#overlap: ice spice

[tayfabe75]

"So we've been doing, uh, we've been doing a show for about, well, I don't know, it started last year and it's all starting to blur into one. This is… it's all part of one big show, and I suppose… I'm going to talk to you for a minute. The first show is about… about me. The guys let me do that. It's about how if you're a single guy and you spend a year and a bit by yourself alone on the internet… you go a bit mental and there's not a lot of support. And the show was kind of about… it diagnosed that problem. It was like, look at masculinity, look at being famous. Is he doing the right thing? Is he doing the wrong thing? And it kind of became this exercise in, for me, like, what was real and what wasn't real and what was sincere and what wasn't sincere. And you know, we open this song about… we open this show with a song about sincerity and my desire to do it, and it's… this whole thing is just getting a bit weird, and I know I say 'meta' all the time, but it's because it is incredibly self-referential and I think that the character in the show is me. And the show is about someone who makes mistakes or like, does the wrong thing. The whole thing has all been a bit of a show. And, the truth is… I see a sign that says like, 'Matty I hope you're okay' like, erm, I feel a bit bad, to be honest, 'cause I feel like I've been a bit irresponsible. It's very well for me to say, 'I don't understand how famous I am. I don't like being famous'. But reality is reality, and I think that I've said some things, or kind of… I make a joke out of everything, that's my thing and I kind of take it too far sometimes, in front of too many people, and I feel a bit embarrassed. So, that's the truth. And I suppose that's what this show's about. You know, like, I'm making jokes about shit because… 'cause then if I don't, then I have to be really sincere, and I don't like doing that. And I know that this is a paradox, but this is really freaking me out. And I feel like I need to do this. This is all… if this is part of the story, like… I'm a little bit sorry about shit that I've said. Erm, sometimes… I never meant to hurt anybody. Erm, but this, you know… So I just feel a bit bad, and I'm kind of a bit, like, sorry if I've offended you, and like, Ice Spice. I'm sorry. I wasn't… It's not because I'm annoyed that me joking got misconstrued, it's because I don't want Ice Spice to think I'm a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. I'm so sorry. But I don't want to be… I don't want anything to get misconstrued to be mean. Like, I'm not… I don't mind being a bit of a joker. And there's so many people here who are like, 'What the fuck is this part of the show? Does he do this all the time?' I know that you know that I do. But like, I don't want to be… It's okay for me to be like a trickster, or whatever. But I don't want to be perceived as like, kind of mean-hearted. Because honestly, I just love you guys and I love doing this, and you know… So, the truth is I've been coming out on stage and I do all this kind of stuff, and it's all a bit of a problem because I just want to say, 'Hello. This is a bit embarrassing. I'm sorry if I get it wrong. We all get it wrong'. You know? Like, I just have to do it in public and then apologize to Ice Spice, and my life's just a bit weird. But I am genuinely sorry if I've upset her because I fucking love her."

April 21, 2023: Matty addresses the controversy surrounding his appearance on The Adam Friedland Show podcast and apologizes to Ice Spice at The 1975's show in Auckland, New Zealand. (source)

[catadioptrics]

"Oh, are we trying to get Izzy in a relationship? I'll find him a cute guy at the library, just give me a sec!"

[seeminglyranch87]

Taylor & Travis Timeline

October 2023 - part 2

October 16 - Travis and Jason attend Game 1 of NCLS in Philadelphia

People Magazine release an article (x)

"Taylor's unlike anyone Travis has dated before," 

"It was very unexpected for his friends, but he's so into her and very, very happy."

The insider continues, "Some people thought he was just joking around about the bracelet and having a crush on her earlier this summer, but he was serious about it," referring to Travis' attempt to give Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it at her Eras Tour in KC

They are "having a great time getting to know one another"

"They make a very cute couple."

Another People article is released the same day (x)

"They've been texting and talking on the phone between the pockets of time they get to spend with each other,"

"[Travis] knows what he signed up for with this attention, but they've spent time under the radar too. They're giving things a real try,"

Rumours circulate that Travis and Taylor have looked at a house up for sale together (x) as reported by Jenna Bush Hagar on the NBC talk show; Today with Hoda & Jenna.

“A friend from Kansas City texted me there might be news they’re buying a house,”

October 18 - New Heights Podcast episode 59 (x)

Travis & Jason talk about security (timestamp 5:30)

Jason Kelce asks his brother Travis "Have you had to enact any security of your own? Do you feel like you're a security guard when you are with Taylor?"

Travis responded, "I feel like whenever I'm on a date, I'm always having the sense that I'm a man in the situation. I'm protective, yeah, for sure. You always have to have that feeling or self-awareness, I guess."

Travis is trolled by intern Brandon (see photo below)

Travis and Jason have a laugh about Taylor meeting their dad Ed and wondering what he would talk to her about? (45:10)

Travis reveals that he and Taylor’s cameos on SNL were not planned. They had attended the recording of Season 49’s premiere episode in support of good friend and feature musical guest Ice Spice. (1:14:05)

Taylor releases "The Cruelest Summer" playlist which includes Cruel Summer live from the the Era's Tour and Cruel Summer - The LP Giobbi Remix in a bid for Number 1. (x)

ET publishes an article (x)

"They have a lot of fun together and [Taylor] loves how chivalrous [Travis] is," the source says. "Taylor feels at ease with Travis and they are already very comfortable around each other."

ET's source notes that "it's been easy" for Taylor and Travis "to connect because they have similar values and goals when it comes to their personal lives and careers."

Rumours continue to circulate that Travis has bought a $6 million home in Kansas City that provides more privacy and security and that he took Taylor to view the property. (x)(x)

October 19 - ET is informed that the duo is fully committed to their relationship and the future (x)

"Travis and Taylor are all in. The two are very into each other and are enjoying their time together but are also planning for the future. Taylor starts her international tour in November, and Travis is planning to be there to spend time with her," the source says. "Travis and Taylor are very serious about their careers, and the two bond over that and want to show support for each other whenever they can."

During week 10 of the NFL season, Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs enjoy a bye week, providing him with a brief respite. Coincidentally, during this very week, Taylor is set to take the stage for three consecutive nights in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from Nov. 9 to 11, marking her debut international Era Tour performances. This fortunate scheduling overlap grants Travis the opportunity to be in attendance.

Taylor papped in LA dining at a sushi restaurant with Zoë Kravitz, Selena Gomez & Keleigh Teller

October 20 - Travis Kelce answers questions at the Chiefs press conference (x 3:50)

When asked about his appearance on SNL Travis replied (8:00)

"it was funny, obviously I didn't know what was going to go down and just decided to hit SNL last second and they asked if I wanted to end the skit that was about me and Taylor's take over of the NFL games which was hilarious, I loved every bit of it and I was laughing my tail off during the skit, to be honest I don't even remember saying anything..."

Travis was also asked what he recommended people wear to dress up like him as a halloween costume, he suggests a moustache, 87 chiefs jersey and a friendship bracelet. (8:44)

Travis reveals

"I had [a moustache] when I first met Taylor"

US Weekly article (x) a source says about Travis and Taylor

“They’re really happy. They’re not saying they’re in love yet. But it’s obvious to her friends they’re heading in that direction,” noting that their loved ones see Swift, 33, and Kelce’s strong connection when they are together. “Friends think they’re in love.”

“He’s going to see her when she’s back on tour. That’s already planned. And when she gets a break, she’ll see him,” the source adds. “It’s going so well because it’s easy and nothing is complicated.”

“Taylor is really happy and excited about Travis. She’s at the relationship stage where she looks forward to seeing him, getting calls from him, spending time with him,” the source continues. “She has butterflies in her stomach and she hasn’t had that in a while. She feels safe and comfortable around him physically and emotionally.”

The insider notes that Kelce has surprised Swift with how “in tune” he is with her needs. The athlete has also been “a gentleman” toward Swift since he revealed in July his attempt to make a move on Swift while attending her Eras tour concert. “Travis is someone who is so different for her. With him it’s easy. She doesn’t have to worry about anything,”

He has his own career and money. So he’s not with her for the wrong reasons. He has his own successful career and understands the demands,” the insider concludes. “There’s no drama and they’re happy. He’ll visit, she’ll visit. It’s working for them.”

October 22 - Chiefs v Chargers, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City. Taylor flies into KC to cheer on Travis and the Chiefs as they take on the Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.

Taylor is photographed with Bernie Kosar at Travis home pregame (x).

Taylor appears to have had a brilliant time supporting Travis at the Sunday afternoon game joining Brittany Mahomes and others. The Chiefs defeated the LA Chargers 31- 17 with Travis scoring a touch down to cement the win. Taylor wore a "87" friendship bracelet in support of Travis.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid addresses the press commenting on the Chiefs win (x 2:16)

"Kelce keeps getting better with time, Taylor can stay around all she wants"

Taylor and Travis leave Arrowhead Stadium together in Travis' Rolls Royce (x)

tay and trav in the getaway cart

Taylor and Travis celebrate the win at Travis KC home photographed with Chiefs teammate Mecole Hardman Jr. and Chariah Gordon (x)

Taylor changed shoes to be part of a group of teammates, WAGs and close friends of the KC Chiefs wearing custom red nikes. It's so nice to see Taylor be included in this way! (via @taylorswiftstyle and Aric Jones on instagram)

The Messenger reports (x)

" [Travis and Taylor] are both smitten and can't keep their hands off one another when they are together," the source said. "They aren't scared to be affectionate in public."

October 23 - Cruel Summer hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100! Cruel Summer hits this milestone 5 years after it was released from the 2019 Lover album. Taylor and Jack Antonoff (who helped produce the song and long time friend) celebrate with a post (x). Notice they are in a recording studio in LA (last week) and are being way too cryptic holding up 11 fingers... TS 11 anyone?

