#so obviously there has to be some romance

[miyadollie]

R/CRUSHES : HOW DO I TALK TO MY OFFICE CRUSH ? sillyguy0813 says : dude just borrow a stapler

★ STARRING office worker lee jeno x fem reader ( ft. best friend jaemin ) ★ WORD COUNT 2.6k + 3OO bonus ★ CONTAINS co-workers to dating, fluff !! lee jeno being a cutie, jaemin is a menace to society, workplace romance, ★ MIYA SAYS 💗 this is my first time TRYING to write a long fic :3 pls give me any constructive criticism and feedback thank uu 🧘🏼‍♀️ . update : wow i absolutely dislike my writing here but its been rotting in drafts too long and i gave up on fixing this TT

it starts with a stapler.

one you’re not even sure belongs to you. maybe you bought it once during a sale, or someone left it at your desk during a particularly chaotic week, and it stayed. quietly claimed as yours.

the moment wasn't love at first sight, no grand declaration of love with bouquets or fireworks. just a quiet tuesday morning, your inbox overflowing, the boss increasing your headache by preponing your deadlines, the coffee machine on its last breath and the fluorescent lights above flickering slightly like they, too, were tired of this job. and then there’s him.

lee jeno. clean-cut. soft-spoken. the kind of guy who always says “excuse me” when passing behind you, even when there’s plenty of space. always dressed a little too well for your casual office. not flashy—never that—but tidy, crisp. thoughtful. one cubicle down, diagonal from yours. he’s been here a while. a familiar face in the sea of semi-familiar ones. you’ve never really talked but only ever exchanged the kind of polite nods reserved for coworkers who share nothing but recycled air and a breakroom.

until today. “could you pass the stapler?” you look up, startled slightly by the voice.

he’s leaning just slightly over the low partition separating your desks, eyes trained on the corner of your workspace where your lonely black stapler sits. he gives you a smile. not flashy. not flirtatious. just—nice. warm. gentle. you blink once. then reach for it. “thanks,” he says. you nod. he returns to his screen. that’s it. except… it isn’t. because the next day, he borrows a pen. the day after that, post-its. then tape. then scissors. always returning everything. always smiling. always saying thank you like he means it. and now you’re wondering. is this flirting? some kind of extremely office-safe, hr-friendly version of it? or are you just painfully, embarrassingly overthinking it? or maybe did you have an unspoken crush on him? not that you can be blamed. - lee jeno is attractive. undeniably so. you’ve seen him once—just once—rolling up the sleeves of his white button-down in the middle of summer, and you swear you forgot how to form a coherent sentence for ten straight minutes. defined forearms. slim but strong hands. that razor-sharp jawline, often tilted thoughtfully while reading something on his screen. dark lashes. deep voice. a gym guy, apparently—you overheard it once when he mentioned it to jaemin (you weren’t eavesdropping, you just… have really good ears). you haven’t initiated anything. neither has he. but those tiny moments? the ones that make your heart skip? they’re adding up

────

FRIDAY | 4:30 PM

“soo… still down to try that new restaurant?” jaemin asks one afternoon, casually leaning on your desk during lunch with a fresh iced americano in hand—probably his fifth for the day. “obviously,” you reply, eyes lighting up. “people have been absolutely glazing it online. thanks for getting us a table!” he grins. “see you at 9 then.” just as he turns, he spins back around like a cartoon character. “oh, also—jeno’s coming. hope that’s cool?” you freeze. your face says i’m fine, but your body language screams mayday. “y-yeah. sure. totally chill,” you manage. “coolcoolcoolcool,” you say, immediately turning your head towards your computer, and then you see your reflection on the blank empty screen. you were blushing. hard. jaemin smirks knowingly as he walks off. of course he knows. he always knows. after all, he’s the mastermind who told jeno to borrow your stapler in the first place. ────

8:55 PM

the restaurant is low-lit and warm, the kind of place where the wood-paneled walls muffle outside noise, and everything feels just a little more intimate than it should. you arrive five minutes early. out of habit, mostly. or nerves. you’re not sure which. jaemin’s already there, somehow sipping an iced americano even here, scrolling through his phone while pretending not to notice your presence with a dramatic sigh. “i told you 9:00,” he says, without looking up. “it’s 8:55.” “still early.” he glances at you now, then raises an eyebrow. “cute top.” you ignore his antics, he’s just trying to get a reaction out of you. typical jaemin. your heart is already thudding too loudly, because jeno walks in right after. black shirt, sleeves rolled up. clean slacks. a bit of cologne, subtle but warm. his hair’s tousled slightly, and his eyes light up just a little when they land on you. “hey,” he says, with that soft smile. you don’t trust yourself to speak, so you just smile back, scooting over so he can sit across from you. the conversation is light, easy. mostly thanks to jaemin, who fills every awkward silence with a joke, a story, an embarrassing anecdote about your office. jaemin and jeno were friends in school, you get to know that night, they were benchmates. jaemin always chose jeno as his partner for every game, every lab, and jeno just liked his company, so he stood with him always. jaemin talks about you to jeno too—how you both were first day interns and hit it off over a conversation about which seventeen album is truly the best. but every now and then, you catch jeno looking at you. not staring. not even for long. just—looking. like he’s seeing something he's trying very hard not to see too obviously. “so,” jaemin says mid-way through dessert, smirking at you over his spoon, “funny how you two never end up talking at work.” you nearly choke. jeno shifts in his seat. “like, what’s with all the stapler borrowing, huh? no small talk?” you glare at him. he grins. “i’m just saying. feels like there’s some unspoken office tension.” jeno lets out a quiet laugh. and then, after a beat—he looks at you. “i guess i just… wanted a reason to talk,” he says, voice soft. and your breath catches. your heart is thudding again. you manage a smile, small and shy. trying not to mess up words or blabber out something nonsensical. “i noticed,” you reply. the space between you feels full, suddenly. full of every little interaction. every thank-you. every passing smile. jaemin stretches obnoxiously. “well, look at the time! i’ve got a meeting with my bed in ten.” you roll your eyes. “you’re so obvious.” he shrugs. “you’re welcome.” and just like that, he’s gone with the wind. leaving you and jeno, two half-finished desserts, and a quiet restaurant glowing gold in the late-night hush. “i can walk you home,” he says, gently. not pushing. just offering. and something in you says yes. to the walk. to this night. to the maybe that’s been building between you both. ────

10:45 PM

the night is cool, with a breeze just strong enough to lift the corners of your coat and make you tuck your hands into your sleeves. the restaurant’s warm glow fades behind you, replaced by the hush of quiet streets and dimly lit sidewalks. jeno walks beside you, hands in his pockets, his steps matching yours. neither of you says anything at first. the silence isn’t awkward. it’s... full. full of unspoken things. of nerves and glances and the way your arms brush every few seconds and both of you pretend not to notice. “jaemin talks too much,” jeno says eventually, voice low. you laugh softly. “it’s his specialty.” he hums in agreement, then adds, “he wasn’t wrong, though.” you glance at him, catching the way his eyes flicker to yours and then away again, like he’s testing the water, like he’s afraid of saying too much too fast. “i... didn’t really need the stapler that day.” your breath catches. “oh,” you manage, and you’re smiling now. you can’t help it. “i just... i guess i liked the idea of you looking at me. talking to me.” he pauses. “even if it was just a stapler.” you stop walking, just for a moment. jeno turns, realizing you’re no longer beside him. there’s a streetlight above him, casting shadows across his face and soft highlights in his hair. “you could’ve just said hi,” you whisper. he steps closer. barely. but enough to make the air between you buzz. “i know,” he murmurs. “i wanted to. every day. but you always looked so focused. and i didn’t want to ruin that.” your heart is a mess of drumbeats and warmth. “you wouldn’t have.” silence again. then he says, barely audible, “could i maybe get your number... just for office related stuff, of course.” you nod, because your voice has already betrayed you too many times tonight. a soft smile tugs at his lips. the quiet kind. the kind you know he saves for only a few people. he walks you all the way to your apartment. and when he says goodbye, it’s not a hug. not a kiss. just a quiet “goodnight” and a look that lingers longer than it should. but your heart knows. it knows everything. ────

