#they don’t even need to share scenes in order to ship them?

[sevsevteen]

Hi can you write something like yn has a crush on someone from ateez (wooyoung) or someone you like and her revealing it while being drunk

MY FIRST MULTIFANDOM FIC RAHHH ! as a caratiny this was great to write for this cheeky boy. i decided to combine two asks into one as well ~ i see wooyoung as the one who would most likely be reacting to others anywhere everywhere LOL

-- જ⁀➴°⋆

The stage was on fire.

Not literally, but with the way the pyros flared and the lights pulsed to the beat of Seventeen’s performance, it might as well have been. The award show stage felt bigger tonight - louder, heavier - and you thrived in it.

You hit your solo part mid-performance — a sharp, stylized trick with a customized baton, flipping it with ease and catching it behind your back before dropping into choreography with the rest of the team. It was clean. Fluid. Showstopping.

And someone noticed.

Not just the fans. Not just the cameras.

And Ateez’s reaction camera caught it all in 4K — his reaction the moment your trick landed.

The widening of Wooyoung’s eyes.

The slow, impressed smile.

The leaned-in head tilt as if he was trying to see more.

And the way he muttered something — "Damn, that was cool."

He clapped before anyone else. And when the stage ended, the camera panned back to the idol panel — just in time to catch Wooyoung looking at you again as you walked off.

That night, the clip made it to the internet before the group even left the venue.

🎥 [Reaction cam] ATEEZ’s WOOYOUNG during that moment 👀

“They’re feeding us a new ship and I’m not mad.”

“HE SAID ‘DAMN’?? HELLO??”

“Woo was caught slippin’…”

The next morning, the moment trended on social media.

Edits rolled out. TikToks used slowed audio of Wooyoung’s face turning. Fans dug up old behind-the-scenes footage of Seventeen and Ateez walking past each other.

And back home?

Chaos.

“Okay but— you saw that look, right?” Seungkwan shrieked, shoving his phone in your face. “He looked at you like you were the ending of his k-drama arc!”

“It was like 3 seconds,” you groaned, hiding under a pillow.

“3 seconds of love,” Joshua corrected, smirking. “He clapped. Early.”

“I clap early all the time,” you mumbled.

“Yeah, but you don’t bite your lip while doing it,” Mingyu quipped, nearly making you choke on your coffee.

“Yah!” You sat up, cheeks flushing. “Can you all not make a fanfiction in real time–”

“We’re just saying,” Vernon added, deadpan, “if you ever did date someone from another group, at least he’s got good taste.”

You huffed, trying to bury yourself back into the couch cushions.

But your phone buzzed just then.

A message. From an unknown number.

“Hello Sunbae-nim, this is Wooyoung – didn’t mean to cause a ruckus. But you were seriously cool last night. I hope you don’t mind the nonsense on ins right now :)”

You stared.

And somewhere behind you, Jeonghan leaned in to read over your shoulder with a devilish grin.

“…Oh,” he whispered. “Oh we’re never letting you live this down.”

.

The dorm was buzzing with warmth and laughter - the kind that only came after shared memories and a few bottles of soju passed between hands. It was the first night off in weeks, and Seungcheol had insisted on a casual in-dorm gathering. Food was ordered, playlists shuffled through throwbacks, and the group had sprawled comfortably across the living room floor with blankets, snacks, and way too many empty bottles.

You were curled up between Jun and Seokmin, a flushed smile on your face as you giggled at Seungkwan’s dramatic reenactment of a wardrobe malfunction on stage.

“Okay, okay- no, but seriously,” you hiccupped, eyes glassy, “who needs your shirt on if the audience is screaming anyway?”

“Yah, how much did she drink?” Jihoon asked, peering over from the other side of the room.

“Just enough for shirts to be optional,” Mingyu snorted.

You just waved them off, cheeks warm and eyes half-lidded as you rested your head against Seokmin’s shoulder. “Mmm...this is much better.”

It was like watching a robot power down. You went quiet, hands hugging an empty bottle, eyes closing peacefully despite the noisy room. Seokmin gently helped you lean back onto a cushion.

“Should someone watch her?” Jeonghan asked.

“I’ve got her,” Joshua offered, kneeling beside you with a soft smile. He adjusted a throw blanket over your legs, placing a cup of water nearby. “She’ll probably wake up soon and ask for tteokbokki.”

Sure enough, not even a minute later.

“I want tteokbokki,” came a sleepy mumble, voice muffled into the cushion.

