#these are all great and i did exclude some that i love for pacing but like. unironically i think thats the perfect ending line for joel

[crunchycrystals]

every single life series winner has had a banger ending line. doesn't matter if you're a mean gill or a bad boy or a neighbor or a clocker. scar i'm sorry i don't feel good. how did the guy with no friends win. i guess i forgive you after all. and perhaps my favorite, that is the fast and furious franchise summed up in 8 simple episodes

[lockwoodsmouse]

An Official lockwoodsmouse Review of Netflix’s Lockwood & Co.

spoilers... duh

Context: This is coming from someone who is an avid fan of the books, and has been for 6 years. I’ve read them over and over and know many lines by heart. 

Okay, let's start...

SOUNDTRACK: 10/10 

I swear I almost passed out when A Forest by the Cure started playing in Episode 2. That’s seriously one of my favorite songs ever and fit the vibe perfectly. I also love the instrumental soundtrack! I’ve been streaming it a lot. I watched the episodes with closed captions, so I knew all the titles of the songs they included in the show. If you are interested, I have my L&Co. playlist linked on my blog. The ending section includes songs that were on the show (excluding the official soundtrack instrumentals) but most of it is just songs I associate with the vibe/characters/events. 

CGI: 9/10

I don’t really have much to say here, the ghosts were about what I imagined them to be in my head, and I have to say, the Wythburn Mill ghost creeped me out quite a bit. 

PACING: 8/10

Like many of us, I would have appreciated more detail being given to the Combe Carey Hall case. That section felt rushed, but the second half (The Whispering Skull bit) felt just fine. I think if we just had one more episode dedicated to Combe Carey (9 episodes instead of 8) it would have been better. There also wasn't a lot of suspense, and the Red Room/Screaming Staircase didn’t seem like a big deal. Also, Lockwood unraveling the Fairfax mystery is just too good in the book! The show underscores how clever and pensive he is during those parts.

LUCY: 10/10

Oh my gosh. Ruby Stokes. She knocked it out of the house with her depiction of Lucy. She’s smart, feisty, moody, quick-tempered, vulnerable, anxious, and empathetic all at once. I really love seeing Lucy’s flaws, honestly. In the later seasons (FINGERS CROSSED GUYS), I really hope to see more of her strength/finesse with her rapier. I also like how it focused more on her mental health, and it’s clear that she feels safe in her new home, but is still hurting inside. I also love the backstory we get with Norrie. In the books, Lucy seems to deal with some internalized misogyny and some of that is definitely cleared up when she had such a close female friend. ALSO ANGST!!! wowie

*side note: those polaroid pictures of her and Norrie are the absolute cutest

*extra side note: SHE SAYS FUCK!!! GOOD FOR HER!!! 

*extra extra side note: I love how they gave her blue as her primary color! It suits her.

LOCKWOOD: 10/10

Cameron Chapman was AMAZING. He really did well with his depiction of Lockwood, and if you watch any interview with him in it, he’s just hilarious. He’s cooly detached, just like he is in the books, and the suit/coat he wears is EXACTLY how I pictured it. One of the highlights for me was the panic attack scene after Winkman’s auction. This scene was so good that I wish it was in the books! It’s such a great detail and adds more vulnerability/dimension to his character. 

GEORGE: 10/10

Ah, George. The lovable oddball we all adore. Ali Hadji-Heshmati captures George’s awkwardness and nerdy tendencies perfectly. He has kind of a quiet leadership, and I love his dynamic with the rest of the team. That scene where him and Lucy were bonding over pizza was the absolute cutest. True to the books, he is kind of the comic relief, but it doesn't feel overdone. 

Give me more domestic scenes where George is wearing an apron. 

LOCKLYLE: 10/10

Oh my. I was swooning. I had to watch all the episodes when my roommate was in class because every time there was a tender moment it was accompanied by a lot of squeaking and flapping around on my end. Anyways... One of my favorite scenes was the one where Lockwood bandages up Lucy’s injured hand (I’m such a sucker for tender hand holding and this show DID NOT DISAPPOINT). I know people are saying that it did feel a little rushed, but in my opinion, they were like this all the time in the books and Lucy was just really oblivious for a while. I love their dynamic so much and even all the scenes where they were fighting felt very much like you’d expect. ALSO WE GET JEALOUS LOCKWOOD OMG. I know some people think the Kipps/Lucy thing was weird, but it honestly could have been the same in the books, but Lucy is just (again) oblivious. 

SKULL: 6/10

I really like the design of the skull’s jar, as well as the apparition itself. It’s exactly how I imagined. However, the skull from the books is so much more sassy, evil, and wise. That didn’t really come through in the show, but maybe they’re holding back for future seasons? I really liked the skull’s insights on the team in the book, as well as his clever wit, creative insults, and sass. Now that the characters can swear, this allows the skull so much more room for creative jibes. 

honorable mention: GHOST LAMPS!!! 10000/10! we are all obsessed and rightfully so.

CONCLUSION: I will defend this show with my life. I love it so much. 

p.s. if u read through all this, I <3 u. hope u enjoyed my nerdy ramblings.

[beautifulgazelle]

So, I didn't like the new Nosferatu movie a whole lot. (SPOILER WARNING)

There were a lot of elements I liked, the cinematography was amazing, the costume and set design were great, and many of the actors (particularly Willam Defoe) gave fantastic performances. Still, if I were to put all the Nosferatu films on their list (excluding Shadow of the Vampire, as I've yet to see it), the 2024 movie would be last.

The main issue I had was that it didn't really scare me. My favorite Nosferatu movie is Nosferatu: The Vampyre from 1979 and what I love about it is how tense it is, there are so many long scenes that emanate this amazing sense of dread I never really got with this movie. I think the main reason for this is the weird pacing.

Nosferatu movies all have a bit of a pacing issue in the fact that the scenes can drag on a lot. However, the 2024 movie is weird in the fact that it has that issue in scenes where I feel like it could hurry things up a bit but moves way too fast in scenes I think would have benefited from being a bit slower. A good example is the scene when Thomas is in the castle, and Orlock approaches him, it moves so fast that I don't really feel any tension before it cuts to the next scene. I feel it would have worked better if we had gotten a long shot of Orlock approaching the audience until his cloak completely covered the camera in darkness, then a cut to Thomas' terrified face as the Count's shadow grows closer until he is consumed by it.

As much as I loved the film's dream-like editing, I think it was a bit much at times to the point of eliminating some of the horror, an example would be the scene of Orlock's shadow opening Ellena's door. In the original, that scene was great because it was basically just two long shots of his shadow walking up the stairs and reaching for the door handle. I think if the new movie has done something similar; like having a long shot of Orlock's shadow slowly ascending the spiral staircase before transitioning into the scene of his shadow opening the door (which was a really cool piece of editing), I think it would have worked better.

The movie honestly kinda grossed me out more than it scared me, it had a lot more sex and violence than the prior movies (not necessarily a complaint as both the other Nosferatu movies and the Dracula novel had a lot of sexual undertones it simply expanded on, and the lack of violence is likely in large part due to the era they were released in.) but because it didn't scare me those scenes just felt...weird. If it had the tension of the 79' movie, I feel those scenes would have worked a lot better to elevate the horror rather than trying to induce it where it was lacking. Even the few attempts and jump-scares didn't get me, I think the only one that made me actually jolt a bit was the scene on the ship.

The last (but probably least) of my issues was the pretty divisive design of the count himself. Obviously, the mustache is a bit weird, and while it does have a precedent from the novel, I personally am still mixed on it. What annoyed me more than that was the weird tuft of hair they gave him. I did like how they made him very corpse-like as it makes sense with him being undead and all, and the burns and scaring on his body gave his character a good sense of history like he had been in hundreds of battles over his long life. I remember seeing a piece of concept art where they made him completely hairless I think would have worked WONDERFULLY. But overall I thought his design was still good and Bill Skarsgard did a great job with his acting.

This is a little bit of a side note, but a lot of the scenes had a weird, CGI-iy feel, even when I don't think CGI was used. I feel like the movie may have gone through a bit too much post-processing.

I almost feel bad about the fact that I didn't like it as it clearly had a lot of heart put into it, and a lot of people online really seem to enjoy it, which I'm glad for! But I think I still personally prefer the 1922 original myself

[girlgeekjf-blog]

Ranking all the main range Big Finish Eighth Doctor Stories

(Excluding Multi Doctor stories)

(With bonus Eight and Charley special releases)

1. Caerdroia: Just delightful. Witty and cathartic-listened to it twice in one week. Such strong writing and acting, everyone has a moment to shine

2. Scherzo: Some of the best acting you will ever hear, stunning sound design and an awesome script. A masterpiece.

3. The Chimes of Midnight: Meticulous plotting and wonderful dialogue, a tight and constantly gripping story. I love the message about the value of life.

4. Seasons of Fear: Highly entertaining journey through history with a memorable villain and lots of quotable lines

5. The Silver Turk- Genuinely scary, stuffed with atmosphere, one of the best Cybermen stories ever

6. The Natural History of Fear: Excellent showcase for great acting and writing with unforgettable twists. I am fond of stories about shifting power dynamics, so this really appealed to me.

7. The Company of Friends: Each story is creative and well-constructed. The Doctor has convincing chemistry with all four companions (though Izzy suffers from weaker writing) Mary's story is an atmospheric highlight and it is amazing to have Fitz off the page for once.

8. The Girl Who Never Was: Does the difficult job of separating a great doctor/companion duo while keeping them both true to themselves by intelligently combining elements of other companion departures. Heartbreaking but satisfying.

9. Living Legend: A perfect slice of pure comedy, the leads are having a ball and are at their most likeable

10. Terror Firma: Gripping, great dialogue, and a twist that blew me away. A bit over ambitious for the run time, but so memorable and quotable.

11. Storm Warning: Energetic opening story which perfectly captures our two heroes from the get go. The setting is great as well.

12. Neverland: Expertly pays off what was set up in the preceding stories, with amazing concepts and can't miss character interactions

13. Other Lives: Love me a pure historical, especially one that gives each of the leads a compelling plot thread. Eight is so sweet in this it hurts.

14. If I Should Die Before I Wake: Great use of nuwho monsters to construct a twisty plot with lots of great moments between the leads.

15. Zagreus: Lives up to its reputation for being confusing, but it is also very entertaining and I admire the ambition. Plus Zagreus!Eight is a must listen.

16. The Witch From the Well: A smart blend of sci-fi and historical elements to tell a creepy and engaging story

17. The Faith Stealer: A solid story uplifted by delightful dialogue and great world building

18. Memory Lane: Does a lot with its off-beat, dream-like setting and I found the conclusion pretty unique while still fitting with the rest of the story.

20. Embrace the Darkness: Creepy concept and sound effects mixed with insight into the Doctor's character. I did get rather irritated with one of the side characters being stubbornly obstructive.

21. Solitaire: A tight, compelling showcase for Charley and the main villain, plus the idea of ventriloquist dummy!Eight is irresistible.

22. Invaders From Mars:A fun historical romp making the most of its inspired setting.

23. The Mummy Speaks!: Fast paced with some great dialogue and action set pieces. Gee the Gorilla is a star.

24. The Stones of Venice: The plot is messy, but it does a good job of continuing to develop the relationship between the Doctor and Charley.

25. Time Works: I just like the vibes on this one, a nice little self-contained fairy tale.

26. Absolution: Like C'rizz himself, kind of a mixed bag, but does a decent job of sending off my poor lizard/insect boy. The ending is a gut punch.