SATURDAY | 9:00 AM

the next day, the office is just waking up. it always feels colder in the morning—half because of the ac blasting too early, half because everyone’s too busy chasing caffeine to talk. desks are still half-empty. monitors glow. the printer sputters. someone sneezes. a mug clinks. you step in, trying to hide the stupid smile that’s been stuck to your face since last night. your coat is too warm for indoors but your hands are cold, so you hold your coffee tighter. and then you see it. your desk. something’s different. sitting neatly on top of your keyboard is a brand-new stapler. blue, shiny, absolutely unnecessary. you freeze. right beside it, a yellow post-it. his handwriting. neat. almost too neat. “thought you could use one that wasn’t cursed.     —jeno :)” you almost laugh. it’s such a him thing to do—dry humor disguised as helpfulness. but your heart? it’s fluttering like it’s stuck in a romcom scene, an angelic choir singing along in tandem. you reach out and pick up the stapler.you didn’t even need one nor were you going to use one. but you want to keep this one forever. cherish it. maybe even pass it on as an heirloom.

just then, you hear someone clear their throat. “new office romance i should know about?” you don’t even need to turn around. jaemin. of course. loud, nosy, iced-americano jaemin. “shut up,” you say instantly, trying to sound bored. your cheeks are already heating up. but he walks past you, grinning like the devil, a bounce in his step like he’s in on the joke you’re still figuring out. and then—your gaze drifts. to the cubicle across. there he is. jeno. typing. or pretending to. his posture is the same—back straight, eyes on the screen—but his fingers are still on the home row keys, just gliding about. and when he feels your eyes, he glances up. It's brief, barely a second. but he smiles. like last night wasn’t just dinner. like it meant something.

a few hours later, a message pops up.

jeno lee “did the new one pass inspection?”

you “it’s still under review by the council. but i think they approve ;)”

jeno lee “let me know if it jams. i’ll personally fix it.”

you smile. a full smile this time. the kind that makes you reach for your coffee, lean back in your chair, and breathe in like something in your world has shifted.

jeno 💗 “what’s your go-to coffee order?”

you “anything except that poison jaemin drinks every day. ‘i like my coffee as dark as my soul’ ahh guy.”

jeno 💗 “haha.” “noted.”

the next morning there’s a cup of coffee on your desk, with yet another post-it note. “it’s the new specialty at a cafe near my place. i thought you’d like it :)”

that was truly the best coffee you had ever tasted. and maybe he started getting it for you every day. ────

WEDNESDAY | 9:00 PM

it's another day at the office. rain taps gently on the windows, a soft drumbeat to the silence of overworked employees and abandoned coffee mugs. you’re still at your desk & so is he. the fluorescent lights overhead are dimmer than usual, humming low like they’re tired too. you stretch your back, glancing at the clock. 9:04 pm. “still here?” comes his voice. you look up to see jeno leaning on the edge of his cubicle wall, sleeves rolled up, tie a little loosened. “so are you,” you shoot back. he smiles. “want company for the walk back?” you nod before your brain catches up.

the streetlights blur against the wet pavement, reflecting like oil paint smudged across the road. jeno’s shoulder brushes yours every few seconds—neither of you move away. he talks about the weird way jaemin eats ramen. you laugh. you tell him about your favorite childhood cartoon. he says he watched it too, and suddenly it’s three blocks later and you’re still talking. at a red light, you both stop. he glances down at you. you glance up. it’s a pause so charged you swear the rain quiets. “...you looked really pretty today,” he says suddenly. his voice isn’t confident or smooth—he says it like a secret. you don’t respond right away. just tuck your hair behind your ear, your face heating. he notices. the light turns green and you simply walk on. on reaching your apartment building you stop at the steps. he’s still holding the umbrella. you don’t say anything. he doesn’t either. there’s that moment again—that pause like the world might tilt if either of you moves. “i’m really glad you came to dinner that night,” he finally says, voice quieter than before. “been wanting to talk to you properly for months.” you blink. “...really?” jeno chuckles. “you had the office’s only decent stapler. of course i had to make a move.” you laugh—nervous and shy and full of everything you’ve been holding back. he takes a step closer. just one. not too much. “but also,” he adds, and this time his voice is a little more sure, “i like you. not just the lunch break, passing-notes kind. the kind where i want to sit and mindlessly watch silly romcoms with you, the kind where i want to walk you home every day and make sure you had dinner. the kind where - " he goes on. but words fall on deaf ears. you feel your heart clench, sweet and sharp. you’re about to respond when— “...so, if you’re okay with it,” he continues, scratching the back of his neck, “can i officially take you out sometime? like, not just coffee machine and post-it flirting. a real date.” you blink. once. twice. your face is warm. your chest feels like it’s glowing. “...yes.” you don’t even hesitate. his smile is soft. wide. genuine. and when he hands you the umbrella and waves goodnight, walking back with his hands in his pockets and a quiet bounce in his step. you think, maybe this started with a stapler. but it’s gonna end with something a lot more permanent. ──── BONUS : FEW WEEKS LATER | 2:00 PM

you, jeno, and jaemin were perched on the edge of the rooftop, paper lunchboxes balanced on your laps, chinese takeout - courtesy of jeno. the breeze is nice, the sky a little overcast, and jaemin's halfway through an enthusiastic rant about the company’s new vending machine layout.

“and like .. why did they move the green tea to the bottom row? what kind of criminal.. oh, thanks man.” he says as jeno hands him a napkin mid-rant, like muscle memory.

you say while giggling, “you guys are like an old married couple.”

jeno chokes on his rice. you pat his back helpfullly , still giggling.

jaemin just shrugs. “what can i say? i raised him well.”

jeno glares at him. mouthing ' stop. talking.' he knew jaemin could slip up any moment. for he always did.

jaemin does not stop talking.

“i mean, not to brag, but if it weren’t for me, he’d still be hovering awkwardly near your desk pretending he needed your stapler.”

you blink. “wait. what?”

jeno drops his chopsticks.

jaemin freezes. realizes.

“oh..." he mutters.

your jaw drops. “waitwaitwait. you told him to borrow my stapler?”

“in my defense,” jaemin says, holding up both hands, “i was just trying to save him from dying of heart failure every time you walked past. it was either that or fake a paper jam crisis.”

jeno is silent. fully hiding behind his lunchbox now.

you slowly turn to him. “is this true?”

“…maybe,” he mumbles.

you snort, trying to hold in your laughter. “oh my god. so all this time..”