The room erupted in laughter.

“Called it,” Joshua grinned.

You blinked sleepily, rubbing your eyes as you slowly sat up, head wobbling a little. “Where’s my– Where’s my phone…?”

“You don’t need your phone,” Seungcheol teased. “You need to drink water, and to stop flirting with the rice cakes.”

You squinted at him, lips pouting. “I’m not flirting with rice…”

Just then, a nearby conversation caught your attention.

“…speaking of stages, our Ateez juniors are killing it lately,” Chan said casually. “Wooyoung’s fan-cams are everywhere.”

At the mention of his name, your head shot up like a meerkat.

“Wooyoung?” you asked, eyes wide as a burp made its way out. “I saw. He’s kind of cute…”

The room paused.

“…what?” Jeonghan blinked.

You smiled, cheeks redder than the kimchi stew in front. “I was watching that fancam- I hope he looks at me like that forever.”

Seungkwan nearly choked on his drink. “Wait-wait, are we hearing this right?”

“Did you just…admit you like him?” Soonyoung asked slowly, equally as drunk, leaning in with an interrogating gaze.

You blinked, confused. “Like who?”

“Wooyoung,” Seokmin supplied helpfully.

“…a little,” you said with a sly smile, then hiccupped.

The room exploded.

“AHHHHH- YOU HAVE A CRUSH!”

“NO WAY.”

“GUYS, WE CANNOT FORGET THIS IN THE MORNING!”

“WE’RE TELLING ATEEZ—”

Joshua laughed as you threw the bottle in your hands at Dino, lips going up to your lips to make a shushing sound. “No, no! Don’t tell them!”

“You just called him ‘so cute’ with heart eyes!” Mingyu grinned.

“Drunk words are sober thoughts indeed,” Jun said with a proud nod.

“Stop exaggerating, and I’m not drunk,” you mumbled behind hands covering your face.

“Your face says otherwise~,” Jeonghan chipped in. “You are absolutely drunk.”

.

Music shows were always a mess of chaos — idols weaving past each other in hallways, stylists rushing in and out of rooms, someone’s encore song blaring faintly through the walls at all times. You were used to the rhythm of it all by now, the controlled madness. The tight call times. The way Seokmin always panicked five minutes before going on stage, even though he nailed the performance every time.

What you weren’t used to?

The sharp elbow to your side from Seungkwan.

“Five o’clock,” he hissed like they were on a stakeout. “Blue jacket. Flashy eyes. That’s him, right?”

You didn’t need to turn, already knowing who he meant.

Wooyoung.

The same one…who was currently walking down the corridor, the rest of Ateez trailing a few steps behind.

You took a step back instinctively.

But you were cornered - literally. With the wall behind you and a very invested Seungkwan, Dino, and Jeonghan forming a human barricade around you like you were about to be proposed to.

“Oh my god,” you muttered, flustered. “Can you not block the hallway?”

“We’re just casually standing here,” Jeonghan said innocently. “So casual. So natural.”

“Not suspicious at all,” Dino added, arms crossed.

“Shut up,” you hissed, just as a voice called out:

“Sunbae-nim?”

You turned around – and nearly tripped.

Wooyoung stood just a few feet away, hair styled back, glitter smudged across the corner of his eye like stardust. He gave you a boyish grin, hands tucked in his pockets as if he hadn’t just knocked the air out of your lungs.

You blinked. He was cute. Stupidly polite. And now just a little awkward.

“Oh,” you managed, cheeks already warming. “Hello, Wooyoung-sshi!”

His grin widened. “I’ve been hoping I’d bump into you.”

Your stomach flipped.

“Really? Why?”

“Oh, I think I heard the stylist noonas calling us!” Seungkwan suddenly raised his voice, arms up to usher the other two away.

You mentally face-palmed, ears burning red.

“Yeah. Chan-ie talks about you a lot, you know.” Wooyoung grinned.

You blinked, momentarily forgetting how to breathe. “He…he does?”

He nodded, casually leaning against the wall. “Told me all about the other night. You guys had drinks?”

Your mouth opened. Then closed.

Then it opened again. “I will end them.”

Wooyoung laughed - full and bright, the kind that made you want to melt into the floor.

“But,” he said, eyes glinting with amusement. “I thought it was cute.”

You gawked. “You heard what he said and still think that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Wooyoung stepped a little closer. Not too close - just enough for you to hear the quiet confidence in his voice. “Besides, if it makes you feel better…I meant every reaction during the award show that night.”

