#that's not a good explanation brain fried

[here-comes-the-bard]

"my favorite romance trope is like. you don't want to hurt me but i am asking you to hurt me." and other things on the nithvinn board that make me go dan howell biting controller tearful edition (op)

[pr]

also disclaimer: taylor doesnt even need to be gay for pr relationships to be real and for her to partcipate in them. straight ppl have been doing this for YEARS, and sure they could actually be dating, but yall have got to stop acting like its morally bankrupt to have a pr relationship (or stunts in general) or somehow lying to you on a personal level.

[iovebarca]

hi my love!!! i hope ur doing well 💗 i was just wondering if you could maybe do a fluffy tutoring fic with pau x reader? either where reader is tutoring him or he’s tutoring reader. thank you sm!! 💌

Maps, Dates and Crushes - Pau Cubarsi

Authors note: Hey guysss how are we doing??

WC: 1000+

warnings: incorrect grammar (probably), my first language isn't english so if you notice any mistakes please tell me, fluff!

Geography class wasn’t exactly Pau’s strong suit. He was a quick learner on the field, but when it came to memorizing capitals, mountain ranges, and river systems, his brain felt like it was running in circles. That’s exactly why he found himself in this situation: tutoring sessions.

His geography teacher had noticed his struggle and decided to step in.

“Pau, you’ll be working with her,” the teacher had said, nodding towards you. You were the top student in class—smart, confident, and the one who always had the right answers. The girl he’d had a quiet crush on for months but never dared to talk to.

And now, you were his tutor.

It was a dream and a nightmare all at once. On one hand, he’d get to spend time with you, but on the other… well, you’d soon find out just how bad he was at geography.

The first study session was planned for Thursday evening at your house. You had texted him, “Come around six. We’ll get you caught up.”

Pau stood in front of your door at 6 p.m. sharp, trying not to let his nerves show. You opened the door with a smile, dressed in an oversized sweater and leggings, looking effortlessly beautiful. He almost forgot to breathe for a second.

“Hey, come in,” you greeted, stepping aside to let him in. “We’ve got a lot to cover, but don’t worry, we’ll pace it out.”

He followed you inside, trying to calm the nervous flutter in his stomach. Your home was cozy and inviting, which helped ease the tension in his shoulders. You led him to the dining table, already covered with textbooks, notebooks, and maps.

“Alright, let’s start with the basics,” you said, flipping open the geography textbook. “We’ve got time.”

The next two hours flew by in a blur of maps, highlighters, and your explanations. Pau tried to focus, but it was hard not to get distracted by how effortlessly smart and confident you were. You made geography seem easy, breaking down complex ideas in a way he could actually understand.

At 8:30, you paused, leaning back in your chair. “Okay, we’ve made good progress. How about a break?”

“Yeah, I could use one,” Pau admitted with a sheepish grin.

You reached for your phone, casually pulling up Uber Eats. “What do you feel like eating? I was thinking burgers and fries. Or is that too risky for your diet?”

Pau chuckled, caught off guard by how thoughtful you were. “I mean, I am supposed to be watching what I eat for football…”

You raised an eyebrow, teasing him a little. “So, no burgers then?”

He hesitated for a second, then grinned. “I think I can handle a burger. Just this once.”

You smiled back, happy with his answer. “Good, because there’s no way I’m surviving this study session without fries.”

You placed the order, and soon enough, the two of you were digging into your food while talking about everything other than geography. It was surprisingly easy to fall into a rhythm with Pau—he wasn’t just the quiet, shy guy you saw in class. He had a sense of humor, and when he relaxed, you found that you really liked talking to him.

By the time you finished eating and went back to studying, it was almost 10 p.m. Pau tried his best to stay focused, but you noticed him sneaking glances at you every so often. The way his gaze would linger on you for just a moment too long made your heart race.

And that’s when it hit you. He likes me.

Your own heart fluttered at the realization. Maybe it was the way his voice softened when he asked you questions or the way his eyes sparkled whenever you smiled at him. Suddenly, the idea of this being a simple tutor-student situation felt a lot more complicated—and a lot more exciting.

By 11 p.m., the study session was winding down. You had gone through most of the material, and Pau seemed a lot more confident than when he had first walked in. He started packing up his books, but there was a hesitancy in the air, like he wasn’t quite ready to leave.

“Well,” you said, standing up and stretching, “I think you’re going to ace the next test. You’ve really improved, Pau.”

“Thanks to you,” he said with a shy smile, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He lingered by the door for a moment, his fingers nervously fidgeting with the strap of his backpack.

There was a long pause, the silence between you charged with something unspoken. You could feel it hanging in the air.

“So, um…” Pau began, his voice low, “I was wondering if… maybe you’d like to go out sometime?”

You blinked, caught off guard. “Like… a study date?”

Pau’s face turned a little red, and he quickly shook his head. “No, not a study date. I mean, like, an actual date. Just… the two of us.”

Your heart skipped a beat, the realization hitting you all at once. Pau Cubarsí—quiet, sweet Pau—was asking you on a real date.

A slow smile spread across your face, warmth flooding your chest. “You want to go on a real date with me?”

He nodded, his eyes soft but hopeful. “Yeah, I do. If you want to, I mean.”

“I’d love that,” you said, feeling your cheeks flush with excitement. “How about this weekend?”

“That’d be perfect,” he replied, his whole face lighting up.

For a moment, you just stood there, both of you grinning like idiots. And then, before he could leave, you stepped closer and gave him a soft, quick hug. Pau’s heart raced as he wrapped his arms around you, feeling like he was on cloud nine.

When you pulled back, you gave him a playful smile. “And don’t worry, we’ll avoid burgers this time. Just in case.”

Pau laughed, his nerves melting away. “Yeah, I’ll stick to salads.”

You both shared a quiet laugh, the air between you lighter and full of promise. And as Pau left your house that night, he couldn’t stop smiling. Neither could you.

[missingn000]

a note about tpg's hiatus

hi everyone!! i've missed y'all <33 i want to share a quick note on tpg's hiatus, and how long it will last.

first and foremost, the tl;dr: i will not abandon tpg. the story remains incredibly important to me, and this hiatus is only that: a hiatus. i will return eventually, and while i am not exactly sure when "eventually" is, i hope to begin updating again soon.

now the long explanation. tpg's hiatus has lasted much, much longer than i expected. it wasn't until i took a break that i realized how mentally and emotionally drained i was after writing 600k+ in 2 years, along with being an engineering master's student then starting a job in aerospace. especially after writing sukuna's backstory (75k+ words in one month), my brain was utterly fried. all in all, it's been a lot.

as some of you may know, i started watching one piece in september. and i love it! it's an incredibly fun, well-written feel-good series. it's been a refreshing mental break to engage with a new series, especially since jjk canon has been so disappointing in both content and writing quality. 

if you check my ao3, you'll notice i took a break from jjk with other series in the past: namely dr. stone, sxf, and natsume yuujinchou. this is necessary for me to remain creative and explore narrative themes that i bring back to tpg when i return to it. but by the time my recent hiatus started, it had been well over a year since i engaged with any other series than jjk, and it was starting to take its toll on me. i'm almost caught up on one piece now, which means i'll be able to focus on tpg again soon.