“don’t act like it wasn’t genius!” jaemin interrupts. “you’re welcome, by the way. this whole slow-burn coffee shop romcom office love story? all me.”

jeno groans. “can i push him off the roof.”

you lean into jeno’s shoulder, grinning. “you should’ve just said hi.”

he sighs. “i wanted to. but every time i tried, you were always typing so fast. and glaring at your screen like it personally insulted your ancestors.”

you snort. “fair.”

jaemin raises his water bottle. “to true love, born from borrowing office supplies.”

jeno snatches it from him and takes a sip without asking. you think that’s revenge enough. read more ❤︎ please like, reblog and let me know your reviews (๑>◡<๑) this work is a piece of fiction and is not intended to reflect the real personalities, actions, or beliefs of the individuals portrayed. the idols mentioned are used purely as fictional characters for storytelling purposes. no harm, disrespect, or objectification is intended. everything written here is entirely imaginative and not based on real-life events or relationships.

[jellinuy]

boyfriend! senku ishigami. please walk with me.

he’s obviously no big fan of pda and would probably rather jump out a window than agree to a make-out session, even in private, but i’d like to think he’s okay with a gentle peck every now and then when he’s working. ^^

i see him as more of a hand-holder than a hugger. he seems like the type to be embarrassed at first and then just sort of melt into it.

it’s great to see him ramble like he’s a kid again, whether about space or rocket science or anything else under the sun.

senku’s more of a shower than a teller i think. the type to buy you your favorite snacks over waxing poetic, or remind you to drink water.

to be so honest he’d be frustrating a lot of the time because romance isn’t something he’s good at. compliments would be very roundabout with senku, but i like the idea, however, of him wanting to learn and be better at it.

he pays attention, which is something i really like about him. he’s not one of those completely emotionless, tunnel-visioned characters: he’s passionate about science, but he also has feelings!!!! so i like to think he would take some pleasure in hand-crafting gifts than just buying something, because it gives him a chance to show off his science prowess and remind you that he cares yk?

he’s really awkward when it comes to love, so he breaks you down into scientific variables and complex terms, all just a cover for the fact that he has a little crush. ^^

he’s subtle, but not neglectful. tbh you would probably take a backseat to science a lot of the time, but he still does little things to remind you that you’re not just taking up space.

[husbandjoel]

male bird courting | tlou jesse

3 times jesse embarrassed himself acting tough +1 time it worked

pairing: au beefcake!jesse x sunshine fem!oc — oc has no name, just referred to as ‘pretty girl’. more of jesse’s POV!

word count: 4.7k

warnings: mentions of violence, blood, death and sexual themes (no smut), romance, kissing and jesse being somewhat of a meathead. this is meant to be silly and cliche!

a/n: this will have inaccuracies of characters everywhere bc this is purely self indulgent. also the horde that happened on the show has been changed bc i said so. CALL IT AN AU IF YOU WILL. I have an oc locked IN but obvs imagine whomever as there’s minimal description! this idea came to me from the one scene of jesse in his slutty black t-shirt hammering away. mhm.

gif credit @pedgito

The first time was when Tommy Miller brought her to the stables whilst Jesse and Ellie were tossing hay bales for the stables.

"This is where our livestock are kept. The Jackson community — established and taken in by Maria and her father — helped build this from the ground up." His gravelled voice travelled far enough for Ellie Williams and her friend, Jesse, to halt their hauling of hay bales.

"Who is that?" Jesse asked as he watched the backs of Tommy and the new stranger tour around the stables, hands patting a few of the horses hoofing at the dried mud for some treats.

Ellie shrugged, "Haven't seen her before."

As the pair disappeared round the corner, Jesse caught a glimpse of her side profile, dimple so apparent as her eyes crinkled whilst speaking with the younger Miller brother. He didn't need an up close inspection to deduce that whoever Tommy was touring around the Commune; she was an outstanding level of beautiful.

Ellie swatted him to get back to her least favourable task, hoping Jesse would take the brunt of it so they could finish early and head back so she could stop by Dina's to smoke.

As they resumed, talking amongst themselves in between grunts of throwing the heavy stacks of hay, Tommy and the new resident rounded the stables and made a direct bee-line to where they were finishing up.

"Jesse, Ellie." Tommy called, "I want you to meet our new resident of Jackson." He gestured toward her, both of them halting their competitive hauling of the last of the bales. Tommy smiled, "I was jus' giving her a tour of the Commune before setting her up. This is Ellie Williams, she came here with my brother Joel, that you jus' met back there."

She nodded to confirmation before smiling and reaching a hand out to Ellie to shake as she announced her name. It took Ellie by surprise, nobody of their age really shook hands as a formal introduction. Also, most physical contact was limited since the Outbreak; people were suspicious of transmittable viruses.

"And this is, Jesse, uh—Jesse." Tommy internally cringed, not knowing the younger male's surname.

"Jesse Jesse, huh?" She teased as she went to shake Jesse's hand, "I won't forget that."

Jesse made quick work to rub off the majority of the clammy sweat on the palm of his hands, "Aha—" I won't forget you, he thought to himself, "—You just arrive here?"

"Just last night." She didn't go into further detail as she stepped back in line with Tommy Miller, her confidence shrouded by whatever history she had beyond the walls of the Jackson Commune.

Jesse nodded with a little more vigour than expected, flicking his hair from his eyes as he wanted to encourage her to speak more for his own self indulgence. Her voice was honey-coated, her tone dripping with an essence that enticed him in a Siren-like way. He was already stuck.

      As Tommy, Ellie and the new girl continued the conversation, Jesse blinked a couple of times as he stared so obviously at her. The Spring Sun beaming on her skin, although, he thought, the glow was radiating from within her. Her doe-eyes scrunching as Ellie made a crude joke, that dimple he had noticed in full effect making him almost whimper like a kicked dog.

        She spared him a glance with a friendly smile, and he felt himself turn to goo, a lopsided smile showing on his face.

        Get it together, Jesse.

        He straightened up, his chest puffing outward, arms crossing over his torso as he made an effort to pronounce his biceps. The cuffs of his black t-shirt straining against his muscles. Immediately, he rid of the grin on his face, tightening his jaw and pulling his brows into a sultry furrow. Eyes narrowed, although the sun was beating on his back — minor details, really.

        Suddenly, Jesse was attempting to make himself three times bigger than he was, nodding along to Ellie who spared a second glance at him; her brows furrowing for a separate reason to his.

"Well, hate to cut this short—" Tommy cut in as Ellie mouthed a 'What the fuck are you doing?' to Jesse. The Miller male clapped his hands together, "—I gotta show her where she will be stayin'."

        "It was nice meeting you both." She was genuine in her statement, both Ellie and Jesse catching the subtle lisp in her speech.

Jesse remained stoic and, well, large as he nodded, his lips pressed outward to give off a pout — it was then Tommy's turn to side-eye the guy.

"Likewise. If you like the horses, I can show you more of them. Maybe, even ride me—" The incidental sentence was out before his brain could compute to filter it. Eyes going wide, Jesse felt mortified as all sets of eyes stared at him, exasperated by what his sentence insinuated so soon after meeting the new resident. Knuckles going white as he dug his fingernails into the palm of his hands, Jesse huffed out a nervous laugh, "I meant, I meant ride them with me."

He had fumbled. He knew it.

It was only when a small, knowing smile crossed her face that Jesse let out a breath he had been holding. His broad shoulders deflating as the heat of embarrassment reached the top of his ears. He couldn't recall being this fucking sloppy with his game when he first met Dina. Even then, he had just met this girl, there was no immediate intention of scoring her in bed.

"Alrigh. . ." Brows furrowing for a moment, Tommy let a chuckle escape his lips as he watched Ellie press her lips into a thin line to prevent any laughter escaping. "Well, we'll be goin'. Thanks for y'all's help with livestock — Ellie, Joel was askin' for ya to swing by for some food later tonight." He tipped his head as a goodbye and guided the new girl away from the stables.