People speak with Ed Kelce, Travis' dad (x)

Ed tells PEOPLE that the “Karma” singer is “a very, very sweet, very charming, down-to-earth young woman."

His initial impression that Swift is “very genuine" was proven right upon his first meeting with the singer.

“I’ll tell you something very special that I noticed about Taylor the first time I met her,” Ed shares. “We're sitting in the suite, she gets up and in the front room, she gets up to go get a drink or something and she starts picking up empty bottles, cans, plates that are scattered around. Because in the suites everybody gets stuff and you empty it down wherever you can.” Ed continues, “And I'm just thinking, I don't think she got the diva memo. She didn't get the spoiled musician. She doesn't know how to pull that off. And that really to me said a whole lot.”

Travis and Taylor are papped hand in hand heading out for dinner Monday evening at Piropos, an Argentine Steak House. Travis is seen opening the car door for Taylor. (x)

Victor Oladipo believes Taylor Swift makes Travis Kelce better (x)

October 25 - Ed Kelce speaks with ET (x)

"I think they are two very, very driven professional individuals," he says. "I think they're very supportive of each other, which is key. This is a rough time for either one of them to have a relationship. She's in the middle of this ginormous tour, he's knee deep [in the NFL season]. At least he takes his just as serious as she takes hers as far as commitment to their craft."

Ed believes that Taylor's pre-concert ritual of preserving her voice -- which Travis claims is the reason he was unable to present her with a friendship bracelet -- shows how dedicated and understanding she is when it comes to her career. 

"I think she's very committed to that," he says of the "Anti-Hero" songstress. "And I think Travis supports that. And I think she realises how committed Travis is to sleep, 10 hours a day, when your body is going through this kind of thing. So I think they're both very supportive."

And should the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl...

"Without a doubt," he says about saving a seat for Tay. "She'll be in the middle of the Eras Tour so..."

And if Ed himself should ever make it to the Eras Tour, he'll be singing "You Belong With Me," as he revealed that it's his favorite song of hers.

"Being genuine with your feelings," he tells ET of the dating advice he gave Travis and Jason. "Being respectful of a woman, and that's taught from a young age. Be yourself, be honest with someone's emotions. But these are all things that they've understood growing up just being the norm."

Episode 60 of New Heights airs, part of the episode title is "Travis Reacts to “Swift Stats"" (x 56:20)

In response to whether National Tight End day is a real holiday, Jason tweets

October 26 - Taylor is seen out in NYC. She is at Bradley Cooper's apartment with Shawn Levy, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. That night, Taylor goes out for dinner with Alana and Danielle Haim at Holiday Bar, NYC (x)

Patrick Mahomes says that he wants to have a secret handshake with Travis after his wife Brittany and Taylor went viral for theirs (x)

“I need to talk to Travis, because me and Travis don’t even have a handshake yet,” Patrick, 28 said during a radio interview with Kansas City’s KCSP (610 AM) on Thursday, October 26. “So I mean, they’re ahead of the game on us. So we’re gonna have to get on the whiteboard, and we’re gonna figure out a handshake so that we can try to one up theirs.”

Go to previous update -> October 2023 Part 1

Go to next update -> October 2023 Part 3

Return to timeline

[lacewise]

It is absolutely fascinating how much of the internet is people claiming things that are completely untrue and using logical fallacies, sometimes actual propaganda tactics (ie the truth is unknowable, you must give everyone the benefit of the doubt at all times defense), and zero evidence to do it

Saw someone claim that people are saying non-Black people who don’t listen to rap are racist. I would love it if non-Black people would learn the phrase, “I don’t know enough about that subject to speak about it” because that’s not what’s happening.

Basically people came into a conversation and thought, “Well, I’m not racist and I don’t like rap so I think people who agree with me should be given the benefit of the doubt—after all, they are Good White People, like me [yes most of these people are white]”

When what’s actually happening is a bunch of things. One: a large number of non-Black people are coming into spaces talking about rap talking about how they don’t listen to rap.

Of those, a lot of people are saying that they don’t like rap for racist stereotype reasons. “I don’t like violence, I don’t like sex in my music” then unironically talking about their favourite metal bands—in specific spaces meant to discuss rap.

A lot of people (and heavily overlapping with the first group) are using rap as a pejorative for all Black music and all Black artists. I’ve seen people referencing LOTS of non-rap artists as representation of rap, for some reason???? This is what I mean by giving non-Black people the benefit of the doubt [because you agree with them].

Okay and thirdly: this is what they’re not doing. So the person I saw was saying that since Black artists can be in any genre, not liking rap [and being very loud about it] is not necessarily racist. None of the people I saw naming art named a single Black artist.

Not.

One.

The only names I saw were Hozier, whatever metal band of the week is popular, and maybe Taylor Swift.

These people were not naming Luther Vandross, Beyonce, Ice Spice, Stevie Wonder, Poly Styrene, Ice-T, Jimi Hendrix, or Slash. They were specifically naming white artists in a conversation about Black rap.

Some of them had the nerve to name Macklemore. How is that not racist?

And before writing the posts defending them coming into a pro-Black space with this white-centering nonsense did you not see it? Or did you not want to?

Maybe you should’ve just let this iceberg glide by.

[jade-of-mourning]

i just really want to see mako & bolin dragging korra around her first night market after a game. every tacky vendor of metal-wire walls and flappy colorful canvas is an entire new world to her, draped in cheaply-made clothes chasing the latest fashions and carefully-wrought jewelry made by the hands of their sellers, trinkets and magnets adorning spinning racks. there are so many voices and smells overlapping, not a unified din like the arena tends to become, and bolin is bargaining the price of a hat for her that she didn't ask for and mako is shoving paper bags of greasy foods into her hands. bolin drops the hat on her head and when she steps off into a dark space between buildings where motorcycles are haphazardly parked, trying to find air again, he returns wielding sticks of tanghulu and sweet potato balls. mako slips after them and asks if she wants a drink, and she says sure, anything you think is good; you're the expert here, and he flashes her a rare smile before weaving back into the crowd with the ease of someone used to navigating faceless armies. bolin stole her bag of fishcakes on sticks and is eating them noisily to remind her of the company she has, and she tries the sweet potato balls fried just for her, soft and chewy and sugar on her tongue. korra doesn't know these snacks — she's a child of the south, nurtured by ice and storming whiteout, bannock in fish stews of carefully stored spices, wooden sweetness on her tongue in akutaq of cloudberry — but she thinks she'd like to learn to know them.

it's an odd drink that mako brings back for her by the haphazardly-parked motorcycles, drowned in jelly more than liquid, and korra savors every cool swallow sliding down her throat and the sweetness filling her heart. the brothers are pouring copious amounts of hot sauce packets into a plastic tray of noodle and offer her the splintered chopsticks, and she takes them in calloused hands and it burns the spaces between her teeth like fire against the celestial lights. what sort of insane would you need to be to enjoy this? she demands indignantly and mako just shrugs and shovels a large portion into his mouth. bolin scowls and adds more hot sauce, taking his own dig at the increasingly reddening dish, and it goes on back and forth like that until korra can't hold back her laugh. it fills the city horizon, the night market, and korra thinks beneath the glowing red signs screaming their wares that this is where people must come alive.

and she would like to feel so suddenly alone, to let her isolation swallow her up whole as a child to jelly drinks; but she doesn't, not in the company of mako and bolin sharing with her the city they lost and gained everything from — from the city that can now be hers.

[laspocelliere]

Day Eleven: Surrogate

The bundle was warm, and it unsettled her.

The room was warm, too, but that was secondary. People filtered in and out, voices overlapping with hurried, anxious chatter. A heavy pan bubbled merrily over the fire, and occasionally a passing guest would drop a handful of spices in, heedless of whomever might have already done it. Flatbreads were passed, but wines were passed quicker, careful hands sent shaking and fearful, spilling onto the bare floor in scattered droplets as the clouds roiled purple and red outside, thundering with an unseen storm.

She seemed to have been forgotten where she’d been left. 

And that was a problem, because for all that everyone kept talking about her, there was no one left to hold the baby.

The Warrior of Light was the last person who should have been holding a baby.

She didn’t know how to, for one. There was something awkward about her limbs, something that could never have been said when she had a sword in hand instead. The child was relatively still, and it made her nervous; she had no idea if that was normal in infants. She’d seen other, more capable women rocking and soothing their children, but she felt no desire to replicate the motions. She held the swaddled child, frozen as though carved from ice, and sat where she’d been left, and waited for a decision to be made.

What to do with her?

That was the main point of conversation, and had been for the past hour or more. Who could serve as a surrogate, now that the parents were gone? The child, asleep now (she assumed, she hadn’t actually dared to look down and see if that was the case, for fear of jolting her), had only hours before been pulled out from the bottom of a pool, cold and dripping and struggling to breathe.

Pulled out by the very hands that held her so uncertainly now. 

It was strange that the bundle was warm, because she clearly remembered when it was cold, and wet. If she thought about it long enough, sitting there, she was back in the water, green-filtered light swirling around her, grasping at the cold hand of a dead woman.

She fingered the blanket gingerly where it was wrapped around the infant, feeling out strange phantom touches of damp and algae. The babe was well enough, so said Alphinaud – who had conveniently gone missing – but the Warrior’s hair was still wet where she’d braided it back, and she didn’t know how she ended up holding this child she’d saved, but she knew she needed to give her back.

She wasn’t a motherly type. Could never be a motherly type; it was a lesson she’d learned more than her fair share of, and one that she kept locked carefully in the dark recesses of her mind, never to revisit.

(Sometimes, late at night, when she was alone and couldn’t sleep, she could still smell the blood.)

She had no right holding this child. Saviour or no.

