#so i do very much agree with the criticism people are throwing at his team right now

[holyshit]

.

[vro0m]

i agree with merc's driver management anon tbh. i don't even like george and i feel for him a tiny bit here because. let's see.. (bear with me i love bullet lists)

he signs with merc in 2021 when the car was good, and also when it looked like lewis would win the wdc and probably retire. at most he'd stay maybe one or two more years.

neither of these things happen. the car sucks. lewis stays because he's hungrier than ever for the 8th.

that first year, everyone hypes george up a lot. he even gets a win. people talk at length about how george is so much better than lewis but no one takes the extensive experimentation into account.

2023. car still sucks. george does a lie detector and says with his entire chest that he's faster than lewis. spends the year getting soundly beat by him. things at merc seem to be breaking down. george goes into a wall at singapore and the way merc acted you'd think the end of times was nigh. this mistake doesn't do well for his reputation as a driver.

2024. lewis is moving to ferrari. george probably thinks ok, he can finally be the priority in the team. he can be the number 1 driver, the face of the team.

let's take a moment to talk about the rookies who came up with him. lando at mclaren, number 1 driver, who finally got his win this year after a long time of working hard for it. actually quite good at playing the team game. alex, who struggled at rbr but is doing well at williams. they love him so much they fucked over logan for him. he's a solid driver and while he doesn't have any wins yet, his skills are undeniable.

ok back. 2024. mainstream fans on social media have been displeased with george since at least qatar 23 if not earlier: it seems to be hitting critical mass this year. almost all of merc's social media posts, as well as f1 and espn's, are filled with comments about george buckling under pressure, not being as good as he thinks he is, and definitely not being a good teammate. on top of that his boss is trying to offer a metric fuckton of money to get max verstappen into the seat. plays around with the idea of fernando alonso until alonso goes like "lmao girl in THAT wheelbarrow?" and even bringing seb back from retirement. neither of these three are known for sitting quietly and following team orders and would probably laugh george out of the room at the suggestion that he be prioritized over them.

and then there's kimi antonelli. this ask is long enough so i won't go into detail over my feelings on that but at this point, george, who was desperate to be number 1, is watching his boss talk up a child who should be doing Intro to Calculus, while everyone calls him the next hamilton or verstappen.

and no one knows where george is in all this, including george himself. chances are though that he has not been impressive enough to be considered a leader or number 1 by anyone and merc aren't even pretending he might be. they're looking to replace lewis not just as a driver but as a leader and that has got to hurt for george.

*mic drop* 🎤

No but really I had forgotten about Alonso and Seb too like. No wait. Let me sit up for this.

The amount of DISRESPECT George has had to deal with is astounding. And it's coming from all sides. Fans, management, drivers. You can't help but empathise.

He's also so very unlucky! Every time you'd think things are looking up for him F1 throws him a curveball.

I wonder how he deals with this. That might explain some of what some fans perceive as undue confidence / audacity. Like what else are you gonna do in his situation but wall up and assert yourself the best you can, when your worth as a driver is constantly being questioned.

[ssa-atlas-alvez]

can I get cowboy!reader with the flu, all feverish and sick and disoriented and maybe the team takes shifts going to watch him/give him some company because he lives all alone and they know he won’t take care of himself like he would for others.

Whether this is an opportunity for more romance to bloom or for him to just be seen as a bit vulnerable and human to the other members of the team, up to you. I think all his usual inhibitions would be lowered juuust enough to give the team a laugh. (bc in my mind he’s not a drinker, he doesn’t like the effect it has on people- making them violent etc)

- 🦕

Description: cowboy reader gets sick and makes some confessions. And it's what everyone's been waiting for.

Warnings: illness, mentions throwing up (no actual throwing up), cold/flu, mentions high temperature, reader feels rough, yeah

A/N: hopefully this is okay, i'm feeling a bit worried about this one but today has been a whirlwind and i finished this to relax and thought i'd post it now so hopefully it's okay. let me know what you think, even if it's criticism! (it's okay if you have ways in which you think i can improve!) also i'm panicking it reads as rushed so i'm very sorry if it does seem rushed but yeah let me know your thoughts!

Taglist: @xweirdo101x @xdark-acadamiax @ara-a-bird @heidss @chubbyboyinflannel @pendragon-writes @migwayne @bigolgay @technikerin23 @supercriminalbean @honestlycasualarcade @caffeine-mess @1s3v3n1 @oddmiles @kevyeen @stealing-kneecaps @criminalskies @woodandwaxwings @wizardmon3 @aphroditeslovr @ducks118 @azeal-peal @13thdoctor-run @introvertpan84

You had felt like shit by the end of the day and had drove home hoping it was just the consequence of a busy day. So, when you got home, you had immediately gotten dressed into your pajamas and quickly ate something and curled up under your covers and fell asleep.

This feeling, however, did not go away when you woke up the next morning. In fact, it had gotten so so so much worse. You couldn't bend down without your head feeling like it was going to explode. But still, you got dressed, grabbed a coffee and made your way to work. (You weren't one to give in to illness).

"You look rough." Morgan stated as you walked into the bullpen.

"'M fine," You mumbled, removing your hat and placing it on the desk as you tried to push the hair that was now stuck to your forehead back. "'m not even sick-"

"You need to go home." Hotch says as he joins the rest of the group, you shake your head, blinking any dots from your vision.

"No, I'm fine. I can still work," You insisted. Hotch studied you once more before sighing.

"If I agree to let you stay, I want you to stay at the police station,"

You sniffed slightly as you nodding, "Yessir,"

"And I want someone with you at all times."

"'M fine," You argued, "D'n't needta with someone,"

Hotch raised an eyebrow. Derek gave a small smirk, "Hey cowboy, did you know your drawl is this prominent when you're sick?"

"Ain't sick." You mumbled giving a sniff as you went to sit down.

"Before you sit down Cowboy, we've got a case." Garcia said a she walked passed you. You closed your eyes, trying to not groan.

You managed to get some shut eye on the jet after going over the case once more, cowboy hat on the desk as you rested your head against the cool window. Hopefully it wasn't too obvious how shit you felt.

When you woke up, your head seemed to be pounding in time with your heartbeat and it made you want to crawl under the covers and cry. But you ignore it, giving JJ a smile (trying not to wince at the pain that explodes through your head as a result).

And, as usual, you all hit the ground running. Normally, you loved your job, but not today. All you wanted to do was sleep.

It was now close to midnight and you genuinely thought that you might throw up. You hadn't really eaten much today, what with feeling ill, so that probably wasn't helping. You drew in a deep breath as you tried your best to focus on the profile written out in front of you.

"Come on Cowboy, you need to head back to the hotel." Morgan said, gently nudging your shoulder.

"'M fine." You huffed.

Morgan rolled his eyes but left you to it, instead, walking out of the room and fishing his phone out of his pocket.

"Oracle of all, how may I assist the?"

Derek smiled, "Hey baby girl, I need some advice, how do I get Cowboy to go to the hotel?"

Penelope gave a chuckle, "That's an easy question, at least give me a challenge." There was a small pause, "Is he okay?"

"He's refusing to accept he's ill."

"Get JJ to talk to him." Penelope said, Derek could practically hear the shrug as she spoke.

Derek furrowed his eyebrows, "Okay, are you sure that'll work?"

"Remember when he quit smoking?"

"Yeah."

"It was because JJ asked him to."

"Seriously?" Derek's jaw dropped, "Are they completely blind? Its obvious they're smitten."

"They're both too blind to see it. It's romantic really."

"It's painful."

"Alright, I'll give that a shot, thanks Mama,"

"Anytime, my Chocolate Thunder!" Garcia said before hanging up, just as JJ walked past.

"Oh! JJ, you need to talk to (Y/N), he's refusing to go back go the hotel and he looks like he's going to collapse at any moment."

JJ looked at Morgan and nodded, "I don't know why he's refusing to admit he's ill." She said, "But I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!"

You looked up from your notes when you heard the door open, sending JJ a smile as she walked in. Feeling immediately a little bit more like yourself with her presence. "Hi," She smiled, "How you feeling?"

"'M not ill,"

"Yes you are." JJ said, voice firm, "And it's okay that you are, we all get ill. But you need to go back to the hotel and rest, otherwise you'll just feel worse."

"Can still help," You mutter and JJ shakes her head.

"Nope, no you can't," She said, "I'm sorry, but you need to go back to the hotel to get some rest."

"But-" You look at JJ before sighing. "Fine. Not happy 'bout it though,"

JJ rolls her eyes with a fond smile, "Come on, I'll drive you,"

She let Hotch know she was going to drive you back (ignoring Morgan's look of absolute shock), voicing her concerns about leaving you on your own at the hotel. Hotch's gaze shifted to you in the briefing room hunched over slightly as you tried to ignore the throbbing in your head.

"Do you think you could work from the hotel room?" JJ nodded, "Alright, stay with him for a little while, I'll send Prentiss or Morgan to the hotel in a bit."

"Alright, I'll take him back before he collapses or something," JJ half-joked as she quickly gathered her things. Turning to the door, she watched as you staggered in, trying your best to look as unphased as possible. "Ready to go?"

"Mhm," You hummed, clutching your hat tightly in your hands, "All good,"

You let your head fall against the window of the car, music playing gently, listening to JJ quietly singing along. Soon enough, you had reached the hotel and you were (despite feeling like shit) insisting on taking JJ's bag and coat. Eventually, she gave in and the pair of you headed to one of the hotel rooms.

When you got there, you put all your shame to one side and rummaged in your bag for your pajama's, grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt you quickly make your way to the bathroom and get changed. You throw the clothes into your bag to sort out later. Taking some cold and flu medication you then fling yourself onto the bed (which if the pounding in your head said anything, it was a bad idea).

"How are you feeling?"

"Been better," You mumbled, you watch as she walks over to you. She places the back of her hand against your forehead slightly.

"You're running a high temperature," She mumbles.

You looked at her, giving her a dopey smile, having to refrain yourself from making a joke. Unfortunately, this means that something else (and much more private) sneaks out.

"I really like you," You said, reaching up to pat her cheek. "You're really pretty. N it really hurt my feelin's when you went on that date 'cause I think I love you n when I say think I mean I know."

JJ gives you a small smile as she brushes your hair off her forehead, "I feel the same,"

You both stare at each other for a moment, both living in denial before one of you said the inevitable. Taking a deep breath, you decide you would rather be the bad guy in this story than for JJ to feel guilty. It seems that whilst you were ill, you were still able to think somewhat coherently.

"We can't do anythin' about it." You said, furrowing your eyebrows heavily, "We work together,"

"I know," She answered, giving a small smile. "It's okay."

You both sat in silence, drinking in the other's presence. Seeing JJ frown, you interlock your hands, "You a'right?"

"I'm just tired," She said, giving you a small smile, "You must be too with that fever you're running,"

You hummed slightly as you relaxed, letting your head gently fall against the pillow. "Very," JJ smiled at the thick twang of your accent peaking through in your tiredness.

"Get some sleep, I'll wake you for your next round of meds," She joked lightly, you gave a small smile as your eyes fluttered shut.

JJ kept her smile until she was sure your eyes were fully closed and then she let her smile drop. Perhaps there would be some day in the near future when neither of you would care about whether or not your jobs allowed you to date.

[oscconfessions]

(I thoguh I made this anon some time ago bit oh well)

Coming from someone who likes II neg, I feel like the biggest issue many active communtiy members have is not having nuance

Like okay II is bad(or certian parts yadada), so why is it bad well that's because the writers are bad at writing, why are they bad at writing? Well they may just be uneducated- Clearly their all bad people because as we know good people would write a better show which means they must all be bad horrible cis het white straight man queerbaiting children

Like I've seen people say that, and coming from someone critical of the II team and the show. That's a VERY odd thing to assume right off the bat, it feels like you don't want to be critcial of the actual people but rather whar you think they are. It's like we as a communtiy feel the need to give a reason on why we dislike these people so we make them the worst possible thing to exist(to us). II isn't disney, their not cishetmen in suits, they've writeen bad shit but when you look at the current potical views of the team it's clear they are more leftleaning than anything.

The og ask was made when justin still used he/they, but I always found it soo werid how many people who are II neg seemed to ignore the fact Justin is Nonbianry/isn't cis. Honeslty I think 3 months in most the critism I started seeing felt like a flanderazation of what I had seen in the past. It felt like there was a said narrative I had to follow to post and if my cirtism wasn't just the same rycelded take I'd be shot on the spot (and also if it didn't accuse the writers and writiing of being bigoted) which it is! (AT certian points, but I feel like the II neg tag will take things they subjectivly don't like and put that label on them because their of said miniority and feel like their being discrimanted againts because that exprience didn't line up with theirs 1:1). Honestly when it comes to neg some of you guys are just as mindless as the fans you rant on but that a issue in all neg tags so meh.

Not to baby the crew memebers their all adults their not dumbasses. But honeslty to fellow II neg?? People? Fans? Whatever, sometimes I feel like we gave up cirtizing II a long time ago. I feel like it's a competetion to see who can find the "bigoted" moment in the newest episode. Which is important to do! II has a bunch of bad rep/shitty parts. But it feels like were scared the critism we have won't stand if we don't link it to the crew being bigots in someway, so we basically make these serious issues into buzzwords we throw around to shit on the II cast.

Again mabye I'm misunderstanding points, or anything I'm not saying everyone who thinks any of the II crew are bad/shit idfk even queer baiters is wrong mabye I'm the one giving the white guys too much lesiure and mabye I should see them as the dark vators of the osc who the hell knows. But sometimes it's like you guys are misconsudring their actions to fit your vision for them.

I can't say I still like II, I'm not a fan of most of the crew members (Only Sam since I like his tpot writing lol) and I'm thankful I found the tag (I love analazying shit in a critcal and none critical way), and it was a great place to be to vent my issues with the ladder part of III, and the show in genral). I do agree a lot of II fans are unciritcal of the show and I do agree we shpuld normalize ciritism in the osc since it only servers to imporves the work we make.