As they left, Ellie scoffed the request from Joel, soon ridding her thought of it as she turned to Jesse.

"What?" Jesse didn't want to know what. Actually, he wanted his question to be rhetorical.

"You were like a fucking male bird." Ellie stated making Jesse raise his brows. She dropped the string that held the hay bale together before hunching her shoulders, emphasising her arms as she mocked his pout, "Save a horse, ride me! All you needed was a couple of bright feathers sticking out of your ass." She laughed.

Jesse stared at her blankly as she mocked him further.

"Shut up and get the last of this bale on the trailer, so I can go get a drink." He picked up the penultimate bale with ease, cursing himself for how he acted as he watched her frame becoming smaller in the distance side by side with Tommy Miller.

Ellie, in fact, did not shut up that night.

The second time was a handful of weeks into Spring later. He had been watching Ellie spar with another Patrol member in the barn, offering her insight in how to retaliate in an appropriate manner towards her sparring mate. Back leant against a wooden pillar, and arms crossed as his eyes watched for any faults as they resumed their sparring, the door to the barn slid open; earning a turn of his head in interest.

He would've chastised whoever it was, if it weren't the leader of their Community and the whole reason they could spar so openly and loudly without the infected blitzing through.

Maria Miller watched as Ellie and the male continued their fight, Ellie happily pinning her component down with his arm twisted behind his back. Next to her stood the whole reason why Dina and Ellie nicknamed Jesse "Captain Male Bird" for a week after his incident upon meeting the pretty girl.

Immediately, Jesse pushed himself off of the pillar and walked toward them with a big grin on his features. He had seen her in passing a couple of times after their first introduction, most of the time he had been solely focussed on leading Patrol as she passed in the street with a wheelbarrow, or a horse on rope.

"Hey, Maria." Jesse spoke, acknowledging pretty girl also. He could feel it coming before he could prevent it from happening. As Maria greeted him, he crossed his arms across his chest, hands beneath his biceps to push the meat of his muscles out. Chin slightly tucked as he clenched his jaw, his eyes darting to the female who was staring past him at the pair fighting.

OK, he almost felt offended. But, then she looked back to him and offered another one of her smiles — dimple present — and he forgave her. No questions asked.

"Ellie is coming along in her sparring." Maria complimented, "Jesse, you'll now have this one in Patrol starting two weeks from today. She will be under your watch so I need you to put things in place for her to be prepared for Patrol in fourteen days."

Jesse didn't miss a beat, "Of course." He looked in her god damn pretty eyes, his tongue going fat, "You'll be under me—I mean, under my watch. I'll look after her, Maria."

The heat of embarrassment scorched in the tips of his ears, but neither women paid mind to his minor slip up as Maria bid farewell; leaving them to stand together. Partially alone for the first time.

Think of something. Anything! Jesse clambered at ideas to talk about, being mindful not to present a topic where he would trip over his tongue the minute she looked him directly in the eyes and entranced him with her tone. Speak about the fucking wheelbarrow, how good she looked wheeling it away — no. Scratch that.

"Is this part of training?" She asked before Jesse could finalise a topic to talk about with her.

Thankful, Jesse hummed, "Yeah. Sort of. A slim chance, but if you come toe-to-toe with a Raider, it's best to have some quality fighting skills under your belt. We try not to play dirty together, but it doesn't matter out on the field."

"A raider is a raider, right?"

"Right." Jesse affirmed, "You won't have to worry about all that though."

She looked up at him, "How so?"

"Well—You'll be with me."

"Oh, they go running when they see you?" She teased and Jesse let a smile slip past his brooding facade. She hummed, rolling onto the heels of her feet, "Can I try?"

"Ellie and Karl are done." Jesse watched the pair shake hands, wiping their noses of blood, Ellie quick to throw a wave to the girl standing next to him.

As Ellie approached, pretty girl quipped, "I could spar with you?"

Jesse and Ellie shared a laugh and the girl questioned their humour. She was smaller in frame compared to Jesse, in height and weight. Presumably, he had years of experience on her head even when they were similar in age. It would be out of the question, a record breaking fight that lasted a second.

There was a shine of disappointment in her face and, well, Jesse didn't like that he caused the wrinkle between her brows.

"OK. One round." Ellie gawped at Jesse as he casually put his hands on the pretty girl's shoulders, guiding her to the middle of the barn. He craned his neck to look back at Ellie, who began shamelessly flapping around like a bird. His middle finger went up.

Pretty girl turned around as they reached the middle of the barn, her eyes shifting to the horses pulling at the Play & Hay ball she had tied up for them in their pens that morning. Jesse watched as her face filled with glee, excited they were playing with them after she begged a few of the farmers to let her use them.

How could he possibly fight her?

Regardless, this was a chance to impress her. Gently. He didn't want to break any bones in her body, but he wanted to reaffirm that he could protect her against Raiders with his fighting skills.

"OK." He started, feet parting as he took his stance, "We'll take it slow, I'll go easy for you. Assess my movements and counteract them, if you can."

"Got it." She straightened up, her arms swinging back and forth to warm herself up for their spar. Ellie gave her a thumbs up from behind Jesse and she gave a playful wink.

Jesse wasn't jealous of that. No. But, he wouldn't let it slide as he took the opportunity of her distraction to advance toward her, he wouldn't be aggressive but he would prove a point that distraction could result in fatality on Patrol. No matter if he found her attractive or not.

As his stronger arm came out to grab her, Jesse's vision of the barn went from upright, to upside down, to finally staring up at the wooden slacks of the roof as the wind got knocked out of him; the dust between the hay unsettled and puffed into the air from the sheer force of his body landing in it.

He let out an 'oof' on impact, attempting to lift his head, before he saw a fist strike down like thunder. The sheer force knocking his head back into the concrete beneath the hay and his vision knocked black as he laid unconscious.

When he woke, he could hear the commotion around him, his eyes still bleary as he groaned out.

"Oh my god!" Her voice filtered through and Jesse furrowed his brows, hands coming to his chest, "Oh my god—I'm so sorry, I—I just got a fright, oh my god, Ellie, what do I do?"

Ellie's laughter came in thick, "That was fucking amazing!"

Jesse scrunched his eyes shut, before blinking a few times to get his vision back, two figures knelt above him. He went to sit up, only to feel the severe ache throb at the back of his head, stars shining vividly in his vision allowing him to gently be pushed back down. His head cushioned by a jacket.

"Jesse, I am so sorry." She whined, "Just lay there for a minute. You might have a concussion."

"Go slow and easy, he said." Ellie threw her head back, clutching her stomach as she found hilarity in the situation. She huffed a few breaths as pretty girl tended to the gash on the bridge of Jesse's nose.

Recollection from his short-term memory began, "What the fuck."

"Where did that even come from?" Ellie questioned, sitting on her backside, watching Jesse slowly come to his senses.

"Well. . . Before the outbreak, my dad had me going to self-defence classes the minute I could walk and talk, really." She mumbled an apology as Jesse hissed from the ache in his nose, she looked to Ellie, "I guess, reflexes never really go away."

"Reflexes? You threw a man twice your size over your shoulder! You have got to show me some moves." Ellie pleaded, her cheeks flushed with giddiness.

"Of course. . . Are you OK, Jesse?"

From the floor, Jesse tried to keep a cool composure, finally zoning back into the situation. The concoction of the dull throb from his brain being rattled against his skull and the pure mortification of being knocked unconscious so suddenly after claiming subtle bragging rights to being the winner of the spar even prior to beginning made Jesse link his fingers together, resting on his stomach as he silently processed his defeat.