27. The Next Life: I really enjoyed Daphne Ashbrook in this, she's clearly having the time of her life, and she has great chemistry with McGann. Loved the villains ultimate fate. Did feel the leads were a bit out of character.

28. The Time of the Daleks: I like watching how protective the Doctor is of Charley here, and his sassy attitude towards the Daleks. Objectively, a bit of a slow story.

29. The Slaying of the Writhing Mass: Light and breezy story which has fun teaming up the Doctor and a kid for the adventure. Suffers a bit from separating the Doctor and Charley most of the story.

30. The Army of the Dead: A clichéd plot, but worth it to see the relationship developments between the Doctor and Mary.

31. Something Inside: This story is great for people who like hurt comfort. Which I do, though I prefer a bit more comfort. Otherwise, solid story if a little slow

32. The Last: Bleak, but does provide a fascinating look at the leads in extreme circumstances and helped me understand how the Divergent universe works. Did not like how Charley was written in this.

33. The Twilight Kingdom: It forces Charley to come off as irritating for plot reasons, but has some effective scenes and body horror.

34. The Heart of Orion: Improved sequel, with a better story and grasp on the characters than Sword of Orion. Still kind of middling.

35. Eclipse: Pretty unmemorable, if inoffensive; a generic sci fi story. I did like the ending.

36. Minuet in Hell: This is embarrassingly bad in many ways, especially in how women are treated. However, the parts with the Doctor are good, and I love everything with the Brig. Their meeting is fantastic.

37. The Sword of Orion: Objectively, it's perfectly functional. Subjectively, it is really dull. The leads are written to be the most generic Doctor and companion possible.

38. The Creed of the Kromons: This audio made me genuinely regret trying to eat breakfast in the car while listening. It's like they were trying to make the content as unpleasant as possible. Only good moment was the Doctor laughing about how stupid the villains were while they were torturing him. At least someone was having fun (for a moment).

39. Scaredy Cat: Deadly dull. Bad acting choices made by the main cast. The Doctor's moral compass is on holiday; not in an interesting way, just in a baffling way. It feels like the people making this just ran out of time, gave up and released something nobody particularly enjoyed, especially the audience.

Final thoughts: I adore Eight (now my current favorite Doctor), love Charley and Mary, like C'rizz and wish he had been better written. Loved most of these, and could recommend giving all but the last two a listen (the last two are in the running for worst Doctor Who story ever, and I'm pretty easy to please so I only have six or seven stories on that list).

I've been impressed with Big Finish so far, and I look forward to more Eighth Doctor.

[bunnymajo]

I'm bored so I'm going to rate everyone's Sonic Riders drip (excluding the comics because we're still waiting for everyone else's outfits. Also excluding the Babylon Rogues because that's just their signature look at this point)

Sonic

The chrome narrow wrap-around sunglasses are a good choice, very indicative of the 2000s. If this were redesigned in the 2020s his lenses would be huge. Shoes are definitely his signature colors but redesigned to look more athletic but sleek. A simple but noticeable change 8/10

Tails

Cute little pilot goggles!! His shoes are definitely more detailed and sporty. No laces, just thick velcro straps to hold it together and keep it youthful 10/10

Knuckles

A good choice of goggles that can be worn around the neck. Very practical and easy to keep track of. The pink lenses are also nice. They did a good job of trying to incorporate motifs from his signature shoes into a sportier look but it's just not all there for me. 7/10

Amy Rose

So darling! I love this much sportier look for her and flared out sweat pants. Her shoe design is also top notch!! I like how they switched out her inhibitor rings bangles for some sweatbands. Very fun. 9/10 for the game version, 10/10 once you add the heart glasses the comics are planning to give her.

Dr. Eggman

I'm not immune to a man in a cool sports coat & long wooshy scarf. Helmet's also good. Protect his head. 11/10

Shadow

I don't think they tried as hard as they could've. His shoes are a fun change of pace and I think it's cool they went with a more rimless look for his glasses but I think it could be pushed a bit more 6/10

Rouge

I'm sorry Rouge enjoyers but I think they also could've done more with her outfit. I really love the hibiscus print on her pants and seeing her in a more athletic get up at all is nice, her shoes are great! But like. Look I've been Rouge's size, she needs better support. And it matched with the long gloves looks off for some reason. Also she didn't even get cool glasses!! Where's her designer stolen Versache sunglasses Sega?? 6/10

Cream

I love love love this one! She's so adorable! The visor, the little shorts. Ready for some fun in the sun. Vanilla did good 12/10

Vector

I'm so sorry Vector, I'm so sorry Sega did like the bare minimum. Your new shoes are cool but you deserved so much more. 5/10

Blaze

Now this is a really welcome change of pace for her. Love the jumpsuit and the long bright PINK boots are killer. I wish the yellow was maybe a different shade? And again no sunglasses. Sega. Give your girls some eye protection! 8/10

Silver

The new shoes are so goofy looking but they're also 100% him. You can see these Oshkosh colors from a mile away. Loses points for again no glasses. 7/10

[meditating-dog-lover]

Exercise

So in the past I followed various eating and exercise plans. Some were unrealistic and too challenging/restrictive, others I loved, and some were doable but I could not see myself doing them longterm because they weren't my favorite approach.

I've done sugar free, keto, low carb, calorie counting, clean eating, etc... Now I do intermittent fasting and eat healthy and allow myself some junk food here and there. I take supplements to fill in any dietary nutritional gaps, which helps a lot with cravings. I don't eat low carb nor low fat and I eat sugar (I'd rather eat the occasional sugary treat than to overeat sugar-free processed junk like I used to in college). Having a chocolate chip cookie or a sweet coffee drink once a week is better than drinking diet Coke and sugar free lattes daily (again like I used to in college). I also don't count calories and just fast, which feels less restrictive and don't have to worry about numbers. I do eat high calorie foods (like nuts, avocados, seeds, dark chocolate) and I still lost weight. Those foods are rich in healthy fats and minerals, so you're better off eating them in decent portions than to exclude them because they're high in calories.

I've been doing IF for 5.5 months and still feel perfectly fine and not restricted. And I've had a really busy work schedule since January, and I don't feel exhausted nor hungry during my fasting period.

To burn additional fat, I do walk a lot. I pace a lot at work, walk my dogs, and go for walks myself. Walking burns more calories than you think, and I really enjoy it as a form of cardio. I've done HIIT, boxing, and running in the past for cardio which I unfortunately did not enjoy.

The only thing that's left is to challenge my strength, posture, and flexibility. I have been doing some yoga to help with this. I've done weight lifting before, which I really didn't love. And I've done bodyweight circuits which I did enjoy, but it was fast-paced, repetitive at times, and did not include comprehensive stretching. I want to be pretty flexible and do fun poses which would be great for stretching my muscles and fixing my posture (my posture is bad and I have stiff muscles here and there, especially my calves). I also like challenging my body strength by doing bodyweight workouts, which yoga does incorporate. I want to improve my upper body strength so I can do pushups (no knees), and even wheel poses. I found a Youtube channel - Yoga with Kassandra. She includes a bunch of yoga workouts with props like blocks and bands to improve flexibility and posture, as well as strength workouts that are yoga-inspired, but quite challenging. I just did a workout which was difficult, but I managed to get through half of it and do some poses and exercises well.

I don't want a yoga routine/video with only simple stretches like downward dog and cobra. I want workouts that will challenge my flexibility and posture, as well as improve my strength and help me get a good sweat. I'm not going to do challenging workouts daily, but I want to do enough to improve my strength(especially upper body).

Again I don't want to overwhelm myself with a lot of health and fitness stuff because I'm just transitioning to and starting a new routine. The IF is new, so is the healthy eating and the supplementing. It took me 6-7 years to find an eating and workout routine that I enjoy, but still promotes overall wellness. I've been walking for over a decade and this is something I'm still doing, which is great. I just want to add in more yoga for strength, flexibility, posture, and the occasional sweat. The strength training/more challenging workouts will help me with insulin sensitivity, and the more relaxing ones will help with stress management. So it all works out on the end, something I can do and enjoy it.

I'm so happy I'm incorporating more and more healthy habits into my life. It hasn't always been easy, but I want to be healthy and happy.

[yellowcry]

In fire and ice

It was the night when Pepa knocked on Agustín's window asking for help. Snow would be a great birthday gift. Probably. They hoped Alma doesn't seem too happy

A bit of adults childhood! Let's go!

Agustín woke up from the tapping on his window. He put his glasses on looked at the clock and groaned: it was the middle of the night. Who in their mind would try to wake him up at such a time? He sighed and sat up, wishing to kill whoever it was. There was a bright light coming from the window, too strong for such a time. Then he realized.

Of course, it couldn't be anyone but Pepa. He looked through the window with a wide bright smile, definitely planning on something. Agustin stood up opened the window and stared at her with a questioning face.

"Hey, I need your help." She whispered, climbing over the windowsill.

Agustín sighed. "Why couldn't it wait until the morning?" 

The girl shook her head, explaining. "I want to make a surprise for Julieta and Bruno for our birthday." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not really getting the idea. Their birthday was tomorrow! Wasn't it... a little bit late? "Bruno just read one of his books, and it was about the 'winter'." Pepa muttered happily, shining with excitement. "And he said that he wished to see snow!"

Snow? Is it that thing from a book? He had heard about this too! It happens when it rains in a cold temperature.

"Oh!" He smiled, realizing the idea. "You want to create it!" 

Pepa nodded confidently. "So... I need some help for this."

Agustin winced in surprise. "Don't you know how to do it?" How would she expect him to know her gift better?

"Of course I don't" Pepa huffed in annoyance, tapping her foot, as her impatience started to create a weak wind in the room. "From where could I know it?"

He rubbed his nose bridge, hoping that his room would survive this experiment, but also interested in helping. "I'm with you." 

She smiled thankfully, as Agustín asked her to look away to change into his daily outfit. Would he get in trouble? Definitely. Would it be something abnormal? Not at all. Being Pepa's best friend was honestly a wild experience. Their friendship had started as a result of them both being a walking catastrophe. Gus was probably the only one who could windstand everything Pepa was up to. They probably were pretty the same. Both were getting in trouble all the time.The only difference is that Agustín did it by accident. Pepa just loved being a menace.

The only light in Casita was a famous candle of the Madrigal family. Standing high in Señora Madrigal's window. His Papa described the moment when the miracle had appeared as the most beautiful thing he ever saw. With flashes of light surrounding them and throwing away the bad guys.

Pepa paced around the patio, bursting with nervous energy that caused a wind that messed up their hair. There was a little problem. None of them knew what it was supposed to look like. Agustín heard that the snow was white, soft, and cold. That's about it.

"What could possibly cause snow?" The young Madrigal muttered to herself as the wind grew stronger.

Agustin sighed in annoyance, leaning against the pillar: Well, I can tell it isn't worry." Jumping to the side from the following thunder.

"I noticed." Pepa huffed, crossing her arms. "Do you have any ideas?"

Remind him, why did he agree to help?

The best notification was to write down what they knew to exclude the wrong possibilities. Happiness turned into a rainbow, sadness was a pouring rain. Anger came with destructive lighting.

It continued for hours to come. Agustín spent all night awake, trying to play with Pepa's emotions. Push them in a different direction. Good thing she was emotional. As wild and non-constant as one of her hurricanes. 