In her swaddle, the child stirred, just enough. Enough to get the warrior holding her to risk a glimpse down.

The babe was all rose petals and feather down. Her cherub cheeks were already regaining a healthy pink glow from the meal she’d had and the warmth she was soaking in. Her tiny lashes fanned across her unblemished skin, and her tiny upturned nose wrinkled just slightly as she fussed her way through the other side of a dream.

Above her, the Warrior of Light stilled; enchanted or horrified, she couldn’t be sure which.

Who are you, little thing? What are you doing here?

“There’s nothing for it tonight.” One of the many bustling women who’d been moving in and out of the sitting room was suddenly there, scooping the child out of her arms with an expertise that the warrior couldn’t have mimicked even with years of practice. “She needs a warm bed for the night, safe with us, and in the morning we’ll talk it over further.”

She bounced the child comfortably on her shoulder, a natural, soothing motion that she’d never had to learn. She looked down at the warrior, and something almost soft unfolded in her eyes. “You should get some rest. You’ve done so much for us today.”

Moments later, the warrior was out on the street again.

That, she reminded herself, was the natural order of things. Alone, where there should have been stars. Alone, where there should have been peace. Alone, when the world was crashing down around them, and none but her to stand in the way.

Alone, when there never should have been children, and therefore there were none to miss.

Pulling her collar tighter around her throat, she ducked out into the night without a backward glance.

She never thought of the child again.

[umbralsound-xiv]

Confide.

He'd sent me a letter not all too long ago. He's a surprisingly flowery person, on paper. He's been training his aether, and... ...Well, needless to say i was intrigued about what he'd achieved, if anything.

The small rap of gloved knuckles on wood rings out through the apartment. Bexy, waiting patiently on the other side of the door, holds a basket in the crook of her arm, no doubt holding something pleasant within.

The door parted through sweet smoke, spice, wood, and leather clung tight to the air. Regardless of how wide the window swung, it did not seem to help the potent fragrance from escaping though the scar torn Elezen had little care or notice. “Oh, Bexy.” While his letter called for her, he seemed almost surprised though he opened it wide for her and leafed a hand as invitation.

Mattisaux Baschet: “Would you like anything to drink or some random bit of snack?” A stubbed cigar lie in its tray smoldering beside a few bottles, a variety of the same mind-numbing sort.

Bexy Amalaryssia steps in at the offer, giving a warm smile as Mattisaux pulled into view. "After a letter like that, you wouldn't think to expect me?" She questions in that usual playful tone of her own, raising the basket. "So kind of you to offer, though i've brought my own offerings. I wouldn't want to look like a poor guest, hm?"

...Judging by the assortment on the table, i'm assuming not well. He seems okay, though. No new scars that i can see since the last i saw him this way. ...Unless this is usually the company he keeps when he's alone, then....

Her smile lead him to do much of the same though in a far lesser magnitude. “You ought to know I am not the type of person to care. Though I am the type to not want to be a terrible host, not unless to my enemies, of course. You can place that anywhere over the table to free yourself.” As he mentioned it, he stepped over to clear a space for her basket, his arm merely sliding the bottle aside. “And I expected you, I have just grown lazy and forgotten the time.”

Taking a few measured paces to the table, the basket is settled in the cleared spot, a few steps backwards as she took in the general appearance of the room. "I care. And besides. Your words were…" She doesn't quite say what she thought, but the way she looked over him in that concerned sort of way spoke enough. "Are… You well?"

Mattisaux stepped away from the table and into the space behind the counter to fetch a lowball glass and some water to fill it. Only one. “I am fine,” he answered with a raised brow from afar before making his way back in the main area. “Was my letter so alarming? I suppose it might have been…”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Not that you're the unflowery sort when it really comes to it, but it was just… Unexpected." Slow steps take her to a seat, where she carefully sits. "It sounds like your trip was fruitful. How goes the training?"

Mattisaux Baschet: “It was a success for the most part…” His eyes narrowed as she moved, clear in suspicion though it did not stop him from planting himself on the couch. There, he made his lounge to lean back against the couch arm while one leg lifted over to rest on the cushion. The Warden’s gaze spilled through the window over him as the afternoon carried on.

Mattisaux Baschet: “I was able to cast fire plainly in the snow with a what looked like a treant as target practice. I have never seen one outside of those cursed woods before but, there it stood only a few yalms away.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…But you managed it all the same?" Her gaze traces his frame for new scars; she'd seen him like this before, albiet only once. "And.. What of your grasp on ice? It seems you've been doing much thinking, besides. And contrary to the words you send me, i don't get tired of hearing such things."

Naught else was too askew on the surface of his frame but a few shallow scraps; overlapping gnashes with far too many memories were already healed and blended together. Hearing that she would never tire of what he had to say produced the smallest grin at a corner of his mouth though it died fast to make room for a stifled sorrow. “My grasp on ice remains the same… I do not think I will ever be able to cast it after all. Not now that I understand a few things more.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "We make the most of what we have. The powers given to us. I can cast ice, and only ice. Nothing more." She leans forwards to pull a bottle out of the basket; some dark coloured spirit with a label so elaborate no one could read it without squinting. "What do you understand now, that you did not before?"

Mattisaux’s drifted his gaze outside at the unremarkable scape of dry mountaintops. His mouth pressed before his answer came. “I can never forgive Her. I can never forgive myself. Ice is where affection and love lie, its foundation, and while I understand it, I can never shake my past and the hate I hold deep within my heart of hearts for our Fury.”

Defeated eyes cast down to his lap. “I should have known from the start but… I thought I could do something about how weak I am with magic.” Hesitation held fast to him before he continued. “I do not want to lose myself because of such a silly weakness.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Knowing a weakness is a strength in and of itself. You know how to better compensate. How to better guard. Even if it's not the progress you're looking for, it's progress none the less." Her icy gaze settles on him, calm and steady. "Even if you cannot forgive yourself now, perhaps you will, one sun. Or not. You are more than capable either way."

He did not respond right away, what was there to say? His own chilled regard glanced up at her for the quickest moment until he leaned on the main back of the seat. One heaved sigh later and his pout intensified. “I suppose I should say I appreciate your consoling words. You are right in some sense but not quite entirely.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Then… Do elaborate, should you wish to, hm? I'm listening." Her expression is a little softer, leaning back in the chair to sit a little more comfortably. She could have conjured a glass for what she wished to drink, but opted to hold off on that, for a moment.

...He's wallowing. Some impasse he came to during his travels. I know he doesn't take failure well; not a sore loser, exactly... But the frustration of it all must weigh heavy on him...

Mattisaux Baschet: “I mean to say that knowing my weakness helps me very little; knowing that an element eludes me means that I will be susceptible to worse. Umbral magic has always been a thorn in my side, I cannot count how many times I have been put to sleep or one time I remember being silenced though, of course, not for the purpose of my casting a spell.”

He shook his head and ran his free hand up through his hair, entirely absentminded of the one that had the glass he meant to offer. “You must remember how I succumbed to the worst and attacked you, of all people, under the weight of my crystal on my mind. Now, I simply -know- it might happen again.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "So it is not necessarily the inability to use umbral aether -- Not only, at least… It is for what might happen, should the worst take you again." Lips pulled to a line, her gloved fingertips slowly drum on the side of her knee. "…You don't want those close to you to be hurt. Least of all, by your hand. I know how highly you value loyalty, and to you… This would be a betrayal?"

Mattisaux Baschet: “Pray, do not mention those words; the last time still stings me… I might as well have betrayed myself.” His next thought reminded him of the glass enough to place it on the table, push it Bexy’s away, and grab a transparent bottle with just as clear liquid. A dark blue labeled across it and the instant he popped the corked, a sharp stench mixed with the cigar smoke.

Mattisaux Baschet: “I need to learn this or I can never trust myself again. It’s simple when I say it though I can’t comprehend going through the motion.” His speech flowed, suddenly not caring too much in sounding so practiced.

The glass is plucked up between her forefinger and thumb, the cork on the bottle she brought popped to fill just a measure in the bottom of the vessel. "I know it's likely of little comfort. But if you attack me again, and you are clearly not yourself, i won't hold it against you. I'll defend myself, of course. But… You're right. Looking for a solution is perhaps more pragmatic than simply waiting for it to happen again." A small sip of her drink, mulling over her words. "We start at the source. though, it's not down for me to tell you who you can and can't forgive, least of all yourself. Do you think there's even the faintest possibility you might be able to? What would it take, do you think?"

As Mattisaux was about to pour the vicious liquid down his gullet, her question halted him. “What would it take?” His face promptly wrinkled, appalled at the suggestion though he said nothing to it in the moment. Between his legs the liquor sat over the cushion in silence. “Nothing,” his voice faltered. “I haven’t a single clue what could be done to wash away years of a hatred born in injustice. In more blood that could fill a full house.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Then if there is no way through here… You find another." She glances over the rim of her glass, eyes settling to his. "You're not one to give up easily, if ever. Even if we don't… Quite know how to approach it, yet…"

His brow scrunched with a quizzed stare at her gaze, unable to reason for a moment. “You mean to say there might be something else…? But what than the obvious?”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "That… I don't know. My aether came to me in less natural ways. A gift, or a curse, it's hard to tell which some suns. But, just because something hasn't been done before doesn't mean it's not possible to do it." She eyes him with all the determination that she usually held in such moments. "You're not a quitter. Rest, take your time, think. But don't give up searching for an answer. Perhaps i'll even make some inquiries of my own."

I can always ask Q'kura while i have him, i suppose. Whether his word would be worth trusting or not on a different subject, i'm unsure. Mattisaux went about this perhaps the same way i would. But just because he found no answers, does not mean there's no answers to be found.