(Also some of you guys Glaze really shit critism I'm sorry you need better tastse) alsoo I feel like people who are very agreesivly on the tag need to chill (ESPICALLY to the tweens on there, I see you and I know what it feels like to be a loser sucked into online discourse it's not worth it broski I was once like you broski) but that could be another ask lmao

Sorry for the yap! If I'm being frank the only reason I put this here is because I'm not dealing with the mob of angry "YOU LACK MEDIA CRITISM" people to get jnto my ask box and dms, or the be publicy scrutinzed because my take dosen't fit the norm we've made for ourselves. Also I cohld rant about the fact most of my fellow II neg people are really paethic and look for acceptence and so they act all uppity with II fans(even thoguh that's such a shitty way to get people to be more critical of a show, and history has shown that it only makes fandom and neg spaces more toxic and worse), but people have been doing that om the nett since the dawn of time lmao. Overall I migdht come back to ramble some more one day, to whatwver mod is reading this sorry for the spelling and sorry for the yap(again) bye!

.

[stellarboystyles]

Eclipse

actress!oc and actor!harry blurb

"Babe, car's here!" Harry shouts, slowly jogging up the stairs to check on "Almost done?"

"Almost." she utters quietly, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"No rush, love." he reassures, adjusting his watch. "We're early this year."

"For once." she mumbles, putting in her last earring. "I'm just glad we don't have a team here this time."

"Me too." he agrees. "M'sick of people in our damn house."

She laughs at his lighthearted remark. Usually when getting ready for award shows, especially ones like this, most people will gather a whole team; assistants, manager, stylists, and sometimes designers to make sure everything is how it should be and everyone's on schedule.

Basically, every event is treated like a fucking wedding and Paxton is sick of it.

Despite the nature of her job, she's is an introvert. Plain and simple. She needs alone time to recharge and just be. And when you're a critically acclaimed actress who never takes a break (even when she's supposed to), you don't get recharge time. You don't get to just be a human on her couch. It's always her own doing, of course. But don't worry, Harry forces her to relax every once in awhile.

"I'm honestly over all that right now."

"Think we just need some alone time." he tries, raising an eyebrow at her through the wall. Even though he hasn't seen her yet there's already a little thrill inside him.

She takes one more look after smoothing her dress down. "I'm ready now."

"Oka-woah."

Harry never fails to bask in how attractive she is, and Paxton never fails to feign annoyance from it. She rolls her eyes and he's already objecting.

"Don't roll your eyes at me." he bites, hands in his pockets as he strolls over to her. "I'm allowed to look."

"I didn't say anything."

"But you wanted to."

"And how would you know?"

"Love, no offense but I know you well enough to know what you're thinking most of the time."

"Yeah, I know." she grumbles.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means it annoys me."

"I know it does." he stands behind her in front of the mirror she's using and throws her a wink. "Why do you think I do it so much."

"You are so-"

"I'm what?" he pushes, faces inches away from each other. "Sexy? Smart? Charming? Funny? Attractive?"

"All of the above."

They're both smiling as she pulls him into a kiss in front of the mirror. It started out innocent.

For her.

He quickly tries to deepen the kiss, finding her hips. His palms try to snake down but her rationality steps in before his in the form of a giggle and a push on his chest.

'C'mon." he whines.

She can't deny him for very long. Never was able to. He radiates this essence of sex sometimes that she can't explain. It's almost addictive, like she has to have it if the mood is right.

The mood is always right with him.

"We have to go."

He picked up on Paxton's thinning resolve rather quickly, and decided to use it to his advantage.

"My love." he's speaking into her ear, the sultry voice filling her head. "Am I really gonna be crucified for fantasizing about kissing..."

He kisses her ear. She has to fight her eyes from closing in pleasure. His eyes lock on hers for a moment through the mirror and she has to hold her pride.

And holding,"

He squeezes her hips.

It takes everything in her not to exhale too loudly.

"And touching,"

One of his hands moves to smooth down from her ribcage, stopping just below her belly button.

"And fucking," he growls into her ear this time. "My gorgeous fiancée?"

"Later."

He glares at her in the mirror, because he knows she's right.

"You win this round." he kisses her head one more time before taking her hand.

She won the next round, too. Nine VMA's! Harry was so incredibly proud of her. Being her plus one is his favorite thing to do these days.

"Are we getting takeaway?"

"No." Harry laughs, shaking his head sliding his hand around her waist as they walk out of the venue and into the car. "You think I'm not taking you out when you look this good? Hell no. We're goin' out."

Paxton had a love hate relationship with the level of charm Harry had. It was so high at times she wasn't sure why he still tried so hard to impress her after two years of being together.

"Where are we going?"

"Wherever you want." he kisses the top of her head before opening the door of the car that was waiting for them.

"I want sushi."

"Nobu it is."

He can sense her hesitance of going to somewhere so public. He knows she'd rather go to some hole in the wall in...different outfits, obviously. So he changes the subject.

"So," he holds up one of her moonmans. "Are we going to have to dedicate a whole room for these things, or..."

"Stop." she gushes, as if to say, that's ridiculous. "We're not those people."

"What's that mean?"

"No." she giggles. "We do not need a room for Oscar's."

"Oscar's, Grammy's, Golden Globes, Brits-"

"Can't we just put them in the studio?"

They shared the same look and laughed.

"Maybe we do need a room for these things."

She scrunches her nose in response. It was a weird feeling, coming to terms with little things like that. But he was looking at her in the most adoring way.

"Don't look at me like that."

"What?" "Am I not allowed to look at my gorgeous fiancée-"

"Are you crazy?" she gasps, gingerly hitting him on the shoulder, gesturing toward the driver.

"He's inner circle, relax." he mumbles.

"Inner circle is exactly how things get out."

"Am I that much of a dick that you don't want people to know you're marrying me?"

"That's not true and you know it."

"All these people that we know, our friends." "They're so happy, then they go public and it's too much."

"Everyone already knows." he argues. "Since when have you ever cared about what people think?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Exactly."

"I don't. I mean, I try not to. But when they're in your face screaming that you're-"

"Don't." he interjects, shaking his head with a wince. "I don't care. They're jealous."

"I know. I'm just scared."

"You don't need to be."

"Your heart 's too good." he lays his head on her shoulder. "That's your problem."

He was right, and she knew that deep down. Was life really worth living if it was only behind closed doors? Staying in hiding simply because she didn't want people to gossip seems pretty coward like at the end of the day.

They knew the strength level of their relationship. It could never be torn down by some petty comments on the internet.

"I don't want to pretend anymore."

[king-mera]

Considering her very complicated, negative for half of Afterlife, feelings about her father, I was pretty surprised Callie was going to be a Ghostbuster. It felt a little forced, maybe I can see trying to understand Phoebe (and maybe even Egon) more but I’m not sure…

Thoughts?

This is really interesting to think about and I think there's several factors at play here:

Even though Callie is Egon's daughter, I think in a lot of ways she was written as a revised take on Dana Barret. Like Dana in the original movies, she gets possessed by Zuul and sees her child (or rather, children) in danger. Unlike Dana, she takes a more active role in saving the day very quickly. After being freed from Zuul and given a very rushed explanation to what's going on in the final battle of Afterlife, she immediately asks what she can do to help and goes on to activate the trap field in front of the house. By the next movie she's donned the suit and pack as a fully fledged Ghostbuster herself. This isn't meant as shade towards Dana, btw. She's a fantastic character in her own right who responds to situations in a way that is natural to her. However, I think there's always been the lingering feeling that she could've done more (I could do a whole separate ramble on her, but that's another topic).

In regards to her relationships with Egon and Phoebe, that is a pretty good explanation you've come up with! It would make sense for her to learn the tools of the Ghostbusting trade as a way to get closer to them. She barely got to know her father when he was alive, but knew he loved her deeply from the wall of her pictures in his study and the fact that he trusted all his belongings to her in his will. Phoebe is passionate about science, a subject Callie avoided because of the association with Egon, but now she has the opportunity to make up for lost time and get to know her daughter better. There's also to more obvious, practical reason to become a Ghostbuster, which is protecting her children! Throughout most of Afterlife, she lets Phoebe and Trevor roam as they please, which lands them in a lot of danger. I think she realized that there was no stopping them from pursuing the supernatural, so the best thing she could do was join them.

Finally, I suspect there's one more reason Callie became a Ghostbuster, and that's because of criticism from certain vocal parts of the fanbase. I remember when Afterlife was announced there were a LOT of complaints from people who hated the idea of kids being Ghostbusters. Never mind that they were great characters who would grow up as the series progressed. It seems that Sony chose to course correct by throwing more adults in the mix, and Callie just happened to be one of them. I agree that it would've been better if they included more explanation on her choice to become part of the team. The Dark Horse midquel comics had the opportunity to do that, but didn't. Callie's just a Ghostbuster now and we're supposed to accept that from the jump. I would still recommend reading those comics if you'd like to see more of Callie as she's written very well there. She has a much healthier relationship with Phoebe and actually cares a lot about making sure the family has good communication and teamwork (This makes the friction between Phoebe and Callie in Frozen Empire all the more frustrating, but oh well).

I myself have been working on a fanfic that addresses Callie having to use a proton pack for the first time… Remind me to get back to work on that soon lol

[plazsma]

very real ninja ranking off their scent

based off a conversation with my sister these are our definitive rankings of who smells the best in the ninja team and this is correct and final so i will not take criticism

KAI - Kai takes the top spot. he would smell so fresh. Like idk. there is such a smell that comes to mind and it smells clean and good. do not dispute this. he would smell fresh out of a shower even in the nastiest grimest situations. maybe its because he probably doesn't sweat? im not sure. i just think he smells so Clean.

NYA - like her brother is probably Big on Smelling Nice and looking Good. is one of those people who have a signature scent spray that like you can identify with ur eyes closed you know its them. think sea breeze on a november morning. mmmm. i need her

JAY- we agreed that he would Also be one of those people who have a signature scent spray, and we know for a fact that jay is probably the biggest on self care and such. like canonly he is a self care fiend. he is only rank 3 on the list because i fear his scent would be something ridiculous like apple pie sugar crust body mist and that is an acquired taste for sure (me personally i am sucker for sweet sprays so get me on board)

4. ZANE - zane to me would smell a bit like paper that has just been printed? a dentist office? opticians perhaps. not a bad smell but it is just a Smell. some people may even like it. i quite like it actually. he is incapable of smelling bad so his smell is just quite neutral and that earns him no.4

5. LLOYD - okay everyone we are now about to get #controversial but u cannot tell me lloyd would not throw on lynx africa (or if you dont know what that is, axe bodyspray) in like STRONG STRONG amounts probably cuz he saw kai do it when he was 16 and lloyd was like 11 so he didnt even know what else to do and he was copying and nobody has informed him. that it is so highschool locker room and its time to not do that.

6. COLE - i am going to be thwarted for this but im sorry i love cole. so much. this is not cole slander no cole slander here i have to clarify first. i love him but i just think he would not smell as good as the others. maybe sometimes when he uses his power too much he starts to smell like compost. i also think cole is constantly baked and as awesome as that is i dont think it does wonders for his natural aroma. but cole i do love u.

i acc just had to speak this list into existance and materialise it

[synchodai]

I agree with you completely. I also think the team helming this thing aren’t very mature and they put their tantrums into whatever part they write, ignoring everything else. Like you can always tell when Hess is running things, Daemon all of sudden does things to paint him negative that he never did, or couldn’t have done in the books. And when Ryan is in charge all we get is Allicent propaganda throwing in Rhaenyra wherever he can to push that ridiculous fixation on them he has.

But both of them got so angry how much everyone loved Daemon. And they didn’t want us to or think we should. There’s interviews you can almost hear them pouting 😆 These people are supposed to be professionals and they are making their job personal when it definitely should not be.

The result is a mess and a whole season that Ryan says is Daemon atoning for the sins of his past. It’s all ridiculous. And I don’t even know what they are doing with Rhaenyra. Omg Blood and Cheese, their ineptitude is broadcast so loud in the decisions made for that.

It truly is a shame HOTD was not written by true professionals that are good at their job, and understand the responsibilities of it. The amazing writers we could have, and should have had.

Firstly, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me, anon! Thank you.

Secondly, this is nothing on you, anon, but I'm not really onboard with the fans' tendency to assume things of individual writers or paint them as dumb hacks who are outright disrespecting the source material. Fire and Blood isn't a sacred text and poor adaptations aren't a crime, so I try not to speak poorly of them as individuals and focus my criticism on the work itself. (And while I think HotD could have been better adapted, I still think it's good overall, especially in the realm of 90s fantasy lit adaptations *cough*Wheel of Time*cough*)

I've received a couple of messages like this one that have been even more accusatory (for a lack of a better word) towards HotD writers like Condal and Hess, and I've left those unpublished because I didn't want to give space to that kind of vitriol. I published this ask because anon here is tame in comparison and still had criticism grounded in the actual show. I know a lot of ire directed at the showrunners comes from things they said in supplementary interviews or their social media — stuff that I don't really read or seek out, so I don't really engage with discussions on the show's paratext. (Although I do see some of that in passing on my dash sometimes, it's mostly contextless snippets that are hard to comment on.)

Condal, Hess, Patel and whoever else are just one person in a massive crew. Cinematography, acting, directing, and even marketing all play a huge role in the final product. Yes, Condal is the showrunner who is ostensibly in charge of keeping everyone executing the same vision and for that, he deserves to be criticized if not everyone is on the same page. But I also don't know what external forces he's beholden to. Season 2 of HotD was filmed during the 2023 WGA Writers Strike, so that could very well have contributed to the lack of continuity and character cohesion that could have been ironed out by on-set writers.

I understand the fans' frustrations because I am MEGA frustrated a lot and the whingiest of whingers when it comes to HotD. But whether we think their work is good or not, the writers who worked on this are still true professionals in that this is their living. And prior the Writers Strike, they weren't even making a very good living out of it and had to fight to be involved during production. Before that, most shows would just have writers churn scripts pre-production and never involve them again.