when i return from tpg's hiatus, updates may be slower. releasing 15k+ word chapters every 2-4 weeks was incredibly mentally taxing and required much of my time and focus to constantly be on the story. it wasn't healthy, and other areas of my life were impacted negatively. it can be easy to forget that i'm a real person with real-life responsibilities writing this story in my spare time for free -- even i sometimes forgot this. 

another note on why taking a break has been so necessary is my mental health. when season 2 released and toji + satosugu was animated, the fandom exploded and tpg's readership drastically increased. while this meant an influx of amazing love and support, i also started to receive rude and hateful comments and messages.

don't get me wrong: not everyone has to like tpg. that's totally fine! but as a very sensitive person, receiving hate took a huge toll on my mental health and motivation, and i have needed time to recover from it. i've been doing better mentally lately, and have taken some measures to reduce unkind interactions. i'm working on becoming less sensitive in the meantime so i can handle it better if/when it happens again.

since i've been feeling guilty about not posting jjk content, i haven't been on tumblr quite as much, but i'm still around online on both discord and instagram. mutuals can request my priv @chiidoriii on IG, and my discord is @MissingN000 -- just shoot me a message with who you are when you request! i'll still post fic updates on both new stories as well as tpg content and previews on tumblr, so please stick around :)

thank you so much for your patience with me! i love you all so much, and truly appreciate your support. love, chi <333

[slytherinshua]

HIT RESET

genre. fluff. comfort. warnings. jihoon had a bad day. he cuts his finger with a knife as well. food. kissing. not proofread. pairing. jihoon x reader. wc. 896. request. requested by 🌱 anon: for tws fluff with any of the 06's (an idea is: (dont have to write this specifically) maybe coming home after a long day? could be them or reader). a/n. went with jihoon for this :( he's so soft and sweet and lovely and omg i just wanna kiss his forehead and put him in my pocket.

“Ow! Darnit…” Jihoon held his hand up, examining the fresh cut on his finger with a wince. Why was everything going wrong today? He was late to work, brain foggy and frazzled the entire day. Usually he was good at picking up choreo quickly, but everything felt off that day. He was falling behind and getting tired so fast. He was mentally and physically exhausted by now, and hadn’t eaten anything since lunch at the company. Throwing together fried rice should’ve been an easy task. He’s not even sure how he managed to cut his finger while chopping veggies.

He rinsed out the wound, debating whether he should just give up on food altogether. You wouldn’t be happy about that, though. That was the other thing. You hadn’t been responding to his messages all day and he had no idea where you were. It was already getting late, but you still weren’t home. He had never realized how lonely the dorm felt when you weren’t there.

Just as he was searching through the cabinets for a box of bandaids, like magic, he heard the door open. He didn’t have high expectations. Given the luck today, he was almost 90% expecting it to be Dohoon walking through the door. But, when he peeked his head out of the bathroom door, he saw your face.

It was frankly incredible how quickly you made everything seem okay. The frustrating day was forgotten in an instant, and the cut on his finger was the last of his concerns. The only thing Jihoon cared about was falling into your arms as soon as possible.

You shared the sentiment, both of you pulling tight into a hug as soon as you dropped your bag. Jihoon’s scent relaxed your senses immediately as you buried your head into his hoodie. Placing a kiss to his neck as you pulled apart from the embrace, you smiled up at him.

“Missed you.” You mumbled, brushing aside some of his hair, thumb stroking over his cheek. He merely nodded and pulled you back into his arms with a long sigh.

“I’m so tired.” He whined into the crook of your neck, his arms holding you so tight that it was impossible to let go.

“Did you eat yet? I got takeout but it might be a bit cold… I’m sorry I took so long to get home, there was some delay—” Your explanation was cut off before you could finish, by Jihoon’s lips.

His kiss was desperate, hours of frustration bubbling down had finally cooled and then burst into overwhelming affection instead. He couldn’t contain it, he just loved you. How you always knew exactly what he needed, always apologized even when things weren’t in your control, and how you were always looking out for him. You always made everything better in a way no one else could. Jihoon knew he would’ve cried if you had talked on for any longer, so he took quicker action to stop you from making him fall any deeper in love than he already was. He was down bad, but maybe being down even worse wasn’t such a terrible thing.

You giggled when Jihoon pulled away, cupping his cheeks and pinching them softly. You warmed up the food that had gotten cold on the bus ride as Jihoon watched you from the corner of the kitchen like a little boy watching a magic show. You cleaned up the vegetables he had left out, washed the cutting board and knife, and got out bowls for both of you all at the speed of light.

“Did you cut your finger on the knife?” You asked, noticing the bandaid on his finger as you set down the bowls of food. He nodded, and you shook your head fondly, “I told you that you shouldn’t try to cook while your head isn’t clear…” 

“Why didn’t you text me today?” Jihoon pouted, feeling a lot better now that he was eating and you were right next to him. The entire day there had been this empty dull ache from your absence, and he hadn’t been able to get the feeling out of his head.

“I forgot to charge my phone last night. It was dead the whole day.” You cleared up, an apologetic smile on your face. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Good. I missed you terribly and Youngjae wouldn’t stop making fun of me for it. He said I was ridiculously in love with you... which is definitely true.”

“I hope I made up for it. I love you too… just in case you weren’t sure.” You looked up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling a little shy at your confession. It had been a while since you started dating Jihoon, of course. But he had always been so open with his feelings, while it took some courage for you to share how you felt. Acts of service was always your preferred love language, and Jihoon knew this well. He always felt loved by you, but every so often, it felt really nice to hear you say it.

“You made up for it completely.” He assured you, biting back a smile at just how cute you were. Despite the rocky starts to the day, Jihoon’s mind was in complete bliss by the time he went to bed. He was more in love than ever before.

↳ tws taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @seunghancore,, @sobun1est,, @talkingsaxy,, @talking-saxy,,

@50-husbands,, @hursheys

[estrella-zoe39]

i love dumping random shit onto my tumblr anyway weird discussion of the most random fandoms combined go! mostly discuses love as core themes of stories.

i think my favourite pieces of media are those that just dont make sense if you dont view them as a love story. i came across this discovery as i was watching code geass ep 17 when lulu goes insane when he realises the one thing thats in his way is also the person he trusts completely. there is no other genuine explanation other than love for the reasoning of his reaction in that scene. with shirley he had this mellow yet sorrowful reaction when he realised he couldnt be with her anymore. not saying there wasnt a part of him that didnt love her but with suzaku? he goes berserk. whatever he felt couldnt have happened if he didnt love suzaku.

other good examples of this are frieren, orv, and house. there are more my brain is just kinda fried rn and i think these three are good examples of like. varying levels of how explicit the message is. (theyre all obvious af tho)

ill start with frieren because i think if youve even like. heard about it youll know but himmel and frierens relationship really is the core of like the entire story. a boy who loved too soon and a girl who loved too late. frieren just isnt. frieren when you take that away. frieren at its like core is about love you cant just remove that because then the story wouldnt be the same it probably wouldnt even exist!!! and im sure everyone knows this its just surprising how frieren isnt officially a romance manga considering its entire premise

another example is orv which is a bit harder to know if youve only read the webtoon. orvs story just wouldnt exist if hsy didnt love kdj. if she didnt write yjh and then kdj wouldve died, plain and simple. and if kdj didnt love the story back then he wouldve also died. hsy, yjh, and kdj at their core are their love for each other. hsy spent 12 years writing a book everyday just for kdj to keep on living and in kaizenix she waited 50 years for him. yjh spent the entirety of orv learning how to love from kdj, through fighting alongside him, through protecting him, through seeing him die, even when he learned he wasnt real he still believed him, and in the end yjh was the one who let kdj be known in every universe. his mission was something that he only could brave through if he loved kdj. and he did. speaking of kdj, i think its very obvious to everyone but his self-sacrificial nature is due to him only knowing that as a love language. something else is how without kdjs love, orv also just wouldnt exist. if his love for twsa, for the chars, for STORIES, didnt exist, he wouldnt be alive. if he didnt keep on molding twsa, to be alongside every yjh and co, to suggest new plot points, he wouldve never came to love it.