It was at her last idea did he finally drink the pungent thing casually. “Pray, do -not- tell that disgusting Shroud witch my problems. She toyed with me once and never realized that she sicced you on me the first time. And don't tell that other scalekin either; your company is filled to the brim with freaks, I swear. If you must confide in someone, be it your sister.”

Bexy Amalaryssia straightens at that, eyes narrowing. "It's because of Adelle i'm able to visit you this sun, and Neoma hasn't a bad bone in her body. -Do not- speak poorly of them. I had other things in mind, anyway." A brow lofts, then. "I know you spoke. An amicable conversation, she told me."

Mattisaux bore his eyes into Bexy, tightening them quiet in bitterness. That she knew something without his knowing straightened him as well with a few adjustments in his seat. “I will speak however I wish about them; you did not bind me to that. And whatever that scalekin told you, her words mean nothing, though I know you will refuse to listen for the sake of a false friendship.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I'd be dead without either of them." Bexy is quick to remark, taking a long drink of her glass. "---And i had meant Sayuri. Not Neoma." A small curl of her lip compliments her lofted brow. "I hadn't known you and Neoma spoke."

...Interesting. Curious that Neoma hadn't mentioned anything either, but suppose she just doesn't want me to worry, or hadn't thought it important to. I knew about the one meeting where she found trouble, but... Hm.

Immediately he kissed his teeth and took a long swig. It was apparent how annoyed he was, eyes lidded with a faint stream of groaning. “Then forget I said anything. What did your sister have to say?”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Mostly that you spoke, and it wasn't an unpleasant experience; even after your altercation with her husband." She takes another long drink. "Yes, i know about that, too."

Mattisaux Baschet: “Of course,” he sighed again though it was not particularly bothered that time around. “Your Sayuri actually took me by surprise. When I approached her she seemed utterly irritable about something though it faded before long. I think she might actually be a treasure for you.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "She -is-." Her words were defiant, giving a small nod. "…There are not words in the world to describe the bond i have with her. She understands me on a deeper level than most, for all we've been through together and our similar aether. Aside from tearing through swathes of people to get her back… I am now trying to fix her aether. I know how important it is to her…"

Mattisaux Baschet: “Even without explicitly knowing how important it is to her, I am aware that she has had her ice since as long as she can remember. Imagine yours vanishing or perhaps both your legs. She also told me why she was at Bronze Lake to begin with. You miss my point though I hardly want to bother in telling it.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Then tell me. I know well how much it means, and what it is to lose it. It happened to me, once."

Another belabored sigh loosened, rolling his lidded eyes to the window for a moment before taking another drink of the now half than half bottle. A warmth spread worse throughout him in the dry heat of the land.

Mattisaux Baschet: “I already told you I do not feel like it, dear. Ease yourself. It isn’t a bad thing. Now enough of that before we sour this moment too much. I wanted to say that I truly do appreciate that you came here to listen to my complaints, my whining of how terrible I think I have it. I am at a loss and I do not know who else to tell so freely.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Then, as ever, i am here to listen. Give advice and observations where necessary, even if i might not always be able to help." She falls quietly for a little, considering. "…You understand this piece of me too, now. It… Brings a strange sort of comfort."

Mattisaux Baschet: “Only until now? Dear, you have a bleeding heart no matter how frozen to the touch you might feel; it is as plain as the sun is blinding. You display it any chance you get and are ever quick to jump in front of a fire for others. Handling confessions ought to be the easiest thing you have done.” He spoke in a matter-of-fact lilt, stating what he sees as if known to all.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Sometimes." Bexy reminds. "…Sometimes words are worse. Wounds are just… Pain. Words can come with all kinds of apprehension and dread. I know which i'd prefer to endure, though will endure either for the sake of a select few."

Pain is simple. Straightforward when it is a mere affliction. Pain at least allows me to know i'm still living. It hurts, but there's a... Comfort to it, at all. The few times i've come close to death, i've barely felt anything at all, when the moment drew close...

Mattisaux Baschet: “Words hurt you so, more that you would favor pain?” The thought paused him and left his eyes running over her for a short while. “I think they are both terrible and are prone to getting people killed. I prefer neither though that is hardly realistic. And I thought you had open ears for everyone.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Almost everyone. It's when i stop listening that someone is truly lost to me; when i don't care for them to the point of indifference, neither friend nor enemy both. I can't think of anyone who currently sits in that category, mind."

Mattisaux Baschet: “I can think of a few myself though I list them as enemies or your company members.” His mouth curled enjoying what seemed like a joke before he finished his drink and slapped it back on the table. He shuffled to lay down and rest his head over the arm and peered ceruleum eyes over at Bexy, scrolling up and down. “But like I said, bleeding heart, especially from any who become a member, even to -me-.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "You speak of yourself with such… Disdain." Her painted lips curl into a frown, then. "I have my reasons. Even if i elaborated, i wouldn't expect you to understand. But yes, Mattisaux. Even to you. Besides… It was you who sought me out in my most difficult suns. When i was a shell of myself. Was it not?"

Mattisaux Baschet: “You neglect to mention the things I have done. Even if you can look the other way, I… cannot..” A long breath huffed from his nose while he paused. At first he reached for one of the many other drinks of his table, until he lost heart. “You wonder where this disdain comes from,” he scoffed.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I know. Or, at least i think i do. You told me, once." A sigh, then. Not quite pitiful, but one that a frown soon accompanied. "You spend so long looking at that bad that you forget to see the good. You could have left me to fend for myself so many times. Refused to raise a blade to help me. You have seen me lose myself in near-madness, and offered your support. The sun i told you of the time i had left, you held me as i wept. You're important enough that i sent you a letter after my supposed demise, and you cared enough to read it. Whatever people say about you-- Be it true or otherwise, does not change the fact that i do not think you are a bad person."

Mattisaux quieted; he struggled to think of what to say, not that there was much to comeback with. In a way, his next movements were awkward, looking away suddenly and clearing his throat. That was, until he suddenly spoke, grumbling all the while with his hand sifting through his hair again. “Gods, your soft heart. Do -not- say things like that when I’ve already drank so much…” Whatever he meant, he opted not to elaborate.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Only because you can't contend it. I don't care how much you've imbibed or not. Gods, Mattisaux, there are people who give a damn about you. You know this…" That icy gaze melts into something more sorrowful, then. Her eyes move to his, as her voice lowers. "…You know this, yes?"

I care. He's done terrible things, and so have i. Yet he values loyalty as much as i do. Sure, he may not be perfect in the execution of it, but i see the pain and how much it affects him when he falls short. He understands that little part of me that would quite happily pave a road with blood if it meant those dear to me had a safe place to walk. No judgement. Nothing. And that isn't... Something i can easily explain.

Meeting her eyes was, perhaps, the last thing he thought to do. Rather, he settled his gaze at his lap once more. However, her last question left him raising his voice to say, “Yes, I know that. I know,” shortly quieting after. “Any more from me and you will hear naught but a pitiful self-loathing. I will not subject you to that.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "You had best not, else i'll soon drown it out with far more flowery compliments than these." She warned; it was playful, but sincere. "…You ever need someone to talk to, i am but a letter or pearl call away. You know that, too."

Mattisaux Baschet: “Compliments, gods…” He shook his head and closed his eyes to everything, soon coming to a lean against the couch back again. “I do know. I doubt that I will however. My pride would never allow it; how I’ve confided in you already was a painful blow to it though my tongue has loosened considerably even now. Pray, leave before I regret more than I do as is.”

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…As you wish. Just… Don't forget what i said." Her raising from her seat is a careful affair, straightening up once she'd found her footing. With a small frown, she looks over him, then.

His busy hand visored over his brow, covering most of his view and his face, while the other hand waved her away. “I won’t… You don’t have to worry.” He groaned but to himself and his jaw clenched before he added, “You have my thanks… again for coming over.”

That gratitude is met with the smallest of smiles. Moving for the door she only utters her departing words of, "Be well, Mattisaux." Before she slips through the door again, leaving him to his own devices.

...I hope my presence helped him in some way. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to, or listen, but... ...At least he knows i care. That aught to count for something, yes?

[hartmonfest]

[ID: The top left picture is a close-up shot of Christmas tree branches with a golden bauble and yellow bokeh effect from fairy lights. The top right picture shows a pair of old white ice skates with untied light brown laces sitting on snowy icey ground. In the centre of the graphic is a light yellow brown snowy bokeh effect background with the text “Hartmon Winter Weekends, 9-11th ice skating & outdoor fun, spice, greenery & cozy, 17-19th cards, holiday prep, silent night & family meal”. Bottom left picture is of a white mug resting on mahogany tone wood next to a cinnamon stick and star anise spices, with a fluffy cream blanket with fairy lights on top of it behind the mug. Bottom right picture has many overlapping Christmas cards with Christmas greenery and snowy scenes pictured - the cards have writings of Merry Christmas in English on some and that in German on others. /END ID]

Our next event is spread out across two long weekends this month - Hartmon Winter Weekends. This coming weekend, Fri 9th to Sun 11th, and also the following weekend of Sat 17th to Mon 19th.

As usual, the prompts are optional - we’ll happily reblog any fanworks that fit a winter or December theme, however you want to interpret that. The prompts, for those who want some inspiration, are:

Dec 9th-11th:

ice skating & outdoor fun

spice

greenery

cozy

Dec 17th-19th:

cards

holiday prep

silent night

family meal

You are also welcome to use any of our past prompts for previous Winter Weekends events - you can find a list over here.

Tags to use for the event are #hartmonfest and #HartmonWinter2022 in the first five tags, as well as @hartmonfest in the post so we (hopefully) get notified. You can use ‘Submit a post’ or message us links to the fanwork instead if you prefer. The Ao3 collection name is ‘HartmonWinterWeekends‘ and you can submit a new work to the collection here.

