#someone notice the colours on the variant i beg

[ratjesterz]

Like a Lamb to the Slaughter

[lailannajacobs]

Heart to a Gunfight - Chapter Eight

Pairing: Bucky x fem!reader

Summary: You didn’t want to help Bucky Barnes make it through the party by pretending to be his fake girlfriend, after all, you had just met him. You also didn’t plan on the charade lasting as long as it did.

Warnings: Nothing but fluff! 

Word Count: 3.9k

A/N: Was writing this chapter when I should have been doing school work...Any regrets? None. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I’d love to know what you think especially that it’s a little different from the others! <3 

Heart to a Gunfight | Chapter Eight

Bucky was right. Peggy wasn’t on your side.

“Sorry, YN but you made me the judge. My decision is final,” Peggy declared, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder, “Bucky’s the ultimate winner.”

Shooting Steve a pleading look, you begged him to help you change Peggy’s mind, but he shook his head with a laugh, dismissing your silent message. You sighed. It didn’t matter. You had chosen Peggy for her impartiality in all matters, and now it was backfiring on you.

Bucky shot you a smug grin.

He was lucky you were sitting across the table from him or you would have swatted him on the arm for that look. His smile grew as if he was more than aware of that and had chosen his seat precisely for that reason.

You glared at him. He narrowed his eyes at you in challenge, but the playful fire behind those blue eyes made your breathing shallow. It was hard to look away when he looked at you like that.

“You had a good run,” Steve said, patting your back.

Turning in your chair to face him, you tried to look mad but the smile on your face refused to leave, “I only lost because you got me in this mess in the first place. No little scheme, no chance for loss, right?” You noticed Bucky open his mouth, probably to gloat or say something cocky, so you talked over him, “I just need to say that I was an incredible fake girlfriend.”

“Fake girlfriend?”

Kira’s voice froze you to the core, your heart lodged so far up your throat in an attempt to escape that you weren’t sure you could breathe. Bucky’s eyes were wide, blatantly filled with panic. Neither of you said anything for a moment, staring at each other while Kira - and probably Brad - stood beside you, waiting for an answer. You could feel your heart pounding as if it was trying to find another way out by bursting through your skin.

Bucky’s surprise made way for anguish and you knew in that moment he had resigned himself to being caught. The last time you had seen a look that came close to resembling that one was when he had first seen the engagement ring on Kira’s hand. That moment had only been a few hours ago, but it felt like a lifetime. You sucked in a breath, hoping to get more oxygen to your brain. No one had said anything yet, but someone had to.

Bucky looked like he was about to bite the bullet, so you narrowed your eyes and subtly shook your head no. He got the message and stayed quiet, not needing anymore convincing not to go through something like this. You had agreed to Steve’s ridiculous plan when you couldn’t have cared less if you had driven Bucky off the road. You’d be damned if you let it all go to hell now.

Turning around, your lips twisted into that semblance of a smile you were tired of using, “Yeah, fake girlfriend.”

Kira was looking between you and Bucky suspiciously, but you had a feeling she hadn’t caught more than your last declaration. You had to hope she hadn’t, because your lie relied heavily on that little fact.

“You must know what I’m talking about,” Confusion pulled at Kira’s face and you figured it was a better sign than that smug sneer of hers. You continued with a little sigh as if what you were trying to say was obvious, “You know, when you’re out dancing with your girlfriends and a guy gets way too aggressively touchy so one of your girlfriends pretends to be your girlfriend to get the guy to piss off?”

“Oh yeah,” She nodded with a little eye roll as if she knew all too well what that was like, “We’ve all been there, haven’t we?”

You agreed, feeling the tension at the table deflate like punctured balloon, “Yeah. So, I was just telling the guys what a great fake girlfriend I was the last time Peggy and I went out dancing together.”

“You didn’t have to tell me,” Bucky grinned, reaching his hand across the table to take yours, “If you being a fake girlfriend is anything like you being my real girlfriend, then I was already convinced.”

You pursed your lips, trying hard not to laugh.

“How’d the nearly newlywed game go for you guys?” Brad asked, seeming genuinely interested.

You shrugged, and said, “Not bad,” and the same time as Steve said, “Pretty well.”

Brad took a swig of his beer, “Nice.”

“Unlike the future bride and groom, we actually got all the questions right,” Kira added, “I guess it’s just proof that Brad and I are perfect for each other.”

You hated the way she stared at Bucky as she said those words, and you had trouble believing she had just dissed the guests of honour so openly. Judging from Brad’s furrowed brows, her declaration had taken even him by surprise. But when she looked up at him, he shot her a loving smile.