Your body was on fire.

You backed up a step, pressing your hands to your chest like it could shield you from the intensity of that smile. “Am I dreaming–”

He laughed again. “After the music show’s over…how about a coffee? On me.”

You blinked.

Your mouth opened - again, with no sound. So you settled for a nod.

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Wooyoung echoed, walking backward now, one eyebrow raised like he’d just scored a point in some private game. “Tell the others I said thanks, by the way.”

Then he was gone - swallowed back into the flashing chaos of the venue, leaving you stunned in the hallway, heart stammering like a snare drum.

You were definitely going to kill the members.

But maybe…after that drink.

--

[crazysandwich]

⚠️ Thunderbolts Spoilers⚠️

Okay, I really need to hear some thoughts on Thunderbolts—especially the second post-credit scene. If you've seen the movie, please share your opinions because I’m a little confused and kind of emotional about it.

So, as someone who loved watching The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, especially the dynamic between Sam and Bucky (yes, I even shipped them hard at one point, but that’s beside the point), this scene hit me weirdly.

In Captain America: Brave New World, I actually felt really good when they showed us Sam and Bucky’s friendship (and the hug scene, of course). Even though they were not working together anymore and had gone their separate ways, it was clear there was still respect and care between them. That bond was still there.

But now, after watching Thunderbolts, I’m honestly frustrated.

That second post-credit scene, when Bucky mentions trying to talk to Sam about the new Avengers stuff and it goes... poorly? I don’t even know how to feel. I get both sides:

Sam’s perspective: He’s worked so hard to earn the title of Captain America, to prove not just to the world, but to himself, that he’s worthy of the shield and everything it represents. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we saw him wrestle with the weight of legacy, with what it means to be a Black man stepping into a role so heavily tied to American ideals. He didn’t just inherit the mantle. At the end, he chose to carry it, despite the pressure, the doubts, and the pushback. And in Captain America: Brave New World, it’s clear he’s still fighting the systems and expectations around him. He’s building a new kind of Captain America. So yeah, I get why the “Avengers” name matters so much to Sam. It’s not just a title, it represents everything he’s fought for. The idea of leading a new generation of Avengers was more than symbolic to him. It was part of redefining what Captain America stands for in today’s world. So when another team, backed by the government, no less, comes in and starts calling themselves the “New Avengers,” it’s not just frustrating. It’s a slap in the face. Especially when one of the team’s leaders is his friend Bucky, and that friend is now working closely with John Walker, the very person Sam had to fight against for the Captain America title.

Bucky’s perspective: For the first time, he’s not just “the sidekick” or “the Winter Soldier.” He’s not following orders or going along with Sam/Steve. He’s choosing this path. This isn’t about redemption through someone else’s mission. This is Bucky finally taking things into his own hands. After everything—Hydra, the brainwashing, the guilt, the amends, the years of trying to prove he’s not the person they turned him into—this team, as chaotic and unconventional as it is, might actually be his. He’s not just helping; he’s leading. He’s in control. And maybe, just maybe, this is how he starts to wipe away some of the blood on his ledger. He can’t erase the past, but this could be the beginning of making peace with it.

So... are they really setting up Sam and Bucky to be on opposing teams? Are we heading into another Civil War-type situation? Because if that’s where this is going, it’s honestly heartbreaking for me.

I actually enjoyed the movie overall. There are some things I could nitpick, sure—but this particular storyline left me feeling really weird after watching it today. Like, is anyone else focused on this scene? Or am I just way too attached to their friendship?

Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts. Seriously.

[soni-dragon]

Eye of the Pheonix is actually one of the best merlin episodes because:

merlin and Gwen besties shenanigans; “what’s he actually thinking about” “you”

cold open to the most tender merthur scene

Merlin sleeping outside all knight for arthur

Hiccuping scene and arthur getting so annoyed

“But the perilous lands are… perilous”

“The task is meant to be completed alone and unaided” the start of the best continuing joke of all time

Putting the rest under a cut cause it’s long

Little morgwen moment in the market i love (one of the last we get….)

