!" he snaps.

"I didn't do anything," JJ says quietly, eyes wide and innocent.

Hotch ignores her.

"Now, all of you, listen to me!" he continues on in his most stern "dad voice". "We are not stopping for ice cream! If I hear another word about it, we're turning this van around!"

"You made me bust my head!" Emily points out defiantly, pointing to the bruise already starting to form on her head.

"My neck hurts from the seatbelt," Penelope adds with a scowl, rubbing the side of her neck slowly.

"I didn't even do anything!" JJ cries out a bit louder. "Why am I getting yelled at?"

"I'm not sure about the legality of this situation," Spencer points out, rubbing his own neck. "We could be pulled over for being stopped on a highway."

"Enough!" Hotch's voice booms.

The van falls silent again.

"We're not getting ice cream, and that's final!"

They get their ice cream.

Derek happily sips on his chocolate shake, staring in content out the window of the van. Penelope is enjoying her vanilla cone covered in rainbow sprinkles, iPad slotted in the space behind Rossi's seat. In the very back, Emily eats a spoonful of Reese's Blizzard with a satisfied look on her face. JJ quietly but happily eats her own Butterfinger Blizzard. Spencer takes a bite of his Dilly Bar with a satisfying crunch, eyes glowing in delight.

(No one comments when, five minutes later, JJ is eating a Reese's Blizzard and Emily is now enjoying the Butterfinger's Blizzard.)

Hotch bites off the remaining portion of his Buster Bar, cleaning off the wooden stick between his teeth before he throws the trash in a designated garbage bag (thanks, DQ) situated between Rossi and himself. He leans back in his seat with a content sigh, pressing his foot down on the gas. The sun is starting to set and the sky is painted in beautiful colors. 

Most importantly, though, the car is finally fucking silent and he can finally focus on getting them all back to the jet in one piece.

He turns to Rossi, frowning when the older man just smirks back at him. "What?"

"Aren't you glad that the kids got their ice cream?" Rossi asks with another smirk, eyes gleaming in amusement.

Hotch scowls, both hands wrapping around the wheel. "Shut up and drink your Orange Julius, Dave."