onto my last example, house. now i think you gotta be a very specific type of person to catch them (its called not being homophobic) but man are house and wilson like. house the show itself. their love defines the show, from the first scene to the last. he only took that first case which started everything because of wilson. half of his stupid antics are because of wilson. his love starts and ends at wilson because he knows wilson will be the one person who will always be there consistently for him. because no matter what happens, like house getting sent to trial by tritter, or house failing to save amber, they will be together, whether they want to or not. so when wilson is diagnosed with cancer, he breaks. the one person who he thought would always be there for him. isnt. in fact, he'll die first. and so, he does everything. he listens to wilsons stupid fucking ideas because he needs wilson to be there for him, he needs wilson at his grave, not him at wilsons. thats why he gives everything to wilson, his vicodin, his attention, and even his life. the only reason he dies is so he can be with wilson. none of this actions can be done without love in them, absolutely none. i think my favourite quote of them is "if house chops down a tree, and wilson isnt around to hear it, did it really fall?" it just sums up their stupid, needy, insane, and romantic dynamic so much.

all of these pieces of media need love in them to be them, so i hope ive loved them more than they could ever want, despite some of their flaws 🩷🩷🩷

[oxygenbefore1775]

stalemate

zeke x gn!reader

tags: fluffy suggestive stuff (as fluffy as it can get with zeke)

cw: suggestive (kisses and stuff), chess and a lot of it (there's gonna be some chess terms thrown around just for the show - no need to understand them to know what's going on), zeke being zeke (needy pos that is), coercion elements (very mild)

wc: 2.2k

summary: perhaps challenging zeke to a game of chess was a bad idea - so chivalrous of him to offer you his help to defeat him, though

a/n: don't perceive me, i barely understand the chess theory myself

Stalemate is a situation in chess where a player's king is not in check, but they have no legal moves left, resulting in a draw

Such a poise coming from someone whose lips were twisted in a shit-eating grin. Both annoyed you to no end already, slowly chipping away at your composed facade — but the combination of those two? You could already sense the steam escaping your ears. Truly, both of those opposites could only coincide in Zeke.

"Any moment now," his calm voice prompted you to make a move, although you had stalled for only ten minutes longer than expected.

It was ten minutes too long — considering your own knowledge in chess, you shouldn't find this so hard to navigate through this game. But you did. You bit on your lip as you stole a glance at Zeke before finally moving your bishop across the board. The challenge of the game was all courtesy of his.

All pleasure that you intended to find in this leisure game of chess with Zeke was nowhere to be seen now. Some mental exercise was always welcome but not at the expense of your own brain cells that ended up being fried in the unfolding mental gymnastics. Too bad it was only you who was laboring over each move.

He was a monster at chess. And just like one, he was tearing you to shreds.

Your lips curled into a malicious smirk, catching up on his hesitation.

But not this time.

Zeke quirked his brow at your choice of the move.

Finally, you got him in a predicament that he'd be forced to ponder over to search for the best solution. Spolier - there was none since the strategy you devised in such a short span of time was impeccable. He would have no other choice but to back down his attack and ultimately weaken his control of the board center. You couldn't help but to give yourself a mental pat on the shoulder as you imagined him losing more and more advantage in the game. Your careful planning would leave him totally crushed, utterly defeated, absolutely destroyed, unequivocally--

Zeke took your queen.

You had to lend a second look at the chess board to finally register that the queen, your queen, was indeed removed from the game by one of his rooks and lied by Zeke's side.

How could this have happened? Virtually nothing could predict this move happening in your mind. All the defenses that you've put up ended up being ultimately useless since Zeke easily slid one of his figures behind your line of defense. Good thing that you were thoughtful enough to do the castling earlier or else the king would also be endangered right now.

A glint of mild interest ignited in Zeke's eyes upon seeing you so distraught about the move that he spent maybe a minute contemplating. It just started to get fun for him.

"I hope that was intentional." The soft mockery in his tone puzzled you as your brows knitted together in confusion, prompting his explanation. "You letting me take your queen so easily? It better be the first step to the closing game or else it'd be pretty disappointing."

The tiny vein on your temple started pulsating with anger as you composed yourself.

"Just-- shut up."

Of course, you had no aces up your sleeves that would tip this miserable predicament into your favour. A fact he was well aware of.

Good thing he listened and indeed stopped riling you up even further. Another word out of his mouth and you would've skipped over the entire anger phase right over to tears.

It was your turn again. After being cornered up with his previous attack, you were all out of moves, let alone useful ones. In a desparate attempt to bring him back into the game as soon as possible, you opted for taking at least a bit of advantage back to your side.

Your hand already hovered over one of your pawns, ready to grab it, when you noticed Zeke's unbroken gaze on you. His pursed lips were a subtle sign of his disapproval, the silent one which was by far the worst one.

Frustrated, you threw your hands in front of yourself. "What?"

This in turn perplexed him. Dumbfounded by your sudden (and quite rude for his taste) inquiry, he looked at you in confusion, benevolence coloring his features in a halo-like light.

"Why-- why are you staring at me like that?" you had the courtesy to elaborate although your voice was bubbling with irritation.

"You were the one to tell me to shut up," unabashed he replied. "Can't I express my critique in some other way then?"

You were determined to prove all his attempts at annoying you futile. As if he wasn't already getting off of the fact that you were losing to him, flaunting his chess skills in the process.

"Alright." you asked calmly as you caved to give him the response he wanted. "What is your critique?"

With your permission granted (not that he cared for it that much), he took a second look at the chess board. This brief moment of scanning was of no use to him, admittedly - he knew what was wrong way before that.

"A pawn to b4? Quite unproductive, if you ask me."

"You just had to point that out." Completely devoid of witty remarks, you simply crossed your arms on your chest in meek retalliation. You pressed your lips tightly when they began to tremble.

For the first time during the game, his voice aquired a slightest hint of seriousness. As if a sudden bout of compassion had befallen him.

"Do you want to win that badly?" he tried to meet your gaze as he asked this question to gauge your honest reaction.

Who doesn't want to outsmart the Zeke Yeager? It'd be akin to David and Goliath situation, safe for the physical altercation followed by the lethal outcome. And this would certainly humble Zeke a bit, as he was known to get on your nerves, brandishing his intellectual exclusivity.

To your luck (or rather not), you were the only one vain enough to try and pull it off.

"Of course," you huffed under your breath. "But seeing as you bash me at every turn, there's no way."

This begrudgingly uttered confession returned the sly expression to Zeke's features — the one he's had for the duration of the game. The one that made you distrust his last question even more.

"Maybe I can help you to win this stupid little game," he began in an alluring tone, stroking his beard as if pondering his countless options of aiding you.

You, however, were not in the slightest bit amused nor intrigued.