If you have any questions about the event do ask, and if you’re happy to, please reblog/share this post so it gets seen far and wide. :)

[lgcmanager]

AGITO MISSION 003

SCHEDULE TYPE: TRIMESTER ( PART 1 OUT OF 1 ) SCHEDULE RESTRICTIONS: cannot be paired with another trimester schedule, unless stated otherwise. for reference as to whether your muse is eligible for this event, please click over HERE.

before the AGITO members are about to start their training for the day, their manager, KYUWON gathers all of them together in a meeting room to talk about their schedule for the next few months.

JAPANESE DEBUT

as mentioned in the previous mission, all of the AGITO members would have started working on their debut preparations since JUNE. the information mentioned below is already known to the boys ic, but for ooc here it is:

AGITO will have only one song for this japanese debut and that song is ‘SCENT OF YOU’. the lyrics distribution document for this can be found over HERE. they will be releasing this song on JULY 24 and for lgc family concert 2k23, they will be singing the KOREAN version of the song.

due to their individual schedules and future dreams season 7, AGITO will be working and filming a lot of their content while they’re in korea rather than in japan.

LGC CHARMS JAPAN

“i’m not sure if any of you have watched LGC GIRLS CHARM JAPAN, but we were able to get a renewal for the second season. Because it’s been a while since the show was aired, the team decided to make this season rather special. originally the girls from the new LGC GIRLS JAPAN subunit would be the main stars, but since AGITO’s japanese debut promotions overlapped with theirs, both of you will be making an appearance on the show.” KYUWON smiles innocently before he continues on with explaining the premise of the second season. “both groups will be challenging each other to be the PERMANENT group on the show and that will be decided through an array of challenges and games that might be familiar to you if you’ve seen the first season.”

each episode will be 20 minutes long and the comedian duo, NON STYLE, will act as hosts of the show, being in charge of deciding the winning team for most games. while the filming date are specified, airing dates are to be announced:

EPISODE 1 & 2 [ JULY 17 ]: show introduction, competition explained to the participants. mini-profile of all 9 participants and personal talent display contest  ( winning team: lgc girls )

EPISODE 3 & 4 [ JULY 24 ]: iconic japanese idol songs battle. the contestants hear short snippets of each song and must guess the title and artist of the song and then sing it. song examples; love machine by morning musume, heavy rotation by akb48, ponponpon by kyari pamyu pamyu, mayonaka no door by miki mutsubura, sakura by ikimonogakari, choo choo train by exile, love rainbow by arashi ( winning team: lgc girls )

EPISODE 5-6 [ JULY 31 ]: spicy eating competition. each group is presented with SUKIYAKI, enough for four for agito, and five for lgc girls japan. however, the broth has been spiced up to level 7. one by one, each member will have to eat as much as they can from the hot pot to be the team with the least food left after they've all eaten once. each person is only allowed one glass of milk. ( winning team: agito )

EPISODE 6-7 [ AUGUST 7 ]: team spirit battle. on a real life game board, the teams throw giant dice to be the first to reach the end. however, on each square is a team challenge to accomplish. challenge examples; eat lemons, do a position challenge (like a pyramid), say corny phrases at the camera ( winning team: agito )

EPISODE 8 [ AUGUST 14 ]: best moments recap and last chance to sway the vote of the hosts one way or another by shamelessly and brazenly appealing to them and explaining why their group deserves the show the most. season winner is announced to be LGC GIRLS JAPAN.

YUJIWON’S POD

“with so many youtube shows and podcasts aired in the lgc studios, they have given JIHO, YUSHIN, and fellow VERSUS member, YEONWOO, a chance to host a short podcast. this is an experiment seeing that V&A has so many international fans and with the rise of podcasts, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a chance to be a part of one.” KYUWON explains happily, thinking about how it was a good opportunity for them to do in the meantime.

for YUJIWON’S POD, the episodes will be assigned as follows:

EPISODES 1 & 2 ( LEE JIHO, LEE YUSHIN, WON YEONWOO ) - introduction of the podcast, answering debate questions ( ex. pineapple on pizza or no pineapple on pizza, scary or funny movies, vanilla or chocolate ice cream, putting milk or cereal in first, would you rather stay up late or get up early, pencils or pens, etc. ). with the debate questions, the goal is to get the majority on one side, so if two people support different sides, the third person would be the determinator. it would be a bit similar to THIS ( pentagon’s jack pod ).

EPISODE 3 ( LEE YUSHIN ): getting to know LEE YUSHIN. since it’s a solo podcast episode, it would basically be an episode about getting to know him, his interests, his legacy audition, concept(s) you want to try, show that you want to be a part of, etc. it would be similar to THIS.

EPISODE 4 ( LEE JIHO ): getting to know LEE JIHO. since it’s a solo podcast episode, it would basically be an episode about getting to know him, his interests, his legacy audition, concept(s) you want to try, show that you want to be a part of, etc. it would be similar to THIS.

EPISODE 5 ( WON YEONWOO ): getting to know WON YEONWOO. since it’s a solo podcast episode, it would basically be an episode about getting to know him, his interests, his legacy audition, concept(s) you want to try, show that you want to be a part of, etc. it would be similar to THIS.

EPISODE 6 ( LEE JIHO, LEE YUSHIN, WON YEONWOO ): finale episode. reflecting on the episodes that they recorded and any last words they would like to share with the listeners.

for the SOLO episodes, the other two members will be present there ( behind the camera ) and give any commentary or ask any questions for the one hosting.

V&A LOG

KYUWON turns his attention towards KEEHO and HARU. “as for you two, you will be joining JAESUN, ALEX, and TEE in an upcoming youtube series called ‘V&A LOG’ where you will be filming or documenting anything special in your day to day life. for this we are recommending that you pair up with another V&A member for these videos and try out different activities that you’ve never done before.”

as KYUWON mentioned, the remaining V&A members will be filming youtube vlogs for their channel. they will be filming the videos starting from today all the way until SEPTEMBER 1. the list below denotes when the episodes will be AIRED on the youtube channel.

EPISODE 1 ( JEON HARU & AHN JAESUN ): AUGUST 29

EPISODE 2 ( PONGSAK TEE ): SEPTEMBER 5

EPISODE 3 ( KIM ALEX ): SEPTEMBER 12

EPISODE 4 ( HAN KEEHO & PONGSAK TEE ): SEPTEMBER 19

EPISODE 5 ( AHN JAESUN ): SEPTEMBER 26

EPISODE 6 ( JEON HARU ): OCTOBER 3

EPISODE 7 ( HAN KEEHO ): OCTOBER 10

for the theme of these vlogs, the V&A members are asked to film themselves doing an activity that they have never tried before. if any of the V&A members decide to do an activity that is outside the legacy building, they will be accompanied by their manager and/or the assistant manager to supervise them during that time. the activity also has to be something that can be filmed in one day, so they CANNOT do any activities where they will be traveling to a different location outside of seoul. the videos typically last around 20-25 minutes.

HARU’S BIRTHDAY LIVESTREAM

since HARU’s birthday is on JULY 15, HARU will be given permission by KYUWON to host a birthday livestream. the livestream will be hosted in his studio room, so the fans will get a glimpse of his studio and a chance to interact with him as well! it will last around 30-45 minutes, depending on when the livestream is aired.

SURPRISE PROJECT

before the meeting concludes, KYUWON shifts his attention to JIHO as he stares at him. “everyone else can leave but JIHO.” when it’s just the two of them alone, KYUWON begins, “we know how your schedule is going to be in the next few months but you’ve been invited for something else related to lgc’s family concert, so we’ll start working on it right now.” and as the two begin to discuss the project, KYUWON makes sure that no one else could eavesdrop on their conversation.

ooc wise, the project will be revealed with the lgc family concert 2k23 post, so stay tuned for that!

WRITING REQUIREMENTS

YUJIWON’S POD: write a 300+ word solo or a 6 replies ( minimum 8 lines, 2 posts per person ) with the hosts ( so a three way thread with jiho, yushin, and yeonwoo ) about the podcast for +6 MCING/HOSTING and +6 NOTORIETY ! ** only for JIHO and YUSHIN **

LGC CHARMS JAPAN: write a 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines ) with another participant ( so anyone in AGITO or LGC GIRLS JAPAN ) about anything related to the filming of the show for +6 VARIETY OR JAPANESE and +5 NOTORIETY !

V&A LOG: write a 300+ word solo or a 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines ) with your assigned partner about the vlog episode for +6 VARIETY and +5 NOTORIETY ! do note that what will be written is what will be appearing in the videos. ** only for KEEHO and HARU **

BIRTHDAY LIVESTREAM: write a 250+ word solo about the livestream for +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE and +3 NOTORIETY ! ** only for haru **

BONUS: write a 4 replies ( minimum 8 lines ) with a non-V&A member for +10 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE ! ** this cannot overlap with any of the events **

make sure to use the hashtag lgc:agitomission for the task. you have until SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 at 11:59PM EDT to complete the requirements and validate your points. please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog.

MUSE NAME ∙ AGITO MISSION 003 - YUJIWON’S POD: +6 mcing/hosting, +6 notoriety [ LINK ] ** for jiho and yushin ** - LGC CHARMS JAPAN: +6 ( variety or japanese ), +5 notoriety [ LINK ] - V&A LOG: +6 variety, +5 notoriety [ LINK ] ** only for keeho and haru ** - BIRTHDAY LIVESTREAM: +5 ( skill points distribution ), +3 notoriety [ LINK ] ** only for haru ** - BONUS: +10 ( skill points distribution ) [ LINK ]

[tayfabe75]

"That was mostly through management. I was talking about how I was watching Taylor's documentary 'cause I just wanted to really take notes as an artist and stuff like that. Just like how the lifestyle is for such a big artist like her. My manager heard me talking about that and had like reached out to her team and then they had a song for me and everything just played out real good."