Please, do criticize the show! Analyze the writing and pull it apart to your heart's content! Criticize Condal's adaptation choices and ability to run a show (without making assumptions about their person ofc because we don't know them). But also keep in mind that HotD is a huge collabarative work and writers make for easy scapegoats.

[terraliensvent]

guys i think civ isnt satan (edit: they lied)

EDIT: please see this post, civ played everyone like a fiddle and blatantly lied about having nothing to do with the pet species deletion. keeping this og post up to show how dedicated they were to painting their narrative

so, a few screenshots relating to their bulletin were given to me (you can see my initial thoughts here)

now as with all breaking news there are revisions to be made with new info

(all screens can be found in this imgur gallery, may be out of order because imgur is dummy stupid)

so it turns out, civ and coy actually werent contacted prior to the decision. i do agree this could have been handled differently and there should have been more of a discussion around it, HOWEVER im more inclined to the side of current terra staff. for one, they came to the decision of one adopt every two months for each staff member as compensation for their work on the team. their reasoning for cutting down coy and civ's amounts is to be fair to everyone especially considering coy and civ arent actively working on the species anymore. i dont necessarily agree with the decision to cut customs though, since people have to actively seek them out for that and its more akin to a comm service. i also want to note that i can understand why terra staff wouldnt want to negotiate about the number of adopts with civ and coy, considering that this is how it went last time

you can see in the imgur screens the original terms, notably that civ and coy collectively were allowed to make 12 adopts a month. i can see how it would be seen as unfair to not be able to be compensated as much as the people who left the place to die.

throughout the screens it seems civ is being a lot more reasonable, i think more discussion should have been had with them and after introspecting, it probably wasnt right for them to be banned, however, i dont see why they couldnt just be unbanned. i think that theyre getting lumped in with coy severely here and truthfully that isnt fair to them. i dont know how i would go about the downgrade from 6 to 2, but what i do know is they were being pretty polite about it

coy on the other hand...

throughout the screens they just seem to keep throwing salt into the wound, working through loopholes and being petty just for the sake of it. their behavior i would argue is still deplorable, and their unwillingness to work constructively is probably the reason why they and civ werent included in the discussion. ive gone over coy a million times before, these screens just keep hammering the point home

besides that, there are a couple other things to note:

Tycho's lack of presence

Tycho (furthermore referred to as cal) diverting the discussion to others is something that has happened before, and can be a point of criticism against him, but honestly my personal opinion is that shit happens sometimes. cal has very valid reasons to want to pull away from the discussion, especially with the myo compensation event he seems to be giving his best despite the situation. i am willing to give cal a lot of leeway when it comes to being stressed because we have seen the work that he and his team are putting in. i mean ffs we already have new pet species concepts not even a day after the old ones were removed. hes got a lot on his plate, and coys un-reasonability and demanding things be done NOW would drive anyone crazy even if they werent already dealing with species AND irl responsibilities. you could argue that cal shouldnt be in a place of ownership if he cant take the heat which is a valid criticism, however i think that hes a fine owner, good even, its just that these situations keep popping up one after another and he just cant keep up. these arent things that normal species owners deal with

"disgusting"

so regarding these screens (because i know some civ/coy whiteknights are gonna try and use it to excuse all their actions)

listen, was it the most professional way to respond? no. but also: (assuming it was cal who said these) i would argue this is a totally valid argument. granted, probably not to be directed at civ, but still valid. if i was dealing with the same continued problems from people who arent supposed to even be a part of the project anymore, i would have blown my lid way worse. this comment isnt even that egregious to me, its just that civ and coy have created such an echo chamber that any criticism is seen as sacrilege, and given cal's previously mentioned stressors its completely understandable for him to react harshly when they have to deal with coy drilling up his ass and being petty for no reason

civ's final words

the screens speak for themselves here. i do think there are some things to be criticized relating to civs bulletin (particularly comments painting them as this poor sad puppy dog tossed in the rain) but ultimately they are not as much of a villain in this as coy is. best course of action honestly is to just leave them alone, they were pretty professional in the screens and just seem to want to be done with it

final verdict? coy is an ass. civ kind of isnt. it could have been done differently but i really understand why it wasnt. cal needs a break. new mods are still doing good in my eyes.

and terravent fans eat good tonight

[another-heroine]

Siblings Shenanigans - Irriseni Trio

Since it's Siblings Day in Brazil, I thought about writing something with these three dorks.

When I was in school, I enjoyed writing play scripts. I have joined two drama projects (or three, don't remember), and it was very fun. So I decided to write this one as a script as well, but imagine Bjorn, Ekaterina and Yelena in a vlog-like lol

CW: Kind of crack-fic, some angst, siblings' pet peeves, bear hug in the end

[THREE PEOPLE ARE SITTING SIDE BY SIDE BEFORE THE CAMERA. BEHIND THEM, A NEUTRAL BACKGROUND. IN THE LEFT THERE IS A PURPLE-SKINNED TIEFLING WOMAN, IN THE MIDDLE THERE IS A BLONDE YOUNG MAN, AND IN THE RIGHT THERE IS A RED-HAIRED FEMALE AASIMAR. THEIR NAMES: YELENA, BJORN, AND EKATERINA]

Yelena: *stretching* So, what are we doing here today?

Director: *behind the cameras* Today is a special day, and you three were invited to answer some questions.

Bjorn: *crosses his arms and arches a brow* You say so? Suspicious.

Ekaterina: If they wanted to take off our organs, they would have done it earlier.

Yelena and Bjorn: *look at each other* Fair.

Director: Wow, is that what you think of me? Ok then. But let’s get down to the business. Today is Siblings Day, and you were invited to talk about your siblings!

Yelena, Bjorn and Ekaterina: *exchange glances and smile*

Ekaterina: I should have seen that coming…

Yelena: *claps* Oh, it would be fun.

Bjorn: *giggles* That’s why I’m in the middle, right? For they don’t slap each other.

Yelena: *gives a side glance to him* But you.

Bjorn: *rolls his eyes* Oh gods, how I suffer with these two…

Ekaterina: *says nothing but grins*

Director: Alright, I will shuffle some questions here and shoot them. Let’s start…

[SOUNDS OF PAPER]

Director: *cleans their voice and reads* Is there anything you hate about each other?

Bjorn: *wides his eyes* Wow, you punched straight, pal…

Ekaterina: *grimaces* That hurts…

Yelena: *clasps her hands* Shall I start?

Bjorn and Ekaterina: *look at her and gasp*

Bjorn: You never let an opportunity escape, sis, my dear Erastil…

Yelena: *shrugs* What? Someone has to start it, right?

Ekaterina: *mutters* Be our guest…

Yelena: Ok, ok, listen; ‘hate’ is a too strong word. I would say… things that upset me.

Bjorn: Like… ?

Yelena: When you just leave your mess behind and I have to do the chores and put everything back in place.

Bjorn: Hey, it is… true. *He cringes* But it was just once.

Yelena and Ekaterina: *get closer to him*

Bjorn: … Twice?

Yelena: *arches a brow*

Bjorn: *looks at Ekaterina, seeking for support*

Ekaterina: Well… It happened twice many times.

Bjorn: Ok, I give up. *throws his hands up* Send me to the clumsiness jail.

Yelena: Now, about Katya… *she gives a feline look to her sister* She often hides her feelings to her and never counts on us.

Bjorn: *nods* Guilty as charged.

Yelena: We only know what she is going through when she can’t bear anymore. And she never learns!

Ekaterina: You know I’m here, right?

Yelena: Good. It’s for you to listen.

Bjorn: *raises his hand* I hate when Yelena acts bossy, which is always, and when Katya is away.

Production’s team: Aww…

Yelena: What an apple polish.

Ekaterina: *snuggles on Bjorn’s shoulder* Sorry.

Bjorn: *giggles and leans his head on hers*

Director: And about you, Katya?

Ekaterina: Oh boy… *she sighs* I hate when Yelena doesn’t recognize the time to stop. It led us to many troubles several times.

Yelena: *pouts but says nothing*

Ekaterina: And about Bjorn… *she stares at him* Sometimes he is too naive. I mean, I also see this trait in me, but as he is much more social than me, I guess it’s easier for Bjorn to get in trouble for trusting in strangers.

Bjorn: Another critical blow. Next!

Director: Ok, let me see… Oh, this one. *reads* Who would you say has the better sense of humor?

Yelena, Bjorn and Ekaterina: *they look at each other*

Yelena: I guess we all agree that it is Bjorn, right?

Bjorn: Oh, thanks.

Ekaterina: *smiles softly* Absolutely. I’m awful at parties and at any kind of meeting, while you usually scare people with your humor, Lena.

Yelena: *she shrugs* The world isn’t ready for my particular whimsical style.

Bjorn: *deep breath*

Director: Oh, this one was easy.

Bjorn: *frowns* Of course, you didn’t drop a dagger among us this time!

Yelena and Ekaterina: *laugh out loud*

Director: Ok, ok, last one. *reads* Is there anything you wish you told each other when you were younger and were scared too?

Yelena and Bjorn: *looks right way at Ekaterina, both of them serious*

Ekaterina: *cringes* Hey, why are you looking at me like that?

Bjorn: *tilts his head*

Ekaterina: *drops her glance* You can talk first, please.

Yelena: Ok then…

Bjorn: *reaches Katya’s hand in silence*

Yelena: I was always an outspoken child, but… When the local spirits in our homeland talked to me for the very first time, deep down I was afraid. It was a new world to me. I knew I had nothing to fear since mother and the druids were by my side, guiding me through, but… *she pursues her lips* Sometimes I wished any of you could hold my hand too. But I was too proud to ask. And scared. *she rolls her eyes like she’s talking about nothing important*

Bjorn: *nods and gives a subtly smile*

Ekaterina: I knew it. That time, I mean. Since we are being honest now, I’d like to say years later that sometimes I slippered to your bedroll just to make company.

Yelena: *gasps and laughs* You mean it?

Ekaterina: We were two weirdos, what can I say?

Bjorn: *his smile grows and he holds Lena’s hand too*

Yelena: Thank you, sis.

Director: How about you, Bjorn?

Bjorn: Well, you can call me a liar, but I don’t recall any moment like this. I felt responsible for both of you. *he looks at each other* People in the Circle were too afraid of outsiders, and instead put their suspicions aside for a while… Well, you know this story better than anyone.

Yelena and Ekaterina: *agree in silence*

Bjorn: I dare say we had a bittersweet childhood. But at least we had each other, for good or else. *he plays with Yelena* I’m sorry if I have failed any of you somehow. I was growing up too, you know?

Yelena: Weird Triplets.

Bjorn: You can bet on that.

Ekaterina: *sighs* Guess it’s my time to talk…

Director: *slightly concerned* You don’t need to—

Ekaterina: *waves her hand calmly* It’s ok. Though I imagine they already know what I’m about to say…

Yelena and Bjorn: *pay attention*

Ekaterina: Well… You know all the story, don’t you? Irrisen, baby aasimar with unknown origins left for dead, prejudice, fear… It’s rough thinking how we grew up.

Bjorn: And yet, here we are.

Ekaterina: *gives a nervous smile* Many times I was afraid that the rumors were right. That at any time I would spread a fire and kill everybody. The nightmares were awful, and I woke up a thousand times screaming and sweating and panting…

Yelena: *sighs* And it didn’t get better with time…

Ekaterina: *looks at Bjorn’s hand and hers together* I had no idea what to do, besides what we used to do. I felt an ungrateful child, like that was all my fault. And asking for help seemed wrong and spoil-like…

Yelena: *shakes her head, gets up and goes to hug Ekaterina from behind, leaning her chin on her sister’s head* There, there.

Ekaterina: *giggles, though her eyes are watering*

Bjorn: And as I said, yet we are here. Together, and doing our best.

Ekaterina: I love you both. Terribly.

Yelena: *talks in small voice* And we love you too.

Bjorn: C’mon, bear hug time!

Ekaterina: *wides her eyes* Wait, wait—

[BJORN THROWS HIMSELF OVER HIS SISTERS, AND THEY ALMOST FALL. SOMETHING CRASHES IN THE BACKGROUND AND PRODUCTION’S TEAM YELL]

Yelena: *takes a deep breath* You know… Sometimes, I still ask myself why we did not leave you in a linnorm hole when we had the chance.

Bjorn: You would miss me.

Ekaterina: *she is laughing, crying and her halo is flickering*

Director: Ok, I guess it’s time to finish, before you destroy our studio.

Bjorn: Sorry, send the bills to the Fifth Crusade.

Ekaterina: *mutters* Or Galfrey…

Yelena: *laughing and waving her hands* Cut this part, cut this part!

Director: And that was our Siblings Day edition! Thanks for coming, see you next time.

[THE TRIO WAVE TO THE CAMERA, WITHOUT DESENGAGE OF EACH OTHER. THEY LOOK VERY COMFORTABLE].