Cute arthur and gwen scene! Hehe

This is just the shipping episode of all time everyone wins

“You’ll need help” and the first thing merlin does is go find gwaine

smiles “hello, gwaine” “ah, merlin :)”

Immediately puts an arm around merlin

Throws merlin off a roof. this is what merwaine is all about :)

Gwaine is still Gwaine and not whatever the writers did to him after becoming a knight

Bridge guy (Grettir) is great and Arthur’s “no I’m prince arthur of camelot” i love you you’re so dense sometimes

“You need strength and magic” and then gwaine and merlin come along and NO ONE seems to think two seconds more about the implications

“ive been to almost every tavern” “so have i” you’re telling me merlin spent all that time looking for specifically gwaine to help him when he knows arthur is in danger

ANOTHER MORGWEN SCENE (ik morgana just wants her to leave) but we weren’t completely robbed

Arthur not realizing that he feels like shit and thinking hmm that’s weird, this is THE dense, damsel in distress arthur episode

Gwaine is two feet away are you really telling me he didn’t hear bridge guy call merlin Magic

“Strength has arrived the trio is complete” immeidate sword draw

But also the establishment of them as a trio i really love and they never did anything else with it

Gwaine with the flowers :))

THE ENTIREY OF THE FIRE SCENE

*THE* MERWAINE SCENE EVER

“a pheasant” gwaine please

“Why do you want to do this?” cause he’s in love with you merlin

“Same reason as you” (hesitates) (eye contact) “help a friend”

“arthurs lucky to have us”

…

“not arthur” SCREAMING

we’re back to the fond looks

gwaines tiny nod of assurance when merlin looks at him like ??! after he says not arthur

“youre the only friend i have” and i couldnt bear to lose you

Gwen finding out morgana has magic

“she’s changed” break my heart why don’t you (i dont want you to change) BRING HER BACKKK this is making me miss the arc morgana could have had so badly

They caught up to arthur SO FAST goes to show how arthurs going through it

Not wyvern they have four legs actually (tho their designs are cool)

This would have been such a good episode for gwaine to learn merlin is a dragonlord & has magic

Arthur conveniently is knocked out (as always) when merlin does cool magic stuff to save him

When merlin orders them to go and they bow their heads and walk away they look like kicked puppies

The famous arthur waking up to merlins silly little smile and being 100% not appreciative

whatthehellareYOUdoinghere? why can’t you ever just say thanks? augh THANKS!whatforcompLeTlYrUiNiNgThEqUeSt?!

i am supposed to be doing this ALONEEEE

“Are gwen and morgana here too? we going to have a surprise party?” i love you sassy arthur and yes you absolutely should have a surprise party

Do you want us to help you or do you want to do this ~aloneeee~

MERLIN!

The little smile and nod like yeah they got him

“this is a quest merlin not a treasure hunt” well it is sort of- “MERLIN.”

How is that one stone completely sound proof

The cockroaches are icky but y’all have gloves its not that bad you couldn’t even feel them

Set up with the water of avalon and something that actually follows into later episodes

“Merlin.” + arthur doesn’t want to show he actually cares about him vs. gwaine pulling him into a hug

“look what i found” merlin and gwaine shared looks of no you didn’t

The trios conversation at the end i love their dynamics + merlins pause and genuine thanks

Eoin macken looking pretty <33 (he always does)

Merlins little overview of the quest hes so excited awww

Immediate shift to sassy merlin the Duality

I wish Gwen knowing about morgana’s magic would have been explored more i want to see her join gaius and merlin in plotting and going on little quests

Anyways yeah to conclude i miss Gwaine sm :(

[suzuran777]

Review: Ooe -Zenpen- (Adelta)

The first part of Adelta's new BL visual novel "Ooe" was finally released on the 25th last month! The second part is scheduled to be released in winter, but the first part was already so good I highly recommend playing it. I’ve been waiting for this game for a long time and also wrote some general information/theories about the game on this blog some years ago, as well as a review of the trial version. I won't mention any big plot-related spoilers, so if you’re waiting for an English version or are just curious what the game is about, you can still continue reading if you want!

Story 30th year of the Showa era (1955), protagonist Oosaki works for a small detective agency and one day receives a strange request from a client. He's asked to attend a memorial service on behalf of his client, which will be held on the remote island of Ooejima. During his stay on the island, a series of strange events happen, and the ship that was supposed to pick them up never arrives. The organizer who invited them is not there, and shortly afterwards they also lose all contact with the outside world. Stranded on this ominous island, ten people unravel the mystery of their shared pasts and the death of the actress An Ooe.

This version of the game focuses on three different routes, Ariake, Shimbashi and Aomi. Similar to previous Adelta games, you play all of the routes in a pre-decided route order, and with each route you finish, a new choice will show up allowing you to proceed to the next route. As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, each character was assigned one earthly desire/mental factor that kind of describes the character, so I will also include this again below. Now I've played the game I know that these factors are definitely not their only personality trait, but some parts of it definitely show up in the story eventually.