“You guys will be at the wedding, right?” Brad asked, and for a terrifying moment you thought he meant his own wedding, “These things are always more fun with game partners!”

Even though every variant of absolutely not flashed through your mind, you smiled and nodded. There was no reason to tell Brad that you had no intention of ever going to the wedding. Steve and Bucky would have to inform him with whatever solid excuse they came up with when they saw each other that day. Even though tonight had gone better than planned, you weren’t about to be anyone’s fake girlfriend ever again.

Brad wrapped an arm around Kira’s waist and pulled her closer, “Cool! Well, we’re heading off! We just wanted to stop and say goodbye. It was nice meeting you all.”

You said your goodbyes, faking the pleasantries for the final time of the night, and kept the smile plastered on your face until they were out of sight. With a long sigh, you fell back in your chair and closed your eyes.

“What do you say we take off once we’re sure they’re really gone?” Bucky asked.

“Yes,” Steve’s enthusiastic voice agreed, “I’m ready to get out of here.”

You opened your eyes. So were you.

Fifteen minutes later you were hugging Steve and Peggy goodnight, promising to text them once you made it home safe. You stood beside Bucky, watching as she walked around to the passenger side of Steve’s car.

“Night Peg.”

Before she got in, she winked at you, a sly grin on her lips. The look would have terrified you less if you had any idea what she was so smug about.

When their car was gone, you turned toward Bucky, no longer sure what to say now that you were on the street in the real world. The streets were as silent as they could be in the city, which wasn’t saying much, but it was still quieter than the party. The silence stretched between you, filling the air as if it was tangible.

“So…” You mumbled, wringing out your hands.

He ran a hand through his hair, “So…I’m that way.”

You followed his pointed finger and realized you were parked down the same street, “Me too.”

As you walked to your cars, you wondered what you were supposed to end a fake date with. A handshake? A friendly nod? A kiss on the cheek?

Bucky came to a stop in front of a sleek Audi and laughed when he noticed your car parked right in front of his. He walked over, pretending to inspect the space between the two cars, “You’d better not have gotten any rust on my car by being parked so close.”

You rolled your eyes, “I was parked here first. Remember?”

He looked up at you from his crouched position, “True. The crazy lunatic got here first. I should have remembered.”

“You’re an idiot and a granny driver,” You laughed, pushing his shoulder so that he toppled over.

“Speedy,” He dusted off his hands and rose to his full height, standing so close in the tight space that you could see the colour of his eyes even in the dark, “That’s not what we had agreed on. Those aren’t the words you’re supposed to say to me.”

You gazed up at him and cocked your head, “They’re not? I can’t seem to remember what it was we agreed on.”

“That’s okay, I do,” His lips pulled into a slow, cocky grin, “You’re supposed to admit that I’m a better driver than you are.”

You grit your teeth, steeling yourself for the words about to come out of your mouth, “Fine. James Buchanan Barnes, you are a better driver than I am.”

“See. Was that so hard? He crooned.

“You’re still an idiot,” You smiled, shaking your head and stepping away toward the side walk, “And that was the most horrible thing I’ve had to do all night.”

He barked out a laugh and waved you toward your car, “Well, it’s over now. And I have to admit, Speedy, you were a pretty decent fake girlfriend.”

“More than pretty decent,” You corrected, “I’d say excellent. And you weren’t bad yourself, Soldier.”

There was a pause, where you were both smiling at each other until his faded, “Thank you. Really,” He said, meaning far more than just the minor compliment.

You nodded, knowing it couldn’t have been easy for him tonight, even with you hanging around. He was actually a pretty decent guy and he didn’t deserve what Kira had planned for him tonight. Even if it wasn’t what you had planned on doing tonight, you were still glad you did it.

“You’re welcome. See you around.”

He rubbed a hand over his stubble, “Yeah…See you around, Speedy.”

You unlocked your car and got in, weirded out by the unfamiliar feeling in your chest. Ignoring it, you turned the key. Nothing happened. You tried again, but the car wouldn’t even sputter an attempt at life. Before you could begin a full scale decent into panic, you reminded yourself that you were a mechanic. You were equipped to deal with the sort of thing. All you had to do was breathe and think it through. Your car couldn’t die. No. No, whatever was wrong could be fixed.

Your lights were your first check. Had you left them on and killed the battery? No. You tried the key again. The lights turned on but nothing else happened. Definitely not the battery then. The transmission? The starter? Doubtful. You had changed both those last year.