By the morning, they had an entire patio in a light white layer. Fear. Snow was caused by scaring the life out of Pepa. But Agustín had to confirm that after being stuck with a lighting several times it would be the last time he agreed to this. As much as he loved triplets, it wasn't a fair price.

Pepa trembled as a leaf on the wind. Her dress collar was covered in white. Snow melted, making the orange fabric stuck to her skin. "Snow is so cold!" She complained as her palms were turning white.

Agustín wasn't much better. His head looked as if it had silver hair, flicking on the light.

"What is this?" He froze, hearing Doña Madrigal's words. Damn it, she didn't sound too happy with them.

Pepa's teeth were chattering from the frostbite. "It's snow! For our birthday!" She exclaimed with all proudness in her green eyes.

Alma's eyes widened as she stared at two kids down the patio. Pepa and one of the local boys who had a specific medical history. Both are pale, almost white. Their cheeks flushed in grapefruits. Bodies trembling. Díos Mio, they looked awful. How long did they sit in here, colding? 

"Casita, can you please set a kettle?" She sighed. These two needed to get in warm as fast as possible before they had caught something.

Pepa swallowed her coffee, wrapped in a stupid amount of blankets. Still trembling, but now better. As she wasn't in the cold anymore Agustín sat beside her, coughing. Alma had touched his forehead, checking his temperature. Pepa at least was used to being in the middle of bad weather. Alma would have to tell Señoras Rojas that their son was with the Madrigals.

"You little gremlins," She sighed, wrapping another blanket around them. Maybe it was a little too much but Alma didn't take any risks. "Just what were you thinking?"

Pepa looked up, sniffling. "I just wanted to surprise Julieta and Bruno!" She exclaimed, rubbing her eyes. "With show!"

Stay calm, Alma, she reminded herself, kneeling beside her daughter. "Okay, but couldn't you tell me? I would make sure you and they had proper clothes and won't get freeze"

"I didn't know it would be like this. Why is the snow even this cold?" Pepa scowled, her arms crossed. Still paler, but slowly getting her color back. She pulled onto one of the wool blankets. Her little fingers gripping the white fabric.

Alma had patted her head of red tangled hair. It was sweet, she would never think of something like this. "The snow is just like this, cold."

Agustín took Pepa's arm in silent support. "At least Julieta and Bruno will see the snow." It lifted the young Madrigal's mood as she chuckled, a smile appearing inside her eyes.

Alma didn't have the heart to tell them that the snow had probably melted by now, and turned into some water puddles.

[turboacek-blog]

I do like XY #xy10thanniversary

Saw it was the 10th anniversary today (or yesterday by the time I posted this) and saw people decided to talk nicely about it so figured I should as well lol

I do genuinely like the series despite the discourse online about it being one of the most annoying things to me

XY I think unlike a majority of the series as I think about it had one of the strongest openings in the anime, as the whole Lumiose City-Garchomp-Froakie stuff was genuinely captivating and I feel that you will always have people hooked on XY just because of that as it’s to me on par with the first episode of the whole series with Ash and Pikachu which is also generally seen as one of the best episodes

And on a similar note, as I have issues with the team flare finale it also has one of the stronger ends to a series as well

So you have a series with a strong opening and, relatively strong ending, then you sprinkle in other generally accepted great moments in between like Ash vs Clemont it’s no surprise people love this series

And I think that’s the success of the XY, when it hits those highs it’s some of the best the anime ever has given us

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Other thoughts

I think of the six formulaic series (OS-XY) I think I like XY’s pacing the best, and that’s part of the reduced number of episodes compared to earlier series but also didn’t have the random side island adventure like BW, for the most part, the gap between gym badges and princess keys were not bad at all and I think we did spend a decent amount of time with characters that would end up recurring such as the rivals, the family members, mentors, etc

I already made a post about it but I think Clemont is my favorite male companion of Ash’s as I think he fills that sweet spot of being a smarter intelligent member of the group to explain things not only for the audience but the rest of the group but he’s also not so smart that Ash Serena and Bonnie can’t give their intelligence about subjects, and also the balance of since Clemont is close in age to Ash we get to see a Psuedo brotherly bond, rivalry and friendship between them where other companions lack at least one of those aspects, and I think he’s also a nice balance between each two members as he’s not as fit and adventurous as Serena which plays off of Ash and Bonnie, but he’s also more battle-ready like Ash contrasting Serena and Bonnie, yet has the sibling dynamic with Bonnie that Ash and Serena don’t relate to

Serena is this weird mix of I definitely see why people like her and she’s not my fav girl companion but I’m not going to say that her story wasn’t handled well at all, as any non super positive feelings about her is my personal feelings and nothing with her, I think tiring her and Ash together via camp was a That brilliant move without it being too soul-cross lovers, the crush added a unique aspect to the show that hasn’t really been touched on since maybe OS, I enjoyed each of her three Pokémon, and the sister's bond with Bonnie was adorable as we never really got something like that excluding maybe the SM girls

Bonnie grew on me a lot, when I was first watching it it’s hard to relate to the kid character but over time I appreciate the nice story work they did for her while also not shoving her to the front until kinda the Team Flare finale stuff, I think while I did like Max Bonnie was able to be a lot more likable as a character and it’s interesting because I think in a lot of ways she’s like the little girl Ash

Ash is the controversial one I noticed and while I see where both sides are coming from I am neutral on this Ash but he’s not the boring Ash but he’s also not the badass Ash I think he’s the Ash that was finally able to relax, early on we see that fire in him to get stronger and go things head first and through XY we see him slow down and be more at peace with what’s going on around him which is why I think people say he’s the most mature Ash, which he’s definitely more mature than OS Ash for sure but I think the maturity gets confused with lack of childishness, Ash while having his moments wasn’t as goofy here which I think is what I missed here as I think a “core” part of Ash is his fun side which was nonexistent was less here it felt like which obviously has the pros of viewers getting what seems to be a more grown-up Ash also I think loses a crucial part of him

Side characters

While not my favorite batch of side characters I think to say they were bad would be a disservice as they all played their role well, I think the standouts are Tierno Shauna and Korinna

Battles

I know there’s discourse about the animation and art style and just general battle decisions but I do think that the battles looked great and I think visually wise they peaked gym battle-wise here, each battle felt like each person had some experience to them as even the more rookie trainers were using moves that you never see from a previous series early on or even later in that journey

As I can (I’m not) be in the camp that thinks Pikachu losing to Surskit was stupid but I think the battle did show that Surskit was a problem and to be taken seriously despite it being a Surskit

Pokémon

Despite some personal feelings, I do think this was maybe the most solid cast of Pokémon (as in Ash and companions) only behind a few like maybe an OS and SM

I think despite some losses that you can argue about this is one of the most consistent Pikachu’s as no electric “reset”, I think Ash’s other five had distinct personalities and traits, same with Serena’s and Clemont's and Dedenne

And should point out that you can’t convince me Ash-Greninja isn’t the most fanfiction thing the show has done, but it is admittedly very cool, I even used one for my Pokémon Moon play-through as I just thought it would be cool to use

Mega Evolution Specials

I never got the same attachment to these specials as I watched them much later but they were very good specials and I’m glad they did the thing of making them in the same universe and tiring them into Ash and the gang's storylines

As I’m not an Alain fan I do like him as a second protagonist and of the few that probably think that him being the one to beat Ash in the league was acceptable (more thoughts on that in a separate post maybe lol)

Marron and Chespy were cute, Steven was cool, Team Flare was a big upgrade over their game counterparts, etc

Overall not my favorite series definitely one of the series where I can just put a gym battle on or see certain things over without it feeling dated

[alphinias]

Mass collection of atla ep 1 thoughts

-overall I liked it, but it’s never going to be as good as the original and I’m trying very hard to make peace with that

-bending looks great to me

-aang saying he’s afraid of being alone doesn’t hit quite as hard as seeing the other kids exclude him after finding out he’s the avatar. I know the time is more constricted so I’m trying to be lenient on this but that was just something in the cartoon that really stuck with me

-I HATE how aang didn’t make a point of running away because I feel like that’s a very big part of his character and it’s something that concerns me for the impact of his future arc. This is really the only thing that majorly irritated me

-I enjoyed the more in depth look at politics and what other nations may have been thinking 100 years ago

-aang and Gyatso were PRECIOUS and I love the talk between aang and iroh

-the genocide hit so hard the way it was portrayed and shown

-taking out aang waking up in katara’s arms was… interesting

-Ian as sokka is hilarious

-love what they did with the southern water tribe! It feels much more like a real place and totally appropriate for a live action

-they are kind of taking the heart of Kataang out of this and as a multi shipper all I have to say is they better fix it or they better give me zutara and make up for it because this is feeling a bit weird.

-overall this ep had some weird pacing and lots of exposition but pilot struggles are allowed and it’s not even like book 1 of the cartoon always had great pacing. I definitely think this one would more easily hook some brands of audience

-loved katara water bending at the end!! It makes sense to take that avatar state out for pacing and that was a nice replacement

-zuko and sokka I feel like are being nailed but I need more time to sit with katara especially. She feels very different but I know some of the voice acting inflections are just never going to work in live action

[wow-cool-robot]

THOUGHTS ON 0079

It's a good show! the (partially) bad stuff I'll start with the stuff I didn't like, just to make things easier. Still lots of praise here

The big one is Sleggar Law. Whenever he was on screen I just wanted him to not be. The romance with Mirai felt like it was only added because otherwise everyone would just shrug at his death, but because it was not only incredibly sudden but it came just after he hit her, it left a real bad taste in my mouth. I man, even he had his good moments (the bit where he takes off Cameron's glasses before punching him across the room made me laugh) but the show would definitely have been better without him.

In general I think the pacing was off. Part of that is that the last ~5 episodes feel super rushed because they were expecting to have 7 more than they did, but even accounting for that I think just about everything on Earth should have been shorter. It just didn't feel nearly as consequential as the space stuff, especially when they were dealing with M'quve.

The animation could have been better, but I know they were on a budget and the animation director was hospitalized or something early on, so it's hard to blame them. And even then, they do a lot with what they have. the stuff on side 6 looks really cool, and they managed to make the newtype stuff work really well almost purely through animation and sound design. The writing feels really rushed, but I loved all that stuff anyways

M'quve is a bad villain. I don't know what it is about him, I just do not care about him at all.

The show isn't exactly a feminist masterpiece. I'm not a fan of the fact that all 3 major female characters get seen naked, but if you told me that happened in this show beforehand I'd assume it was way worse about it than it was. The scenes themselves were basically fine. To be honest, I've heard things about the franchises treatment of women and was bracing myself to be way more put off by it

Finally, the overall tone was not as consistent as I would have liked. I'm fine with episodes that are goofier, and I loved the orphans, but the super robot transformations and gundam hammer went a bit too far. As a kids show I knew to expect some of that, but I have to draw a line somewhere, and that line excludes the gundam hammer. The show places fast and loose with physics, but outside the hammer it all falls within the boundary of acceptable to me

the good stuff A lot of stuff I covered in the episode writeups, so I'll only mention things I really liked here

The consistency in which the Zeon rank and file were humanized was really impressive to me. Even in the final episodes I was still noting when their deaths felt particularly poignant or tragic. The fact that it managed to keep that up when their leader was comparing himself to Hitler is really something.