[m1ckeyb3rry]

This is about to be the definition of “I’ll love you in every universe” need to get my hands on hollyhock Karasu now…

FR!! I think because it’s been framed as his parents giving him freedom that people forget that he’s literally never with his parents nor do they really even show any support..? Like wdym you didn’t help your son move into the dorms first year??? I bet they aren’t even watching bllk or aware that he’s playing soccer like how sad is that :(

Oh you’re so right imagine being surrounded by edgy sweaty boys at each other’s throats throwing insulting and elbowing each other on field…I guess that’s one area open to exploration though!! Trust if you ever wanted to write it I would 100% read it o7 yeah sometimes I stumble upon the cliche ones and stop after like a paragraph or two depending on how they choose to develop it (I feel like there’s a very specific demographic that likes to write this type of story coughwattpadcough or people in that general…age range…so it usually involves a bunch of cliches or like..reverse harem takes)

True!! I feel like I rarely see critics on other platforms too save for some dude bros LMAO actually I think I just saw one but only by proxy(?) where a nagireo fan was screenshotting a tt of a nagireo anti talking about how Reo needs to leave Nagi to get better and essentially the fan was like “lmao u wrong” so er

LMAOAOA Aiku may not be loyal to women but at least he’s got his team’s back HSGSHS

LMAOOO it’s ok I fr will take any Karasu crumb even if it means getting baited I sent a separate ask with some commentary and also me realizing it was from the event like a month ago but err yeah!! Despite not being a Kaiser fan I did enjoy reading it!!! Actually I think I prefer the way you’ve written/characterized him to his current in story counterpart LMAO the way he kinda mellowed out a bit and showed a little vulnerability because he was finally experiencing some love >>> I love the kinda awkwardness of him in the sense that he has no idea what to do when loved and can’t really even accept it fully and can’t express his own emotions in a straightforward way either! Like even with his remaining snarkiness this is him essentially on his best behavior because of love and he’s just now being given the chance to explore it (?? I don’t think I articulated that well LOL but like he’s such an asshole in bllk it’s like even being in love only brings him to this level of ‘politeness’ LMAO)

Totally agree he needs a LOT of work before he gets to that like charming suave persona I see a lot of the time…so cue applause here LOL in a way I think he’s similar to Rin in that sense of 1) mischaracterization kinda and 2) not knowing how to love and being kinda clumsy with the it almost

-Karasu anon

HOLLYHOCK KARASU OUT SOON 🤩 he’s so boyfriend i love him sm…otoya’s lucky he’s got the power of plot shielding him because otherwise he’d be in some hot water

EXACTLY they dgaf abt him it feels like!! and also as much as it sounds nice to have a friend like relationship w your parents and parents that leave you alone and whatnot, that’s not healthy for a child and their development. plus nagi might SEEM like he likes being left alone but i mean. does he really?? or does he just not know how to interact with people because he was never taught to?? he mentions to zantetsu in epinagi that he appreciates reo for being the first person to care abt a slacker like him which to me is a hint that he wants to be cared for he just doesn’t know how to go about obtaining that

YES EXACTLY and also like not even in a sexist way but women tend to be weaker than men!! the average difference might not be that big but these are like high level athletes we’re talking abt…imagine being like 5’4 and all of a sudden you’re getting tackled by BAROU 😭 that’s a fatality right there 😓 ofc bllk is not the most realistic when it comes to soccer and whatnot so there’s workarounds but i do think that’s something to be considered as well. and yeahhh i didn’t want to say it but i agree that it’s a trope more common w that demographic unfortunately 😰 and yes there def is a lot of reverse harem stuff going on in that subgenre!! that’s one of the things i would like to subvert where it SEEMS like the setup is a reverse harem but the further you go in the story the more you realize that there’s only one love interest that actually makes sense and the others are only red herrings

HAHA dudebros are on their level of criticism DJLSJXSJ they’re crazy fr 😭 getting mad that girls watch bllk or people who don’t play soccer watch it or wtvr as if it was ever that serious 😫 also wait that’s crazy because it’s like so obvious in the story that nagireo are holding each other back?? like that one dude from mc (i think his name is agi??) straight up says it 😭 how much more obvious can it get

PLSSSSS aiku is such a funny guy tbh like i think isagi and bachira said it best when they made fun of him for “not keeping up w the defense” and for being so reliable on field but not so much off the field. i feel like i see so many aiku fans on here but honestly he doesn’t do it for me…i think it’s the facial hair maybe 😕

yes i do think he would be a bit gentler off field (as w the rest of the bllk boys) but when i say a bit i mean a BIT. he’s kind of a jerk in general though (in part due to his past) and he has never experienced anything like love or affection so he’d have 0 idea how to give it. eventually he might get to that more fanon characterization but it would take a lot of time and reassurance and patience from his partner for that to be even close to possible. i agree that he faces a lot of the same troubles as rin in terms of the personality he tends to be given in fics unfortunately 💔 the curse of being a popular character…forever facing mischaracterization exaggeration and f-boy-ification 😰✊🏻

[boyprinzessin]

coming back to this because it got some notes and I have still been thinking about it. id like to theorize some alternate formations to what canon did and also reply to people.

Killing Shiro

(tags from @scattered-winter)

slightly controversial opinion, I agree with this 100% (sorry shiro lovers that follow me, this opinion comes from a place of love). I think many people have valid criticisms about killing the only (intended) gay and disabled character and I agree with that should be considered, but the way they backtracked made his character a lot less impactful. I think the way to "make up for it" (I don't know how to better word it) would be to explore disability through the other paladins.

as for the burying your gays trope, I think having shiro getting married at the end was pretty nothingburger tbh and just further highlights the weakness of his writing. why the hell would they bring him back only to kill his boyfriend that actually had backstory??? I feel like very little was actually gained by keeping him alive and confirming his gayness.

also if you ever see me advocating for kl to become canon you can assume im being held at gunpoint bc regardless of whether I like the ship I think they're at the most interesting un-established. even though I prefer k/a, I don't think I'd want them canon either. a lance bi arc wouldn't hurt and I think addressing his obsession with competing with keith would make sense but also making him casually bisexual would be fine by me. no relationship needed.

back to shiro, I find kuron very interesting and the idea that shiro's consciousness was stored in the black lion when he died but like. the way it played out was an absolute mess. at the end of the day if I had to choose between a character living to the end or being well written, I'd choose well written. which shouldn't be a surprise considering I have other faves that are very very dead.

What to do with Keith and Allura

In my opinion there's only 2 options besides Shiro for the black lion: Allura and Keith. apologies to black paladin Lance truthers, while I see that could make a sick character arc, Allura and Keith have much higher priority for the position.

Even though I don't like Keith's role as the black paladin in canon, and I love him in the red lion, I think it could have been executed in a more satisfactory way and hope is not completely lost.

In theory the least disruptive way to replace Shiro would be to make Allura pilot the black lion and I'm a big fan of this option. I feel like she was set up in a weird role pre-swap where she was a leader but also stuck on the sidelines?? so she'd slot pretty well into the proper leader position and it would be a nice way to carry out her father's legacy and also take back control from Zarkon as the original paladin.

That being said, I do also really like her as the red paladin because it was Alfor's lion and she's just as impulsive and reckless as Keith. Keith being another Galra pilot for the black lion is also somewhat interesting but not quite as compelling imo. but I could be satisfied with either of them in Red or Black.

Full time Blade Keith??

I think the blades were so interesting as a concept but just. no. throws away so much development and completely disconnects him from the team.

I think his relationship with Shiro was/is also very important to the Voltron dynamic regardless if Allura is a paladin. as the oldest there's some disconnect between Shiro and the others and I think Keith's history with him bridges the gap and also fulfills a necessary role as someone scared for Shiro. as the leader and garrison's ex-golden boy it's easy to assume he knows what he's doing and he's always going to be okay but like, he's not.

I'd also be very much down for Allura and Shiro developing a closer relationship without her viewing him as a mentor figure like the other paladins, but I think Keith having a close history with him provides necessary substance to his connection with the team. Keith in general just has too much set up as an integral character to just ship him off elsewhere without maintaining a close relationship to voltron.

The Blue Lion

Listen. Lance was made for Blue. I do appreciate his development as the strategy guy and becoming a co-leader, but his bond with Red was just not all there. And I don't have any particular feelings about Allura and Blue tbh.

Co Pilots

Shiro & Allura

(tags from @alluraaaa)

I love this concept and I've actually seen it executed very well. Voltron: Duality by squirenonny. The only thing I worry about tho is all the aforementioned problems that came from backtracking on Shiro's death.

its not my first choice in writing AUs, BUT it's definitely something really interesting to explore and I like seeing other people's takes on it. I think it'd require it's own long post to dive deeper into so I'm keeping it short here.

anyway, that's my take. I still don't know what option I'd consider "best" cause I think they all have potential if voltron actually gaf about character development lol.

The lion swap drives me bonkers cause on one hand I think the og relationships they had with their lions were well written and they never felt as connected after the swap but also like. Paladin Allura…

I feel like I have no choice but to retire Shiro cause as much as I love him as a character I do think the fact he was meant to make way for the younger Paladins to take over is very apparent and it makes sense within the story. I don’t like that they planned on killing him off and I wouldn’t want to do that myself but if I had to make anyone no longer a paladin it would probably be him just because it makes sense narratively.

[kymantruther]

cartman when kyle is subservient: ginger cow’s mischaracterization of eric cartman

south park’s “ginger cow”, season 17 episode 6 is honestly quite the er…interesting episode. but despite it’s rampant fart humor and what not, it’s still a goodie, especially in terms of comedy. (idk something about kyle saying “can i please i your piping hot farts in my mouth” makes me laugh every time.) but in terms of characterizing kyman’s dynamic….? that’s where it falls flat.

the episode ignores cartman’s relationship with kyle—particularly regarding kyle’s natural “fighting spirit”. when cartman does or says something nasty, kyle is the first to call him out on his bullshit, granted he’ll only do it if he personally doesn’t agree with what he’s doing (cbaa) but none the less, you can admit kyle often criticizes cartman. and you know how cartman reacts? yeah, he fights back. and it’s key to recognize what cartman does when kyle fights back at him. why mention this? well obviously people aren’t flat—they feel emotions and can be flippant; my case in point being there are times where kyle doesn’t call cartman out on his bullshit and “let’s him win”. let’s take “mr garrisons fancy new vagina” episode 1 of season 9.

in this episode, kyle tries out for the basketball team, whilst cartman hurls beforehand that jews can’t play basket basketball and obviously kyle fights back.

Cartman: This is ridiculous. Jews can't play basketball. Kyle [points right at Cartman]: I beat out YOUR fat ass, Cartman! [a referee's whistle is heard]

but as kyle plays, he isn’t exactly the best. and even his coach reaffirms cartman’s previous statement. this leaves kyle feel hopeless…

Cartman: Nyanyanyanyanyaaanyaaa! You-hoo-hoo-hoo loh-ost! Hahahahahaaahaaa! [No response. Cartman can't get a rise out of Kyle] Kyle, I'm totally ripping on you at a totally inappropriate time. Kyle: I know. I deserve it. Cartman: Yeah, you know why? Because Jews can't play basketball! Kyle: You're right. [this disarms Cartman completely, and he walks away] Cartman: Jesus, that's no fun.

Interestingly enough, as soon as kyle forfeits and doesn’t put up a fight cartman spits that, “it’s no fun”. it’s a clear departure from how cartman reacts to kyle, with the only difference being kyle didn’t fight back. i think this statement alone shows that cartman enjoys the fight with kyle, as the quote reads “he can’t get a rise out him”

and by the way, kyle being subservient to cartman is different to cartman getting his way with him. taking imagination land for an example, kyle ultimately sucking cartman’s balls didn’t come immediately. in fact cartman actually draws the time out when he thinks he’s won. cartman chooses to actively relish the moment by listening to kyle complain, he dresses up and teases him about it (ball famished anyone?). it takes a very long time until kyle sucks cartman’s balls, and the only reason cartman could enjoy it as much as he did was because kyle put up a fight. it’s kinda like the phrase “boys like the chase.”

but in “mrs garrison’s fancy vagina” cartman wins very easily, kyle just agrees with cartman and doesn’t provide any argument or anything. as much as cartman likes to win, it means nothing to him if kyle didn’t fight him before he did.

it’s clear cartman enjoys kyle’s stubbornness, and it’s even stated and addressed in “smug alert”. quote,

Stan: You know, Cartman, you may be stoked now, but I bet you're gonna find that without Kyle around to rip on, your life is empty, and hollow.

and the episode straight up proves stan right with cartman feeling that butters, who is subservient to everything cartman throws at him, is a “lousy jew” because he didn’t have the fighting cadence like kyle. cartman thinks initially he can replace kyle but it’s clear he can’t; nothing can satisfy cartman than kyle fighting back at that moment. so you know what cartman does.

he risks his life to save kyle.

it’s something he didn’t even have to do (and the fact he doesn’t even admit to it???) but it just shows how much he cares about not only his entertainment, but kyle in general, to the point he could die trying to get them back. the truth is, cartman can’t live without kyle around. he likes how kyle has fight in him, and imagination land also as a goodie that advocates this.

when someone dies, often someone who was close to them will start admitting stuff as they pass. they’ll start saying how they feel about the person, who they think the person is etc etc. and obviously south park isn’t immune to this, i mean not only is this a common trope, it can enhance how sad a death scene is. so when in imagination land (2), when kyle is sworn to die, cartman admits something interesting…

Cartman: Godammit Kyle, you never walked away from anything in your life! Now fight! [smacks Kyle around] Fight! Fight! 

cartman claims kyle “never walked away from anything”, which of course refers to how frequent kyle bickers back. but it’s interesting cartman brings this up. something that ordinarily would be seen as an inconvenience that opposes him (fighting back) is being regarded as something good, like it’s something kyle should be proud of. the fact cartman confesses this on kyle’s death bed really proves how kyle having that stubbornness is very important to cartman.

so tldr: we can come to the conclusion cartman really likes it when kyle fights back and it’s very important he does.

so why did i say all of this? well because in ginger cow, kyle reacts a bit differently to cartman’s tricks. beings an avid peace lover, when the world has world peace kyle has no problem letting cartman er…fart on him for it.

now i don’t have any issues with how kyle is protracted here, actually it aligns in his character, because we can all totally see kyle doing something dumb or extreme to have peace in the world. but the way cartman is portrayed…

he basically relishes kyle’s servitude. and if you take everything we learned about cartman so far, this is WILDLY out of character. if cartman was characterized consistently in this episode, he would bail the fuck out if kyle started being like “ok yeah sure fart in my face.” like he’d be so turned off, he wouldn’t indulge in that shit at all. now if kyle fought the fart thing it would be different, and cartman probably would’ve enjoyed himself a lot more, the the fact is kyle didn’t and cartman was ok with that??? like who tf are you and what did you do with cartman.

it pretends like cartman didn’t risk his fucking life just to rip on kyle again and have him fight back. like that guy is unhinged for it, and to act like that shit never happened is insane people talk.

like atp you could’ve replaced kyle with butters and i’d believe it; butter is a lot more passive with cartman and cartman likes to have butters listening to his every word. like the episode would’ve been so much more believable in terms of dynamic.

so in summary, ginger cow is funny but it’s not funny enough for me to ignore its blatant mischaracterization of my guy cartman 😩

[ptergwen]

web of lies

take a leap. if you start to fall, the net will appear to catch you.

photographer!peter x journalist!reader || masterlist

w/c: 7.1k

warnings: swearing, one drinking mention, descriptions of anxiety, and angst if ya squint

summary: peter can’t stop holding your hands, betty and ned are the modern day bonnie and clyde, ned is a terrible guy in the chair, the osborn’s are up to something, and mj hates you all

a/n: y’all i’m super excited about this series like i haven’t had an idea i’ve really loved in months? so it’s good to be back !!! there are tons of things i have planned and i can’t wait to share them with all of you hehe i really hope you enjoy part one <3 happy reading

to be honest, which is what you do best, you’ve had a thing for peter parker your whole time at the daily bugle. you actually almost told him once.

a couple months ago, peter walked you home on a night you worked overtime. he’d came in last minute to leave some pictures on your boss’s desk. no one else but you was there, hunched at your computer in the dim office lighting. peter was pleasantly surprised to see you, yet concerned for your well-being. you had to put your finishing touches on a story.

he didn’t feel comfortable letting you travel alone at that hour. so, he went with you when you were ready. his company was more than welcomed. you told peter about your article while you two sat on the subway. he’d listened intently, your head resting on his shoulder and his arm around you. he made sure you got to your apartment building alright as well.