"Really? Just like that?" your voice dripped with sarcasm, an eager response propmting him to finally reveal his real intentions.

There was no way for him change his mind all of the sudden. Zeke was never the one to go easy on you in all sorts of games - especially now as his imminent victory drew closer and he seemed to get a high at the expense of your frustration. What could possibly convince him to take pity on you now?

Turned out, you were not wrong in your suspicion.

"Of course not," his answer, as expected, didn't surprise you. "My assistance has a price."

You wanted to drop all of your defences and start giggling at the sight of his features dripping with triumph. His over-confident demeanor seemed almost childish sometimes.

"A price," you mocked, an amused smile tugged at your corners. He responded in kind, as if you both were in on the joke that was about to take place. "Ok, name it then."

if he's the one suggesting it, you'll go along with it. How bad can it be? Not that washing the dishes for the next week or taking charge of cooking would be all that burdensome - not that he does those chores regularly anyway.

Instead of responding verbally, Zeke gently tapped his finger against his cheek, as if directing your attention to the spot. Throughout the exchange, he held an unbroken eye contact with you, to see if you were watching him. But it was unnecessary. His gesture was all too familiar to you.

"You dick," you accused him, clearly unamused now. "No, no way."

He smiled at the way you violently shook your head no, turning away from the chess table in a plain refusal.

"C'mon, just a liiittle kiss," he reasoned (more like whined, really), "Not like you've never done this before."

As competitive as you were, this was something you couldn't bring yourself to do.

You wagged your finger at him, reinforcing the fact of your disapproval. "Not in this climate," you rebuked. "It's extortion."

"It's barter and quite fair one at that." Zeke remained relentless in his persuasion attempts, like he wasn't the one with the higher ground. "A kiss for a hint. And, if you uphold your part of the bargain, you'll be able to win."

The gall to assume that you'd agree to trade your affection in exchange for useful information even just once, not to mention multiple times all for the sake of a tainted victory. Did he really deem you this weak-willed? You'd give him no such satisfaction.

"Thanks but no thanks," you cut him off bluntly, directing all of your attention back to the chess board. "When I beat you in the game, I'd rather it be a clean victory."

When - it's if, rather but you couldn't afford to give up so easily.

Your refusal did nothing to upset him, though. As if nothing had happened, he returned his attention to the game, too.

"Your loss," he stated, pressing his lips to hide a grin as he made a move that he spent mere seconds thinking over but managed to tip the scale in his favor. "I win either way."

And you thought he had been merciless before that. Well, he was now. It is only after your refusal that he shed all the self-restraint and went into full obliteration mode. At this point it wasn't about winning for him anymore rather than stripping you off your valuable figures, completely ignoring openings for potential checkmates.

Much to your dismay — yet to his triumph — this tactic of his seemed to have worked as your despair grew from one loss of a piece to other, removing all logic from your play style. The already miniscule chance of deafeating him thawed with each of his devastating moves. It seemed as if he wouldn't stop until you had only the king left at your side.

You caved once you lost most of your pawns and each one of the paired pieces. Turned out, you were mistaken about your own moral compass and intellectual capabilities. Maybe the end does justify the means.

"Alright, fine," you exclaimed, getting increasingly exasperated. "Let it be your way."

Ready to abandon your dignity (not that there was much to begin with), you plopped your hands at the either side of the board to reach over to the opposite side of the table where Zeke was.

"But I'm gonna win, right?" You had to make sure before sealing the agreement with a kiss.

"Well, not anymore."

You suddenly stopped leaning forward, mere inches away from his face.

The glare you sent his way must've shot the sharpest and biggest of daggers since Zeke rushed to deliver an explanation at the sight of you. "You would have, if you had agreed sooner," almost analitical tone of his voice failed to soothe your frustration. "The best you can settle for now is stalemate."

A draw it is. Quite a good result, admittedly, especially from the game of chess with the Zeke Yeager. And you had only yourself to blame for stalling so much. You took a deep breath to compose yourself. Although the impulse was strong, Zeke did his best not to flaunt his favourable position over you. Even so much as a hint of non-verbal 'i told you' from his side and he would most certainly fall from your grace.

"Why do I love you again?" you whispered under your breath as you were about to press your lips against his cheek. You crinkled your nose as the stubble tickled your skin.

"I ask myself this time to time, too." he replied, sham embarassment dripping in his tone as he melted under the touch of your lips.

Suffice to say, you weren't capable of harboring anger for a long time, let alone towards Zeke. Who was he but an insufferable yet starved for affection man in your eyes?

At the tenth kiss mark it just got ridiculous, to the point when you couldn't suppress your laughter as you leaned over the table, risking to knock over the pieces on the board, time and time again for the exchange to take place. Your dignity right now was of little importance - Zeke would never stop reminding you of this day but you couldn't care less as long as you got that coveted result (even if it was achieved through less than fair means).

Your lips hurt by the time the stalemate was announced - something you weren't aware they could do.

All out of breath, you leaned back against your chair, taking in the piece configuration on the board that finally put the end of this back-and-forth 'barter'.

"I'm never playing chess with you ever again," you firmly stated, watching him rise up from the seat.

"What a pity," his voice failed to convey the sincerity to his statement as he began putting the pieces back into the board - not that he cared for the way you'd perceive him anyway. "Gotta think of other ways to lure the kisses out of you now."

"You could always ask for one, don't you know?"

"I know," he assured, "But it's more rewarding this way."

[jmdbjk]

Sooo, Tae's Fri(end)s...

...here's my mind-numbing ramble about it.

In the teaser short film: Images of an apple, alphabet cereal (SIREN), crossword puzzle with the word "feed", glass of milk?, the word "dine" made of ice? (I see no "dumpling" here. Where's the dumpling?) Not looking good for Vmin-ers. Again.

Along with upside down "friends", and the newspaper headline that seems to read: "...ationship becomes eternal by e..." and you can't see the entire thing but the next word created by red thread is "desire".

The red thread being pulled undone.... Red thread of fate which supposedly means: The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soulmate or a destined partner.

But the red thread is broken and we end up with just the word "end".

Sooooo.... let's extrapolate (come up with plausible explanations from what we know):

APPLE: friends>end>friends>dead

CROSSWORD (left-handed person): 35 across = feed

BLACK MAGNETIC POWDER (commonly used for fingerprinting): friends>end

BLACK BALLOONS: friends>end

FLASHCARDS: upside down friends>right side up end (Stranger Things?) and then the words flashing

ALPHABET CEREAL: siren>end

GLASS OF MILK with fingers in it (ew?): friends>end

ICE: dine

CROSSWORD with one word (again a left-handed person): 1 across = end

NEWSPAPER STORY (front page?) with image of what looks like Tae in a dark room: apparent heading of the article: "relationship that becomes eternal by end of ___(fill in the blank)___"

It's a love song so perhaps the heading says something like "relationship that becomes eternal by end of wedding vows"

The subheading appears to be the same words used in the initial Weverse notice about the release of Layover: "... in total - five tracks and a bonus track. To fully appreciate the album’s flow, we recommend listening to it in sequence from start to finish."

RED THREAD on white fabric: the word "desire" which remains embroidered and the word "friends" which is pulled apart to leave only "end."

FRIENDS END FRIENDS DEAD FEED FRIENDS END FRIENDS END FRIENDS END SIREN END FRIENDS END DINE END DESIRE FRIENDS END

I have no idea what that means.

The colors...