September 28, 2023: Ice Spice recounts how she came to collaborate with Taylor Swift. (source)

[lovebugism]

swiftie here!!!! i’m so sorry if this is too long😭

oof 😮‍💨

i guess i can try and sum up what i’ve been talking about with my irl best friends

i think the whole thing is layered. taylor swift, at the end of the day, is a human being. there’s nothing people can do to change it. she’s going to fuck up and fuck up hard throughout her life. i know matty has been someone close to her for nearly 10 years, so it isn’t surprising that she would fall into his arms. i thought that he was just a rebound but new articles make me think that maybe there was some… not overlap… but evident feelings while she was with joe (and after taylor playing two songs about cheating yesterday, maybe joe had feelings for other people too)

i despised matty for years before this. he’s a white man who plays the role of a hardcore edgy leftist political satirist but it is not the revolutionary act he thinks it is- especially when he consumes “ghetto gagger” content which i cant even bring myself to google but i’ve heard it’s degrading and racist sexual content.

stan life aside, i’ve always thought that the people people hang out with are a reflection of who they are and after taylor being in a david o russell movie (the director SA’d his niece) a few years after covering time magazine for the me too movement, it’s safe to say that taylor has so far removed herself from the general public and has fully submerged herself into a selfish lifestyle that’s cushioned by insane financial gain. it’s interesting because it’s an undeniable side effect of fame- fame isn’t natural. but it has undeniably soured her for me to be honest.

taylor doesn’t have to live her life via fan rules and standards bc at the end of the day it’s her personal life. but she is actively working to becoming the most famous celebrity/entertainer in the world, if she isn’t already! eras tour has proved that and she loves it, she expresses it every night. but she is actively and consciously making herself even more famous and i think that if she were to do so, swifties cant simultaneously victimize her for facing backlash.

hopefully it’s just a phase she’s going through and they won’t be longterm. but it is just another time taylor has outrightly proven she does not have a backbone when it comes to issues outside of herself that she cant fix with money. it’s sad! and partly my fault for putting her on a pedestal.

(pt.1)

wow. i had no idea about the david o'russell thing and i'm... even more disappointed. the point you made about taylor working with him and then being a part of the me too movement is almost identical to what's going on now.

to me, it feels like taylor only speaks out about certain things if she benefits from it/if it's about her directly. if matty healy said all the shit he said about ice spice about taylor, her and her fans would obv have Nothing to do with him. but since he was talking about a woc, she's been totally silent (despite her "women supporting women" motto). her idea of feminism just seems very performative to me...

i definitely wouldn't say it's your fault for putting her on a pedestal, though! you supported a person who claimed to be a feminist. it's not your fault that her actions completely disregard that.

[survivor-pvp2]

Immunity #10: Color Theory

In this challenge, there will be 30 colors, and each of you will be assigned two of them. No colors will overlap, meaning that no two people can have the same color. It is your job to determine who has what colors, and submit them in your host chat. The person that submits the most correct will win the first individual immunity. If there is a tie, the person who submitted first will win.

In addition, this challenge comes with reward. The first person to submit, regardless of correct answers, will win a clue to the brand new idol hunt.

The only rule is that you cannot submit more than once. Your first submission is your only submission.

The colors are:

Lime Green 

Electric Blue

Royal Blue

Peach Puff

Cherry Red

Off-White

Sky Blue

Bubblegum Pink

Clary Sage

Forest Green

Pastel Orange

Creamy Custard

Pink Coral

Spiced Apple

Royal Blue

Pale Yellow

Pacific Coast

Red Kite

Ultra Violet

Blooming Dahlia

Cherry Tomato

Rapture Rose

Dusky Citron

Cool Gray

Royal Purple

Ice Flow

Mango Mojito

Terrarium Moss

Pale Green

Purple Sapphire

Submissions are due tomorrow night, 5/9 at 10 PM EST.

[survivor-dip]

Immunity #8: Rainbow Road

In this challenge, there will be 32 colors, and each of you will be assigned two of them. No colors will overlap, meaning that no two people can have the same color. It is your job to determine who has what colors, and submit them in your host chat. The person that submits the most correct will win the first individual immunity. If there is a tie, the person who submitted first will win.

In addition, this challenge comes with reward. The first person to submit, regardless of correct answers, will win a clue to the brand new idol hunt.

The only rule is that you cannot submit more than once. Your first submission is your only submission.

The colors are:

Goodyear Tire Black Lime Green Electric Blue Royal Blue Peach Puff Cherry Red Off-White Sky Blue Bubblegum Pink Clary Sage Forest Green Pastel Orange Creamy Custard Pink Coral Spiced Apple Pale Yellow Pacific Coast Red Kite Ultra Violet Blooming Dahlia Cherry Tomato Rapture Rose Dusky Citron Cool Gray Royal Purple Ice Flow Mango Mojito Terrarium Moss Pale Green Purple Sapphire Bright Red Cyber Yellow

Submissions are due tomorrow night, 4/9 at 10 PM EST.

[pall0r-mortis]

Boots kicked up on a chair, Sid slumped in the one across from it at the little outdoor table chewing on the straw of his cinnamon mocha frappe, enjoying the subtle grit of the blended ice and specks of spice that drug across his tongue as he idly stared at his phone screen and let the struggling British sun attempt to warm his skin and sink into it, checking his schedule for the week to make sure his hours at the garage and Pizza Planet didn't overlap, again.

Hatter's was hitting their afternoon lull and he was perfectly fine being left alone instead of too-strained efforts at chatting from the locals who found it necessary to be friendly when he was just sitting there with his coffee minding his own business.

He was perfectly fine, really, and then he heard a voice. Not just a voice but a familiar voice, a familiar haunting voice that he had done an excellent job of shoving into the back of his brain where all the other lost things were tucked away including the tiny little stirring of something like the memory of affection crawling up from the depths of his chest, quickly squeezed tight until it suffocated back down to a manageable level.

Sid sank down another few inches in that chair and his eyes darted over the top edge of his phone, just for an instant, just to confirm, it was, indeed Camlio.

....great.

Void help him, it needed to be the one time when the idea of ignoring someone made you invisible to them to actually be true.

@camilo-makesyousmile

[outfit + his leather gloves]

Right, Maybe in Your Dreams || Sim

[mikkomacko]

Domestic Wolf 3: Wolves Get Territorial, Right?

Bucky x nurse!reader

Warnings: mentions of weapons and violence, teasing of smut, Bucky on a motorcycle (felt like this should be a warning because it's so hot)

Part two is here!

Thanks for reading! 

~

"Buck, you put way too much wasabi in there."

Scrunching his nose, he shakes his head. "You scared, doll? Thought it was just a little spice, huh?"

He looks at her just in time to catch her mouth falling open in offense. Her hand falls to her chest, the chopsticks in her palm pressing into the fabric of a tee-shirt she used to wear too often back in Romania. It's an old Frank Sinatra one, the edges worn and faded. He used to think she wore it so often to try and bring some familiarity to him but with how loved it's been over the past five years he's starting to think she just loves it.

"I can handle spice Barnes," she argues, "I was just looking out for you, but be my guest."

Bucky snickers, placing the little bowl of soup sauce and wasabi on the coffee table in front of them. Y/n shoves his own set chopsticks towards him, purposely jabbing his ribs with her elbow before settling back against the couch. The tray of California and lobster rolls rests on the table, waiting to be devoured by the two. His stomach rumbles a bit, but he takes his time to reach over y/n's shoulders and drag her across the living room floor until she's tucked into his side. She half-heartedly fights him, leaning her weight the opposite direction and kicking at his shins under the coffee table but she moves like putty in his hold.

"Thanks for making me try new food, doll." He says earnestly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She grumbles, bumping their shoulders together roughly but he can see a smile peeking through her pout.

"You've had sushi before," she says, using her chopsticks to pinch a California roll. Dipping it in the soy sauce before bringing the roll to her lips. Bucky waits, tongue pressing into his cheek as she chews.

"Well?"

Swallowing her bite, she shoots him an annoyed look. "I still think you put too much wasabi."

He laughs, metal fingers picking up his own utensils. "I'll be the judge of that," he mumbles, picking up his own roll and dipping it. The minute it touches his tongue there's a strong sting, the wasabi overpowering most of the soy sauce. Still, he finishes his bite and smiles at y/n despite the temptation to start fanning his tongue with his fingers. "Tastes fine to me doll."

"You may be clever Bucky, but you're a terrible liar."

Handing him a mug of iced tea, Bucky avoids her smug smirk as he drinks the chilled liquid. She gets up to dump the soy sauce and pour more, adding just a touch of wasabi and this time when he tries a lobster roll, the mixture of flavors is perfect. He's slightly annoyed by her ability to do just about everything but he loves it more than he hates it.

They watch reruns of a sitcom that y/n loves, and while Bucky hasn't seen it all so it doesn't really make sense but he enjoys how much it makes her giggle. He remembers sitting on the floor of his old crappy apartment back when they first new each other, her knee brushing his thigh and their elbows occasionally bumping while they did everything and anything together. He tried to piece his mind together, read up on current events and write down what little he remembered, trying to find overlaps. She never bugged him when he worked, just sat by him, leaning against the dented and scratched walls while she did paperwork or read. That was the first place he felt like he really existed and with her there, they existed together.

The paranoia that had been itching at the back of his brain suddenly pushes forward. He loves her, loves this, loves their home here in Queens. But he's not safe yet. No matter how many pardons and therapists he has to go through, his actions won't be forgotten by the world.

He doesn't want to lose this home with her. Not again.

"Y/n," he says, pulling her attention from the TV. "I've been thinking and I gotta get an apartment. One under my name, paid by me and whatnot."