The main villains for the first 20 episodes were all very compelling. Obviously Char makes for a great villain the whole way through, but Garma was a good introduction to the broader Zeon culture and structure, while Ramba Ral made a great rival to Amuro for the episodes he was in. The duel where they destroyed each others cockpits

I liked most of the mobile suits, and I did purchase high grades of the gundam and char's custom zaku, which were pretty fun to make. So as a toy commercial it still works, over 40 years down the line

This died down mostly after the first half or so, but for a long while the show was really amazing at emphasizing how exhausted and constantly on the run the White Base was

As mentioned, I really loved Sayla, and kind of wish we'd just gotten the show about her. But in general the main cast was all really well done. The characters all felt consistent and sympathetic. None of them were amazingly complex, but they all served the story really well, and made the stakes feel real

Speaking of stakes, how about that body count! Ryu was the only member of the main crew to die, but enough side characters on both sides were dying off on a regular basis to make combat feel pretty consistently risky. I was expecting that sort of thing to only start being the case after the franchise was established as a hit, but it's been in there from the start.

The way Amuro's progression as a pilot was shown was very well done. He's shown improving, and it's easy to grasp as a gradual process. It makes the way he chews through every new toy introduced later on a lot easier to swallow, because he's shown to be just that good.

And despite my pacing complaints, the final battle managed to wrap things up well enough. The final confrontation between Amuro and Char as they fought outside their mobile suits was really well done.

Other than that, I think everything can be found in the episode writeups. I'm planning on watching Zeta soon. I'm definitely going to at least watch through Char's Counterattack, and probably some of the OVAs. I've heard basically nothing but praise for War in the Pocket and 08th MS Team especially. After that, we'll see.

[legobiwan]

i'm also conflicted about the new season of good omens, because on one hand some of the character moments and drama were so insane and juicy.. especially that last argument/aziraphale's decision.. but also in some ways it felt kind of pieced-together, like the details of the plot/story weren't as cleanly thought-through compared to season 1. the zombies in episode 4 definitely threw me for a loop. maybe if it was faster paced/shorter it wouldn't feel that way to me, but rn it feels very fanfiction-y in both the great and not-so-great ways. s3 might not be the same way though, bc seeing what neil gaiman has said s3 will cover what him and terry pratchett originally conceptualized as the novel's sequel and s2 was kind of a stepping stone point to get there

*GOOD OMENS 2 SPOILERS*

Yeah. I'm about to post a pretty long breakdown from my fast-forward rewatch of both Seasons last night, but I think what you mention about the pacing is super-important. To my mind, it seemed like they had enough material for maybe 3 episodes and stretched it out in to 6 (and all the while kind of ignoring some tantalizing plot possibilities in both Heaven and Hell, excluding Aziraphale and Crowley). Like, I get that this was all about the big setup with our two main leads, but I think we could have actually lost some of that extraneous Aziraphale/Crowley material to develop the supernatural B and C plots (and maybe make a bigger deal about the whole Book of Life/making Aziraphale extinct angle?) and not lose the main thrust of things.

And yeah, parts of it did feel very fan-fiction-y, which I didn't necessarily love. (The Beezlebub/Gabriel thing...erg...I've seen it described as a speed-run, and I agree, but wow, that came out of nowhere and and while I am able to suspend my disbelief for a lot, that...I just couldn't).

If Season 1 maybe tried to cram too many things in, Season 2 may have gone in the opposite direction. But there was also a lot to love, and I did like the fact that this season was smaller in scope and that our characters weren't facing yet another world-ending event, as that just gets tiring.

Interested to see how they do Season 3. More thoughts to follow.

[slow-button-off]

I don’t think Carlos is doing a better job lately unfortunately. He was not in the mix in all quali. Not there for the first 2 races.

But in Australia we’ve seen him maybe a bit more at ease with the car during the race. We can’t compare to Charles of course, but he made good moves. But also threw everything away with that restart.

But if he gained confidence with car & is worked up after that penalty maybe we can expect him to be really better in the coming races. And that’s all we want for Ferrari, we need to make a come back.

I think he needs a tad more time than Charles to adapt to car and be confident to really go for it (and I know in 2021 he did a great job adapting to the new team, but the car did not change that much, and data showed that he was almost always behind Charles, but luckier. And the car was not as competitive, it’s not the same driving more on front)

It's super hard to compare because outside of 2 qualifying sessions (if we even have those) we can't really compare because either one of them or both of them were compromised.

But I don't think he is doing a bad job either. Australia was clumsy af but yeah.

Some of his comments in terms of his comfort level in the car confuse me just because of how they change through the weekend but it's also not like I read every single thing I can about it and all that.

Idk if it's a question of needing longer to adapt of just needing to feel more comfortable to be able to get as much as possible out of the car. I mean obviously neither of them is going to look great in a car that they absolutely hate.

But I wonder if it's more a thing if Charles can make it work whether he likes the car or not and Carlos needs more comfort to be able to fully push. Obviously both would look their best in cars they love.

I guess qualifying in Jeddah did show a little bit that Charles is a little bit quicker with adapting because Carlos himself did say that his issue was that they didn't got full PU power until qualifying.

I mean there aren't that many races that you can compare from 2022 but the gap in race pace if you exclude the races where either had an engine penalty and started last stayed pretty much the same in 2021 and 2022.

[valiantlyelegantwizard]

Best Books of 2024

I wanted to share some of my favorite reads from the past year. These were the 10 books that I gave a 5 star rating, in chronological order that they were read. (So I suppose that makes these my Top 10 for 2024, but they're not listed here in a ranked order).

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Andy Weir is probably my favorite scifi author and I'd heard a lot of good things about this book. And it met all of my expectations. The story of an astronaut with amnesia not only working to save the Earth but also making first contact with alien life was so interesting. Especially when done in Weir's hard scifi style. Another genre favorite honestly.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

So in 2023 I read the original trilogy in the Grishaverse, and I'd seen the tv show, so naturally I was excited for the Six of Crows duology. And honestly it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed all of the characters and their various relationships to each other. Everything felt well-balanced for a book with such a large ensemble. It was also interesting to get to see more of the world. I also felt that Leigh Bardugo's writing skills improved with this book.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

This one's probably a given, lol. Yes, I also enjoyed the second book in the duology. Once again, the Crows are the the real highlight. Their problems and relationships are what really drove the story for me. And the plot, like in Six of Crows, was fun, because who doesn't enjoy seeing a convoluted plan come together? I definitely enjoyed these two books more than the original trilogy.

The Inquisition by Matharu Taran (Summoner Book 2)

So I read the first book in this series in Dec 2023 and loved it. The second book lived up to the hype. Matharu's world is so interesting and I love Fletcher. (And not just because he's an archer.) This book has more action than the first one, which was a nice change of pace from the more academic setting.

The Battlemage by Marathu Taran (Summoner Book 3)

The final book in the Summoner series (excluding the prequel) brings the series to a dramatic close. While there's a lot of action scenes in this book, it feels natural from the books' progression. Fletcher is a great protagonist, a classic hero who wants to protect the downtrodden and the people he considers his family. Fantasy books can be hit or miss for me, but this series was definitely a hit.

Legendborn by Deonn Tracy (The Legendborn Cycle Book 1)

Oh boy was I not expecting to love this book so much. A hidden-world fantasy built from Arthurian Legend was exactly what I needed apparently. Not only is Bree a compelling hero, but her journey of self-discovery and navigating grief are deeply emotional. Nick and Sel (the two male leads) are equally compelling the more you learn about them and the unfair world, and roles, they were born into. The magic system was set up well and the story unfolds at a natural pace. I'm not ranking these, but if I did, Legendborn would be a Top 5 for certain.

Bloodmarked by Deonn Tracy (The Legendborn Cycle Book 2)

This book was even better than Legendborn. The world and magic systems are explored on an even deeper level. So are the characters. While I love Bree as a hero, I think this book made Sel my favorite character. This book not only deepens, but explores how complicated his relationship with Bree is. All while also intertwining both of their relationships with Nick. Tracy's beautiful prose also shone in this book, as it did with the first one. I can't wait to read the third book when it comes out later this year.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

As much as I loved Legendborn and Bloodmarked, this might've been my favorite book of 2024. I love history, so a sapphic romance set in the 1950's fit a perfect niche for me. I love seeing a realistic story of young queer people, trying to discover who they are while navigating the very homophobic society. This book was amazing, I highly recommend it.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

This was another book that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. It probably helps that this books is so queer. Not only are the main characters queer, one of them has a complicated relationship with gender, which gets explored throughout the book. The world was also very interesting and made me want more stories set here. (Which means I'll definitely read the second one).

The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro

Fun fact, my wife picked this up at a local Free Little Library, so the book I read was actually an ARC (advanced reader copy). I mean, it's gay, there's fantasy monsters, heated drama between men....this book had a lot going for it. While one of the love interests definitely gave me an ick at first, I did eventually come to accept him as he changed and grew as a person. Ferraro has another book out that I definitely want to check out.

[elletao]

i finally watched the aridante movie last night and i have Thoughts!! long ass post below (with spoilers of course)

i cried

ari mendoza boy of all time

dante quintana boy of all time too

we were never gonna get a perfect adaptation and i did like this and enjoyed it but part of me feels a bit let down because this had the potential of being great!! the love was there!! it had so much heart!! i just feel like the execution didn't quite work. i'll expand:

- the script oh lord the script. not terrible but some moments felt so forced and it really felt like they were trying to include as much from the novel as possible which, this being in film format, made some moments feel very awkward without the internal monologue.

- the pacing. (excluding the first 10 minutes which were perfect and made me believe this was gonna be a five star movie) everything kept happening and there was no time to process anything which YEAH I GET IT'S A MOVIE BUT STILL. maybe breaking the story into small chapters would've been more suitable? idk. i kept thinking about how a mini series would've worked so much better. many of the most important moments felt rushed and not earned.

- the EDITING!!! never forget never forgive how sloppy the editing was. it was obvious they had to change a lot during post-production and the movie suffered because of it. some conversations sounded so weird and stilted. the actors were very obviously mouthing stuff that did not end up making it in the movie and it made me cringe a lot.

- both of the kisses were... disappointing. the first one felt like a betrayal and i understand why they had to make a change like that to build tension but it still felt so out of character for ari to be so hurtful towards dante. him being mad at dante? sure. feeling out if his depth and snapping a little? normal. him calling dante a freak and saying he disgusts him?? no no no. no matter how much internalized homophobia ari had going on, HE WOULD NEVER. it was a cheap way to cause a ritf that was already there!!!! completely unnecesary and very cruel. the second kiss was cute but it was kinda badly filmed/scripted i don't care!! almost a decade waiting for the "no, you kiss me" and for that final conversation and it was totally... not worth it. i don't know how to explain but the butterflies just weren't there. it didn't feel earned at all. also why oh why did they cut out the "i love swimming and you" line earlier on!!! that was PIVOTAL!!! that was so so crucial for both of their personal arcs going forward: their isolation, the tension between them, dante's longing, ari's denial... it established dante as a character that confronts his feelings head on and it would've helped to show ari as an avoider, which in turn would've set the first kissing scene soo much better ugh.

- the cgi at he end??????? 😭

the good:

- ari's relationship with his family!!!!!!!! but especially with his aunt ofelia!!!!! yes thank u thank u thank u. so much love, so much closeness. it felt so truthful.

- max and had reese had SO MUCH CHEMISTRY!!! they gave it their all and their performances were good even if the script failed them a lot at times.