Pink... it was pink with white text at first but then a broken phone is in the mix (makes me think about all that photo-leaking mess when we first got wind of Tae and Jennie) ... and now Pink... and black... HMMMMMMM... black and pink... hmmmmm?

iPhones are notoriously difficult to hack these days. I wonder if one of the photo leakers is one of the subjects of the photos... just sayin'...

Could this "love song in the Pop Soul R&B genre," as it is described, be about, you know... Jennie? Black... pink... I know what we've heard but seriously... who really knows anything? Not I. But I have eyes and a brain.... that over thinks.

The funniest thing is if any of his solos or especially the cult show up at the party event and adhere to the dress code... HAH! Tae, you clever little devil.

Release date: March 15 which is not White Day in Korea but more historically infamously known as the Ides of March. Is the song about Brutus and Julius Caesar? Friendship gone wrong? Maybe that's too plebian of me... anyway...

So I will be here waiting to find out if Fri(end)s is another invigorating song that will let us experience the full breadth of Tae's charms just as Seven was described as the full breadth of Jungkook's charms... *ahem*... or if it's something completely different. We'll see!

[spagheddiediaz]

fuck it friday

tagged by @wikiangela :)

this needs some severe work and my brain is so fried rn i may be going through a breakup but that relationship was only half of my heart bc the roommates au was occupying the other half. enjoy :)

Eddie lifted his head, cocking an eyebrow. “Find it?” He asks, still trying to pry the string out of the stupid needle which was absolutely disposable and -

Buck appears in the doorway of the bathroom, his hands empty. 

“It wasn’t in the closet?” Eddie asks, clearly confused. “I swear, I just saw it there last night. Shit. You know what, maybe I put it on the top of the closet? I can go-” “Eddie.” Buck cuts him off, his face showing absolutely no emotion whatsoever. Eddie didn’t recognize this face. Granted, they’d only lived together for a few weeks - maybe a month. But Eddie thought he’d had a good grasp on Buck’s habits and emotions. Until this very moment, that is. “Why don’t you have a bed?” He asks, his eyes locked on Eddie, unable to tear them away even if he so desperately wanted. 

“What are you- oh.” Eddie panics for a moment, trying to think of the best logical explanation that would absolutely make sense in his head. “Just got used to it, you know?” He shrugs, locking the first aid kit and tossing it back into the bathroom cabinet underneath the sink. “I slept in a tent for nearly five years over there. The floor of a nice apartment is - it’s comforting.” He nods, unsure if he’s trying to convince Buck or himself. 

“Eddie.” Buck says again, his body frozen in the doorway of the bathroom. 

“Buck, it’s… I’m comfortable, seriously.” And Buck is moving closer, reaching out with his uninjured hand to take Eddie’s. He gives it a gentle squeeze, Eddie getting goosebumps at the touch. 

“Let’s go to bed.” Buck whispers, giving Eddie’s arm a gentle tug and walking backwards in the direction of his bedroom. 

Tagging (zero pressure as always) @king-buckley @hippolotamus @cowboy-buck @monsterrae1 @bellabrady @thosetwofirefighters @sibylsleaves @housewifebuck @buckactuallys @cowboy-buddie @tawaifeddiediaz @prince-buck-diaz @anxieteandbiscuits @hattalove @messyhairdiaz @alyxmastershipper @elvensorceress @mrevanbuckley @forthewolves @thewolvesof1998

[roastedinmarch]

does anyone have a good explanation or analysis of the mash “dreams” episode? it’s one of my favourite episodes but high school english fried my brain and i can’t understand what most of the dreams mean

[liminalmemories21]

WIP Wednesday

tagged by @irispurpurea.  Thank you!

Waiting to see exactly how much of what I have written I am going to have to not just rewrite, but rethink in light of the comment in the interview that Carlos is the baby of the family.  Still, honestly, having a hard time wrapping my head around it for a variety of complicated reasons some of which are about the internal logic of the show’s plot, and some of which are about narrative repetition.

TK doesn’t say anything as they walk to the car, and it weirdly makes him feel compelled to explain.  "I told Mom I didn't want to have kids. I guess she didn’t say anything to Dad."

TK slants him an uncomfortably perceptive look but doesn’t say anything. 

He swallows against a suddenly dry throat.  "I know I should talk to him about it, but it's not like that's a kind of conversation we've ever had before. I wouldn't even know where to start."

TK makes a thoughtful noise.  "You talk to your mom."

He shrugs.  "Mom is easier." 

He struggles for how to explain why, but TK just nods.  "Yeah.  Talking to Mom was always easier than talking to Dad, even when she was mad at me for trying to be just like him."

He rubs a thumb against TK's wrist in comfort, and TK turns to him half-smiling.  "You don’t actually have to tell him anything, you know.”  He turns to look at TK in surprise.  TK turns his hand so their fingers are linked.  “A decision to have children, that’s you and me.  Nobody else really gets a say in it, and you don’t owe anyone an explanation about it.”  TK’s lips quirk in amusement.  “And, babe, let’s be honest, it’s not like he’s gonna bring it up if you don’t.”

He stages a theatrical gasp, taking a step back to press a hand over his heart like the ladies at church when he was growing up.  “Tyler Kennedy Strand, are you suggesting that my father and I both avoid difficult conversations?”

TK snorts.  “Well, you had to learn it somewhere.”  He takes a step closer and says more soberly.  “I’m serious though, baby.  This isn’t a conversation you owe anyone except maybe me, and we’ve talked about this, so we’re good.”  Carlos eyes him closely, and TK rolls his eyes.  “We’re good.  Now do you want to stop and pick up something for dinner on the way home?  I didn’t actually get to eat much before everything happened, and I’m starving.”

Tagging anyone who wants to play, because my brain is fried today and I need all the snippets of fic I can get to restore me for tomorrow.

[goldensunset]

i’m not about to draw a minimum of twelve entire pictures but i wanna do this anyway (i guess i could just edit the images in there but that’s lame lol)

•my favorite gym leader is probably either tulip or clay! something about tulip i just always found very endearing and respectable and i love clay’s no-nonsense attitude and sheer strength. plus he gets bonus points for his daughter being lacey

•fav champion is clearly volo. like how could you not classify that as a champion fight. that was so freaking hard man. runner up goes to kieran though bc he was also really hard for me. but of course if we’re talking official true pokémon league champions then cynthia

•fav elite four member has gotta be lacey. i adore her. first time i’ve ever lost to the same opponent multiple times in a fair fight (aka being prepared and on-level). she’s sooo cute and fun! she also terrifies me severely

•favorite protagonist is akari no surprise there. la does such a good job of making it clearly important why the protag is the protag. it offers a legitimate in-universe explanation as to why this one child in particular is so much more powerful than all the others. out of place in time and space, literally chosen by a god… the way certain characters question her humanity, both in a good and evil way… it’s so good

•favorite rival… well pokémon fans use the term rival really loosely. it can mean any friend character that you battle for funsies even once. it can mean literal arch nemesis. idk. arven stole my heart with his story but i don’t consider him a rival like most people do so that goes to cheren. i love his story and he has also mopped the floor with me several times

•favorite antagonist is also volo next question. i’m sick in the head about him. n is a strong and clear second place obviously though. i’ve done enough rambling on here about them