You let your head bang against the steering wheel, the horn startled you back up to a seat. What was wrong with your car? Your heart began to pump faster, the fear of losing your car rushing in even though you knew you’d have to bring it to the shop before you’d know anything for sure. Why did this have to happen tonight of all nights?

You jumped at a knock on your window, the onslaught of emotions making you jittery. Bucky stood outside your car, head tilted as he motioned for you to roll down the window.

“You good?”

“Yes?”

He raised a brow, “You don’t sound sure.”

“My car won’t start, that’s all.”

He thought for a moment, “Did you run out of gas?”

“Did I run out of gas? Of course I didn’t run out of gas, I…” You forgot to stop for gas on your way here. If you hadn’t left so late, you would have stopped for gas like you had planned. But the moment you had seen all seven of Peggy’s ‘where the hell are you’ texts, you had rushed over, not once looking twice at the two gas stations you had passed on the way here or the gas light that had been on since yesterday. You dropped your head on the steering wheel, the horn blaring obnoxiously again, “I ran out of gas.”

He chuckled, “I can go to the station to pick some up.”

You immediately shook your head, and mumbled into the steering wheel, “No. I can’t ask you to do that.”

“It’s really not that far,”

“No,” You lifted your head and shook your head more forcefully.

He leaned his elbows on the window ledge, leaning further into your car, “It’s a fifteen minute drive, there-back, at most.”

“No, really Bucky, it’s fine,” You tried to shoo him out of your car, but he wouldn’t budge, “I’ll call a cab or something.”

He sighed, clearly exasperated, “I’m right here, Speedy. Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll go.”

Your hands smoothed out the invisible pleats on your steering wheel, your thumbs brushing back and forth, “Okay. Yes. Fine. Thank you. But I’m coming with you.”

“You don’t have to sound so miserable,” He laughed, opening your car door, “It’s just a quick run for gas. And anyways, you did owe me a drive. You need to see what it’s like to be in a car going regular speed.”

You stopped, confused, then realized he was right. You going for a drive in his car had been a part of his terms. You hadn’t remembered that part because you had been so focused on the hit to your pride, but he was right. Yet, he hadn’t said a thing.

“You know I would have honoured our agreement if you had reminded me. Why didn’t you?”

He shrugged and unlocked his car doors, “You did way more than I ever could have asked for tonight. I didn’t want you to spend more time with me than you actually wanted to.”

You stared at him from the other side of his car and couldn’t quite pinpoint the look on his face, “At least our drive now has a destination.”

He nodded and you let yourselves into his car. The seat was as comfy as his car was fancy and you relaxed into the material as he eased out of the parallel parking and onto the boulevard at a decent speed.

“I take it this gas station is actually a five minute drive there-back but with your driving it’s fifteen?”

He glanced over at you, a faint smile on his lips, “Ha ha. Very funny, Speedy. Be glad I’m not kicking you out of my car for that.”

“Like you’d do that after I saved your ass tonight,” You laughed, looking out the window.

“You might have saved my ass, but I still won our game. I think I got the better end of our bargain. All I have to do is drive you to get gas. Speaking of, how does it feel to sit in the passenger seat of an excellent driver?”

“Like I’m being lulled to sleep,” You teased, though it was partially true.

The soft music coming from the radio and the cool breeze from the open windows was more peaceful than any spa you had been to. He drove the rest of the way in silence and you found yourself drifting off until your pulled into the gas station. Getting gas wasn’t long and you were back in the comfort of his car with a full canteen of it to bring back to your car.

“I’ll be honest with you, Speedy,” His voice snapped you awake several minutes later. You hadn’t realized you had drifted off again, “I’m surprised it wasn’t anything worse than an empty tank of gas.”

You stared out the window at the passing city and sighed, “I can’t say that I wasn’t worried about that myself.”

He didn’t say anything else, pulling off the main boulevard onto the smaller streets that led to your car. When he spoke up again, his voice was soft and tentative, “What is is about that car? Why don’t you just get yourself something more reliable?”

You began fiddling with your hands in your lap. There was the easy answer. The answer you gave everyone who asked you. But you couldn’t seem to find it in you to lie.

“It’s…I was…” You stopped, trying to find the words you had never spoken aloud.

He glanced over at you, eyes leaving the road for a long moment to get a better look at you, “You don’t have to tell me. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s okay,” You said quickly, wondering why this was so hard. It wasn’t a big deal…“It’s actually a little silly. I got that car when I was starting college and even then, it was seconds away from the scrap yard. But it was all I could afford and my cousin, who had given it to me, said it said it still had a solid year in it. Long story short, I was partway through my semester of a bachelor’s degree I couldn’t care less about when my car broke down. Everyone told me to sell it for parts…to buy a new one, but I couldn’t afford to buy a new car, even with the money I would have gotten from it. For fun, I started looking into the mechanics and…”

“And you realized you liked doing it,” He finished when you said nothing.