He pulled an expression of coolness, pretending to shrug off his ego being bruised.

"I'm good." He shrugged.

"I am so sorry, again." Her fingers carefully brushed his hair from his forehead, a playful smile reaching her lips, "I'll go slow and easy next time."

"Help me up."

The third time was almost a sign for Jesse that pretty girl was a bad omen to his usual calm and collected cool nature.

The fourteen day window of training and education on their Patrol logistics had come to an end and Maria was satisfied enough with pretty girl's knowledge and understanding in depth for her to branch out on a Patrol day. She had gone with Jesse to see Maria, fist pumping as she walked out of her office, her hands shaking Jesse's bicep from glee at her green light to patrol.

There was a naivety to her excitement. He could count on one hand how many people were eager to go on patrol missions. Ellie and Joel, and him. The people tending to the other aspects of the Jackson Commune, tended not to stray far from the confides of their sector, understandably warranted, of course.

        Albeit nervous as he felt a great responsibility to keep her safe, Jesse fed into her excitement, praising her for her hard effort; also offering gratitude for lending a helping hand with the sparring.

        Their encounter kept between him, her and Ellie. And, Dina. Not that he knew about that.

        "You’ll attend the brief with the other patrollers before heading out tomorrow." He advised to her.

        "OK. Wow—This is kind of exciting, right?"

        "If you like this kind of stuff, yeah." Jesse shrugged, "You're not nervous?"

        She nodded, "Yeah. Last time I came face to face with an infected, I almost died." She shivered at the memory, "And, I've met some Raiders. They gave me a nasty scar, the width of my shoulder to my belly button. It's pretty ugly."

        "I don't think there could be a correct sentence where you and ugly related." Jesse spoke confidently, without fumbling over his words. They had, had enough time together for Jesse to relatively overcome his bad case of 'fat tongue' around her.

        Especially after the barn incident, pretty girl had whipped up a cake with icing that wrote 'Haven't had any complaints yet.' referring to her running joke asking about how his head was after it being smacked so viciously against concrete. They had shared the cake together, their conversation flowing effortlessly meaning Jesse could feel himself falling harder for her.

        They had spent a good amount of time together over the fourteen days, so, Jesse felt more at ease and less male bird courting female bird poorly.

Pretty girl blinked at his compliment, "Thanks, Jesse." He smiled down at her, finally feeling a win was on his side as he held the door open for her to the Tipsy Bison for a celebratory drink.

        The bar was relatively busy, it was a Friday night and most of the Commune had fulfilled their duties to the community, leaving them some wiggle room of two rest days. Thus meaning, their bellies would be full of whatever alcoholic beverage of their fancy to wash away any wandering thoughts back to times they prayed to forget.

        It was pretty girl's first time there. She wasn't particularly a heavy drinker, but she had her fair share of hangovers throughout the years. There was no initial plan to get that drunk, seeing as her first ever patrol was the next day and, although she was aware of Jesse's state of the obvious soft spot for her, she didn't take advantage of the fact that he would easily take that 'Patrol Privilege' away.

        A few heads turned upon their entry, mostof them turning back to their conversations, aside from Ellie and Dina who were waving at the pair from a corner far into the room. Hadn't it been for their relatively vigorous hand waving, Jesse and pretty girl may have not seen them for how dimly the scene was lit.

        As she averted her gaze elsewhere, Jesse watched on as both Ellie and Dina frantically pointed at his hair, incoherent with their mouthing. Nevertheless, Jesse's confidence fell short as he snatched a spoon from the table adjacent to him, inspecting his appearance through the convex mirror. Nothing out of the ordinary, Jesse shared his expression of lack of patience with the two — now snickering — girls.

        "Find us a seat. I'll grab the first round." He meant all the rounds that she would like, not that she needed to know that. He caught her feet turning in the direction of Ellie and Dina and he was quick to guide her in the opposite direction with one palm to her waist, "Preferably away from those two."

        Heading to the bar, Jesse slipped between two older men finding their sorrows at the bottom their whiskies, waving down the bartender, Seth, to order drinks. Elbow leant, regrettably, against the sticky surface, Jesse turned his attention to where pretty girl had chosen their seats.

        She sat, a polite smile on her face as a man towered above her. Whatever the conversation was, her body language was reading anything but comfortable.

        Immediately abandoning his position at the bar, Jesse bee-lined for her, his chest puffing and jaw clenched for the opposite reason in which he's used to doing so. His large palm came into contact with the other male's arm, firmly turning him on the spot away from pretty girl, and in the direct pathway of Jesse.

        "Hey, buddy. My girlfriend isn't interested." He deepened his voice an octave and pretty girl's eyes went wide, her hand pressing against her forehead as Jesse mean-mugged the stranger.

        "Girlfriend? You didn't tell me you were dating?"

        ". . . Jesse—This is my brother."

+1

        The horde came in with little warning. Fingers splintered as they desperately clawed themselves entry into the Commune, jaws snapping at the hunger for flesh. Bullets ricocheted off the surroundings, some hitting a few stragglers but not enough to keep them at bay as they broke through the barrier that separated the living from the dead. 

        Eager to protect and maintain the quality of their Commune, all hands were on deck, aside from the obvious candidates that didn't fit the role of protectors of Jackson. Guns in hands, the walls and streets were manned as the residents shot from all angles to prevent the horse from advancing within their home.

        It was no easy feat, as all kinds of infected clambered in, taking down people whose guns didn't protect them enough against the onslaught occurring. In amongst the chaos, Jesse was shooting down what he could, his knife unsheathed as he took on some Clickers that were feasting upon defenceless residents that had been knocked over.

        Kicking the deceased Clicker down, making a point to put a bullet through its head as it hit the concrete beneath it, Jesse assessed the situation around him; his breath wavering as he watched the people he had grown close to be mowed down. 

        Their training had prepared them for this. It had been expressed as a rarity, if not, completely out of the question that an infected horde would breach their safe haven in Wyoming and they'd be left to fight for all their livelihoods that was meticulously built for years and years. Regardless of their preparation, the ultimate shock of these creatures making an appearance was a hard pill to swallow. Even for the likes of Jesse.

        Gun lifted, Jesse popped a few Runners, grunting as he reloaded, his ears ringing with the cacophony of wails of the dying members of their community. He could feel the bile scorch in his throat, stepping over dead bodies to get a cleaner shot at the infected.

        Exhaling through his nose, he shot down another Runner, his aim faltering as he spotted pretty girl amongst the moving bodies, the butt of her gun being brought down on an already confirmed dead infected. Her face sprayed with human blood, eyes widened with fear as she stumbled away from the corpses.

        He took a step forward, calling her name out making her snap her head towards where she heard the faint call. Lips parted and chest heaving, she waved casually at him as if they were crossing paths on an ordinary day in the Commune. For a moment, he chuckled at her gesture, waving back before locking back in — bullets flying through the air as he made his way across the street to her.

        Continuously delayed getting to her, the fight continued for longer than anticipated. It seemed there was an endless amount of infected bustling through the broken gates, a Bloater spotted feet above the rest. This had sent a few people reeling, the shooters from above doing their best to take it down to no avail.

        Tommy Miller took that task on the moment he saw the Bloater heading his wife's way.

        Bloater distracted, Jesse lost sight of her, his head snapping in all directions, anticipating the worst. There was a moment of turmoil, before he spotted her further away, helping the injured but not bitten people up by the arms whilst she shot in the opposite direction.