Bucky tries to ignore the way her eyes dull just a bit and her lips and shoulders droop. He can't ignore the way it aches deep in his soul to see it. "What are you talking about Bucky?"

Running his fingers through his hair, he puffs out a deep breath. "I just don't really want this-us getting out and with all the government interference in my life right now, I have to keep you out of that part of my life. Last thing I want is someone showing up here looking for me."

She purses her lips, drops her gaze to the carpet under her legs and thinks for a moment. Bucky's hand find hers, lacing their fingers together. After a beat, she sighs and looks up at him. He doesn't miss the sadness that's glossing them.

"Okay Bucky."

Turning back to the TV, y/n brings her knees up to her chest and hugs her arms around them. Bucky's heart cracks when her bottom lip trembles and she bites it in an attempt to hide it from him. He doesn't want to hurt her, to make her sad but this is just something he has to have. If he's going to keep her safe he has to build this double life, has to have a side that's strictly super soldier Bucky. His cover up for the life he has with just her.

Unsure what to say, Bucky presses a kiss to the side of her head, keeping his arm over shoulders so she knows that he'll always be hers.

~

By the time Bucky's cleaned up the kitchen and showered, y/n has shut off all the lights and tucked herself into the makeshift bed on the floor, body curled away from the side of the pallet he's claimed. The sight makes him ache, missing the way she'd usually be waiting to tuck him in next to her. Guilt settles heavily in his chest, tempting him to take it all back but he doesn't allow himself. He's suffered far too much, lost too much in his lifetime and he never wants to lose y/n. He wants to be with her, to marry her, to have a life with her. He wants everything he used to dream of all those decades ago when he was just a bright-eyed kid from Brooklyn with a big heart.

He can't let himself give up that dream.

"Doll," Bucky whispers, tossing his shirt onto the abandoned mattress in the corner of the room before settling into bed next to her. He receives a hum of acknowledgement. "please look at me. Don't go to bed like this."

"It's practice," she says quietly, "for when I have to go to bed without you again."

The pause after her words lasts long enough for him to feel his heart break. Oh his poor girl. His poor, sweet girl who loves him more than he's worth.

"No baby," Bucky sighs, and because he's stubborn and he loves her, he climbs over her until he's laying where he can see her face squished into the pillow. Vibranium fingers brush over her cheekbone, tucking away stray strands of hair. "you think I'm going to let you go after everything? After all these years?"

Her eyes flutter open, wet and sad as they meet his gaze. "You're leaving Buck," she whispers "you said you were leaving."

His thumb swipes away a tear on her cheek. "I'm not leaving you," he swears "I just-you know that I have to have a backup. A plan..."

"An escape." She finishes, and he knows she's thinking of the elaborate way he'd rigged his apartment in Romania. His escape plan.

Bucky nods. "Yeah but this time you're in the plan doll."

"I am?"

The hopefulness of her tone makes his heart throb. He doesn't understand how he got this, how he got here. Someone who just wants to be with him all the time, rain or sunshine, it doesn't matter. It's confusing but he's not going to ruin it.

"Course," he responds as she moves over to his side of the pallet, making room for him under the blankets. "never leave you behind or in danger. Never again."

Shyly, she pulls the blanket up to his chin, tucking him in. "So if something went wrong and you had to disappear again..."

"It'll be you and me," he finishes, freeing a hand so he can cup her chin. "as long as you want to come with me."

Sniffling, she smiles that big beautiful grin that made him fall in love with her. Bucky returns it, swiping his knuckle through the little dip in her chin.

"I'll go anywhere with you Bucky Barnes."

~

With a pop the clasp on her chin lossens, her hands lifting the sleek black helmet off her head. She's barely removed it before two firm hands are placing a baseball cap over her hair and tugging the hood of her pullover on top of it.

"I feel like this draws more attention to me," she says, huffing when Bucky lifts the collar of the leather jacket he's made her wear, further shielding her face.

"Don't care if it draws attention to you," he says, plucking the sunglasses out of his breast pocket. "want to hide any defining features." The glasses are slipped over her nose, hiding her eyes from the world.

"Is this going to be my new date night attire?" She asks, peeking at her reflection in the building window next to them. Bucky's leather jacket almost swallows her and with the layers used to hide her featured she looks like a big lump of fabric. "I'm not feeling it Barnes."

"Hey, half of that outfit is mine." He says, offended. "I think you look great in my clothes. Marry ya in that leather jacket if you'd let me."

He's got his hands on his hips, eyebrows pinched together and lips sagging in a pout. Sometimes she forgets that he can be such a baby. It's refreshing, seeing her Bucky back and in full form. He'd just begun to come back to himself when he'd been ripped away from her by The Avengers.

At that moment she's thankful for the sunglasses over her eyes because tears have suddenly gathered in them, blurring her vision. She sniffles back the overwhelming emotions that have flooded her heart, practically jumping at Bucky and wrapping her arms around his middle.

Bucky stumbles, caught off guard, but doesn't hesitate to return the affection, biceps caging her head in against his chest. He presses his lips to the top of her head and she can feel their warmth despite the two caps in the way.

"You okay?" He asks softly, confused and concerned.

She nods. "Yeah. Just love you so much."

Bucky's chest and neck warm, arms squeezing her tighter, and despite his constant wonder of how he manage to snatch her up, he whispers back, "love you too baby. More than I could ever say."

He strokes her back for a moment, understanding that she needs some time. It's not easy dealing with the baggage of their relationship. Sometimes he looks at her and he's so utterly in awe of how much he loves her that he feels as if he could just float away. After everything he's so grateful to still have her in his life, to still love her.

When they pull away she stays holding onto his left arm, cheek against his bicep as he leads her across the street and towards the apartment complex. Y/n notices how quickly he guides her to the elevator, broad shoulders pulled back as if he's expecting danger of some sort. That makes her smile because some things about James Bucky Barnes just don't change.

The elevator takes them up to the 7th floor, opening up to reveal a plain grey corridor. It's a nice building, sleek and modern, but it looks more like a typical Manhattan business man kind of place rather than a Bucky place.

713 is the door they stop at, Bucky digging out a key and handing it to her.

"Try it out," he says, subtly glancing around the public space. "s'yours." Heart swelling, y/n bites back a giddy smile as she shoves the key in the lock and swings the door open. Bucky guides her in with a hand on her back, crowding her shoulder as they move together. He closes and locks the door behind them.

Like the rest of the building, it's plane. Sleek, silver Samsung appliances in the grey tiled kitchen. Separated by a bar countertop, the living room holds only a black leather couch and a television. The walls are empty, egg shell white with one grey accent wall. A short hallway leads to what she suspects is the bedroom.

"I know you love blending in," she says tugging off the sunglasses. "but this is a bit dull Buck." The lenses get hooked on the collar of her hoodie.

"Not gonna personalize a place I don't actually live in." He responds, nudging her towards the living room. "S'just a setup doll."

Y/n moves towards the couch, placing her key and phone on the counter before Bucky stops her with a hand around her elbow. Curiously, she halts and looks at him. His lips are tilted down in a subtle pout and his gaze has filled with that determined look he gets when he's going into superhero mode. He means business right now.

"Let me show you some things doll," he says, pulling her towards the living room window. His view is of a narrow alley and a parking garage a few stories down, the top of another building peeking out from it. They stop in front of the glass, Bucky lifting the window open with his vibranium arm.

"If you're ever here and something goes wrong," he begins, reaching out the window and to the balcony. His fingers hook under the metal ledge, pulling down a key. "grab this key. Take the balcony down two floors and cross over to the parking garage. Second level, spot 15 has a car there. Use the key and follow the GPS. It'll take you somewhere safe. As soon as you click that address it'll let me know."

He places the magnetic key back, sliding the window shut and locking it. Firmly, he grips both of her shoulders, icy blue eyes earnest as they lock on hers. "I'll come find you okay?" He says, shaking her just a bit like he's trying to make sure that promise sticks. Her throat suddenly feels really tight. "Call you as soon as I know that you're moving, make sure your safe."

Y/n nods, swallowing around the lump in her throat. Her voice is choked when she repeats the instructions back to him. "Key under the railing. Two stories down. Level 2, spot 15. Follow the GPS and know you're coming."

Bucky finally softens, smiling just a bit and cupping his right hand behind her neck. "Good girl," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "if you ever forget ask me okay? Repeat myself a thousand times if it keeps you safe."

Melting into his hold, y/n tucks her face into his neck. She laughs wetly because there's no way in hell she'll forget 215. Bucky does everything with intention and when he chose to park her getaway car there, he did it with her old apartment in mind. The one he use to seek asylum in back in Romania. Apartment 215 was the safe house of the Winter Soldier and now he's made it her safe house.

"I'd never forget Bucky."

He places another kiss to the side of her head, squeezing her to his chest. Bucky shows her to his equally plain bedroom and bathroom, everything filled with the bare necessities to make it known that someone lives here, but not enough to give away who. Hidden behind the bathroom mirror is a safe, a duffle bag of weapons and ammo in it. Y/n isn't the best shot but in a life or death situation she trusts her shot enough to survive. Bucky also tells her that the getaway car has extra clothes and guns in it just in case. Then he shows her every corner of the apartment where he's his knives or tazers, strategically placed so that on a hasty run to the balcony they can be grabbing quickly.

But Bucky's most important rule is that she always check with him before going over. Unless it's a dire emergency in which her apartment is unsafe, Bucky has to clear his apartment before letting her in.

"Okay," she says snuggling further into his couch, "what if I want to come here but you're busy or something? How are you going to clear it?"

Bucky being the technology loving man he is, nods his head towards the corner of the living room. A tiny camera lenses peeks out, occasionally flashing red. "Connected to my phone darling. I'll be able to make sure it's safe."