You nodded, a faint smile pulling at your lips, “I loved it. And it turned out, I was good at it too. Really good actually. The thing is…the thing is, that car gave me a sense of direction when I had none. I dropped out, went to trade school and actually felt like I had a purpose of some sorts. Once I had fixed the car, I decided to keep it and I couldn’t get rid of it because…I can’t get rid of it because I’m afraid that if I lose my car, I lose everything it gave me. I know that’s silly, but…”

Bucky didn’t say anything, double parking beside your car. Humiliated, you were about to mutter some half assed apology and flee from his car when he said, “It’s not silly, you know. At least I don’t think so.”

You snorted, “We’re not fake dating anymore, you don’t have to say things like that anymore.”

He put his hand gently on your arm to stop you from leaving the car, “I’m being honest YN.”

“Are you?” You whispered, staring into his blue eyes, wondering if you had learned enough about him tonight to know if he was telling the truth.

He held the look as if he knew exactly what you were looking for and a small, sheepish smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. You felt yourself drawn in and your turned slowly, leaning toward him. He did the same until the two of you hovered over the stick shift, inches apart.

“Yeah,” He murmured, eyes searching your face, “I’m being honest.”

“So, you won’t make fun of my car anymore?” You asked.

“Absolutely not,” He laughed and leaned back against the door, running a hand through his hair, “Regardless of why you’re keeping it, it’s a piece of garbage and I’ll make fun of it until the day it dies.”

You backed up too and felt the tension leave your body, like you could breathe properly again, “Then you’ll be making fun of it forever. I plan to never let it die.”

“All the better for me,” He smiled, bright eyes locked on your, “I get to make fun of it forever.”

You smiled back, unable to look away until an obnoxiously rude honk blared from a passing car.

You looked back down at your hands, “We should probably get out now.”

“Yeah…”

You got out of his car, pulling the canteen out with you. Although the air in the city was never fresh, you sucked in a large gulp hoping to make sense of the amalgamation of emotions rattling around in your brain. You weren’t sure what you were feeling, but whatever it was, you figured it would go away as soon as you got a good night’s sleep.

You walked over to your car and emptied the gas into it, knowing you’d still have to stop for more if you wanted to make it home. Bucky leaned against the driver’s door, watching as you did.

“Thank you, Bucky,” You said, slamming the gas tank shut, “Really. I think this also makes us even now.”

He huffed out a little laugh, and pushed off your car, “Good night, Speedy.”

You walked past him and pat him on the shoulder, wishing him good night. You paused, with your hand on the handle, wondering what hell of a kind of goodbye that was.

You were about to open the door when he spoke up, “Speedy?”

You turned.

“Come to the wedding with me?”

“What?”

He sighed, rubbing his jaw, “I know we’re even now, but I,” He stumbled, looking for right words, “I don’t know if I can…Kira…you-”

“I get it,” You cut him off, putting a hand on his arm, “I’ll do it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Now, don’t give a chance to change my mind,” You said, wondering what you were doing. The wedding was the last place you wanted to be and yet here you were, agreeing and you couldn’t seem to stop yourself, “I figure you and I will inevitably end up spending more time together now that you’re no longer on tour, so why not? What’s one more night?”

He let out a breath of relief, “Thank you.”

“And anyways, you’re not completely miserable, Bucky, even if you do drive like an old lady.”

“Always with the compliments,” He chuckled.

“That’s the fake part of the fake girlfriend talking,” You tried to hold back a grin, “I can’t seem to get a hang of this whole compliment thing.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, making himself look a little smaller, “Good news is, we have about three months to work on it before the wedding.”

“I thought you knew how to be charming,” You groaned.

His brows furrowed, “I do?”

“Reminding me that we’re going to have to spend so much time together is not charming,” You drawled.

He shook his head, hair falling in his face to cover the smile on his lips, “You would know what not charming is”

You swatted at him, though for some reason what you really wanted to do was brush the hair from his face, “Takes one to know one.”

He stopped you from making contact, holding your hand gently in his and not letting go, “Maybe all that time together will make us friends.”

“Friends,” You murmured, gazing up at him, “I thought we were already friends.”

He titled his head to the side and he whispered, “Then maybe we’ll learn to be better.”

“It’s the only way to be convincing, right?” You shrugged.

He let go of your hand, watching it fall between the two of you. Then he nodded, looked back up, his lips pulling into a small smile, “Exactly. The only way to be convincing.”