•professor laventon is the guy ever he feels like he actually personally cares about akari so much. that’s her dad. the way he’s actively involved in plot stuff, he accompanies the team on field missions even when he really doesn’t need to… he’s always there. you see him a lot. and he’s clearly writing the pokédex entries himself and they’re absolute gold. but seeing as professor is also a broad term because they’ve been really breaking up the older tradition in recent games, i nominate director clavell as second place bc i respect the guy a lot. that old man (tm) enjoyer here

•fav battle facility leader… well. i don’t really have one bc i’ve done very little with the battle facilities in the two games i’ve played that had them lol. so i guess throwaway answer is ingo but mostly for pla reasons. actually i think he counts as a battle facility leader in pla with the daybreak update and i’ve done some of his stuff so he does in fact count for me

•for fav clan member i’m gonna say arezu i like her a lot. she tried doing the right thing in a very chaotic way and i respect her for her efforts. plus her design is cute and she gives great haircuts and her noble is adorable

•character from other media… well i’m obsessed with the way n is portrayed in pokespe. perfect blend between sad prettyboy and freak behavior. they just made everything so intense. and i love oshawott from poképark 2 with the way he’s trying so hard to be serious and cool but snivy keeps getting on his nerves lol. that’s the reason i chose oshawott in pla bc that was the only of those pokémon i recognized

•i’m classifying arven as miscellaneous bc like i said i don’t consider him a rival but MAN!! man… this guy just got shortchanged so many times but i’m glad he was able to get closure for his parents’ disappearance and death and that he can move on and just live his own life. also certified dog lover moment

•top fav character… yeah you all know it’s volo LOL. completely shrimp fried my brain. the absolute hyperactive high i was on when he revealed himself. made even more insane bc i had literally been spoiled that he was a twist villain but i had no other context so i was just waiting the whole game for him to be evil. imagine the sinking in my gut when the credits rolled and it didn’t happen i thought i’d been embarrassing myself the whole time but then the postgame punched me in the gut HARD. i thought he’d end up being like the sad sympathetic frenemy guy where you don’t really want to fight him but NOPE full on evil full on he was just using you. made even better by the context that he had been your biggest fan throughout the whole game while everyone else had been suspicious of you. i lost my entire mind. once again second place to n though

[zyafics]

Hi if you don’t mind me asking, how do you make the spotify and student app posts for your smaus? They look so good!!

thank you!!! i use a mixture of photoshop, photoscape, and gimp! they’re all laptop-based but 2/3 of them are free <3 hope that helps 🙂‍↕️😌🤍

edit: ohmygod, my fried brain read it as “where did you make the spotify…” NOT HOW 😭 i’m so sorry about that!!

so basically, i make mockups and then i start inserting things in. i also use the original social medias app as inspirations but i cut out unnecessary details and/or emphasis other details that i want the reader to take out of it. and my goal is to make it clean.

i use my university’s newspaper to make as a foundation for The Atlas, i use spotify for the spotify, i use fizz (my school’s like “social media” app) for the atlas’ student app, and i just make up random things for the rest.

mainly, the goal is finding good fonts (fonts makes SUCH a big difference for me), organizing your hex codes and color palettes, and also having fun with the format. like originally, the spotify’s mockup was SO UGLY but i knew i wanted to emulate the green from the logo and then establish the background from there.

like look:

and then i just build from the ground up. mostly, u dont want to have too much negative space because it looks awkward. i try to put random things in to make it look “full”

you can always ask me more questions if my explanation here is a little mess!! i’ll try my best to explain <3

[cozage]

Hey folks-

Im sure a few of you have probably noticed that all I’m posting right now is Daughter’s Return updates. And maybe you’ve even wondered why (if not, you can keep scrolling! Just gonna be a long winded explanation)

Im still going to be working on requests, just not right now. My life is super busy at the moment and for the next few weeks. I’m working a full time job, transitioning into a new (very demanding) job, and taking college classes online.

I bit off a little more than I could chew in life, so right now writing has to take a back seat, even if it is just about the only thing I want to be doing.

I have two-three more chapters of The Daughters Return already written and in various stages of editing. So when I get a few moments to decompress and write, that’s my easiest thing to work on, since the writing portion is already done. This is why it’s been getting so many updates (and will continue to get some even though I’m not writing anything else rn)

I will be writing other stuff! Very soon! Hopefully once I get out of my transition period for jobs, I’ll be able to really write again and give you guys some good content with other characters besides Ace.

It kinda sucks. I know. It sucks for me too. I want to write new stuff, but usually by the time I’m done with my daily obligations, my brain is totally fried. I’ll be back with new fun writings soon. I hope you’ll stick with me in the meantime, and check out my weekly updates of The Daughter’s Return if you’re interested, at least until we get back to our regularly scheduled program.

Im so honored to have your support and love. You have no idea how much it means to me.

[kadavernagh]

TIMING: After Regan and Jade buy couches LOCATION: The Common PARTIES: Regan and Jade SUMMARY: The town is cursed with cold cookies and no one is to blame, especially not Jade and Regan.

“I think we should have given more consideration to that small one, the suffocation model,” Regan said, watching Jade out of the corner of her eye, the most subtle of amused crinkles at the corner. Anyone else might have taken her completely seriously. She was only being 95% serious, though (there was a 5% allowance that, okay, the couch they agreed upon was acceptable for now). A man jogging through the Common whipped his head toward them as he ran by, as if thinking he misheard. Odd. “If we drop our guard to the point of allowing relaxation, we deserve the air squeezed from our lungs. It will keep us alert.” Regan squeezed Jade’s hand, fingers brushing over her ring, the crinkles by her eyes growing a shade darker. She was down to 80% serious now (100% if it was pointed out). “We don’t have a lot of oxygen to go around in the first place, between the two of us. But don’t you think Emilio might steal this one when it’s dropped off at Axis? All those knife pockets…” She gave Jade a raised eyebrow, a reminder. “Defense knives.” A lot of them. Up to a hundred. That seemed excessive, but Jade liked that feature and Regan approved of the removable cushions.

…She probably would have gone along with it even if it lacked removable cushions. Jade had sent her that photo of Betty Crocker whipped vanilla too many times for Regan to think otherwise (along with an explanation of the meaning). But how could she say no to such heartfelt excitement? Regan used to think she had little to no practical experience at decision making. Jade was an even more extreme case. Except, she didn’t realize how wrong that was, what she had been deprived of. So she could pick the couch, the paint, the… no, actually, Regan was insistent on the windows and basement. But other than that.

Regan stopped in her tracks as something that wasn’t Jade fried her skin, plucking at each hair. It was death, almost… not the death she most often knew, and not the twisted version of it that Jade’s vampires carried with them. Jade was used to being along for this particular ride by now (and Regan was adamant that her presence made her even more accurate, but the reverse was probably true). Wordlessly, she nudged Jade into a sharp left, and her focused eyes fell on what looked like – what was – a picnic basket left behind by someone. Whatever she felt was coming from in there, she was sure. “Who put something dead in a picnic basket?” Regan asked Jade now that they’d found their target. “I guess it could be a whole chicken, or a turkey, but it doesn’t feel… like that.”

Regan watched the basket intently, thinking for a second– just before she’d blinked– that she saw it move slightly. 