“hey, peter?” you’d asked, halfway up the steps. he was waiting until you were inside and safe to leave. “hm? you good?” he’d smiled sort of expectantly. “yeah. i... i wanted to say...”

your words got caught in your throat when he gave you the softest puppy eyes you’ve ever seen. you couldn’t do it. for some reason, you were too scared to confess how you felt. “thanks again for walking me home,” you’d settled on. he’d seemed disappointed that was what you wanted to tell him. nevertheless, he said not to worry about it before taking off.

that one moment perfectly captures it all; how yours and peter’s narrative plays itself out.

—

“we’ve got an update on hydra v. the people!”

“those freaky giraffes escaped the zoo... again.”

“shoot one more spitball and it’ll be your last.”

“does anyone have an aspirin?”

welcome to the daily bugle, where the chaos never ends and the calm never starts. you’ll find new york’s finest writers, publishers, and creatives of all kind right here. that would include you. you’re one of the top journalists in the whole building, according to mr. norman osborn. he’s the brilliant and slightly insane man who runs this place.

although it’s rare for someone in your field, you were hired straight out of college. norman read a few pieces you’d written and loved them so much that he offered you a job. full time, full benefits, no questions asked. there was something special about the way you wove your words together. your writing had its own voice. a strong voice, one the paper was severely lacking.

you’ve been with the bugle for just over a year now. it’s not the quiet, nine to five gig you were initially expecting it to be. you’re each very unique individuals in your office, and there’s never a dull moment because of it. your coworkers can be found hosting debates on the riskiest topics or tackling each other for blueberry muffins, and that’s just a regular tuesday. the place is stranger than strange. but, it’s become home.

thanks to mr. osborn being so accommodating, you actually settled in rather quickly. another big help has been the friends you’ve made. your first was michelle jones, who prefers to be called mj. she’s a fellow journalist with a wickedly dark humor that trickles into her writing. if you had to describe her in one word, it would be blunt. mj is as real as it gets, and also eternally loyal. she keeps her circle small, so you’re honored you get to be in it.

mj sits right next to you, which means you’re always talking through your days. that’s due in part to the way your office is set up. there aren’t any cubicles, tables and swirly chairs taking up their space instead. norman heard it was more progressive, probably from his son harry.

harry is about your age, only a couple of years older. he hangs around quite a lot, but doesn’t do much with his time besides that. according to norman, he’s still seeking out his passion. he’s banking on him finding a suitable career at the bugle. he’d like to pass this all on to harry some day, hopefully sooner than later. either way, you don’t mind having harry here. he’s super funny and friendly with everyone.

there’s also ned leeds, who’s an editor and reviews most of your pieces. he’s sweeter than candy, even when he’s ripping your grammar to shreds. on the rare occasions you’re not discussing breaking news, you two talk about movies. ned is a film buff and gives you the best recommendations. you’re convinced he was a critic in his past life.

last but so from least is peter parker. he only works for the bugle part time, since he’s still in school. you both graduated from your respective colleges the same year. peter wants to get his masters degree, though. he’s a photographer who’s aspiring to be a cinematographer. him and ned have their passion for the industry in common, and that’s what makes them such great friends.

you learned this and more from the times you and peter have partnered up on stories. he’s one of your best friends not only at the bugle, but in your entire life. the many long nights you’ve spent collaborating have brought you close to each other. they consist of drinking and deep talks, along with some actual work. he takes the pictures, you do the writing. you’ve been told you make a lovely pair.

peter says it himself, too. you’d like to believe he means it as more than coworkers. he’s so caring, and smart, and pure, and peter. yeah, you like him an awful lot. you can hardly stand the feeling of it sometimes.

the fact that you you haven’t come clean already is ridiculous.

“goddamn. not again,” you mutter out. “em, you better come look at this. it’s bad.” mj wheels over to you in her chair with a puzzled look. her eyes follow yours, landing on your computer. “leeds just sent this? to everyone?” she questions, your reply a short hum. you’re both staring daggers at the email your screen displays.

ned is responsible for assigning each journalist their own topics to cover. he’s been lacking a bit recently, having you write up think pieces on fluffy things. in other words, stuff that no one cares about. he asked you to compare oat milk and almond milk just last week. you’d hoped this week would be better, but here you are.

“this is ass. who does he think we are, buzzfeed?” mj scoffs at her own words. the daily bugle prides itself on being a reliable news source, on paper and tv. you’re starting to stoop down to the low level of your competitors. “he assigned me some tiktok dance trend. i’m not writing a single word about that app.” she sets her elbows down on the table, head in her hands.

“aw, why not? grandma mj isn’t down with the kids?” you tease and click out of the upsetting email. “i don’t write for kids,” mj deadpans. she pushes her glasses up on her nose. “what’d you get?” “the evolution of memes,” you gloomily reply. you’re surprised norman has been approving these topics. then again, ned is the head editor. he can do whatever he wants regardless of approval.

mj glares over at the kitchen, where betty brant currently resides. she’s making two hot chocolates instead of her usual one. “i blame her,” mj mumbles to you. your eyebrows furrow. “dude, what? betty is an angel. she doesn’t even work in editing.” betty is the bugle’s highest rated anchorwoman. her and her news team are on people’s televisions every night.

“no, but she has been spending a generous amount of time with leeds,” mj grumbles. she’s admittedly very nosy. the upside is that she tells you any juicy office drama there is. “my theory is betty’s making him give us crap stories so she can report the good ones.” she glances over at you to see what you think. “no way. that can’t be allowed... or legal,” you laugh back.

as if on cue, ned appears next to betty in the kitchen. he takes the extra hot coco that’s piled high with whipped cream. betty tucks a sheet of paper into his suit pocket and kisses his cheek, then he’s gone. you can only gasp as you watch this unfold. what has she done to poor, clueless ned?

“not such an angel anymore, huh?” mj smirks in satisfaction. “suddenly, she has red horns and a pitchfork,” you bitterly agree with your tongue in your cheek. betty waves to you two on her way back to broadcasting. mj gives her a fake nice finger wave, you ignoring her. “we can’t sit back and let this happen, em. we have to do something,” you decide. “let’s tell norman.”

uninterested, mj takes off her glasses and starts to clean them. “like he’ll believe us. yeah, golden girl betty brant is sabotaging the writer’s room,” she rewords her previous statement to put its stupidity in perspective. you throw your hands up. “she is, though! we literally watched it happen!” mj puts her freshly wiped glasses back on and sighs.

“i doubt norman would care, y/n. every newspaper to ever exist is corrupt somehow.” your pessimistic old pal has a point. however, you’re not so willing to accept it. “why can’t we be the first one that isn’t?” you offer a small smile. mj snickers, wheeling back to her own computer. “those are words of the innocent.” she’s already tapping her fingers across the keyboard.

“i thought you weren’t doing the tiktok piece,” you say under your breath. you’re slightly pissed mj turned you down, since she’s the reason you know about betty’s meddling. “i’m not,” mj answers sharply. “i’m gonna email quentin and ask if we can change our topics. happy?” quentin beck is another editor in the building. he’s not bad, but he is intimidating. no one typically goes to him as their first option.

“i’m thrilled,” you confirm and grin at mj to emphasize it. “thanks for stepping up. you’re forgiven.” “i didn’t realize i had to be sorry,” mj notes, this time in a playful manor. she shakes her head as she begins writing. “you and your morals.”

what you value most in your career is honesty, under any circumstances. of course, the other daily bugle writers are the same. norman strictly prohibits clickbait and crazy headlines because that isn’t real news. you leave that to companies like buzzfeed. you’re honest in the sense that you say whatever has to be said, what everyone else is too afraid to. you’ll speak your truth no matter who tries to stop you.

it didn’t used to be that way. there’s some childhood trauma that remains deep in the back of your mind. you’ve left that behind you now, having over a decade to cope with it. hey, they say the past is in the past. what’s important is your takeaway, that you would never let yourself or anyone else be silenced from there on out. never again.

quentin ends up giving you the okay to write different stories. he lets you and mj choose choose your own because he’s got “better things to do” and you’re “big girls.” what a peach he is. mj goes with how capitalism is continuing to provoke global warming. she has something to say about every major world issue, and you admire the hell out of her for it.

you’re a bit stuck when it’s time to write your article. it’s terribly ironic because you pushed for this. you aren’t too worried, though. the city is crawling with material, so you’ll find what you’re looking for eventually. lucky for you, some much needed inspiration comes skipping out of the elevator.

“morning, peter,” you hear liz greet him at the front desk. she’s your floor’s receptionist. her wisdom and patience keep this place going. “hi, liz. how’s it going?” he asks. “things have been quiet... mostly. can i do anything for you?” liz peers up at him. peter sports a shy smile. “uh, yeah. mr. osborn wanted to see me?” “right. hang on.” she nods, dialing his office phone number.

it’s endearing how peter calls him mr. osborn, seeing as the rest of you go with norman. he’s probably the politest guy you’ve ever met.

grinning, liz puts down the phone. “you can go in whenever you’re ready. good luck!” peter laughs nervously and turns to leave. “thanks, you too.” his face falls when he realizes his mistake. “wait, i- i didn’t mean to say that. that was stupid. you’re not-“ “it’s fine, peter,” liz reassures him. his anxiety makes him trip over his words sometimes. that, and he’s a bit dorky in general. you find it rather adorable.

you also wonder what exactly he needs good luck for. he’s not even supposed to be working today, so your curiosity as to what’s going on has been piqued.

“um, i’m gonna go now. bye!” peter rushes off, his face tinted pink from the embarrassing encounter. you’re hoping he’ll stop and talk with you for a little while, but he heads straight to norman’s office. your whole body deflates at that. mj notices from her peripherals.

“what’s the matter? missing your hubby?” she coos, her words dripping in sarcasm. “no,” you lie. “i’m... i don’t know what to write about.” ok, there’s some truth. mj gives you a couple pats on the shoulder. “ask parker for help. you two work... well together. don’t you?” this must be the zillionth time you’ve heard that.

“we do,” you murmur and glance at norman’s closed door. peter is hidden behind it. “i just don’t wanna bug him. he has finals soon, and whatever norman is putting him up to. it’s my job, anyway.” mj pokes your arm. “those sound like excuses to me,” she concludes, still jabbing at you childishly. “you really just don’t wanna tell him you like-“

“can you keep it down?” you hiss, yanking your arm back. “he’s literally right over there.” peter stands up and shakes norman’s hand. you catch it through the blinds on his window. “y/n, you were drooling over his mere presence only minutes ago,” mj prefaces, a smile pulling at her lips. “you can handle three little words. i like you, that’s it. spit it out already.”

you’ll never admit this to mj, but she’s right. you lost your momentum after your first failed attempt to say the three little words. you’re still not sure what stopped you. you’d shared the details of that faithful night with her, and she’s been pushing you to try again since.

the door to norman’s office opens, and out walks peter. he’s beaming after their conversation, which seems like a good sign. harry passes peter on his way in to pay his dad a visit. he claps him on the shoulder, peter happily accepting before continuing his stride back into the main office. it takes a moment to register that he’s coming towards you.

you quickly set your focus back on your computer so he doesn’t think you’ve been watching him. even though, you definitely have.

“y/n!” peter calls your name. he’s on the opposite side of your table, in front of you. “peter!” you match his tone. “i was just dropping by. i thought i’d say hey while i’m here.” he’s still grinning. “what’re you doing?” he looks cute as ever in an oversized and cream colored sweater. his curls are slicked back with a tad too much product, cheeks rosy. you gaze up at him when he rests his arms on the table.

“pretending to be productive,” mj answers for you, pressing her lips together. peter cocks his head to the side. “pretending?” “ignore her. she’s being a shit stirrer today,” you explain. “like every other day,” he jokes, earning a laugh from you. mj just tuts and keeps writing. “talk about me like i’m not here,” she mumbles to herself, then gets back into her article.