He took a step back, ran his hand through his already messy hair and kept backing up, his eyes never leaving yours, until he was at his car, “I guess I’ll see you around then.”

You opened your door and shrugged, “Probably sooner than I’d like.”

He shook his head, eyes bright with laughter, “Good night, Crazy Lunatic.”

“Good night Old Lady.”

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Sacred Beasts 2 | Astra 2 - 3 | Given 1 - 2 | DanMachi II 1 | Demon Slayer 15 - 16 | Dr Stone 2 | Fruits Basket 14 | Cop Craft 2 - 3

Rolling out the tags soon.

Sacred Beasts 2

“Sissy” always pissed me off as a nickname for your sister. It’s clearly meant as a term of endearment in some cases, but it also is the equivalent of “wuss”, y’know???

I’ve seen mushroom soup out of a tin…that don’t look like mushroom soup in that case.

Uh, random question…she has th same surname as Will, but is Schaal herself adopted???

Y’should’ve followed Hank, Nancy…(is her name Nancy or Schaal? Schaal is her middle name, yet she seems more commonly referred to as Schaal…hmm.)

*sees synopsis* - No one mentioned Nancy’s hometown was called Livletwood Village…

I pause my shows a lot to get down these notes…then Crunchyroll or my internet (or both!) cursed me with regular buffering (that can sometimes play video and subs through it, but generally sets down a few seconds after unpausing and lasts for a minute) and made it a pain in the butt to make these notes. But you do realise I basically have notes for almost every show I’ve ever watched under this system? These notes are special to me, which is why I put up with the buffering. It also means impactful scenes lose their impact, meaning well-paced shows get favoured in my picking process on CR these days.

Astra 2

Yup, the 2nd time we talk about how to scavenge for food this season – gotta remember this…in case I ever get into a situation like that. You never know! (creates “The More You Know” star with hands)

I-awwwwwww…I never thought I’d see the day where the Luca Javelin would get animated, much less Astra as a series. Dang, is this a dream???

Eyyyyy. Nothing like endangering your little sister to really understand why you love her…much less understand that you love her in the first place. (partially sarcastic)

Given 1

This is my second rodeo with BL anime (I’ve only read one BL manga and it was pretty darn mediocre, but the one BL game I tried was okay)…hopefully it’s good.

Was there the ticking of a clock in the background???

…and cut to OP. Yay! I can predict when the OP happens now…(It only took me years of training…okay, I’m kidding.)

I think this OP is like a music video…and I think that’s the point.

Kaji??? Is this Eva (LOL)?

I’m no band person – I was merely a solo pianist in my time with music, although notably I did have to sing for one of the musical pieces – but “Thom Yorke” and “Keith Richards” sound familiar. Why???...Okay, so it seems Thom Yorke is part of Radiohead and Keith Richards is part of the Rolling Stones. I’m familiar with those bands by name, at least.

Lemme guess…this guy (Ritsuka) sucks at improv.

I had to go back and find out what Yayoi said a few lines ago…and  love her already because she’s like “You suck”…she’s just like me, to be honest.

Early husbando predictions say Haruki is my dude of the season.

Seeing manly dudes act like blushing schoolgirls is great…!

Yushiro-who???...Okay, Yushiro Ishihara is apparently that’s a singer that’s already passed away, but has a bit of a rep behind him.

Is it just me, or is Ritsuka basically a lesser Bakugo…?

Come to think of it, it would be hard for me to teach someone piano now that I haven’t properly played since the end of 2014…almost 5 years. Geesh, that’s a long time.

Welp, that was…actually pretty good. The only thing that sucks is that this ED isn’t rock, to go with the rest of the show.

DanMachi II 1

Another counterintuitive name for a sequel anime season…this is my last premiere before I wrap them up, or at least until Machikado Mazoku (or whatever) land on CR.

…and of course, it’s back to Big Boobies (aka Hestia). She’s probably the worst part of the show for me.

Why does Bell need an advisor anyway…? I never thought about it when watching s1.

Who’s this Naza-sama, anyway…?...Okay, it seems she’s a doctor from the Miach Familia. I don’t remember her from s1, really.

I’ve forgotten who Asfi is as well…Oh yeah, that blue-haired woman from the Hermes Famlia. Hermes seems like a bit of a loose cannon – the sort who wouldn’t have a Familia if given the chance – though.

I think we saw Freya in s1…just scheming behind the scenes…

Hermes looks like a sleazebag half the time he’s on screen…

I forgot how much I loved Miach’s character design in s1...and to a lesser extent, Takemikazuchi.