        Amidst the carnage of the bloodbath, pretty girl looked angelic to Jesse, although slick with mud and blood, her gritted teeth bared as she released an unquenchable anger on the infected close by. If they made it out of it alive, Jesse ought to ask her on a proper date. What else has he got to lose?

        Her back turned for a moment, kneeling to help a woman up, and Jesse watched in real time as a Clicker advanced to her defenceless body, her name leaving his mouth in sheer panic before he broke out into a sprint; feet pounding against the ground to get to her.

        The Clicker had managed to catch her off guard when she turned, a scream escaping her throat as it slammed her into the ground, its fungal blossomed head inches away from hers as she fought hard against it.

        She closed her eyes shut tight, a cry replacing the scream as her arms became tired from holding the heavy body away from her. Nobody particularly wanted to die when the time wasn't right, but the odds didn't look to favour her as she grew weaker.

        As her hands slipped, she braced for impact of the infected sinking into the meat of her neck, her breath caught at the back of her throat as she watched Jesse throw the Clicker off of her body, his face thunderous as he took his steel-toe capped boot and brought it down on the Clicker's head. The sheer force of the stomp killed the Clicker, but he didn't stop.

        Boot squelching in the residue of the innards of the Clicker, Jesse cocked his gun and put a bullet through its chest for good measure. He was seething, the muscles in his arms flexing as he continued his battery on the singular — what once was — threat.

        The heels of her hands pressed into the ground to hold her weight, pretty girl watched Jesse with her mouth agape. Her eyes trailing over his body, he could've been a sculpture carved out of marble. She blinked a couple of times, brought back to the present as Jesse turned to her, broad chest heaving as he offered a hand out to help her up.

           As he helped her up, he rattled out, "I thought I told you to watch your back during our training."

        "You told me not to worry." She stammered over her breathlessness, "Because I had you."

        Jesse mulled it over and shook his head, "I did not mean—"

        "—Will you shut up and give me a kiss."

        Jesse didn't even hesitate. Feverishly, he pulled her in by her hand, throwing it over his shoulder as his hands pressed firmly across her back. Lips pressed against each other as their chests met, Jesse smirked into her lips, the idea of her feeling his toned muscles beneath his clothes. Despite his warranted cockiness, if pretty girl concentrated hard enough, she’d be able to feel the immense pounding of his heart. The endless amounts of showing himself off in front of her, resulted in a desperate anticipation to see if she felt an ounce of the same as he did. Even if she didn’t have half of the feelings, Jesse had enough to spare for the both of them.

Her delicate hands slipped from behind his head and onto his pecs, Jesse flexing them as the palms of her bloodied hands pressed against the fabric of his shirt. He was in such a state of euphoria, he couldn’t hear Maria Miller shouting harshly at them from the tops of the walls — pretty girl neither.

She pulled away slightly, their lips still brushed against each other, “I felt like a female bird being courted just now.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He pressed another kiss to her lips as she laughed.

Jesse was going to kill Ellie Williams.

[empyreanevents]

Bodhi Week: May 11th-17th

The long awaited prompts for Bodhi Week! For this week I really tried to balance between Bodhi centered prompts and prompts that left room for romance because let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to explore Bodhi in a relationship? Obviously the prompts are always up to interpretation but I wanted to make them a little more open-ended. Make sure to tag @empyreanevents and use #bodhiweek2025 or use the AO3 collection. Look forward to seeing all of your entries!

Day 1: Right Hand | Bodhi said he is Xaden’s right-fucking-hand. Wherever Xaden goes, Bodhi follows. Explore that.

Day 2: Mirror | It’s mentioned repeatedly that Bodhi looks a lot like Xaden. Mirrors can show your reflection, but also your insecurities. How does it affect Bodhi to be so similar yet so different to Xaden?

Day 3: Signet Countering | What could be the reason Bodhi manifested a signet blocker? Is it as simple as being useful for the revolution or is there a darker explanation?

Day 4: Perfect | Violet said she forgot how perfect Bodhi was…but we didn’t! Highlight Bodhi’s perfections, whether that be as a rider, cousin, or something else.

Day 5: Window | Rebecca has assigned the song I Look In People’s Windows to Bodhi. How do you interpret that?

Day 6: Soft | Ridoc said Bodhi is like the soft version of Xaden. Give us some soft Bodhi!

Day 7: Free Day | Canon or AU, the freedom is yours!

🎨 by @illustratinghan

[olderthannetfic]

Maybe I haven’t seen the posts these are complaining about, but I cannot really stand the «uhm there is an actual platonic explanation for this!!!!» posts, especially not as an ace when it’s done with the veneer that it’s protecting us or whatever. Block button is your friend yes but by the amount I have started to hit it due to these posts I’m starting to wonder if we have something more going on. Because like.

Dawg.

Stabbing people isn’t automatically sexy but if I spend 5 pages describing how a guy moans and squirms as he gets penetrated by the blade I sure fucking hope readers would catch on that this is intended to be sexual.

I *have* shared a bed with a stranger due to hotel management, and OBVIOUSLY nothing came out of it, but I also understand that this is fundementally different than an author explicitly deciding to make two characters share proximity, right there and then in the story. *Doubly* so if the unmarried characters are described cuddling like a wife and husband.

The entire «two characters stare as romantic music swells» is not a cliché for no reason where the scene writer is hitting you with the most obnoxiously blunt indication that this gesture is romantic, and is obviously different from characters holding a simple conversational glance- ie, the lack of romantic swelling music. And obviously in real life, people don’t only stare at people to convey romantic intent, but most people still get such a blatant clue when in fiction.

Same sex relationships on the screen or paper notoriously has a history of using much more subtle and plausibly deniable scenarios, so do forgive me if I think you are being obtuse if you go «ohhhhh just because they cried and rubbed desperately the bleeding body of their fallen best friend doesn’t mean they were dating!» like yeah, I too would weep over my best friend dying but I don’t have to keep media censors in mind when grieving my hypothethical lover either.

In conclusion: Context and execution matters. And yes actually, some actions that have platonic explanations use some very clear romantic clues that people are picking up on based on past media experiences, and not because they are allergic to physical platonic expression or whatever. I assure you most people can differentiate between fictional romance clues vs real life ones because they don’t match.

Perhaps I could have just cut to this, but if people are bringing up irl and personal experiences for emphasis then so can I.

--

[cardsweetheart]

Yumi going on about branching dialogue trees and stat raising in the proximity of Cater, who immediately dumps her next to Idia.

Idia who is terrified of her because she is made of frills and pink, and like the embodiment of something from deep in his search history. But when she starts asking about the route difficulties and achievement ratios, he realizes he's finally found someone who speaks his language.

She explains that obviously this whole thing is a dating sim and she has been dying for some sort of player's guide to at least know who her romanceable options are. He immediately pulls up a chart with various color coded connection lines between the students, level of difficulty, and who's hard locked options.

He asks who's she's talked to and hits various buttons to show her what options she has left and who comes as a package deal. Talking to Kalim has cut off Jamil. Vil and Rook are only available at a set. She shrugs at the idea of Ace and Deuce together, and there's a sparkle in her eye at the mention of the twins.

She pouts at how quickly so many boys are cut off. Whines that it's not fair and she wants a do over with her new guide. Idia has to tell her that its a single run only game. She stomps her feet but ultimately accepts her fate.

"Okay but...." She leans over Idia's desk to skim through the graphs, "What about the professors?"

"Not locked but definitely expert level."

"Perfect."