- the music and the 80s aesthetic!!! smalltown boy being the intro song!!!!! ahhhhhhh

- the voiceover worked really well in the scenes when dante is in chicago. i loved the juxtaposition of hearing dante's voice as other stuff was going on in el paso and i feel like it did a lot to show us that dante was always in ari's head even as he lived his life without him physically there.

- the cinematography!!!! the desert scenes were so beautifully filmed. really a gorgeous film.

- mm legs is adorable

- the fact that they made daniel an exact copy of ari is sad but also HILARIOUS and i appreciate it

- the emotional punches like ari's accident and the homophobic attack on dante were done really well and i felt chills when ari went to beat the hell out of that guy.

[quindolyn]

hi can i request the maurauders going to see the reader do a musical like heathers or mean girls and they are just confused and turned on bc they didn't expect it to be this dirty (can lead to smut or not). luv you and hope you are taking care of yourself, if not go get something to eat, drink some water, take a nap, or do somthing you enjoy. or dont not trying to be pushy :)

Creature of the Night || Poly!Marauders

Word Count: 3029 (excluding song lyrics)

A/N: I think I liked how this turned out? I didn’t make it smut but it’s certainly suggestive, I went with Rocky Horror, I know that the musicals mentioned in the request are more modern but I fucking love Rocky Horror and I think it works with the request. When I first read this request I smiled so much because I love live theater, I don’t perform as much as I used to because as I progress with my education I’m focusing more on the stuff I can use to pad my resumes for college and stuff but I still love going to see productions. One of the worst parts of the pandemic for me has been not being able to go see shows, I miss it so much.

Warnings: theatre enthusiast reader, erections, suggestive material, song lyrics, slight teasing, wearing very little clothing in front of an audience, I believe that that is it

Masterlist

500 follower celebration

antici-

The magic of the stage was second to none. Sure, Hogwarts may have had witches and wizards, subjects like Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and ghosts that spent their time meandering about the halls but there was always a part of you that looked forward to the summer between your years at Hogwarts. Because no matter how magical Hogwarts was, the theater always made you feel completely and utterly alive. 

Every summer since the one after your first year at what all of your muggle friends thought to be a very prestigious boarding school up in Scotland, you’d taken part in your local youth theater’s productions. Your parents both being muggles thought that it would be a great way for you to be able to stay in touch with your muggle origins. 

The first year you’d been far too nervous to actually audition for a role, the very thought causing bile to churn in your stomach and threaten to make you sick all over your kitchen floor when your father first pitched the idea. So instead you’d done costumes and it was the most wonderful experience of your life. 

Who needed drugs when you had live theater? The hustle and bustle behind the scenes was electrifying but after two summers of costuming, of quick changes in the wings, learning how to use the ancient sewing machines they stored in the depths of the storage rooms, and pulling pieces for the actors to try on you decided that you wanted to try something more.

The moment you had stepped onto the stage it was like you’d come to life and you cursed yourself for not taking the risk earlier. You belonged on the stage, with the harsh stage lights on you and pounds of makeup plastered onto your face you could feel the magic thrumming through your veins and it was addicting.

If it was possible, you were even more excited to perform this summer, the previous school year you’d finally gotten together with your long time best friends the Marauders, turning them from friends to your boyfriends.

When your mother had sent word of the production being put on this summer you’d squealed while seated next to James and across from Remus, who had Sirius hanging off of his side. After explaining to them, mostly Sirius and James really, just what live theater was their first reaction was to ask if they could come see you perform.

“I don’t even know if I’m going to be cast,” You had explained gently, not wanting to get their hopes up in case you weren’t cast this year.

“Bull shit of course you’re going to be the cast,” Sirius had contested through a mouthful of jam and toast, waving his hand theatrically through the air, watching him that day was not the first time you’d considered how the way he acted often reminded you of an over enthusiastic theatre major.

Remus, the only one with any knowledge on muggle theatre had snorted, wrapping an arm around Sirius’ waist to pull him closer to his body, “She’s not going to be the cast Pads, she’s going to be casted,” He’d corrected gently, pressing a kiss into his long, dark tresses.

“Whatever,” The smaller boy had grumbled, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

Which brought you to where you were right now, five minutes to curtain touching up your make up in the mirror of the shared make-up room.

“Hey (L/N),” One of your cast mates called settling into the makeup chair next to you as she plucked a tube of dark red lipstick from the small canary colored makeup bag she had previously abandoned on the counter, “Your boyfriends coming tonight?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Yeah, they are,” You responded, applying mascara to your lashes.

“Excited to meet them, that photo you showed us,” She smiled, fanning her face with her hand, “Smoking,” She smiled, making eye contact with you in the mirror.

Rolling your eyes you ignored her comment, “It’s five minutes to curtain, you’re just now doing your make-up?” You chuckled, noticing her black face.

“Oh, shove it,” She laughed as you pushed yourself from your chair, traipsing out of the room, giving her the middle finger on your way out.

“Break a leg!” She called after you as the door latched shut.

You weren’t usually this nervous before a performance but knowing that your three boyfriends were sitting out there somewhere in the audience had you pacing back and forth backstage wondering what they were going to think of the whole production.

“Rocky Horror?” Sirius’ confusion evident in his voice as he plopped down in his seat next to Remus, throwing his arm around the werewolf’s shoulders, drumming his fingers on his clothed shoulder hidden behind his knitted cardigan.

“Yeah,” James collapsed into his chair on the other side of Remus, tucking one leg under his body, “No clue what it’s about but I’m sure our angel will be wonderful. Can you guys see her?” He straightened himself up in his seat, craning his neck in attempts to catch a glimpse of you.

Remus being the only one with any ties to the muggle world knew a bit about the show and had to do his very best to suppress a smirk from overtaking his face as he knew exactly what he and your other two boyfriends were getting themselves into. 

“Just hush up you two, the show’s gonna start any moment,” He scolded, patting his large, scarred hand on James’ thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Rem,” Sirius whined, puckering his lips and closing his eyes, signaling to his boyfriend that he wanted a kiss.

“My needy baby,” He crooned, leaning in to connect his lips with Sirius’ in a quick liplock before pulling back, allowing Sirius to drop his forehead to smear against his shoulder.

“That’s mean,” Sirius murmured discontentedly.

“Poor baby Pads,” James cooed mockingly.

“Both of you,” Remus hissed as the lights in the theatre dimmed, “The show’s about to start, be good for me and be quiet yeah?”

Their response came in their silence as the crowd started settling down and the music from the orchestra pit began a voice coming from somewhere out of sight as it was played through the speakers,

“Michael Rennie was ill

The day the earth stood still

But he told us where we stand”

Not 20 minutes into the show all three of them were as hard as rocks, James had already made Remus check the playbill for the name of the character you were playing, not being able to remember what you’d told them as all of his concentration was focused on a certain place.

Janet Weiss.

Remus couldn’t remember either, but he was almost certain that’s the name he could make out in the dark theatre, printed next to a picture of your smiling face.

When you’d stripped down to your underwear the boys could barely focus on the plot line of the show, only being able to watch the way your bare skin shone under the harsh light of the spotlights. Watching as sweat glistened on your skin, making you shine as you moved about the stage. 

Enchanted by the melodic cadence of your voice they all felt a certain jealousy burning deep in the pits on their stomachs at the thought that there were dozens of other people packed into that theater, all observing you in your vulnerable state of under dress. Only they got to see you like that.

Sirius missed much of the first act glaring at members of the audience who he deemed as looking at you for too long for his liking, but if you were being honest a 4th year smiling at you in the hallway was sometimes too long for his liking.

It wasn’t like any of them had never seen you naked before, in fact they’d all seen you naked more than their fair share of times but something about you on that stage in a white bra with a matching slip was driving them all crazy.

Especially Remus, whose ultimate weakness was seeing you in anything white which was one of the reasons you’d been so excited to invite them in the first place, knowing that they would be horny messes the entire time.

On stage you did your very best not to look out into the audience looking for them, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to stop a ginormous grin from forming on your face and you couldn’t afford to break character. Not if you wanted the night to go your way.

As the opening notes to “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me”, rose from the orchestra pit you had trouble stopping a small smirk from pulling at your lips as you opened them, inhaling deeply before singing the first words of the song,

“I was feeling done in, couldn't win

I'd only ever kissed before”

Despite yourself you caught a glimpse of long dark hair in the audience, quickly taking a glance at Sirius’ face, eyes glazed over in lust, legs shifting uncomfortably with his mouth hanging wide open. 

Out of the corner of your eye you noticed another raven-haired boy’s mouth dropping as you shrugged off of your robe

“I thought there’s no use getting, into heavy petting

It only leads to trouble and, seat wetting

Now all I want to know, is how to go

I've tasted blood and I want more”

It was impossible to miss the way Remus’ jaw clenched as you laid your palm against Rocky’s chest, he was being played by your good friends who’d been working with the same theatre company as you since forever, he was like a brother to you. But that didn’t mean you couldn’t lay it on extra thick tonight with your boyfriends in the audience.

Tracing a dainty finger down Rocky’s chest you pushed your body against his singing out the next lyrics of the song,

“I've got an itch to scratch, I need assistance”

You turned you and your cast mate so that looking over his shoulder you were able to meet Remus’ eye, sending him a quick wink before focusing back in on Rocky.

“Toucha, toucha, toucha, touch me

I wanna be dirty

Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me

Creature of the night”

Pressing your back up against Rocky’s chest you guided his hands with yours to your breasts, squeezing them as you followed the choreography you knew by heart.

You ripped your slip from your body with the help of Rocky leaving you in only your white bra, matching panties and a pair of small heels as you paraded around stage, belting the suggestive lyrics into the theater.

“Then if anything grows, while you pose

I'll oil you up and rub you down (down, down, down)

And that’s just one small fraction, of the main attraction

You need a friendly hand, oh i need action”

You smirked, thinking about all of the action you’d be on the receiving end of later that night as you sunk to your knees in front of Rocky, your hands grasping his thighs. Deciding to tease them perhaps a little more than necessary as you went through the number, curling your leg around his and pressing your bodies together so that there was no space between your two questionably clothed bodies.

As the number was brought to a close it was impossible for you to ignore the excitement bubbling up inside of you as you continued your way through the show you kept throwing glances at your boyfriends, always finding their eyes already trained on you. More often than not, on some body part other than your face.

If your boyfriends thought that they had a bit of a problem before that song they were in a terrible predicament now.

Remus caught Sirius on multiple occasions trying to move the hand that he was holding to grope at his crotch as he tried to buck up into his boyfriend’s hand. And much to his own dismay, Remus would pull his hand away, thinking it probably wasn’t the best idea to give his boyfriend a hand job in a crowded theater. Knowing that he wouldn’t have to worry about James touching himself because he would never dream of disobeying him, Remus divided his attention between you on the stage and keeping Sirius in check.

Each of the boys were counting down the seconds until the show came to an end and they could get out of there and relieve some of their tension.  As the curtains were pulled closed they all breathed a sigh of relief before they reopened, leaving all three of them bewildered and slightly annoyed, even more so when they noticed everyone around them standing as they applauded the actors.

Remus forced both of them up when you rushed to the front of the stage, curtsying as the crowd went wild, your boyfriends most notably. As you took your bow you blew a kiss to your boyfriends taking note of the uncomfortable way they all stood, trying to adjust their erections to make them less noticeable while simultaneously applauding you.