Demon Slayer 15

…Zenitsu is annoying again.

I didn’t think Tanjiro was scared of anything…excpt maybe losing Nezuko again.

Oh! I just realised Natagumo has a hint in its name…The “gumo” can be read “kumo”…as in cloud or spider, but it’s given with the kanji for spider so it can only be a spider-related problem on Mt Natagumo.

I’d hate to have Smellovision on this show…(What’s Smellovision, you ask??? Here, read up on it…at least, I was thinking of the Google variant, so read up on the Google version.)

Ukogi appears to be a type of plant known as eleutherococcus and ukogi rice is rice with ukogi leaves.

Dr Stone 2

Episode 3’s title is like “Weapons…of SCIENCE! *cue Bill Nye the Science Guy theme song*”

Ooh, nice angle! (on Senku and petrified!Yuzuriha being protected by Taiju…and not just because Yuzuriha’s butt is showing…)

“You can eat lion?” – No duh, Taiju!

“I want to give thanks to the circle of life…” – Sorry, but can I interrupt with a meme here? *cue ululations that ae meant to imitate the iconic song from The Lion King, y’know, the one that goes “Ahhhhhhh zee bun yah… (etc.)”*

Tsukasa’s frickin’ tall, man! Look at him tower over Taiju and Senku…

Having read the manga before, I just realised Tsukasa is mighty suspicious when he says Senku could be able to rebuild civilisation from scratch. That was harder to recognise in manga format though, I think.

I also didn’t realise, but the shell tale is talking about Tsukasa! Hmm…interesting.

Dr Stone’s ED…never in my life did I think it was going to be a rap song. Unless, of course, it’s a science rap…(There’s hydrogen and helium and lithium, berrylium…uh, I don’t remember the words after that…)

Oh, that next-ep font takes me back…it reminds me of the 90s, where terrible WordArt font like that was everywhere and I had to get by on Lucida Calligraphy.

Fruits Basket 14

Oh, crab meat…these CGI cars look absolutely terrible…

Pay attention to the relationship between Kyo and Kyoko…you people who don’t know about manga!Furuba are in for a real revelation on that front.

Wow, the effects on the flowers are really pretty for the ED…

Cop Craft 2

That OP is just so good…*swoon*

Well…they spelt “Unknown” wrong…on Kei’s phone.

Hmm…I think the insert song was in English.

Astra 3

Oh…something didn’t make sense. It turns out the word the subber is using is “attitude” when it should actually be altitude…

Given 2

Ooh, Haruki does coffee in the OP! I didn’t notice that, since I had to skip it…there’s some kinda suckish buffering on CR, which is why I have to skip as much as I can.

Welp, I’m a pianist. I’m as clueless as any other non-guitar player when it comes to guitars, so I don’t mind the lesson but also don’t need it.

Given this is a BL/yaoi (no pun intended), I think Akihiko and Haruki should pair up…but maybe I’m just going nuts with the shipper glasses here.

“You’re going to have to do something about that soon.”

Aye…I relate, Mafuyu. When you’re younger, you can beg your parents for money, but equipment, books etc. really costs some hard cash. I remember having to go to Hong Kong to find a pearl pink metronome on the cheap…the poor thing isn’t getting much use now. (But still, I think the more I watch and see Haruki in action, the more I like him. Not necessarily as a husbando, but more in the sense of that one cool dude you gravitate towards.)

It randomly cut to Salon Harusame…don’t tell me this is how Haruki gets his money???

I think the comment that said “lolol” actually had 超 in front of it, so that would be “super lololol” or, in my personal way of saying it, “major lololol”.

Oh, so that’s what was in the OP!

I swear Uesama (LOL) should just get a job as a guitar tutor to little kids…well, that would work if he were in college/uni, maybe.

Hey, a girl! Didn’t expect one in a BL work…(LOL, my standards are so low for BL/yaoi, eh?)

Hmm…I get the feeling amateurs get their hands on acoustic models instead. I know a guitar player, y’know (although again, that doesn’t mean I know the first thing about playing a guitar).

I love how the show turned green all of a sudden. The colours match the mood, basically.

Demon Slayer 16  

This episode’s titlecard only has a wave pattern…I probably know what the pattern is called, but I’ve…probably forgotten that name.

Hey, a Demon Slayer girl! (My standards seem to have been lowered in regards to seeing gals in leading or even supporting roles…It’s more acceptable for Demon Slayer, given its historical setting, but still, how sad it is to not see many girls…)

(TW: abuse) Why…for some reason, this feels like an abusive household, specifically where the father does evil things to the mother…but this time, the son’s part of the problem.