—

“Mm, I bet you do,” Jade fired back without missing a beat, rolling her eyes playfully. It was a good thing they were holding hands, cause she was staring so hard, silently encouraging Regan to give her one extra crinkle, that she had no clue where her feet led her. Regan could take them down a cliff and she would’ve been too busy to notice. She marveled at the way Regan revealed her smiles more openly these days. In the common! Where people could see! And of course, she had to entertain the current conversation. “I wonder if that’s what happens when we’re randomly jolted awake from sleep. You know the one… where you feel like you’re falling into the abyss and then, bam! I wonder if that’s cause the air squeezed…” before she could fully nibble on that tasty brain nugget, Regan continued vouching for the suffocation model. Except— “Um, excuse me, I’m not the one taking all the air away. You should try not making it as hard to breathe around you” she scoffed, but like, she never wanted it to be easier. She liked the effect Regan had on her. She liked how gay her lungs got any time she was around. She didn’t banter anymore when she realized Regan was right. (For the first time ever) (Mark the date). Yup. Emilio might take an interest in their super amazing couch. With all the incredible extra knife space.  But then again, wasn’t Emilio totally spoiled by Teddy anyway? She could just refer him to Just Couches. It would be all kinds of cute to have matching ones. Especially since he kept passing on her double date ideas. “It’s gonna be fine, baby.” She nodded, more certain that Regan wasn’t actually right, it was just a false alarm.

The stroll came to a sudden stop. Which usually only happened for two reasons: One, Jade had spotted a new place to get food from, or two, Regan was sensing death. Since she was clearly not the one who stopped them (right?) (she looked around, nope), then it had to be option two: Regan had found something. Or was about to. Sure enough, she felt a tug that made her belly flutter, cause Regan was hot when she was on a mission. And so she picked up her pace to get to whatever was making her girl’s spidey sense go off. They took a sharp turn left and then it was right there, on the ground. She tilted her head, looking at the basket. Huh. But Regan was positive it was something dead. And she was failproof. “Maybe it’s like… a super special offering,” she pondered and ooooh, what could it be? Was it a squirrel, it would be all kinds of poetic, like a full circle type of thingy, right after securing their first piece of furniture for their first home. Home. 

Figuring Regan would call dibs on the basket anyway (as it was her right with anything dead), Jade lowered herself to the ground (it wasn’t too far anyway, haha she was short), sensing movement within. “Can the dead move?” She hoped the audience at home would’ve laughed that it was her, of all people, asking that question.

—

Regan picked up on the joking lightness in Jade’s tone, but she came in with a serious answer anyway (when didn’t she?). Jade’s dead moved, but those weren’t really dead. They were both referring to the cadavers that lined the morgue she missed every day. “Sometimes, if there are maggot masses under the skin, it can look like the dead are moving. It generates a lot of heat, too, you know. Sometimes nearly one hundred degrees.” She gave Jade a look out of the corner of her eye, most of her attention still on the basket. “You would think more humans might consider using maggot masses for some heat in the winter. Sometimes the others in Saol Eile would do that when the moors got too gusty.”

Regan lowered herself to the basket, slowly, as if it were a wild animal in need of taming. And who was to say there wasn’t something alive in there, too, rattling the basket back and forth? It was definitely moving now. “There’s death in there, I know it. But what if there’s… a cat? A live one? They would eat the dead, in fact.” Regan swallowed, hesitating. “We’re opening it, right?”

—

“That’s actually super cool,” freaky, but cool. Jade glanced at Regan, genuine curiosity sparkling in her gaze. It never ceased to amaze her just how smart her bone partner was. And like, she wanted to ask more, she wanted Regan to get that adorable look on her face she got any time she explained something nerdy to her. Soak up all the knowledge Regan didn’t want to use at the morgue anymore cause she was… trying to be something else. (She supported her in her discovery but…) (But). She was pretty sure the basket was already pulling much of the attention anyway, but they would have to pivot back to maggot masses cause… “I need to see pictures of that, were they like knitted or…” she cocked her head using her imagination, definitely ignoring the pang of annoyance (and hurt) that the mention of Saol Eile made her feel. 

Regan joined her on the ground, and Jade watched with a dopey smile how she approached the basket like she was kneeling to pet Lullaby. (It had yet to happen, but she envisioned it every day). She was so silly. The basket rattled, but she was too busy staring, until Regan spoke up again, strangely mentioning live cats too. It was the best kinda freaky when they were on the same wavelength. It was probably like, a rainbow wavelength. “Cats do eat the dead, and bring you dead things,” she hummed turning back to the basket. It was totally why she knew her cats would become besties with Regan eventually. But Regan sensed death, so they had to open it. Her love deserved all the dead things. “We’re so opening it, I’ve been ready” With an encouraging nod, Jade flicked the lid of the basket (more rattling), and then the protective piece of cloth covering the dead… “Cookies?” Nope. Not dead cookies. Just cookies. They smelled too nice to be dead. “Now I’m not the expert, but I don’t think cookies are supposed to rattle.”

—

Jade, as always, was completely correct about what constituted “cool”. Even “super cool”. Regan melted a little at the acknowledgement from someone so special, someone who saw so much in her, and nodded with satisfaction. “It is. Maybe after this we can find a nice maggot mass together. Far better than a photograph, don’t you think? Some photos. There must be something decomposing around here somewhere, and the sun is nearly setting, so I think it would be…” Regan’s breath hitched as Jade kneeled down, and she did the same, her focus now entirely on the basket.

Regan’s skin prickled when the basket opened, a chill against her already-chilled flesh. Did Jade notice? Jade seemed undeterred as she delicately folded the protective cloth over, and– “Um, yes, those look like cookies. Not even dead ones, just chocolate chip. Which is a good flavor, but inferior to the plain oatmeal cookie or sugar cookies. I don’t think cookies can be dead, given they’re never alive. Professional opinion from an Apple Store employee.” Then why did she still feel death? Regan placed her hand over Jade’s before Jade could reach for the cookies. “I think there’s something wrong with these… or the basket, or maybe even this spot.” Regan shook her head, her lips pressed thin. She knew it rattled. It wasn’t just in her head, was it? 

“Do you think they were left here for a reason?” Just as Regan asked, a loud, twisted voice rang out from the basket – it sounded like it came from an old woman, but when she looked, there was nothing but cookies. When it became obvious Jade didn’t hear the old woman, Regan tilted her head and tried to listen more closely. “There’s… I hear an old woman. She sounds nice, but a little, uh, pained, maybe. Um… something about a cold cookie curse on us?” Regan raised a brow and there was silence. “No, never mind, she says we aren’t cursed. The whole town is.”

—

Cookies and maggot masses weren’t like, at the top of Jade’s favorite date ideas, but actually? Any date was her ideal date when it was Regan by her side, so she couldn’t help the excitement fluttering in her belly at the thought of checking that concept off their list. But first? They had a mystery to solve. And luckily for everybody involved, two of the greatest minds in town were joining forces to get to the bottom of it. She got distracted, though… “Mmm, can you make me sugar cookies?” Regan was already a world renowned baker in her opinion. Everything she put in the oven turned to gold. (Not literally, obviously). But fine, this was about the non-dead cookies. She might as well sniff them to see if they smelled foul, right? Nope.  Before she could grab one, Regan’s hand was on hers. Oh, okay… No touchy, then. Got it. 