Intrigued, y/n crawls over the plush cushions and settles in Bucky's lap, straddling his thighs. "Really? Can I see?" Chuckling, Bucky digs his personal phone out of his jeans pocket, unlocking it and swiping through the apps. Y/n rests her forehead on his, eyes eager as he opens the security app and clicks live feed. A slightly blurry picture pops up displaying her sat on his lap, both of them hunched over his phone.

"Hmm," she hums, turning to glance at the camera. "interesting."

"What is doll?"

Smirking, she shrugs. "So if I decided that I maybe want to ride you on this couch as a little housewarming gift, it'll be saved to your phone?"

As if an electric current just ran through his body, Bucky jolts and takes a tight grip on her waist. "If I leave it recording it does." He says huskily, tilting his chin down to drag his lips over her jaw.

"And how do you feel about that Barnes?"

Tongue darting out to wet his lips, Bucky tuts. "Not sure I like the idea of sharing you doll. Even if it's just a camera."

Right, Bucky Barnes doesn't share.

~

"Alright, now that you've got the feel for it," Bucky says as the elevator lowers down to the lobby, "give me a rating."

From under the bill of her hat, y/n hums thoughtfully. Truthfully, she loves Bucky's stage apartment. She likes how safe it feels, how he went to such extreme lengths to make sure it was a place she could go to should she need help. It may be dull and boring but he put so much thought into it to protect her and their relationship that she loves the place.

"I'd say an 8 out of 10."

Bucky bites the inside of his cheek, contemplating for a second. "Fair ranking. How do I make it a 10 out of 10?"

Teasingly, she reaches up to fiddle with his dog tags, pressing her front to his. Bucky leans back against the rail, bringing her weight closer against him. "Share me with that camera of yours."

The elevator dings, stopping at the lobby as Bucky huffs, scowling down at her with no heat. She can tell by the slightly distracted glaze in his eyes that he's contemplating it and it makes her stomach flutter. Still he's stern when he says, "I don't share y/n."

He nudges her towards the door, ready to shut her argument down when a voice stops them. The man calls her name, Bucky immediately standing at attention and puffing his chest out as he sizes up the man. Suit, brief case, buzzed hair cut, and the build of a giraffe statue at a mini golf course.

"Nick?" Y/n asks as the man stands between the open doors, preventing them from shutting. Bucky slips his arm around her waist, hand firm on his stomach as he pulls her back against him. Nick's eyes flicker down to where he still holds her and then up to meet Bucky's cold glare.

"Yeah!" Nick responds, chipper despite the sweat starting to line his forehead. "This must be the famous James."

Bucky doesn't offer any response to his name. He doesn't know who this man is or how he knows y/n. Still glaring, Bucky subtly moves them closer to the exit.

"Yeah this is him." She says, ever polite. "How are you? How did things go after, ya know?"

Nick laughs, launching into a tale of him finding his girlfriend and son after everyone returned from the Blip. It makes Bucky feel a bit better that this guy has other attachments but for some reason Bucky still doesn't like him. He looks to comfortable, to familiar with y/n and that puts him on edge.

"-We may not have been each other's true loves but I'm glad I had your companionship during that time."

Bucky perks up at that, veins feeling hot as he realizes who this man is. Y/n had dated him during the Blip, spent time with him when she first moved to the city. Nick had tried to fill Bucky's shoes, unsuccessfully, but still.

"Doll, we should get going," Bucky interrupts, remaining stoic when Nick looks to him. Picking up on how uncomfortable he is, y/n quickly agrees. She barely manages a wave in Nick's direction before Bucky is lifting her up by the waist, carrying her away from the man she used to date. She can't help but think Bucky's being a bit childish, tightening his grip on her when she kicks her feet into his shin.

It's not until they're outside by his bike that he sets her down, lips still scowling and eyes still threatening as he glances up at the building behind them. But Bucky's never scared her, not even when he was the Winter Soldier so she giggles a bit, softly pinching his cheek.

"Ok, enough with the White Wolf look-"

Bucky grips her jaw, not painfully but with enough strength to make her breath falter, pressing his lips to hers roughly. His right hand slips behind her back, drawing her closer to him and when he bites at her bottom lip she gasps, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

He pulls back, breathing heavily as her eyes flutter open, and he takes in the dazed look in her eyes and the pinkness of her mouth. Smirking, Bucky kisses her once more, a soft little peck on her parted lips. Then he traces his finger under her bottom lip, dragging it down to swipe his knuckle across the little dip of her chin. His smile grows when he drops his hand and she immediately reaches for it, gripping his thumb and first two fingers tightly.

"Let's go home doll." Is all he says, reaching for her helmet with his free hand. Y/n gets it on, clipping it under her chin and releasing his hand so he can tighten it. Then they're settling on the bike, her thighs around his hips and arms hugging his chest tightly as the vehicle purrs under them.

Bucky glances up at the building once last time before driving away, smirking when his eyes find the window on the 4th floor and Nick is still standing there. Now he knows that y/n has the kind of man she deserves.

~

Bucky's sat on the couch, eyes on the TV in front of them but distant as if he were looking directly through the screen. His right toes tap on the living room rug, silent but the shake of his leg is obvious. Unsure of what's got him so stuck in his own head, y/n gently crawls in his lap. Even when he's oblivious to the world around him his body reacts to her, thighs spreading further apart so she can settle on top of him more comfortably and his left hand gently cups her butt, steadying her from falling into the coffee table. Bucky's gaze doesn't focus on her until she's cupping his stubbled cheeks.

"What's going on Bucky babe?"

Blue eyes flicker between hers, lips pursed thoughtfully. His cheek rises and dips as he runs his tongue along the inside of it. She knows not to rush him, he'll tell her when he's ready. A few seconds of silence pass before he sighs heavily.

"Did you think of me when you were with him?"

Him. Nick. Y/n's heart melts in her chest, a painful ache growing in it's place. She hadn't realized he's still been thinking about that.

"You're all I ever thought about," she admits quietly as if it were a secret between the two. "I'd look for you on every corner, on every subway, in every bar I stepped foot into hoping that somehow it was just a mistake. That Steve lied or messed up when he said you were gone.

"Every place I went with him, every word I said, you were always on my mind. And he knew it too. He couldn't say anything without me changing the subject to you."

Bucky seems to grow lighter at that, a trembling breath leaving his lips. His eyes brighten, glowing with the reminder that she's so in love with him she's practically blind to everyone else in the world.

"I know you don't always see it or-or understand it but you are everything to me, Bucky."

Her thumb strokes the dip of his jaw, gaze honest and certain as his eyes search hers. His hand slides up her back, cupping the back of her neck and another shuttering breath leaves him. Gently, Bucky knocks his forehead into hers, nudging their noses together.

"I know it's not fair of me to feel like this," he says quietly, eyelashes kissing the tops of his cheekbones "but you've been my life for a long time, all I've had, and I like that. I-I don't like knowing that there was a time when we weren't us. It's-it makes me... sad."

Y/n presses her lips to the corner of his mouth. "You can feel however you want to feel Bucky, I'm not going to take that away from you. It's fair to feel that way because everything that's happened in your life has been so fucking unfair.

"I'll sit here and tell you everyday that Nick was nothing to me. We weren't even really dating, just seeing each other to try and distract ourselves from who we really wanted."

Bucky swallows heavily, soft blue eyes fluttering open. "Who did you really want?" He asks unashamedly, fingers briefly squeezing the base of her neck. "Please, I need to hear it baby."

"You," y/n responds without hesitation. "James Bucky Barnes, you were who I wanted. You're who I always want. My Bucky Bear."

A proud smile lights up his face, Bucky chuckling as he presses his lips to hers for a joyful kiss. She laughs too, knowing the little nickname she called him made his ears turn pink.

"I'm sorry," Bucky says once they've pulled back, his hand running through her hair. "I shouldn't have been so jealous."

Y/n shrugs, biting at her bottom lip. "It's ok Buck," she comforts, "wolves get territorial, right?"

He rolls his eyes but the humor in his gaze never fades. Gripping her thighs, Bucky lifts her around his waist as he moves to press her back against the cushions. Settling between her legs, he playfully growls.

"Especially this one, huh doll?" He teases, tucking his face into her neck. She giggles at the tickle of his beard, feebly attempting to wiggle away as he gently nips at her neck.

"Stop moving," he requests, pulling back to meet her gaze. She's glowing and happy, flustered from laughing so much. "m'trying to mark my territory."

Shaking her head she pulls him down into a kiss, the two lovers forgetting all about the pain of the past, even if it's only for the time being.

[nightmaremybeloved]

5. sbi and bedrock bros were dead from the moment techno joined, which is nothing against techno (hes my favorite oink oink). he just has cooler, more original ideas than reenacting the thousandth 'sbi' "found family" 'angst with a happy ending" "evil manipulative dream" fanfic. the sbi fans want to ignore the cooler canon for the stale version we've all read more than once. we all love found family but god doesn't sbi get a little old at some point? spice it up with some munchymc crew or my maybe made up defenders of dream (dream, punz, techno, george. ranboo and bad are on thin ice but they can come for now).

tbh i dont think cc!techno has ever been particularly interested in the nuclear family dynamic of sbi. and good for him.

my biggest problem when it comes to sbi is,,, a lot of the time in fan content (especially fanfic, as i was a sbi stan BEFORE a dteam stan) you can easily tell who the creator hates the most of the four of them lol. like. i think the duos in sbi are very strong, but all of them together really just ? outshine each other

i think in dream smp canon there is a pretty healthy mix of the duos you love and overlap. tommy and wilbur > wilbur and phil > phil and techno > techno and tommy.

tho i agree bedrock bros was uhhh,,, never going to last particularly long 😬