As you cleared the stage after curtain call you took your time, doddling towards the dressing rooms where you had left the clothes you’d arrived at the theater in along with a special outfit you’d brought for after the show. Usually you were one of the first actors to clear the theater after a show but tonight you took your time. Hanging up your costume with more care than anyone really should treat any garment with and certainly more than what it needed. 

You smirked mischievously as you pulled the you’d brought outfit from your bag and shimmied it up your legs before slipping the delicate straps up your shoulders. You glimpsed yourself in the mirror, the red satin of the dress clinging to your curves in an attractive manner, short enough to display miles of legs and low cut enough to show off a decent amount of cleavage and perhaps a sighting of the matching red bra you were wearing beneath it.

Slinging the back of your black heels over the heel of your feet you snatched your purse from the armchair in your dressing room before striding out to go meet your boyfriends in the lobby, where you’d told them to wait for you.

Their heads all turned as they heard the clacking of your heels against the tile of the floor, “Boys,” You greeted as they unabashedly took in your new appearance.

As he most often was, Remus was the first one to collect himself, “Puppy, you were wonderful,” He praised, walking to meet you as you approached him, leaning down to smear a kiss against your cheek, “You did amazing up there, so proud of you,” He threw his arm around your waist as you walked towards Sirius and James.

“We got something for you,” He explained, his grip on your waist tightening, “Jamie give it to her, yeah?” 

“Oh yeah,” The smaller boy grinned, remembering the bouquet he held cradled in his arms as he handed it over to you, “Here you go angel.”

“Thank you Jamie,” You said as you took it from him, closing your eyes as you buried your nose in the sweet smelling flora. As you opened your eyes you made eye contact with Sirius, who stood across from you, practically drooling as he took in your appearance without any shame, “They smell wonderful.”

“You okay Si?” You asked, looking up through your eyelashes, batting them innocently.

“Like you don’t know exactly what you did up there to us (Y/N/N),” Remus whispered in your ear, pressing his nose into your temple.

“You guys are the ones who wanted to come,” You lilted, rubbing one of the velvety petals between the pads of your thumb and forefinger.

“Could’ve warned us,” James mumbled, his eyes not leaving your thighs as he licked his lips, if it were anyone else you would’ve been uncomfortable but you couldn’t help but feel flattered whenever any of them ogled you. 

“And what’s with the dress Pup?” Sirius nodded his head appreciatively towards your dress, obviously admiring the way it hung on your body.

“What, you don’t like it?” You asked with fake hurt in your voice, knowing that he more than liked it, he fucking loved it. 

“S’not that,” Remus mumbled, nosing at your jugular, “Just that whole show, got us a little bit worked up. We didn’t expect it to be so sexual Puppy,” He nodded towards James and that’s when you noticed the erection he was still sporting. 

“Got us really worked up, can we go home now?” James asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, trying to distract himself from his little problem.

“Jamie,” You whined, smiling wickedly, “I wanted to celebrate, I was thinking we could go eat somewhere, I was thinking maybe Thai food?”

You watched as Sirius ground his teeth, conflicted between needing to get home and not wanting to deny you from what you wanted. 

“Having fun teasing us Bunny?” Remus asked you with a sly smirk, knowing exactly what you were doing.

“M’not teasing,” You insisted, turning indignantly to your other boyfriend.

“Sure you aren’t,” He chuckled, “Thai sounds great (Y/N), wanna talk with you about the show,” The idea of teasing Sirius and James even longer was very appealing to Remus and he was ready to make the sacrifice of being teased himself, knowing that he’d be able to get back at you later that night.

“But-” James began.

“You wanna argue with me Jamie?” Remus challenged, raising a singular eyebrow.

“No,” He moped, “Of course not.”

“Good,” Remus said, nodding his head approvingly, “We wouldn’t wanna deny our Princess would we?”

James shook his head, eyes pleading, desperately seeking Remus’ approval.

“Pads?” Remus challenged, turning his attention to the other raven haired man.

“What? Oh um, of course not,” He agreed distractedly, dragging his eyes from your form to meet Remus’, his reluctance evident in his voice.

“Good,” Remus said pointedly, his eyes cold, daring Sirius to question him. When he didn’t the werewolf continued, “Let’s get going then, there’s a nice little restaurant a couple blocks away yeah?”

As you all hummed your consent you made your way to the exit, “Ten galleons if you can make James cum in his pants at dinner,” Remus whispered in your ear quietly enough so that  James and Sirius trailing behind you wouldn’t be able to hear you, you could hear the smirk in his voice as you exited the theatre.

“Deal.” This was going to be fun, you considered that you might have to invite them to come see the show again.

-pation

tagging: @randomoutsiders @weasleyposts @kittykylax @amourtentiaa @superbturtlemakerathlete

[waitimcomingtoo]

Dummy

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Synopsis: Peter is the only one of the Avengers who doesn’t tease you for being a little slow 

Masterlist

Now you weren’t exactly dumb.

You were just a little slow.

When you joined the Avengers last year, the team learned pretty quickly that your mind moved at a different pace than everyone else. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing and it didn’t keep you from doing your job, it just meant you were the butt of most of the jokes. Every time one of your blunders happened, your intelligence would be mocked in some way. You knew it was all in good fun, but it hurt to it feelings every now and then. The only person who never poked fun at you was Peter. And for that reason, he was your favorite on the team.

“How are there 23 minutes left in this movie and I still don’t know any of the characters names?” Steve wondered as you all sat in the couch in Stark Towers, watching a movie on a particularly rainy afternoon.

“I think the main kids name is Phoenix. That’s all I got though.” Sam shook his head, just as confused as Steve.

“The dogs name is Benson.” Bucky mumbled quietly.

“Who names their kid Phoenix?” Peter wondered out loud as he shoveled popcorn into his mouth. The two of you were tucked into the corner of the couch, sharing a blanket and bowl of popcorn. You looked at him like he was crazy when you heard his question.

“Ummm, Joaquin Phoenix’s parents.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes. You turned your attention back to the movie as a silence settled in the room. You felt everyone’s eyes on you after a minute and looked around to see everyone staring at you with a dumbfounded expression.

“What?” You asked shyly, shrinking down a little in your seat in discomfort.

“That’s his last name.” Sam stated, chuckling a little under his breath. You realized your mistake and felt your face heat up.

“Oh.” You mumbled, your voice getting drowned out as the rest of the Avengers laughed at your expense.

“Did she really just say that?” Nat looked at the group with a playful smile. Everyone, excluding Peter, nodded as their laughter died down.

“Oh my God.” Steve chuckled. “That’s so stupid.”

There was that word again.

He didn’t mean it maliciously. Steve was the kinda of guy who ushered spiders into a magazine so he could let them outside. And yet, it still stung when he said that word.

Stupid.

You smiled sheepishly and tried to focus on the movie, snuggling closer to Peters side until it ended. You were fully aware that he was the only one who didn’t laugh, and you loved him that.

And maybe you loved him for a few other reasons too.

~

“Alright. Who has money for the subway?” Sam asked the group as he patted his empty pockets. You were on another late night trip to get cookies from a specific shop in Times Square, leaving without Tony’s knowledge. Everyones hands went to their pockets and collectively made a face.

“Not me.” Rhodey shrugged.

“I don’t have any.” Bruce added.

“I don’t even have pockets.” Nat realized.

“I have gum.” Peter proudly produced a silver wrapper from his pocket. “Oh wait, it’s just a wrapper.”

“You’re telling me we’re earth’s mightiest heroes and we’re broke?” Sam shook his head is disdain.

“I gave my last dollar to a guy in the subway for playing music.” Peter defended himself.

“What was he playing?” You asked him as you tiredly leaned against his arm.

“A mandolin.” Peter answered, making your face scrunch up.

“That’s a language.” You laughed at him slightly, feeling empowered by having the upper hand. Everyone looked at you and a few of them snorted.

“Mandarin is a language.” Bruce said gently, not wanting to embarrass you further. “Not mandolin.” 

“What?” You blinked in confusion and looked to Peter for answers.

“A mandolin is an instrument, dummy.” Sam chortled. You smiled tightly as the group laughed at your mistake, looking down to hide your blush.

“Oh. Sorry. My bad.” You laughed shyly as you tucked your hair behind your ear and pretending to read a nearby sign.

“That’s okay.” Peter spoke up in your defense. “They sound really similar. Plus like, French, French Horn. Who knows what’s going on?”

“Yeah.” Bucky said softly. “Or like, bra’s aren’t pointy anymore.”

Bruce nodded like it made perfect sense and Sam just shook his head as he texted.

“What?” You whispered to Peter, not knowing what he meant.

“He’s from the 1920s. He’s still adjusting.” Peter whispered to you out of the corner of his mouth before looking at Bucky. “That’s the spirit. Kind of.”

“FRIDAY is sending a car.” Sam informed the group. “This is never happening again. The cookies aren’t that good.”

“They’re pretty good.” Rhodey shrugged, but wanting the late Nate tradition to end. Sam looked at him for a moment before breaking into a smile.

“Hell yeah they are. Let’s do this again tomorrow.”

~

Bruce found you in the lab the next day with a pin between your teeth and a pencil behind your ear. Papers with drawings of suits were scattered around the table as you measured a piece of black fabric.

“What are you doing?” Bruce wondered as he took a seat across from you. You glanced up at him before marking a dot on the fabric.

“Mr. Stark asked me to help him with the new suits. I’m trying to make a fabric template for Nat’s gloves.” You told him as you smoothed the fabric out.

“Is it hard?” He asked, watching you intently as you worked.

“Not really.” You shrugged and took a step back to examine your work. “Okay. How many holes do we need? 1,2,3,4,5.” You counted your fingers. “Okay. Five holes.”

You sat back down and put five dots where her fingers would be to mark where you had to cut. You heard a slight chuckle from Bruce and looked up at him curiously.

“Did you just count your fingers?” He asked slowly, wanting to make sure he saw what he thought he had. “To know how many fingers Nat has?”

Your face burned when you realized how dumb you looked, in front of a scientific genius no less.

“Oh, Uh, yeah.” You stammered, feeling very insecure with him watching you now. You moved slower than before and second guessed moves you’d already made a hundred times. Bruce sensed your discomfort and got out of his seat, tapping the table twice as he thought.

“Have you ever heard the expression “the lights are on but nobody’s home’?” He asked you and you were grateful he changed the subject.

“Yeah, I think I have.” You smiled, proud of yourself for knowing something.

“It reminds me of you.” Bruce said so politely that you didn’t realize it was an insult at first. He left the lab to find Tony, leaving you feeling embarrassed and a little hurt. Everyone knew Bruce could hurt you ten times worse with his words than the Hulk could with his fists, you’d just never been his target before. You slumped down in your seat and continued making the gloves, your mood significantly dampened from before he came in the room.

~

You walked into the kitchen the next morning, sleepily rubbing your eyes. You pressed a chaste kiss on Peters shoulder as you passed him, also more affectionate to your best friend when you were half asleep. You smiled at Rhodey, who was seated at the bar and skimming through a newspaper.

“Did you eat yet?” You asked him through a yawn as you got out yogurt and fruit for yourself.

“No. I needed my coffee first.” He smiled sleepily at you and held up his mug.

“Oh, you mean your sugar with a spoonful of coffee?” You teased him. “Yeah, it’s good you got that out of the way.”

“I prefer it this way. The sugar wakes me up.” Peter defended his drink as he took a sip.