[elainsgirl]

Oh no Azriel called Elain the third sister 😭😭😭

Gods how did you survive? Do you need therapy? Azriel didn’t tell Rhysand all his love to Elain and asked his permission to marry Elain in the limited bonus chapter that exists only in one language (not even my mother tongue, idc about BC)?? But Azriel saying aloud for the first time those words? In the heat of a moment? Mhh, he sure as fuck should’ve… idk ignore Gwyn’s questions, shut her up with a distraction from his attraction and desire for Elain and fury at Rhysand…

Oh YEAH THAT ROMANTIC INTERACTION 😍😍 His shadows reacted like Nesta’s shadows? HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT A SA SURVIVOR COULD BE ANY EVIL!! YOU ARE NKT GIRL’S GIRL BITCH

Oh, Rhysand who was raped for 50 years? He’s the biggest evil in the series. #TeamTamTam and LuLu (I hate this nicknames, nothing against Lucien). Feyre who was SA under the mountain (based on some comments, idc I liked Feysand in the series; not fanon twisted shit — like with Gwyn who is being put into every hole, trying to be the MC by fandom)?? SHE IS EVIL!! Nesta is the Queen and she should take Nyx, but I don’t want Nesta to be a mother. Maybe if it’s Eris’s baby. Because she should leave Night Court, like everyone else. Mor was SA and hurt? SHE IS A SUS BITCH HATE HER. But Moriel 😍😍 Emerie #nextMC (again in the NC that we hate; ofc after Gwynriel in the Night Court 🤣)

Thank you for reading my rant. I need it after I saw another Reddit post about BC for the 273883 times. You don’t have a job? Just read all Tumblr posts since 2021, bro.

”oh no! How dare Az call Elain the third sister even though he referred to Nesta and Feyre as two sisters! The absolute audacity he has! He’s toxic and only sees Elain as an object! Blah blah blah 😡”

Imagine if we had actual gotten Azriels love confession in a bonus chapter…that was limited edition? No author would do such a huge thing in a bonus that isnt a required read nor part of the standard edition of the book. Like…obviously mass is saving the huge love confession for…elriel’s book…as with most romances. Its rlly not that hard to understand 😭

Omg…how dare anyone try to insinuate that Gwyn is anything other then the perfect, flawless character she is. How dare elriels add depth and complexity to Gwyns character! But its totalllllly ok for those same people to theorise Rhys is evil and manipulative etc etc because…idk. Poor baby lulu he’s just everyones victim, they all use him as a punching bag, horrible ic! I hope Mass disbandles them and instead focuses on the valkryies and band of exiles! Thats the story we want!!!!!! Feyre is so stupid and shouldn’t be a highlady yet Nesta who has 0 political knowledge and hasnt shown leader skills until late and has only began emotionally healing herself definitely deserves to be QUEEN! This is why she needs to leave the toxic, disgusting nc and start her own court with her friends! Dont get me started on Mor,

you’re welcome anon, thats what Im here for. We all need to rant and let it out at times, its the only way to survive the fandom. I posted on reddit twice and just saw how much….”unique” interpretations there where and simply left. I do not need to deal with that headache. When are they going to let that poor bonus chapter which has been forgotten by the majority go 😭 I understand its the only form of content they have but still.

I’d rather get a job then read through all that bs.

[johanna-swann]

A few words about Eddie (bold lie, it's many words)

I used to really enjoy Eddie. I was never a huge fan of him as an individual character, but I always thought he had incredibly interesting relationships. With his parents, his son, his wife, his best friend, his aunt, ... and since a lot of his story lines are centred around his family I obviously enjoyed those. But all of that aside: Even when I actually dislike a character I get upset when their plots are bullshit.

Like, I absolutely cannot stand Captain America in the mcu (Steve Rogers, not Sam. Sam is cool, I love him. I also respect comic book Steve.), but he deserved so much better than whatever the fuck Avengers Endgame did with him. And just like I got upset over the ending they gave Steve in the mcu I'm upset over what 911 did with Eddie in season 8.

I was not enthusiastic about the Kim plot to begin with because I'd hoped we were finally ready to let Eddie move on from Shannon. But at least it was still fun right, in a ridiculous telenovela way. Sure, the dead (sorta ex) wife's doppelgänger shows up and he has a platonic affair with her. Why not.

Then before going into season 8 they escalated that situation, got rid of Marisol and split Eddie and Christopher up. I know there were behind the scenes reasons, Marisol's actress was transphobic, Christopher's actor was not available for a bit there if I remember correctly and since Eddie has in large parts always defined himself over his role as a father I thought: "Hey, maybe they can make this work in Eddie's favour. Do something interesting with him by isolating him a little." I would've thought it more logical if Christopher had stayed with a relative in LA like Tía Pepa or if he had come back sooner, but if the actor isn't available for a big plot, what can you do?

So yeah, I was okay with Christopher not coming back until 8b and with him living in Texas. Because it gave the show an opportunity to look at Eddie and figure out who he is outside of a father and a widower. What does he do with himself and with his free time when he suddenly has no distractions and has to confront parts of himself he hasn't looked at in years, maybe ever.

I thought we might get a deep dive into Eddie's early adulthood. Maybe we'd see him go to therapy again. They were so happy to have Shannon's actress back on board in season 7, how about some flashbacks? Because I always thought that this great romance, love of Eddie's life, magical soulmates thing was a lie he told himself. Eddie was a high schooler who fell in love with the girl he knew from middle school and then suddenly they had to make it work in the real, grown-up world because she was pregnant. They got pregnant on accident, they married because they had to, Eddie immediately joined the army and was gone for the next 4 years, then they switched and Shannon left without a warning. In between they argued constantly, barely lived under the same roof at the same time, struggled with money and got additional pressure from Eddie's family. Which part of that was so magical that Eddie is still yearning for it?

I would've loved for Eddie to finally take off the rose-coloured glasses and realise that while he loved Shannon their relationship was anything but perfect and if he ever wants to have a healthy dating life ever again he can't keep putting their marriage on this pedestal. He needs to make his peace with Shannon, accept the ugly parts of their shared history, forgive her, forgive himself and truly move on. We could've had all of that.

What did the show do with Eddie in 8a instead? Glad you asked. You see, they had him grow a mustache, act out a hilariously contrived juice metaphor (that scene was written so so badly), come out as straight to a priest, shave the 'stache and dance in his underwear in that one scene. Yeah, powerful interesting stuff.

But okay, 8a was a dumpster fire for all characters start to finish, surely 8b can only be better and we're finally getting to the part where Eddie actually does something to work on his relationship with Christopher. It can only go uphill from here, right?

Right. So Eddie BUYS a house in El Paso. Never mind that he rented in LA for 7 years, he buys a house in El Paso immediately. He arrives in Texas to work on his relationship with his son. The last two times we saw Chris he barely wanted to speak with Eddie, so this will probably be difficult. But wait, what do you say? Christopher isn't actually upset with Eddie anymore? They don't even need to talk about what happened with Kim? The real problem was actually Eddie's evil mother all along even though she had nothing to do with the fight between Eddie and Chris? Sure, that makes sense! Glad we cleared that up!

Like. Right when it seemed like they were FINALLY getting to the part where they process the season 7 finale they skip over that whole mess and also leave Eddie out of 3 entire episodes. And I'll be honest, those were 3 very good episodes, I didn't exactly miss him. Especially with the lab two parter it would've been difficult to involve him in a meaningful way. But I hoped we'd get a GOOD Eddie story line in 8b. Instead we got. That.

Now Eddie's back, but instead of getting a scene where they show (don't tell) us how Eddie feels about losing Bobby they just give him one line where he flat out states that he "should've been there" and that's it. That's his only scene this episode other than the funeral montage.