I find it funny Zenitsu just calls Inosuke “Wild Boar”. To be fair though, I don’t think Inosuke introduced himself to Zenitsu, way back when they were meant to.

This scene where Zenitsu is crying and has his back turned to the “camera”…they clearly used a CGI model for him.

It’s a BODY! Holy s(BLEEP)!

“Chu-Chu chuuuuun!” Oh my glob, Ukogi is so adorable~!

Hey…where was Ukogi hiding before he chose to come out again?

Another CGI model when Zenitsu walks away from the camera. It’s so dark, nobody can see Ukogi…I don’t think he has a CGI model and that’s good.

I had a weird thought, but…I think Tanjiro would be a good breakdancer, if he were living in 2019.

Inosuke, you did it! But I wonder if those stats are correct and Inosuke’s going to call his name properly at climactic moments…?

Cop Craft 3

Brother Kenny…you’re just lewd.

“…O or V or A.” – Aside from OVAs, hmm…O would be (CENSORED), V I don’t know about and A…I don’t know either, but I guess it’s (CENSORED).

Kei Manoba (sic).

Doreany seems to be humanity…Did they already introduce that? I forget.

This show looks pretty bad, but the story makes the stay worth it.

[isaacathom]

ok so heres the idea for the evil team. most of the time, the villainous teams are making a statement. their appearance means something very specific, its engineered. team flare, for instance, is flashy and attention grabbing, and youre supposed to give them all of your attention, that sort of thing. team plasma are dressed as medieval knights to support an idea of chivalry, of shining armour and good deeds, to make the public believe theyre the good guys.

so you take it a different way. a team that wants to act in the shadows, individual agents acting in harmony with the greater group but ultimately alone. calls late at night deep inside houses. innocent business trips and weekend holidays. its all sneaky.

but you still want to give them a recognisable design. something that does mark them out as a group, unified. so, you keep them mostly ordinary, but with a few key items that might cause a second glance, but without context just seem like some style trend youve just sorta missed. stuff like all of them having long coats and collars that can cover their faces. stuff like them all wearing scarfs even if its summer. stuff like the same coloured shirts. stuff that individually looks generic enough, but when all combined, looks a lil smth smth. stuff like fancy lapel badges and necklaces, a belt with too many filled pouches, a hood that seems to be up more often than not. and then, in an ideal world, there’d be minor variants within that team. like, say they all that a coat and a scarf and a lapel badge. some have long skirts, some have pants, some have a button up pale shirt and some have turtleneck dark shirts. one of them has a set of hair pins that matches the badge, another wears bright coloured leggings, like you just sorta vary it up. the whole point is they seem like ordinary people. you dont think hard about seeing them.

itd get different with the higher ups, and even people like the YT. They’d have a lil more insignia stuff, like itd be more obvious. maybe one higher up is a person with a hoodie that has the teams symbol on it. then the leader, whoever that is, probably has something more formal, like a suit with the logo, a tie with the logo, shit like that. looks like its business for them.

its basically a team of secret agents, almost like team plasma v2 except they arent ninja pirates with a flying fucking ship that shoots ice lasers. 

i just think itd be fun. there could even be an element of it being homemade, like some of the first grunts you encounter clearly handsewed their insignia on their shirt’s left breast and instead of lapel badges theyve got like, those cheap paper badges that you laminate in a circle and draw with texta? like theyre more ramshackle earnest. the higher up you get, the more professional it gets, and harder it becomes to spot them in a crowd because theyve tailored their Look Perfectly.

thatd be a way thered be a brief misdirect with YT. when you first meet them, they look nice and professional, though ofc their aggressive and try to tell you to go home and they probably wont let you leave town (until you beat the gym and cause a progression in the time force). but the grunts you encounter soon after, theyre so clearly members of an evil team but dont share any obvious elements with YT beyond like. dark colours, maybe. or, alternatively, the grunts are super heavy handed in how theyre clearly in the evil team, but YT just looks. like a normal person. a light coloured coat buttoned up but loose at the bottom, jeans, a scarf. just normal. but then as you progress later, and keep seeing YT (but not strictly in direct correlation to the team) and you fight the more sophisticated grunts, you notice the commonalities, the coats, the scarf.

thatd be kinda cool. like for a brief bit you might think YT is a gym leader or maybe even roaming E4 with an ego that manifests in telling people they arent worth shit. then when you notice the commonalities and connect th dots, its like OH its a fucking evil team admin. fuck there they go!