“That’s what the caffeine is supposed to do, mi amor.” You laughed as you ruffled his bed head ridden hair. He was about to make a comeback when his stomach rumbles loudly.

“Someone’s hungry.” You remarked. “Do you want eggs?”

“No thanks.” Peter shook his head. “I can’t eat eggs alone.”

“Well I’m here. And Rhodey’s right there, so you’re not alone.” You told him. “And I can grab Steve and Bucky. They’re just in the other room.”

Rhodey looked up from his newspaper with raised eyebrows and looked at Peter. Peter set his mug down and made a face at Rhodey that told him not to say anything. You looked between the two of them in confusion as you wondered what was going on.

“I meant alone as in without toast, sweetness.” Peter said gently, not wanting you to feel dumb for misunderstanding. “But I am glad you’re here.”

“Oh.” You faked a smile and shrugged like it was no big deal. Peter had handled the situation with ease and you didn’t feel as embarrassed as you normally would. That is until…

“You know, Y/n, it’s a good thing you’re pretty.” Rhodey nodded before going back to his newspaper. You froze with your spoonful of yogurt midway to your mouth and looked at him. He didn’t actually call you dumb, but it was implied. You looked at Peter to see if he was thinking the same thing, but his face had nothing but kindness on it.

“You are pretty.” He agreed with Rhodey. “But you’re a lot of other things too.”

You cracked a smile and rubbed his back for a moment in appreciation.

“Thanks Peter.” You said softly and went back to your breakfast. Not wanting to worry him, you ignored the way Rhodey’s comment made you feel and tried to push it from your mind. But no hard you tried to focus on other things, you had one thought prodding at the back of your head.

You were dumb.

~

A week went by without anyone poking fun at your intelligence. You had a sneaking suspicion Peter had something to do with the lack of comments, but you said nothing. It was nice to have a break from all the teasing and it made hanging out with the team more enjoyable. You all lingered around the kitchen one day, eating all different kinds of lunch when Tony came in the room.

“Eat up, funky bunch.” He clapped his hands. “We have a mission in Alaska to train for and I need all hands on deck. Cap, do you think you can teach Peter that spinny thingy you do?”

“I can try.” Steve looked at Peter and nodded.

“Great. I’m getting a manicure. I’ll be back around noon.” Tony informed you all.

“Wait, I thought you said all hands on deck.” You tilted your head at him.

“I did. Which I why I have to make sure my hands look the best.” Tony waved flirtatiously, wiggling his fingers around like a teenage girl. He smirked as his action was met with some eye rolls and a few chuckles before leaving the room.

“I can’t believe we’re going to Alaska.” Peter nudged you excitedly and you smiled with glee.

“Is Alaska the same as the North Pole? Or am I thinking of Antarctica?” Sam wondered out loud.

“No. The North Pole is all the way at the top. Alaska is below California. Like by Texas.” You said confidently, proud that you knew information that someone else didn’t. Your pride quickly dissipated when you saw the teams faces twist in amusement.

“Wait a minute.” Steve looked at you like you were joking. You shrugged, letting him know you weren’t. Sam burst out laughing and clapped his hands as the rest of the team began to laugh.

“Absolutely not.” Sam grinned as he wiped a tear from his eye.

“Yes it is.” You insisted. “Look at any US map. It’s on the bottom by Hawaii.”

You were getting angry now. You knew you were right this time and they were still teasing you.

“No.” Bucky shook his head is dismissal. “No.”

“Alaska is below California on every map I’ve ever seen. You’re telling me I’m wrong?” You our your hand on your hip and stared at them.

“100%. I am 100% telling you you’re wrong.” Sam said between his laughter. Peter came to your side and showed you a picture of a map on his phone.

“Alaska is US territory but it’s not connected to the rest of the states. They just put it below California on maps to show it’s a part of the US. Thats not actually where it’s located.” He said quietly. You looked at the map for a few seconds before you realized he was right. And if he was right…

You were wrong.

“Oh.” You smiled apologetically and averted your eyes. “Oops.”

You turned around and pretending to clean up the kitchen to hide your searing blush. Your fingers clenched around your sponge when you heard the teasing laughter from behind you.

“Sometimes I wonder how you made it out of high school.” Steve joked as he threw out the crusts of his sandwich. The comment stung you and you began to scrub the counter faster so you could leave the room sooner. Peter could see your shoulders tense and put a reassuring hand on your back. You gave him a tight lipped smiled before putting your dish in the sink.

“I’m still wondering how she made it out of first grade.” Nat teased you and she poked your side.

“I can’t believe she made it out of the womb in the first place with nobody telling her where to go.” Sam said, making everyone laugh loudly. You abruptly threw a dish in the sink, making everyone go silent. You tuned around slowly and faked a smile.

“Haha. Yeah.” You forced a laugh. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

You swiftly left the room before anyone could catch your tears. You felt stupid for even getting upset over it, but their words hurt. Feeling like you were always the dumbest person in the room was taking a toll on you, especially when you weren’t the only one who felt that way. Peter watched you leave with sympathetic eyes, feeling his own frustration bubble at the sound of the team laughing at you. He thought they had listened the first time he told them to stop making fun of you, but they clearly hadn’t. After seeing the pained look on your face, Peter made a decision.

It was never going to happen again.

~

“Ugh. I’m never gonna get this right.” Peter groaned as he messed up the move Steve was trying to teach him once again.

“You’re getting too much inside your head. Just let it happen naturally.” Steve instructed as he resumed his stance. Peter tried the move again, wiping out and landing on his side with a thud. You watched him out of the corner of your eye as you spared with Nat.

“I can’t.” Peter got up and rubbed his arm. “I can’t do it.”

Steve nodded, like he was accepting Peters defeat. You stopped sparing and looked at Peter.

“Yes you can. Come on, Peter.” You encouraged him. “Everyone told Van Gogh that he couldn’t be an artist because he only had one ear but he did it anyway.”

The room feel silent, as it often did when you spoke, and everyone looked down.

“Oh dear Lord.” Rhodey sighed and hung his head and he snickered. You could see everyone else fighting back laughter or cracking a smile, yet saying nothing.

“What?” You crossed your arms in annoyance, looming to Peter for help.

“He chopped his ear off after becoming an artist.” Peter said kindly. “He wasn’t born without one.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but Tony beat you to it.

“Speaking of ears, do you think of you shone a light in one of Y/n’s ears, it would come out the other ear?” Tony quipped, making everyone laugh. The tips of your ears burned as that feeling of stupidity sunk in again. You undid the Velcro on your boxing gloves and pretended to wipe sweat from your face as you rushed to the bin where the gloves went. You kept your back to the group and pretending to be putting your gloves away when you were really concealing your pained expression.

“Yes.” Nat jeered. “Yes I do.”

Your shoulders slumped with exhaustion as you turned around, making every effort to keep your face neutral. Your face didn’t give away any signs of sadness, but your knuckles turning white from how hard you were gripping the bin gave your true feelings away. Peter noticed this and felt his jaw clench. If you weren’t gonna tell them to stop, he was.

“Leave her alone, guys.” He commanded the crowd before looking at you. “Thanks for the encouragement, Y/n. I’m gonna keep trying.”

“It’s fine.” You nodded curtly. “I’m gonna hit the showers. I’ll see you guys at dinner.”

You walked out of the gym, pausing in place when you heard Sams voice.

“Hit the showers?” He laughed. “We just started.”

“Shhh. Don’t confuse the poor girl any further.” Bruce joked back. You looked back at the gym with your eyebrows knit together, taking a quiet step closer to hear what they were saying about you without you there.

“She’s probably like, ‘whats this magic closet that makes rain?’” Rhodey imitated your voice, making you sound as dense as possible.

“Knock it off guys. It’s not funny.” Peter snapped, but the teasing continued.

“Or like, ‘this shampoo says it adds volume, but I used it and I can’t hear any louder than before’.” Tony mocked you, skipping around a little like a child. Your face contorted in misery as they made fun of you. You knew who they really were, and they were good people. They didn’t intend to hurt your feelings, they were only joking around like they did with everyone. Steve was teased all the time for his old fashioned dialect and no one lets Tony live down the kimono incident. Still, all their insults and mockery cut you like a knife.

“Ahh, I love that girl.” Nat shook her head with a smile. “She’s so dumb.”

“She may be slow, but she’s entertaining as hell.” Sam nodded in agreement.

“I said knock it off.” Peter repeated, getting a reaction this time.

“Aw. Peters mad because we’re teasing his girlfriend.” Nat pouted and pinched Peters cheek. She quickly realized how wholesome she was being and punched Bucky in the face to maintain her lethal assassin persona.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Peter grumbled. Now that you were out of the room, he was the next target.

“He’s right. Hey, maybe that’s why you guys haven’t gotten together yet.” Rhodey shrugged. “She’s too stupid to realize you’re in love with her.”

That was all you had to hear. You ran towards your with tears running down your face. Thanks to Peters advanced heating, he heard every heavy footstep.

“Okay. Maybe she is a little slow.” Peter shook his head in disdain at the team. “But you guys are idiots.”

~

You were quiet the entire way to Alaska, keeping to yourself and silently looking out the window. Peter attempted to talk to you once or twice, but he could tell you wanted to be alone. The Avengers completed the mission within a few hours with minor damage to the area. Peter focused on his job but found himself looking for you every now and then, being as you usually stayed together during missions. He didn’t see you anywhere and assumed you were doing your own thing on the other side of the field. He heart rest assured when he saw you boarding the jet, still looking reserved and aloof from the rest of the team. You took a seat by the window and rested your chin on your hand, looking out at the bleak landscape in front of you as the jet took off. Peter didn’t engage in small talk with the rest of the team and wistfully stared at you instead, silently willing you to cheer up.

“I think that went pretty well.” Rhodey nodded and the team agreed. “But where were you the whole time, Y/n? Picking daisies?”

Peter held his breath as you slowly turned around. You gave Rhodey a frigid smile and shook your head.

“We came during a blizzard so I used my powers to create a heated force field around the area we were in to prevent frostbite and give you guys and easier time seeing in the snow. We were also at a higher altitude than any of us are used to so I kept the air pressure to sea level standard.” You said simply. “And I assumed there would be smoke from the battle so I rounded up the nearby animals and made a separate for field around them to protect their lungs.”

The room went silent, something you were used to at this point. But instead of everyone falling silent because they were laughing at you, they were impressed.

“Oh.” Rhodey blinked in surprise, not expecting the answer he was given.

“I also picked this flower.” You smiled proudly as you produced a Forget Me Not from your lap. Peter couldn’t keep the grin from breaking through on his face. You were the center of attention once again, but in a good way this time. Everyone was pleasantly surprised with what you had done and it showed.

“I didn’t think about the altitude.” Nat realized.

“I had no idea there was a blizzard.” Steve added, looking dumbfounded.

“Because I kept you from knowing.” You shrugged. “I wanted you guys to focus on the mission.”

“I mean, I knew. I just didn’t tell you guys because I was so distracted by my buffed and polished nails.” Tony twiddled his fingers again, showing off his freshly manicured nails. You all laughed, breaking the tension in the jet.

“Well look at that.” Sam looked impressed. “Y/n knew something we didn’t.”

It was almost a compliment, but it still made you feel insecure. You didn’t want it to be this mind boggling every time you did something useful.

“Thanks, Y/n. That was really smart.” Peter said softly as he patted your knee. You put your hand over his and squeezed it. It was the first time someone called your smart, and it made you feel good.