“anyways, i thought you didn’t work today?” you ask to take the attention off yourself. also, because you’re curious. “oh! get this.” peter perks up even more, if that’s possible. he has energy like no other. “you know alex in broadcasting? betty’s camera guy?” “what about him?” you wonder. “he called in sick earlier this morning, with the flu or something.” he’s oddly excited to announce this. that prompts you to make a funny face.

biting back another smile, peter elaborates. “mr. osborn needed someone to fill in for him, so he picked me. i’ll be here all week.” it makes sense, since peter knows how to work a camera and does so wonderfully. you give him a celebratory push at his chest. “peter, that’s amazing! this is the perfect way to transition from pictures to film, right?” he’s nearing his finals at school, which consist of more movie-like projects. the news will be great practice.

then, he’s off to hollywood. you’ll put that out of your mind for now.

“exactly! i think it’ll be a good place to start. the pay isn’t bad either.” peter wiggles his eyebrows at you, you giggling once again. you do a lot of that when he’s around. that’s going to be more often now. “plus, i get to see you. everyone wins.” he squeezes your hand that was just on him. your heart begins to thump. “except alex,” you challenge, playing with his fingers. “but, for real. i’m happy you get to do this and that we’ll be spending more time together.”

“thanks, y/n/n. me too.” peter grins and leans over, taking a peek at your computer screen. there’s a blank word document on it. “you never told me what you’re up to,” he chuckles. “guess mj was right... nothing.” “i’m always right,” she chimes in from next to you. you look between the two of them with a scowl. “i haven’t found my story yet. i don’t know, this never happens.” peter nods as you share your dilemma. “no good ideas are coming to me,” you murmur.

“they will. you have a way of attracting things.” he licks his lower lip, your heart completely stopping this time. “well, i gotta go set up for rise and shine with betty brant.” he waves his hand like he’s presenting his words. that’s what betty calls her morning news segment. “be careful with her. she’s being really sketchy these days,” you warn peter, mj grunting in agreement.

confused, peter purses his lips. “really? ned says she’s a sweetheart. they’ve been going out for a while.” mj pops her head up and adjusts her glasses. “did ned also tell you she’s bribing him to give her all of our scoops?” she’s asking rhetorically because she already knows the answer. of course he didn’t. “it’s one thing to not like her. you’re just making things up now,” peter huffs.

mj kicks your foot under the table. “i told you no one would believe us. not even peter gullible parker.” “it’s benjamin,” he corrects her. “whatever,” she brushes it off, resuming her work.

peter does tend to be sort of naive, to only see the good in things when there’s plenty of bad. you’re the same in that way, unless you hang around mj for too long.

“is that true? betty’s stealing your stories?” peter turns to you and asks. you gesture to your screen. “i don’t have one, so you do the math.” he hums sympathetically. he’ll listen to you, never mj. “i’m sorry. thanks for telling me, y/n. i’ll watch out for her.” he bends his fingers to look like goggles, putting them around his eyes. you sigh lightheartedly.

“are you twenty two years old or twelve?” mj remarks, but not without a comeback from peter. “you’re, like, eighty five. worry about that.” they’ve had this type of banter for as long as you’ve known them. it’s equal parts amusing and exhausting. “don’t be late on your first day.” you snap peter out of it with a knowing smile. he returns it.

“i hope something crazy happens so you can write about it.” he’s walking backwards now, towards the elevator. “see you later, pete,” is all you say back, yet another laugh threatening to escape you. “see you. bye, michelle,” peter says just to bug her. “it’s mj,” she groans without looking up. he shrugs. “not so fun, is it?”

after peter is gone, you try to get back into work. or rather, you try to start your work. what he said about you having a way of attracting things keeps ringing in your head. was he flirting? no, he couldn’t have been. peter parker doesn’t flirt. words aren’t his strong suit, and you have countless memories that prove this to be true. earlier with liz, for example.

you’re probably reading way into this. peter was simply doing what any good friend would do and gave you advice.

it’s late in the afternoon when anything worth mentioning happens again. peter is still with betty, as far as you know. they’re probably preparing for the nighttime news now. all you’ve done since seeing him is nibble on snacks and bug mj, who’s almost done with her story despite your distractions. this is really bad, considering your deadline to submit is at the end of today.

you’ve never missed a deadline.

mj emails her work to quentin while you repeatedly bang your head on the table. she hits send before deciding to entertain you. “whatcha doing over there?” she cautiously prompts, powering off her computer. “trying to get an idea. i’m desperate, if you couldn’t tell.” your voice is muffled. “i could.” mj grabs your shoulders and pulls you back so you’re sitting up. you childishly pout.

“y/n, the only thing that’s gonna give you is brain damage,” mj says sternly, then softens her tone. “why don’t you ask for an extension? norman gives me them all the time.” whining, you slump down in your chair again. “yeah, but you’re you! we do things differently, have different expectations put on us.” she’s back to cold mj after you say that. “alright. at least i did something today besides pine over that little-“

mj’s insult for peter is interrupted by harry. “ladies, what’s shaking?” he comes up to you two with a the hint of smirk on his face. you manage a nod to acknowledge him. “oh, hey... harry,” mj unenthusiastically replies. she’s the one person who isn’t really a fan of him. “not much. y/n was just having a tantrum.” “she was not,” you dismiss her. “it’s work stuff. you know your dad.”

harry clicks his tongue in a teasing way. “yep, the grind never stops in this joint. boss man is...” he does the sign for cuckoo with his finger. you laugh a little at that. “in a good way,” you add on. mj only watches you two, blinking blankly. harry gives you a definitive pat on the back. “before i forget, he wants to see you.” that gets mj talking. “norman?” she questions. “your dad?” you choke out at the same time.

“who else? he said you two have to talk.” harry flashes you a weary smile. “have fun in there, old sport.” you’re too busy biting the skin off your bottom lip to respond. “mhm... she will,” mj speaks on your behalf. even she sounds worried. saluting you both, harry leaves to go pester your other colleagues. you’re completely and totally fucked.

“that’s it for me!” you grin sarcastically, freaked out by harry. “i’m fired, aren’t i? i’m definitely about to get fired, and it’s all because-“ “relax!” mj cuts off your rambling. she reaches down and grasps at your wrists. “get it together, y/l/n. you’re the best we have, okay? you aren’t going anywhere.” your grin becomes a frown. “then why does norman wanna talk to me? and, why don’t i have a story?”

mj always has the answers, but this time is the execption. she lets out a breath. “i don’t know. you’ll go find out and tell me what happens.” there’s no use protesting. you’re going to have to face whatever you’re about to at some point. “ok,” you give in, defeated. “i’ll be back soon, i hope.”

the walk to norman’s office feels like a walk of shame. mj can do nothing but sit back and observe it. if this ends the way you think it will, you’ll be collecting your things and won’t ever return. norman is a kind man, and he’s usually pretty understanding. he doesn’t mind the workplace shenanigans as long as you get your job done. unfortunately, you haven’t today.

you hear your boss’s booming voice when you approach his door. inhaling deep, you knock on it, and the room goes silent. “come in,” norman responds after a few seconds. mustering up a smile, you open the door to be met with your doom. “hi, am i interrupting something?” you check. “not at all! you’re just the person i wanted to see. sit, sit,” he beckons you over. he’s not using his angry voice, so maybe you’re in the clear. you enter the room as told.

you’re shocked to see a terrified peter is already in one of the chairs. he visibly relaxes a bit now that you’re here. what the hell is happening? whatever you were expecting, this was the last thing.

taking the armchair next to peter, you sit facing norman’s desk. you nudge his arm to get his attention. his big brown eyes lock with yours. “what’s going on?” you whisper. “no idea,” peter whispers back. the two of you turn to norman again when he claps his hands. he’s plopped down into his cushy leather seat.

“so,” he begins, gaze flicking from peter to you. “you kids know why you’re here?” “is it because i missed my deadline?” you blurt out. you’re once again a nervous wreck. peter doesn’t speak, just winces. “not that. although, i did hear from ned that you turned down his assignment.” norman flicks at a post-it on his desk. “i asked quentin for one instead. me and mj,” you explain, peter’s eyes going wide.

“you talked to quentin? that guy’s bad news,” he murmurs to you. “how so?” norman questions, since it’s his employee. “he- he, um,” peter clears his throat before answering, “he’s super critical, you know? hates all my pictures.” “i love your pictures,” you assure him, the corners of his lips turning up. “your style is so cool. yeah, though. quentin’s pretty bitter.”

considering this, norman drums his fingers on the desk. “i’ll look into that. but, that isn’t why you’re here. i’m letting you off the hook this time.” your whole demeanor changes and a huge weight lifts off of you. “really? you are?” “i have a scoop of my own that i want you to cover,” he continues, peter bumping your knee happily. a toothy grin takes over your face.

“since peter will be sticking around for a while, i want him to join you.” norman waits a beat in case you have any questions. it’s been a minute since you last worked together. peter laughs in disbelief. “you want me to take over for alex and do this?” norman nods proudly. “y/n will need the extra hands, if you have them.” “yes, sir. i do,” peter immediately confirms. “my last class is next thursday, so i have the time.”

“wait, so you’re almost done? that’s awesome!” you bump peter’s knee this time. “yup, all that’s left is finals... and studying.” he mindlessly takes your hand, lacing your fingers together. you’re enjoying his gentle touches. “thank you so much, norman. seriously, i appreciate this a lot,” you tell him and mean it. “hey, no problem,” he chuckles at your eagerness. you grip peter’s hand tighter.

“what’s the story?” “ah, yes. the most important part,” norman starts, peter sharing an excited look with you. “how familiar are you two with spider-man?” his excitement fades at the question posed. it’s unbeknownst to you, caught up in the moment. “uh, same as everyone else, i guess,” you casually reply. “how come?” “he’s your subject.” norman points at you both. “you’re gonna study him over these next few months.”

peter’s hand goes limp in yours, and he gulps hard, throat feeling dry. “you mean, like, an exposé?” “no, no. there will be no exposing,” norman clarifies. “i’m sure he wears the mask for a reason.” that settles peter only slightly. you’re not sure why he’s so tense all of a sudden. “what’s our aim here, then?” you steer the conversation.

“see what new york’s favorite hero gets up to every day, how his life is beyond the crime fighting,” norman further describes your task. peter exhales a shaky breath, shifting away from you in his seat. the golden sun hits his face and reveals a bead of sweat dripping down it. you stare at his figure in worry. “you okay, peter?” “fine. i’m just... hot,” he murmurs back. his sweater does look pretty heavy, so you concede.

getting back to norman’s story, you grimace at the idea. “do you really think people will want to read that? for lack of a better term, it sounds kind of...” you pause. “basic.” “i thought the same thing at first,” he surprisingly agrees with you. “harry pitched the idea to me this morning. you won’t believe it! the other night, he caught spider-man hanging outside his window.”

“harry... harry saw him?” peter squeaks out. he uses the wool material that feels like it’s swallowing him to dab at his forehead. “he stopped on his balcony. must have been pretty late, the kid’s a night owl,” norman says about his son. your face lights up as you listen to him. “he took some shots of spidey in action, when he swung off. i saw a few. they were pretty great.” he’s grinning at his son’s success.

“maybe he’ll get into photography with you, pete,” norman suggests. peter gives him a weak smile in return. “we’d be happy to have him.” he usually has a lot more to say about his career than that. his behavior is starting to genuinely concern you. “anyway,” norman gets back on topic, “it got me thinking. how much do we really know about this guy? we’re supposed to blindly put our trust in him?”

you’re beginning to see the appeal now. you’ve written your share of pieces on the avengers and their methods, tackling the same questions norman just asked you. spider-man shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when he operates so close to your home. this could be another revolutionary superhero story in the making. and, you get to bring peter along for the ride.

“you know what? this has a lot of potential,” you smile at norman, then peter. he has his phone in his lap, fingers flying across the screen. it must be something important. you’ll discuss with norman while he takes care of that. “we could make it a weekly thing, about spider-man’s adventures. find out what we can about the man behind the mask...” peter shoots up in his seat. “without taking it off,” you finish, putting his mind at ease.

“see, i knew you were gonna love it! it was a blessing in disguise, you missing that deadline.” norman bangs his fist on the table with a hearty laugh. “what do you say, peter? you still in?” peter slips his phone back in his pocket. his tongue pokes out to wet his lips. “oh, of course. i can’t wait to work with you, y/n/n,” he speaks in a monotone voice, adding on, “again.”

something is definitely bothering him, and it isn’t the weather.

“i gotta go. betty needs me upstairs, so,” peter moves to get up, his body stiff. you assume that’s who he was texting. “thank you again, mr. osborn.” he’s rushing out of the room just like that, until you call after him. “um, don’t you wanna set a time to meet up? so we can get started?” you reasonably ask. “i... i really gotta go. find me later,” peter tells you, giving you both a tight lipped smile and running off.

“the dynamic duo is back!” norman announces to you. you’re disappointed you can’t share that sentiment with peter.

he’s absolutely booking it down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the next elevator. this is bad. this is a nightmare.

peter went from having one of his best days in a while to the worst in not even a full round of work. today started off fine, and got better when norman promoted him. it got way better when you came along. he saw your smile that makes his insides tingle, heard your laugh that’s the prettiest sound to grace his ears, held your hand that he never wants let go.

things went a bit downhill after that. betty was pushy and yelled at him a lot, demanding he only film her good angles for the segment. you and mj weren’t wrong when you told him to be careful.

later on when he saw you again, everything was okay. he was physically shaking as brad told him mr. osborn requested to see him. brad is mr. osborn’s assistant. a try-hard for sure, but good at his job. why did mr. osborn call him in? did betty complain already?

they’d been sitting in mostly silence, save for small talk until you came knocking on the door. simply being next to you was enough to ground peter and his racing thoughts. it was enough, then it wasn’t.

the whole day had gone to shit after he found out you were going to be writing stories about his alter ego. not only that, but he was helping. during the pitch, he’d texted ned to meet him in the bathroom. he was really anxious and needed a friend who understood why.

ned accidentally found out peter is spider-man last year. it’s a long story that involves peter hiding from some bad guys in the building and ned shrieking so loud the lights flickered. they’re cool now that peter talked things through with him. his secret has been kept, from what he knows.

pushing open the men’s bathroom door, peter is a mixture of sweat and ragged breaths. he’s panting from his fast descent down the staircase. he takes in his disheveled appearance using one of the mirrors. his styled hair is now damp and undone, hands trembling and palms sweaty, chest heaving. here’s his daily reminder that anxiety is not cute. as if he didn’t know.

his stupid, gigantic freaking sweater is only making things worse. it’s suffocating him. no one else is in here, so peter pulls it over his head and tosses it to the ground. he’s got a t-shirt on underneath that happens to be black. what a convenient day for him to wear the hottest material there is.

peter splashes his face with some cold water next to try and cool himself down. that doesn’t do much for him. his face still feels like it’s on fire, but now it’s wet. he takes his hands through his mop of curls, backing away from the sink.