Again, I'm not a huge Eddie fan, I didn't miss him per se, but even I very much noticed his absence (it was not sublte) and as far as I know he's still a main character, yes? Like, I'm upset on behalf of the Eddie fans. They've done some interesting stuff with all the other characters in 8b or at least they're about to.

Maddie got serial killer plot plus aftermath and is about to have a second child. Buck reconnected with Tommy, that relationship is still going back and forth a bit and I think he might have a breakdown before the season is over. Chimney has survivor's guilt and has to figure out how to live with that while he's also becoming a father again. Hen had an admittedly shitty B-plot about people forgetting her birthday, but now she might become Captain. Bobby literally died. Athena has to cope with that and there was something about keeping her tethered to the 118 coming up?

What did Eddie get? He got sidelined. And a repeat of the fight he already had with his mother in season 2/Eddie begins. We have no idea what's next for Eddie, he had nothing important to do in season 8 and they completely retconned what the Texas arc was supposed to be about.

[agentem]

Emily watches "The Thunderbolts*

OVERALL: I liked it. Yay ladies getting to be the lead. I didn't think it was "the best Marvel movie since Endgame" because that was Wakanda Forever. But it's a nice change from the big CGI punchfests.

Further talk below. I am annoyed I have to start with what I consider to be the dumbest part that I am sure tumblr will have a lot of feels about. Sam and Bucky.

Basically, at the end Valentina announces this team as "The New Avengers" but in the post credits we learn Sam Wilson is also building and Avengers team and there is a fight over the "copyright" (it would actually be over the trademark but whatever, this scene was clearly rushed in).

I am sure tumblr will freak out about a rift between Sam and Bucky. Oh noes. And probably defend Bucky—and be mean to Sam—even though he is clearly working for the bad guy.

But I don't believe for a second that Bucky thinks this team is an Avengers team. I think he's keeping an eye on Val (she must still be up to something to have done that press announcement) and helping the anti-heroes do better. But he knows Sam's team is really the Avengers. He has eyes. (Either that or he is totally regressed emotionally from any growth he experience in this film, TFATWS, CABNW and Infinity War and Endgame. Back to just petty fighting about moving your seat forward.)

Anyway, I sort of hate that this post credits is like overshadowing the movie a bit. Because I really do think it was some rushed thing and a different tone, and I would rather talk about the movie itself.

And honestly, if you haven’t seen it yet, just leave after the mid credits joke, you will be happier.

It's about two things I am interested in: mental health and Yelena Belova (it is her movie, for sure). Yelena is depressed and doesn't know how to tell her Dad that she needs help. I believe Bob is bipolar--he mentioned highs and lows and it sounded like the people in my group therapy who have bipolar disorder, but obviously I can't diagnose him. Also he's on drugs. Probably the only Marvel movie with multiple mentions of meth.

Anyway, so they basically use The Void as an allegory for Depression. And Yelena is the one to get through to Bob because she knows it, which is a fun different thing than being the one that punches the hardest. (There is actually a scene I thought was really funny when Bucky squares up to Bob/Sentry after the others have failed, and I think people in the audience thought he would actually do some damage, but Bob rips his arm off.)

I was happy to see my girl Yelena. I want to figure out how to do her eye makeup because it was black eyeliner with a bit of blue and I thought it looked cool. The scenes with her and Alexei are great.

No romance with Bucky, thank god. Stucky shippers are so awful to any character who gets in the way of their ship.

And I was happy Val survived. Not because I like that character but because Julia Louis-Dreyfus is fun, and I saw an interview with her where she mentioned seeing Samuel L. Jackson at an event and she kept poking him, saying "we're gonna fight." So I don't want her to die until her and Nick have their fight, because she wanted it.

ETA: Oh I do have one criticism to add. I thought they severely underused Ava. She didn't have a character arc really. Her power set is the most unique (three super soldiers, really?) and she could've had some cool fight scenes.

[garlic-sauc3]

trixie is such a repressed lesbian. to me.

[nothinggold13]

Standing // Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"I haven't come to take your place, you know, but to put you into it." ~ Peter Pevensie

[bagheerita]

So I read A Stitch in Time and one result of that which I was certainly not expecting was that I feel so much sympathy for Enabran Tain. Garak's life is a tragedy, but Tain's is a fucking black comedy.

I mean, he's a terrible person and an absolute shitbag, but can you imagine? You have this kid. You go to all the trouble of arranging for him to be raised in a family situation where he won't be rejected from society for being your bastard. You get him into the nicest indoctrination school where he can hobnob with plenty of uppercrust kids. You get him a job in your Order and all the proper training. And he's actually, like, really good at it. But he has this fatal flaw of being completely incapable of not making stupid, short-sighted, emotional decisions.

A scene I imagine has to have happened just prior to Garak and Tain's confrontation at the end of part II:

Like goddamn. When Tain asked "what's your plan for getting rid of her husband?" and Garak's just like "plan what plan." Dude. I'M disappointed, I can only imagine the guy who's job it is to know and plan for everything isn't at least as disappointed.

I know he didn't actually, but do you think there was ever a time when Tain wanted to be like, You know what. Just go back to Tolan and become a gardener. Join that illegal hippie cult. It's fine.

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

If I could be arsed to learn how to edit videos and had some kind of mic, I would 110% make a two part video essay series on the politics of Jurassic World because MY GOD, there's so much to dissect.

The first part would be about how the park is the epitome of neoliberal futurism for techbros, including the way the park so easily falls apart though I doubt that aspect is purposeful. Everything is aesthetic first and function second, and we can't possibly use any of the reliable infrastructure we've already come up with because a train is not gonna get us to Mars, but a monorail might.

And the second would be about the buckwild terrible gender politics going on. The movie is deeply unsympathetic to Claire seemingly because she's a woman who prioritised her career as it's both centre to her character arc and also an inciting event of one of the plots. Not to mention the whole Zara thing or the Owen and Claire thing or the stupid "him, I meant him, line. The movie is rife with misogyny, but it feels like that specific misogyny was isekaied over from backlash to second wave feminism.

I could talk about it all for so long because in a way, it feels like a perfect time capsule for 2015. Back when people took Claire running in heels to be this feminist statement to be made fun of and not just a deeply misogynistic movie trying to sell you feminism. And back when Elon Musk managed to get away with his "I'm the real life Iron Man" shit, and people believed he was smart and all his plans would come to fruition. 2015 was a great time to be a tech bro in Silicon Valley with people just throwing money at all your fake promises.

Yeah. See. This is what I mean when I say I could talk about it forever.

[lyxchen]

Okay my hopes for Charley/Yuri are actually so fucking high because I just need them to be a thing!!! Something good, something sweet, something happy!! I feel like this could be a second chance for a willex type relationship and man (gn) for my own happiness I personally need them to be what Netflix took away from us with willex. I need them to kiss and I need them to be happy and I need them to have an unproblematic and beautiful relationship that's filled with so much love and care for each other <33

[rapidhighway]

one of my favorite things in teen titans is robin wearing his own mask underneath the red x mask

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Asunder

slow-paced high fantasy

a woman who has a contract with an eldritch entity allowing her to see the dead & survives by taking various jobs

when a job searching for stranded smugglers in a cave goes wrong, she ends up with the soul of a dying stranger bound to her shadow

along with a scholar and her old childhood friend, they travel to his home country to find a way to unbind him and save them both

dark fantasy world with gods, demonic entities, arcane magic, and semi-sentient beasts used as transport