also, itd be fun if theres a slight branch. in the sense that, when you first encounter YT as a confirmed member of the evil team, heading a bit in a city, they dont tell you their name until after you beat them. as they go to leave, they tell you their name, and tell that to the older trainer whose been mentoring you. and you can just choose not to do that. you will encounter the older trainer, shortly after in fact (they dont walk in just after the guy leaves, you meet back up with them after you leave the building). and when the older trainer demands answers to what you were doing, you get the typical pokemon limited responses. you can say ‘i was fighting team [whatsit]’ or ‘i met that guy again’. you say you were just fighting team whatsit, he goes off in a rage about how he told you not to, blah blah. but if you say you fought THAT guy again, he pauses. what about him? then, w/o dialogue choosing, your trainer tells him who YT is, like their name and what they said. and the elite trainer stops. they tell you angrily you shouldnt have gone after team whatsit, but they sigh alot. its basically the same as the other branch, but with a lot of extra pauses and that additional YT mention at the start.

then, when you get to the scene where the elite trainer attempts to flee without you, the confrontation between them and YT will play out differently. if the elite trainer KNOWS thats YT, he’ll be composed if nervous, he’ll be begging for chances, he’ll be rationalising why he fled. if the elite trainer doesnt know its YT, that revelation will shake the fuck out of him, he’ll be a quivering wreck, overcome with the emotion of the fact that YT didnt die, but survived and wants to squarely kick him in the gut off the side of a skyscraper. or something. elito knowing YT is YT will be diplomatic. elito not knowing YT is YT will be emotional. i mean both would be but still. and itd slightly alter YT’s dialogue, they’d be angry at you if you didnt tell elito, but they’ll also be sadistically pleased that they get to see how elito feels. if you did tell elito, yt is actually more emotional, because elito prepared slightly for this confrontation and yt was caught off guard.

itd make slightly less changes later. like, end game. itd have some tiny dialogue changes before that. but like, after the villain story is wrapped. lets say that once you beat the villain and leave and go celebrate, YT comes and just socks elito square in the jaw. just because theyve wanted to for years. they make a speech about how his cowardice caused people to suffer. itd be pretty bitterly emotional for YT. but how THAT ends depends on the choice. like. if you told elito, YT would actually then offer elito their hand and help him back up off the ground, they’d make a sort of apology thats a bit stumbling and weak and full of digs, but itd be clear theyve thought about what elito said in this grunt gang bang and they want to put this behind them. if you DIDNT tell elito, YT will end his speech by spitting at elito and leaving. YT would show up later, possibly as part of post-game content, or maybe they fuck off into the ether like N does, idk.

it might also change elitos outcome. if they reconnect with YT and start making amends, theyd end up in a different place post game, maybe at YTs old home, talking to their parents, and theyd commit themselves further to not doing this again. if they dont connect with YT, theyd remain in their e4 villa or whatever, cowardly again, hiding from the outside.

the idea is that if YT reconnects, it affirms to the elite trainer that theyve at least slightly changed for the better, and that they can continue to improve. if they dont reconnect, they simply fall further into that anguish. fall of the wagon, as it were. the end of that story would be them resigning their elite post and simply fading from the news.

or SOMETHING like that. there could be more variables. the idea is that you can help YT and elito at least talk out their problems and help them reconcile what happened, help elito apologise for his awful behaviour and help YT sort of atone for the bad shit they did in seeking that apology (since, yknow, they sided with the villains and did some villainous shit while also pursuing that revenge). like you can basically mediate and help them at least start a dialogue. whether itd end well or even amicably between them would be debatable. but itd be better than the two of them never really getting that chance to talk it out, to just say what they thought and have it bubble inside them for years? yknow. hence why the non-reconnect ending is all bitter. it leaves elito a cowardly wreck. it leaves yt as someone who doesnt feel satisfied with their revenge and thus continues to exercise that aggression through villainy. its Bad End, buddy.

i mean itd be stupid if bad end was tied just to that one dialogue choice so it possible be possible to mention it at other points, like when elito is just standing around and doesnt have hyper fixed dialogue, you can approach them and youd get some minor options about stuff to say. dialogue choices, mother fuckers. like you approach him and you can ask how his day is, giving you basically a semi relevant thing about how he feels at that moment. and then youd have like, an advice one, like ‘got any advice’ and hed tell you something semi relevant. and then thered be the 3rd, unique option - ‘ive got something to tell you’ and that gives you the chance to tell him about YT if you picked the other option at the original dialogue. and maybe, just in general, that third option after you tell elito about YT would let you ask about YT and get a general backstory on the kid, expanded from what elito tells you in ‘vanilla’.

tl;dr i love this idea i love this shit godddddddddddddddd