“fuck. fuck, fuck, fuck,” peter repeats to himself. he’s silent for a moment, then rage overcomes him. he kicks open a bathroom stall. “shit! i can’t do this. what am i supposed to-“

the door creeks open, so peter shuts up in case it isn’t ned. it thankfully is, and he wears a deep frown at the sight of his best friend. “dude, what happened? you look...” “terrible. i know,” peter finishes for him. he tugs at his locks in another attempt to tame them. ned approaches him carefully. “you’re not, like, dying... are you? because betty was telling me you have to-“ “of course you were with betty,” peter exhales in frustration. “no, ned. i’m not dying.”

in ned’s defense, the text he received was very alarming. all peter wrote was, ‘EMERGENCY. SOS.’

“i mean, yeah. it was my break.” ned sits on the ledge by the window, close to peter. “you do the same with y/n.” the mention of your name upsets peter all over again. he hides his face in his hands as ned watches. “if you’re not dying, then what’s the problem?” ned finally asks. “me and y/n...” peter removes his hands from his face, meeting ned’s worried eyes. “mr. osborn wants us to do a project together.”

“uh, peter? you’ve been saying how much you miss her forever, dude! you’re not excited?” ned snorts at him. he means well, but he has no clue what he’s talking about. “no. it’s supposed to be about spider-man,” peter answers angrily. this isn’t the support he was hoping for. realizing the severity of the situation, ned gets serious.

“oh... but, you’re still doing it?” he questions. “i didn’t have a choice,” peter scoffs out. “i can’t let either of them down.” “you’ll expose yourself!” ned escalates things further. “it’s not like that. we’re gonna follow spider-man around and post updates on him,” peter says, technically in the third person. he’s given an are you insane? look from ned.

“you are spider-man! and, no offense, but you’re not so good at hiding it,” ned refers to himself finding out. “how are you gonna be in two places at once?” damnit, peter hadn’t thought about that yet. he can’t be taking pictures of spider-man and swinging from building to building simultaneously. “i- i’ll figure it out,” peter stammers, unconvincingly.

ned looks him over in a disapproving way. “jeez. you’re really putting your life on the line for this girl-“ “woman,” peter interjects, not loving ned’s attitude towards you. “have some respect.” unfazed, ned gets up from the windowsill. “speaking of women, remember betty? you’re still on the clock,” he changes the subject. peter nearly forgot he has to go film her segment.

“i’ll head up to her now,” peter gives in. he scoops up his discarded sweater, not bothering to check his appearance again. ned follows behind him to the door. “we wrote her script together, you know,” he gladly informs peter, who already knows from you. “not really a flex,” peter mumbles his response. “peter, lighten up.” ned hits at his shoulder. the two of them exit the bathroom.

“you’ll figure this out later. i can always help.” he shoots him a sugary sweet smile. “thanks, ned. for talking with me and everything.” peter doesn’t smile back. they do a quick bro handshake, then they’re going their separate ways. “have a good show, dude!” ned yells back, to which he doesn’t get a response. peter doesn’t have it in him.

he allows himself to take the elevator back up to broadcasting. he’s so drained from the several anxiety attacks he endured. while peter waists for the elevator, he contemplates all the issues he’d better solve. it’s a relief to hear it ding because it brings him back to earth. that doesn’t last long because both you and betty are there when the door opens.

you’d each had the same idea, to find peter. unlike betty, your intentions were good. you asked liz if she saw peter leave. she told you he went downstairs, so you did also. betty was already in the elevator when it got to your stop. she was looking for him because, you guessed it, he had to record the news. the small space was filled with tension as you and betty occupied it.

“perfect. we’re going right back up,” betty beams, motioning for peter with her index finger. “hop in!” “coming,” peter does as told, going to stand between you and betty. she presses the button for your floor and theirs. the doors close. “pete?” you speak up, voice soft. “you kinda ran off earlier. i thought you were with betty.” “clearly, he wasn’t,” betty sneers.

you’re less concerned with her and more with peter. the sweater he looked so huggable in is now folded in his arms, his face splotchy and jaw clenched. he must have gotten triggered by something back in norman’s office.

“are you sure you’re okay? you... you can talk to me about it.” you take a step closer to peter, your doe eyes searching for his. he meets them with a tiny smile. at least, it’s real this time. “i’ll be fine, y/n/n. ‘s nice that you came to check on me, though.” “don’t mention it.” your arms loop around his neck and bring him into a hug. peter hugs you back by your middle, chin resting on your shoulder, breathing out in relief.

you keep your hands on his shoulders when you pull back. his stay on your sides, a lopsided grin now crossing his features. “spider-man...” you quirk an eyebrow. “how are you feeling about that?” “should be cool,” peter somehow maintains himself. “i’m mostly looking forward to doing it with you.”

listening in, betty joins the conversation. “what’s happening with spider-man? anything i should know?” her hand reaches into her bag and emerges with a notepad. does she ever think of her own content? “she’s nothing if not persistent,” you grumble to peter. chuckling, he pulls you into his chest. if he didn’t hold you back, you would’ve pounced on her.

“we’re gonna do a piece on him,” peter tells her. “you can’t copy or steal this one because it’s already been approved,” you contribute, smiling smugly as peter holds you tighter. betty is taken aback. “are you accusing me of stealing? who said i-“ “ned ratted on you... sorry,” peter says in a sing song voice. squealing, you jump away from him. “he did? we were right?”

“mj’s never wrong,” he reiterates. “mj knew about this? oh my god, i can’t believe her!” betty stomps her foot. “we got you on candid camera.” you make a clicking noise with your mouth. peter mimes taking a picture to back you up. “alright, alright. i won’t do it again,” betty mumbles, turning away from you two in annoyance.

“finally!” you hold up your hand for a high five, which peter gives you. “we really do make the best team,” he hums. your fingers intertwine with peter’s, and he lays his palm flat against yours. he prays extremely hard you don’t notice that it’s sweaty. you do, but you couldn’t care less.

“i was wondering when you’d wanna start our... research?” peter asks you, his lip between his teeth. “you were saying something earlier. maybe we could make a schedule.” “how elaborate of us that would be,” you tease. that earns a breathy laugh from peter. with a knowing smile, you put your free hand back on his shoulder.

“what are you doing tonight?”

-

peter parker taglist

@saturnpeter @tpwk-grande @itstaskeen @missyouhollnd @becicamina @dummiesshort @zspideyy @watchitimreadinghere @my-patronus-is-mabel-pines @dpaccione @karispotters11 @theofficialzivadavid @thehumanistsdiary @kelieah @aayaissaa @petersgroupie @annab-nana @tayyx @swtltlmrvlgrl @magicalxdaydream @haoluvver @kjune113 @captainamirica @marvel-dork98 @emmastarz @killingbxys @viriditie @misshale21 @veryholland @liliswifts @tommydarlings @rebelemilu @peterspideysense @cr-uelsummer @dreamy-clousds @quaksonhehe @quxxnxfhxll @blackbat2020 @babyblue19 @falconxbarnes @zachary-s @dirtytissuebox @dracoswhore007 @heavenlyholland @thsquad @etheralholland @dhtomholland @awh-lilies @tomshufflepuff @multifamdomfan12

-

if i forgot you please lmk!

[footballfangurl]

Hi!

Can you do one where y/n works for Toto and Lewis seems to hate her, always disagree with her but qt the end they’re together!

Thanks!!!!

Hii!!

Sorry for the delay but I was a little bit stuck while writing it. It's the longest one shot I've ever written. I've finished it though! Enjoy and let me know what you think, please x

Lewis Hamilton - I've fallen for you

So, it all started with her sharing her opinion. Admittedly, she probably shouldn't have. Not at the time. Not so soon because she had only been working for Mercedes for a short while. To be honest, she didn't even remember what the issue had been about. What she did remember, however, that Lewis had vehemently disagreed with her. And if it had just remained a one-time thing, there wouldn't have been an issue because she could admit that sometimes she was wrong. But it hadn't. Sometimes it seemed like Lewis disagreed with her just because he could.

Of course, the fault wasn't always with him. Sometimes she didn't know when to back down, even when deep down she knew he was right. And then things escalated quickly when perhaps it could have been avoided. She tried not to argue with him right before qualifying or races so as to not distract him and causing even more friction in the team.

It was hard not to show her enthusiasm though when he drove well during race weekends. Despite the frequent arguments the two of them had, even she could admit he was a very talented driver and he kept on delivering, weekend after weekend. The only thing that bothered her sometimes is that he liked to throw you small, smug glances afterwards. Oooh, how she hated it when he did that. It got her body all warm and anger or irritation immediately started boiling within. But in those moments, she kept it all to herself. Well, until they were in a more private setting. Then the sugar-coated barbs and insults were thrown around as if the two of them weren't supposed to be two professionals getting along. Sometimes, Toto made her or Lewis back off when one of them crossed the line. He didn't like to get involved but whenever he did, it always made her feel a little bit ashamed. She couldn't really help it though. Lewis Hamilton just had a way of getting under her skin.

There were times, however, where even she had to concede and defend Lewis Hamilton from critics. Whenever something happened that people didn't agree with, she didn't hesitate to throw her opinion on twitter or Instagram and dispute whatever was being said about him. It wouldn't be the first time she got into a full-out twitter dispute that usually ended up in her being reprimanded by Toto for reacting to the haters in such a public way. Those times, Lewis did say that it was best not to pay too much attention to them but he always did have a bit of a smile on his face, so she didn't think he minded too much.

"I don't get you sometimes. You act like you hate me but then you defend me like that on twitter." Lewis once had said after one of these twitter wars. She suppressed a smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't hate you. I just don't always like you. But I can't stand it when people hate on you for absolutely bullshit reasons and I'll put them in their place every time." It had seemed like Lewis did want to say something more but she hadn't given him the chance, walking away quickly to continue what she had been doing before being called to Toto's office.

--

Lewis was sitting on his own on some steps in front of the team motorhome. She'd just passed Angela in the motorhome when she had stepped outside so she knew he probably wanted to be alone for a bit but she couldn't resist. Tentatively walking up to him, she sat down next to him in silence. He gave a little sideway glance at her but didn't comment on her presence.

After a few minutes of silence, she started talking. "Hey… I know we're not … friends or anything but… I'm here if you want to talk." He remained silent for a moment, which she didn't mind. The last few days had been hard on him and the team as a whole. The race weekend hadn't gone very well.

"Don't feel like it today."

The comment stung a little bit, but she nodded her head and gave a grim smile. "I figured. I just wanted to let you know that the option was there." She clasped your hands together and rested them on her lap for a moment before pushing off the stairs. She didn't want to bother him any longer than she had to. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Try not to let it get to you too much. Next week we'll do better." With that, she set off to the paddock because there were still some things there that she needed to do.

"Hey, Y/N!" She heard him call out her name and she turned around, walking backwards, to see him giving her a nod and a smile, "Thanks!"

"Anytime." She yelled back before turning around again and walking away.

--

She was standing outside the paddock, waiting underneath an umbrella. It had begun raining quite hard during the race and they had red flagged it for the time being. Valtteri was talking to his race engineer in the garage about something and Toto was discussing something through his headset. Glancing around, she tried to see if she could spot Lewis anywhere, but she didn't see him.

Suddenly someone ducked underneath her umbrella with her, and she jumped in surprise. Looking up, she raised her eyebrows as she saw Lewis giving her a smile before rubbing his hands together and blowing on them.

"What's up?" It was odd for him to join her like that. Well, maybe not odd but certainly unexpected. Since she had joined him on those steps that day, she had noticed that some of the friction had started to die down. He still told her when he didn't agree with something and she certainly did the same, but the insults between the two of them had certainly lessened in number.

"What do you think?"

"What do I think about what?" she asked, smiling at one of the mechanics in greeting as he passed before turning her attention back to Lewis. He frowned slightly but continued talking.

"About the race."

"You're asking for my opinion now? Usually, you're telling me to shut up." She replied and chuckled as he gently bumped shoulders with her.

"Hey, that's not fair."

"Yeah, I know," She murmured, smiling softly at him, "well, I just think you need to continue what you're doing. It hasn't let you down so far."

"Oh, that's fantastic advice, that. So helpful." He said sarcastically and chuckled when she shoved him on the shoulder. "No, really. Thanks though." He was more sincere this time and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before ducking out from under her umbrella again. She bemusedly watched him run over to Angela who was waiting with her own umbrella and handed him his headphones to listen to music. Sometimes she really did wonder what had changed.

--

Lewis kept on telling himself that that feeling he got when he saw her interacting with the mechanics during race weekends wasn't jealousy. He liked to think he wasn't really a very jealous person by nature. Competitive, sure. You had to be in formula one. Stubborn, sometimes. But jealous? Not really.

So, he kept denying that it was jealousy. The reason why he joined her table for breakfast in the motorhome was definitely because there weren't any other chairs free. The reason why he asked for her opinion more now was because sometimes he still liked to bicker with her instead of appreciating her for her complete and total honesty. The reason why he glanced around for her before he entered his car wasn't because her presence was reassuring but it was just a coincidence that his eyes fell on her every time.

---

It was in Monza that the most drastic change happened. Or rather, after the race. She'd been standing in the garage, watching the race like everyone else. It had been an entertaining race so far. The McLaren's and Verstappen had been doing surprisingly well this race but Lewis had been in a good enough place too so anything could happen.