“It was really smart.” Sam said skeptically. He stared at you for a moment before poking your side.

“What are you doing?” You swatted his hand away.

“Just making sure you’re still in there.” He eyed you suspiciously. Peter could sense the attention was making you uncomfortable and changed the subject.

“Are we almost home?” He asked Tony before peering out the window. The flight was a little over 7 hours on a normal plane, but the Stark jet was much quicker. The flight would only take a few hours, but Peter was not known for being patient.

“Yes, Peter. We are almost back at the tower. You can get your diaper changed and your bottle as soon as we get back.” Tony sassed him, making him shrink in his seat. Your body language had completely changed and your were now sitting straight, facing the group. Peter was glad you were feeling better and didn’t even mind Tony’s comment.

“Guys, let’s be civil. We’re all tired. We all want to get home.” You said calmly. “Let’s just focus on how pretty the sky looks tonight. Isn’t is pretty, Peter?”

He gazed at your profile as you looked out the window at the stars, admiring how pretty you looked from the side.

“Yeah. It’s beautiful.” He conceded without ever taking his eyes off you. You shot him a smile before looking straight ahead at the dashboard.

“Wow, the moon is huge!” You pointed time a large yellow crescent that could be seen through the window.

“That’s literally the reflection of my banana on the windshield.” Tony deadpanned. He may have been right, but it still looked pretty.

“Should we make a wish?” You asked Peter, ignoring Tony’s comment.

“On the banana?” He asked.

“Yes.” You nodded. “On the banana.”

“Why?” Rhodey asked. “It’s not like people wish on the moon.”

“It feels like we should.” You said with confidence.

“Yep. She’s still in there.” Sam chuckled. And just like that, your confidence receded.

“I hate it here.” Bucky sighed heavily and tuned out of the conversation.

“It must be so peaceful being you, Y/n.” Tony remarked.

“Why do you say that?” You wondered.

“Because instead of thinking about your problems and mistrials, you simply don’t think at all.” Tony said suavely. In only a better for minutes, you’d gone from being the hero to the laughing stock of the group. The sly comments and taunting laughter made you feel like you should stop opening your mouth entirely. You faked a smile and turned back towards the window, tuning out the rest of the way home. Peter chewed his lip as he stared at you, feeling useless to helping you out. The team just wouldn’t let up, no matter how many times he told them to stop. Knowing you weren’t in the mood to talk, he scooted closer to you and put a comforting hand on your back. You smiled warmly at him and rested your head on his shoulder, listening to him point out the constellations the whole way home.

~

The next day, you and Peter were sitting in the balcony, working on some new gadgets for Mr. Stark when Peter made a startling discovery.

“Where’s my right web shooter?” Peter stood up in a panic when he realized it was missing. “I left it right here.”

“Maybe a bird carried it off.” You shrugged as you twisted a tiny screw into Peters left web shooter.

“I’m being serious, Y/n.” Peter stated. “Mr. Stark is going to kill me and turn me into a decorative rug if I lost it.”

“I’m being serious too. We live in New York and I see birds around here all the time.” You told him as you continued your work. “And you know the pigeons here are feral. A bird probably stole it to pay for his child support.”

Peter usually entertained your antics and joined in with his own batch of sarcasm, but he wasn’t in the mood. His web shooter was missing and their were actual stakes involved. Without his web shooter, he couldn’t be Spiderman. And without Spider-Man, he couldn’t be an Avenger.

“Can you be serious for once?“ Peter whined, picking up everything on the table to look under it.

“I’m just saying it’s possible, Peter. You never know.” You insisted as you put your screw driver down to help him look. You began looking in the flower pots on the windowsill that you and Peter had planted. Peter stopped his search for a moment, growing angry with you for wasting time. He didn’t know if you were joking around or genuine believed his web shooter was in the flower pots, but it made him frustrated nonetheless. A combination of his lack of sleep and stress over losing the webshooter manifested into a moment of unchecked rage.

“No, it’s not possible.” He snapped. “A bird didn’t steal my web shooter. God, do you have to be so stupid?” 

 The word hung in the air for a moment, settling in to the both of you. Peters eyes immediately softened, feeling instant regret for what he had said. You stopped trifling through the plants and slowly turned around.

“What?” You asked quietly. Peter tightened his lips into a line and tried to justify what he had said.

“I try to defend you but you make it so hard. Can you help me out a little here and not be so…” He trailed off when he realized he had only made it worse. Your face hardened and you looked disappointed in Peter, which killed him. He would have preferred anger or even sadness, but the disappointment killed him.

“So what?” You shrugged. “Finish your sentence Peter.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“No, really, go ahead.” You stated coldly. “You got this far. So what, Peter?”

He looked at you for a moment, getting that feeling of wishing you could turn back time just a few seconds to fix a mistake.

“So dumb all the time.” He finished his sentence with an unsteady voice. Your face scrunched up in a pained expression as you sucked in and let out a shaky breath.

“You were the only one who never called me that.” You whimpered before moving past him and going inside. Peter watched you through the open balcony doors as you disappeared into the hallway with a heavy heart. His mouth was open to apologize, but you were long gone. He’d seen you being ridiculed so many times already, and now he was the one doing it. All that talk about it never happening again, only for him to be the reason it happened. Peter couldn’t live with himself for another minute without you knowing how sorry he was. He took a step towards the doorway until he heard a pigeon land on the table. He watched it curiously for a moment as it pecked at the screwdriver you had been using before picking it up with its beak. It flew over to the edge and began to walk along the railing, still keeping the screwdriver in his mouth. Peter followed the pigeon, walking all the way down the balcony to find a large nest in the corner. He watched as it dropped the screwdriver into its nest, right next to his web shooter.

“Holy shit. A bird stole my web shooter.” Peter said in disbelief. Peter watched as baby pigeons poked out from inside the web shooter to greet the other pigeon.

“Holy shit. A bird stole my web shooter for his kids.” Peters eyes widened even more than they already were. Realized struck him and his shoulders slumped.

“She was right.” He mumbled, angry at himself more than ever. “I yelled at her and she was right.”

Peter wasted no time in rescuing his web shooter from the birds, offering them a nice biodegradable coffee cup in its place, and ran to the kitchen to make you a peace offering. He knocked softly on your door and didn’t wait for an answer before going in.

“I made you this cup of tea as an apology.” Peter stiffly held out a mug with an awkward smile on his face. You looked at Peter from your bed, eyes puffy like you had been crying. You stared at each other for a long time, you with a death glare and Peter with his awkward smile. Neither of you said a word as Peter continued to hold out the mug. After two full minute of silence, a bead of sweat ran down Peters face as he looked around nervously, never breaking his smile. You let out an angry sigh and decided to throw him a bone, crossing the room to accept his mug. You looked into the cup for a moment before looking back at Peter.

“This is empty.” You deadpanned.

“I don’t know how to make tea.” Peter whispered, never breaking eye contact.

“I’ve seen you make it.” You snapped.

“I forgot how to do it.” Peters eyes shifted nervously to the side.

“Bucky was in the kitchen, wasn’t he?”

“I know he hates me.” Peter talked over you as you groaned. “I know he does.”

“Just go away.” You tried to close the door but he kept it open.

“No.” Peter said firmly. “I came in here to apologize.”

“You see this?” You held up the mug for a Peter to see. “It’s my cup of care. And look at that” ,you dumped the cup over, “it’s empty.”

Peter stared at your demonstration with raised eyebrows, surprised that you were still able to be sarcastic when he hurt you. Peter took the mug from your hands and set it on the ground before slowly looking up at your face.

“You’re not stupid.” He said softly with all the sincerity his heart could give. You scoffed and folded your arms, looking to the side when you felt tears sting your eyes.

“Yes I am.” You said like you fully believed it, which was Peters worse fear. “Everyone says so. Even you.”

It hit Peter like a sheet of glass when you looked at him like that.

Like he was someone you didn’t want around.

“I didn’t mean to say that.” Peter apologized. “That is not how I feel. At all.”

“Don’t act like you’ve never thought about saying that before.” You laughed sadly. “Everyone on the team calls me dumb. It was only a matter of time before you did it too.”

“I didn’t mean it.” Peter repeated. “I don’t think you’re stupid.”

“Bullshit.” You snapped. “You’re so full of bullshit.”

“I’m not full of bullshit.” He whined like a child and gave you puppy dog eyes. “I’m full of regret.”

You chewed the inside of your cheek as he gave you his best pout, willing you to forgive him. Finally, you caved and cracked a smile.

“I hate you.” You stamped your foot and hung your head, frustrated with yourself for not being able to stay mad at him. Peter opened his arms and you walked into them, arms still folded angrily. You bumped your forehead against his shoulder before moving to rest your chin on it as he wrapped his arms around you. Peter nestled against your hair and sighed, happy that you had forgiven him but still saddened that he had hurt you in the first place. He could see the pile of used tissues on your bed and it killed him to know he made you cry.

“I didn’t mean to call you that. I really didn’t.” He said softly. “I’m the one who’s been trying to stop people from saying that.”

“But they still do it.” You sniffled. “Everyday I get called dumb or stupid or scalene.”

“I think it’s obtuse, not scalene.” Peter reluctantly corrected you. You pulled away and little and let Peter wipe the tears from your face.

“Maybe they’re right.” You shrugged and looked Peter in the eyes. “Maybe I am dumb.”

Peter kept your face between his hands, staring at you for a moment before sighing.

“I once sneezed so many times in a row that I peed my pants.” Peter deadpanned. “I was 17.”

“What?” You chuckled as you wiped your nose.

“I saw Bucky try to take a piece of toast out of the toaster with his metal arm and electrocute himself.” He continued. “And I constantly see Tony bumping into glass doors.”

“I don’t understand.” You squinted your eyes, but sure what point he was trying to make.

“Steve still picks up the phone and asks for the operator. Nat leaves her curling iron plugged in all the time. I do not think Sam knows the address of where we live and I’m pretty sure Rhodey can’t do laundry. He gets all his stuff dry cleaned, even his socks.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” You asked.

“Because were all dumb.” Peter concluded. “We all do and say dumb things. You don’t know where Alaska is and no one in this tower can read analog clocks. If we’re all dumb, then maybe none of us are dumb. Or we all are. Who cares?” Peter shrugged, making you laugh. “And you were right. A bird did carry off my web shooter. So no, you’re no dumb. Or stupid. Or obtuse. You’re, uh, you- you…” Peter looked down at he fumbled over his words.

“I’m what?” You raised an eyebrow. You could finish his sentence last time, but this time you were lost.

“You’re…” Peter tampered off again, staring at your confused expression for a moment before pulling you into a kiss. Your hands clenched into a fist and slowly uncurled as you relaxed into the kiss. Peter pulled away too soon and let his eyes flutter open. They met yours and you shared a moment of hesitation, not knowing what happened rest next.

“I’m gonna be honest lovey, I didn’t really have an ending to that sentence.” Peter chris joes softly, his breath fanning your face. “That was mainly improv.”

“You’re pretty good at improv, Parker.” You cracked a smile and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“I did a little bit of theater in high school.” He shrugged smugly, making you giggle.

“Mmm. I severely don’t want to hear about that.” You teased before kissing him again.

“Oh, I think you do.” Peter remarked. “Because I once went to the bathroom during intermission with my mic still on and the entire audience heard me peeing.”

“Oh my God.” You laughed. “You’re so stupid.”

Tag List 🏷

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