Something was definitely wrong with the cookies, but what? Regan leaned in to… um, listen to the cookies, which, alright. She was the one with the Spidey sense, Jade wasn’t gonna question it. She fully believed the cookies were talking to Regan, don’t get her wrong. Jade could, also, have a little fun with it. Everything about this was totally whimsical anyway. “You know what, I hear her too, she’s… hold on, she’s delivering a message for you,” staring at Regan with a playful glint in her eyes, Jade bent to the cookies’ level. “Uh-huh. Yup. I got it, she says: Listen to your bone partner, she’s right a hundred percent of the time,” she winked shamelessly, and satisfied with her mini performance, she grabbed the basket to get up. “What a sound old lady,” she swooned, offering a hand to Regan.  

And okay, “if the town is cursed, then we are in charge of breaking the curse, duh,” which sounded exactly like the type of side quest Jade was down for. She watched like, four seasons of Once Upon a Time, she knew about town curses. (She eventually dropped it cause she didn’t like them depicting Bo Peep as an evil woman) (How dare). Side note, of course they were the only ones iconic enough to escape the curse, that didn’t surprise her in the least. “I know you’ve been dabbling in heroics recently, most notoriously Terramoist, so I know you’re the perfect woman for the job,” Jade nodded confidently once Regan was back in her line of sight. Her mind was spinning with possibilities. “We probably have to deliver these to some ancient powerful spellcasters or something,” Ooh! What if the old lady Regan was hearing was trapped inside the cookies and delivering the basket to the wizard would unlock a— wait, shoot, Regan didn’t believe in magic. “Or um, ya know, those crooks who pretend they can do tricks and all?” she air quoted ‘tricks’. “Actually, maybe it’s a prank”.

—

The old woman’s voice croaked with coldness, making Regan’s arms prickle with gooseflesh. She muttered the woman’s words, repeating them only because they had an important weight to them. Not that Regan believed they were anything truly impactful, of course. “She’s still going, Um, she says… by hearth and flame, by night and day? What? What does that mean? Oh, let warmth from ovens fade away. I still don’t– oh, there’s more. Uh, from flour and sugar, cold be born, and let cookies chill from dusk til morn.” Regan paused because the voice seemed to be done now. She blinked at the absurdity of the situation. “Jade, why am I hearing poetry about cookies from an invisible old lady who feels dead?” But Regan had convinced herself she remained sane even after Terramoist and the human simulations, so was this really much stranger? The voice seemed to take a final breath and then fade away, a cold chill biting Regan’s already cold skin.

Jade really had a way of melting Regan’s concern away (or… maybe that was just being distracting). “It’s probably nothing. So many things in this town are nothing, you know. Just turn your head away and they disappear.” Just like how she wasn’t a banshee anymore. “I’ll make you whatever cookies you want– sugar, chocolate chip, marrow, you name it.” Hold on, Jade could hear her too? Something about that sounded like a lie – Jade’s honesty wasn’t what she claimed it to be. “That is not what she said. What old lady are you listening to?” Regan narrowed her eyes at Jade, but she could still feel death pulsing nearby, and a chill from the disembodied old woman’s voice lingered in the air. Regan was a little uneasy when she took Jade’s hand, though the warmth of her skin cut through her uncertainty. She looked back at the basket they were leaving behind, still stuffed full of inviting cookies. Maybe they should have taken them – the worms outside the cabin might have enjoyed the nourishment.

“We both know curses are nonsense. Not even in the realm of pseudoscience, like a lot of this town’s fascinations. Just utter nonsense. But…” But what? “I think we could use some cookies now, so I’ll listen to my bone partner just this once. Not these cookies, by the way. I wouldn’t eat anything that the old woman baked. She doesn’t even have a body.” Regan harrumphed. “And here I thought we’d find just that. A disappointment. Hm. So roadkill first, then cookies.” She gave Jade a playful jab with her elbow as they walked out the common. “Decomposition always stimulates the appetite.”

[bronx-bomber87]

We march forward onto ep 8 for our series rewatch. :)

1x08 Time of death

This ep is a desert for gifs in general and Chenford content sadly.

Also a very Nolan forward ep. But lots of good Tim stuff too I wanted to review. That being said, had to use screen shots with my phone since this was a gif desert haha But none the less the review carries on ha

We start with Tim seeing Isabel being brought back to station cuffs and all.... Poor Tim. Always looks the saddest when Isabel is around. He asked Grey what is going on. Finds out she made a deal to be a CI Oof. His rough ride continues when it comes to her. The man can not catch a break. But her time with him is all about to come to head one way or another which he truly he needs.

We get our first (really our only) shot of our fav duo in their shop. Lucy commends Tim for letting the drugs be found. It's good she's reminding him what he decided was for the best. You can see he is still laden with heavy guilt over it. His internal loyalty still scolding him for not doing so. He defends Isabel and tells Lucy they weren't hers. I mean no...but she did willingly stash them for Carson my love.

He so desperate to have an explanation to this situation. To why she’s acting the way she is. He’s such a black and white guy. He needs this to make sense to him. To have something to hang this on. So he goes with her being taken advantage of. It’s what going to the narrative in his head for this. What his brain is able to wrap itself around. Lucy of course thinks that is BS and does what she does best. Calls him on it. Asking him if really believes that? Sadly we don’t get an answer due to Nolan’s officer involved shooting coming up. As the ep moves on we delve deeper into Isabel's CI SL. Tim finds out the plan from Talia and is none to pleased.

Tim comes into Capt. Anderson’s office like a bat out of hell. Ready to start throwing verbal punches. I love how the Capt immediately shuts him down before he continues. She’s like future Lucy puts him in check when he needs it. Something he responds to very well. He turns into sad puppy after she reprimands his abrupt entrance and lists off why Isabel is doing this OP.

When she is listing off those reasons he looks stressed. Tim wants so badly to control this situation. Yet he is at its mercy and its killing him. He’s so worried. He tells her the Isabel in her file is gone. The emotions brewing inside him and the look in his eyes. My damn heart. Eric doing what he does best. Killing me softly with his acting.

You see the empathy in Anderson's eyes after he says this. She softens a bit. Tells him at this point all she can give him is rescue detail. Only offer on the table for him. He accepts this but looks so resigned. Tim then apologizes for barging in and leaves much more defeated than when we walked in.

We get to see him next waiting in his car for the OP to start. Tim is causing self inflicted wounds, watching old videos on his phone of him and Isabel. Clearly long before this moment in time. Living in the past as long as he can before this op begins.

Angela interrupts this trip down memory lane by showing up in his car. (And bringing fries with her LOL) None the less she is ready to go into battle with him. To be there for him. You can see it on his face how much he appreciates this. He’s never one to ask but those important to him know he when he needs it. Her talking him through the op once it pops off is what he needs. I love Lopez. She’s the best. A true loyal friend through and through for Tim.

The op goes south pretty quickly after Isabel goes off book. They rush in to find Isabel’s wire and a trail of blood... Tim loses it on Wolfe and Vestri for letting this happen. Angela has to hold him back from going after them, his worst nightmare come to life in this moment. The one thing he always feared would happen. Ugh. This is where it ends for Tim at least. It’s a TBC with Nolan's SL still hanging in balance as well.

~~~

Side Notes-Non Chenford

Cold open is pretty funny with the escape room haha they’re all high fiving then Talia remember he’s a criminal LOL it’s such a serious episode they needed this levity up front.

Wolfe saying Isabel fallen off a long way since Tim( referring to Carson once they see him). She sure has….

Thank you all for your continued likes/ comments and reblogs. They mean more to me than you know. ❤️ Will try to get 1x09 next chance I get.