And it did. Verstappen had a surprisingly bad pitstop and that changed everything. When Lewis came into the pits to change tires, she could hear the screaming outside from the crowd as he rejoined the track afterwards. He was wheel to wheel with Verstappen now and in the end, she should have seen it coming. They had been battling all season now and they had even made contact earlier in the race. Verstappen didn't want to concede, and Lewis didn't either. So, they crashed together.

When she saw it happening, she screamed and clasped her hands in front of her mouth in shock. That could have been really bad. Especially when she saw the replay. Because the car nearly hit Lewis' head. Oh… it could have ended up so badly.

She gulped, removing her hands from her face to wring them together. She had seen bad crashes, of course she had. It always was terrifying when somebody crashed, until everyone knew they were alright.

But even now, when she saw that Lewis had gotten out of the car and he looked okay, she still had trouble grasping it. He had been incredibly lucky today. Both drivers had been. Taking a step back, she tried not to let her eyes linger on him too long when he eventually rejoined them in the garage. He looked frustrated and he was talking to Bono, gesturing wildly and shaking his head.

Deciding to leave him alone for now, she tried to identify and cope with the unsettled feeling in her chest.

--

Later, though, after the race, he came to lean against the counter next to her. The unsettled feeling hadn't gone away. In fact, the more she thought about it and the crash itself, the more she felt unsettled. So she didn't acknowledge him out of fear that he'd see that. He didn't need to be burdened by her feelings about the crash too. Surely, he was already feeling plenty just on his own.

When she didn't say anything to him, he frowned a little at her.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded tersely, continuing to work on the item in her hands. It needed to be finished so she could pack it away for the next race. There wasn't a lot of time to be distracted, she assured herself. She'd use that excuse to him too.

"Yeah, okay, I can see that you're not, though." When she didn't reply to him, he sighed and took the item out of her hands before setting it down on the counter on the other side of him. When he did so, she tensed up and pressed the palms of her hands against the counterspace. "What's wrong?" He asked gently, ducking his head to try and catch her eyes but she avoided it.

"Y/N…" Lewis put his hand on top of hers and squeezed it a bit to get her attention and she finally looked at him.

"It's just been a hectic day, you know. With the crash and everything." She excused, smiling briefly at him. He nodded in comprehension, frowning a little before giving her a small smile.

"I get that. I'm okay though. It wasn't that bad." Lewis tried to reassure her, but it seemed like those were the wrong words to say because she frowned and pulled her hand from underneath his.

"It wasn't that bad? Lewis, that tire could have taken your head off or something. You were extremely lucky today." She said, looking at him but being shocked when she didn't see him very clearly. She hadn't realised that her eyes had been tearing up when he had been talking before. She just hoped that they didn't fall.

"Yeah, I realise that. But Y/N… you do realise that's racing, right? That's the risk I take every time I get in that car. We all take that risk." He murmured, trying to comfort her but not quite sure how to.

"Yeah, I do realise that but…" Her throat closed up and she blinked, trying to keep the tears back. All of a sudden, she felt his arms around her as he pulled her to his chest. Rubbing her back gently, he rested his cheek on top of her hair.

"It's just… it was the first time I've seen you crash. Somehow it hit me differently when it was you. We could have lost you if it had ended differently." She cried, burying her face into his shirt and hoping he wouldn't mind. He hummed, squeezing her tighter.

"I understand. Of course I do. But you can't afford to think like that. Especially if you want to be in this sport. We just got to focus on the positive, you know. I got out okay. That's all that matters in the end. But I understand the shock. Just let it out." And he continued rubbing her back softly, letting her cry the emotions out. It was a few minutes before she pulled back, sheepishly avoiding his eyes and tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Sorry for crying on you. And thank you for being patient with me."

"Hey, look at me." He put his fingers underneath her chin, tilting it up and his eyes flitting back and forth between hers before smiling, "Don't be ashamed of what you feel. It's okay to cry. Don't beat yourself up about it." He assured her and she smiled back before clearing her throat and gesturing towards her work.

"I should probably finish that or Toto won't be happy." She chuckled and he nodded, smiling as he stepped back.

"I'll leave you to it, then."

--

After that, they started talking even more. He asked her if she was okay more. She brought him coffee sometimes, the way he liked it, the secret of which she had wheedled out of Angela. The woman had smiled knowingly and gave it up willingly with a wink.

They made eye contact sometimes, her and Lewis, and somehow they couldn't help but holding it a bit too long. It always left her blushing and him smiling.

He put his hand on her shoulder sometimes as they had a conversation. He even tried to make her laugh with stupid jokes, which weren't even all that funny but made her laugh out loud anyways.

They had even exchanged numbers, her smiling and blushing as she saved her number into his phone.

The first time he called her, he had the excuse of needing her opinion on a strategy, but they ended up talking for hours. That had been the first time they talked on the phone but certainly not the last. As the season progressed, they developed inside jokes that left some of the other guys in the garage confused.

At one point he had even invited her to stay in Monaco between two races, saying he would book a hotel room for her and everything. She had agreed but insisted on paying for it herself. Those few days had been such fun. She had joined him on a morning run only once because even his company wasn't worth getting up at 6 o'clock in the morning on days when she didn't have to work. He had laughed and teased her as she struggled to keep up and she stuck out her tongue and insisted that he was cheating.

They met up in coffee shops and restaurants and ended up leaving when the owners were going to close, getting too lost in their conversations to pay attention to the time. He walked her to her hotel every time and despite hoping that he'd join her upstairs, he always respectfully left after he dropped her off with a hug.

Even when he had stuff to do for the team, such as online meetings with sponsors, and she was left alone for a few hours, he kept on texting her, saying the meetings were too boring and he'd rather spend time with her.

It was when she went back home and they picked up their late night phone conversations again that it happened. They'd been talking for two hours now, and Lewis really needed some sleep because of the plane he'd be catching in the morning to the next track, so they were closing the conversation when he said it.

"Anyways, I really need to go now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow. Give Roscoe a big hug for me!" She said, smiling to herself when he chuckled.

"I will. Have a good night! Love you!"

"Love you t- "

They both froze on either end of the phone as they registered what they'd unconsciously said. Y/N sat up in her bed in shock. Did he just? He loved her?

She wasn't going to lie, she had been catching feelings for him. Very quickly. How could she not? He was incredibly thoughtful of her feelings and those days that she spent in Monaco with him had been absolutely amazing.

Sometimes, it seemed like only yesterday when they'd been bickering about anything and everything but when she thought about it, that had been months ago. How had time passed so quickly?

And the fact that he might reciprocate her feelings… it made her feel so warm inside. The biggest smile ever crossed her face, despite the awkward silence on the phone. She heard him breathing still though so he definitely hadn't hung up.

"Lewis? You love me?" She tentatively said, almost afraid that he'd deny it. Maybe it had been a mistake, just a reflex or something. Maybe he didn't mean it.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" He chuckled ruefully and her heart stopped again. He just admitted it! She couldn't believe it. He really did have feelings for her. He loved her.

"Yeah… I love you too though," She admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck and blushing. She was glad that he couldn't see her right now because she was sure that she was bright red.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'll come looking for you after I arrive." She continued hopefully when it remained silent on the other side of the line.

"Yeah, of course. I'll see you tomorrow." He answered and she smiled and bid him goodnight before hanging up the phone. It was hours before she fell asleep, too excited of what tomorrow would bring.

--

She arrived at the track early in the morning, slightly apprehensive of what was to come. She'd been excited up until she realised that she'd have to tell him face to face what she felt, and she still feared that he might change his mind. Yes, he had admitted it on the phone the previous night but talking on the phone was always different than talking to someone face to face.

She hoped that they wouldn't lose their friendship despite having admitted their feelings. She also hoped that it wouldn't hinder them during their work because she knew that, despite Toto liking her, if he had to fire someone because of this, her job was definitely the one on the line. Taking a deep breath, she tried to assure herself that everything would be all right.

Stepping into the Mercedes hospitality motorhome, she steeled her nerves as she went upstairs. She knew it was a while still before anyone would need Lewis. Meetings normally started later in the day, so they still had a bit of time.

Standing in front of his driver's room, she gently knocked on the door. There was some shuffling inside before Angela opened the door.

"Hey, Y/N. Just give me a second and I'll leave you two alone." She smiled, leaving the door open as she collected her bags. Glancing inside, she saw Lewis sitting on the couch and she blushed as she made eye contact with him. Angela's words registered in her mind, and she realised Lewis must have told her what had happened. Not that she minded because she knew Lewis and Angela were close and he appreciated her opinion.

"Hey," she greeted him, stepping aside after Angela left. Closing the door behind her, she awkwardly fidgeted with her hands for a few seconds before crossing the room and sitting next to Lewis on the couch.

She turned towards him and smiled when she saw that he was already looking at her. They opened their mouths to talk at the same time and they both laughed at it. It broke the tense atmosphere and instantly made her more comfortable.

"You go first." She insisted and he nodded, taking a deep breath before he started talking.

"I just want you to know that I did mean what I said last night. I realise that this may ruin our friendship, or this may jeopardise your job, but I don't regret saying it, even if it was an accident." He said and her chest felt warm because of his words. Before she could say anything, he continued, "The truth is, I've been feeling this way for a while now. And I-"

"Me too." She interrupted him gently and his eyes widened a bit before he said, "You too what exactly?"

"All of it. To be honest, Lewis, I'd like to think that we're professional enough to handle this. And I'd like to try exploring where this can go. If you're up for that."

He smiled in relief and nodded, making her laugh giddily. It just felt… almost surreal. When he kept sitting over there, though, with all that distance between them, she couldn't help herself from saying.

"You can kiss me, you know. If you wanted to."

And he suddenly moved forwards to press his lips against hers. Closing their eyes, they got lost in the feel of the kiss for a moment. Her hand came up to cradle his cheek and his hand pressed against her back, pulling her closer to him.

Leaning backwards again for some air, she smiled up at him and quickly kissed his lips again before engulfing him in a tight hug. Yeah, they'd be okay.

[bananacreamphi]

Building off the Zisu centric fanfic idea I posted the other day, I feel like the second half of the story would be focused on healing, physically, mentally and socially.

After her whole breakdown comes to a head Zisu would be left with nothing—she’s lost her job, her hand, and her reputation. Meiji Japan was not very kind to disabled people and in Hisui it would probably be doubly so since it’s really tough out there plus the village was willing to throw a child out to the wilderness if they didn’t pull their weight. And Zisu would damn well know it. I think Cyllene and Pesselle would be the real MVPs in this part since they’d probably be the only people left to support Zisu after she burned pretty much all her bridges with the security corps (and Ingo and the protag and the professor’s assistant probably). Kamado would probably have to be convinced, but I had an idea where just before Zisu really gets ill she tears him a new one about how he ungratefully threw out the protag after all they’d done and nearly caused countless deaths, just like the person she’d gotten into had said to her. So he’d eventually relent and not kick her out per se, but since Zisu clearly is unwell he would refuse to reinstate her as head of the security corps.

I could see Zisu being forced to leave the village but still be supported by the galaxy team, just moving to another settlement (like the future location of sunnyshore city) to uphold the town’s reputation, but I feel like that would be too cruel. Maybe she would focus on training pokemon full time, at least temporarily, and they would help her recover emotionally. She clearly has a deep bond with them, since she has a Hisuian Zoroark which are notoriously wary of humans and a lopunny which only evolves via friendship where Buneary’s friendship level starts at zero. At the same time she would have to do some serious introspection as to why the fuck she reacted so badly to some rightful (albeit probably very badly worded) criticism. Cue more flashbacks to how when she was a child she had to survive a really shitty life while trying to keep a smile on her face, possibly with crappy/no parents, war, famine, etc.

Then of course there’s the matter of Zisu rebuilding her relationships. She would have a lot of apologizing to do. Professor Laventon, if he had even been upset at all, would probably forgive her instantly. The prof’s assistant would require more convincing since both versions seem a little more wary and less of a cinnamon roll. Then there’s the person she had the initial argument with. Assuming it was the protagonist, then they would probably be burned by the adults in Jubilife in general rather than specifically at her, and just happened to lash out at her. But Zisu, having pulled her head out of her ass and remembered how much it resonated with her own past, would agree that she should have stood up to Kamado back then and would swear to do better. And then they would hug her and apologize too and start crying (a little).

On the other hand, if it was Ingo she had an argument with, things would be a lot more personal. Since he presumably knew Zisu before the protagonist showed up and watched them get thrown out despite doing nothing wrong, he would probably be incredibly betrayed and lose trust in her. He would be keenly aware of his status as an outsider and if someone who saved the nobles from suffering got kicked out under threat of imprisonment, who’s to say he wouldn’t be too? Plus he has direct ties to the Pearl clan, so if there was a war then the galaxy team would be killing his fellow clan members. All that combined could leave him deeply resentful, and so his anger would be targeted specifically at Zisu because he considered her a friend. Afterwards he would stomp off and decide to stay away from the village until he calmed down, only to find out the whole Everything that happened and wind up distraught, blaming himself for causing the whole thing. They’d both have a lot of explaining to do,and would also both probably cry.

In the case where Ingo didn’t start the argument, then Zisu would be entirely at fault. Ingo just expressed concern for her and she flipped her entire shit at him for literally no good reason, spooking him, probably making him cry (a little, secretly), and potentially threatening relations with the Pearl clan. Kamado would rightfully be pissed off at her for that and it would also factor into her losing her job. Again Zisu would need serious backup not to get thrown out. She’d probably do a full on dogeza apology for him, and idk maybe even some sort of diplomatic gift, which would make things kinda awkward. Ingo would definitely forgive her, knowing she was in a bad place emotionally and didn’t mean it even if it was upsetting at the time. He’d vouch for her. And yay!!! They can spend more time battling now!!! Making the best out of a shitty situation.