Ariake -  Disregard (Anapatrapya 無愧): A mortician who likes helping out those in need. After injuring his dominant hand, he has been receiving a lot of help from others. He's immediately very fond of Oosaki and wants to follow him everywhere. His mental factor pretty much indicates that he doesn't consider his own actions 'bad'.

Shimbashi -  Stinginess (Mātsarya 慳): A screenwriter who speakes in a rather strange way, combining overly-polite speach and insults. When he first meets Oosaki, he doesn't seem to trust him at all and doesn't want to tell him anything. His mental factor refers to him only wanting to satisfy his own desires, and doesn't intend to share anything with others.

Aomi -  Envy (Īrṣyā 嫉): A quiet music teacher who doesn’t talk a lot, and when he does speak, it’s limited to short sentences only. He doesn't like small talk and sometimes when Oosaki asks him something Aomi simply ignores him. His mental factor doesn't need much explanation, but even though it's envy I must say that he's not the overly-jealous type (?). It kind of refers to something more specific in his route which I can't really mention without spoiling.

I don't think you really need a guide for this game as it's pretty obvious when new choices unlock, just start a new game after finishing the first route and you'll see! Ariake does have an alternative ending scene, so during your second playthrough don’t immediately pick the choice that leads to Shimbashi’s route, and return to Ariake’s route one more time. Afterwards you can proceed as usual. Sometimes a few choices pop up, but selecting the wrong choice has no consequences and you’ll just be re-directed to the choice menu. The wind chime sound effect indicates which one is the correct choice, but I kind of enjoyed seeing everyone’s nervous reactions while falsely accusing them of something, so I recommend that too. By the way, important items are easy to notice because of their red color, like the record on the left side of the image below. Same goes for any text written in red, it might become relevant later (maybe even in part 2).

This game also has a status screen which you can find by selecting the small camera roll icon next to the 再開 text in the main menu, which is very useful when you're unsure if you missed any endings. I actually didn't know it was a button until I finished the game, so if you missed it... trust me you're not the only one. Once you finish part 1, a preview for part 2 will also unlock here.

Introduction to the story Oosaki lives in a boarding house in Suga, a short walk from Hiratsuka station near Kamakura. His boss Shinkiba, who runs the detective agency, informs him about a request he received from a client. The client, a man who calls himself Shizuma Daiba, asks Oosaki to attend the memorial service of actress An Ooe on his behalf. According to Daiba, it was his father who received the invitation, however he fell ill shortly afterwards. Oosaki assumes that the person who invited him is a relative of the actress. Even though Oosaki never met her, he remembers reading news about her death. which shocked him because she was quite young and died by setting herself on fire. Even though it's a rather strange request and Shinkiba warns Oosaki, he still decides to travel to Ooejima. The island belongs to the Izu Island group and is located near Hachijojima. Originally, it was used as a military base during the Second World War, however after this it became uninhabited. Even though he has never been there, Oosaki knows about the island because his grandma who raised him was originally from this island, and he always felt like he'd travel to the island some day.

On his way to the island, he meets one of the other main characters in this game, Ariake, who’s also travelling to Ooejima for the memorial service. He’s surprised to find out Ariake’s grandmother is also from the island. After arriving at the Mikazuki inn, he receives a warm welcome from a trembling man with a knife (??), who later introduces himself as Funeno. He also meets Shimbashi who's staying at the same inn. The other characters are all staying at a different inn, but Oosaki meets them pretty soon too (Takeshiba, Shijoumae, Hinode, Aomi and Shiodome). The final character, Toyosu, appears a bit later and mentions he's in charge of the memorial service because the individual who invited them all (who nobody seems to know) couldn't come after all, which leaves everyone confused.

Since this is mentioned in the promotional material and also happens in the trial version, I think it's not really a spoiler to mention that Funeno is the first character who gets killed shortly after this. They decide to perform a ritual to put his spirit to rest, which involves burning a straw figure, though when they finally burn it they discover someone swapped the straw figure with Funeno's body and they end up burning his body instead... Afterwards, Shiodome reveals that they didn't just receive invitation letters, but they also got a letter describing the crimes one of the other attendees committed. They were all swapped, so everyone has a letter that belongs to someone else and knows about their crimes. The orders is as follows: Funeno > Daiba > ??? > Shimbashi > Takeshiba > Aomi > Toyosu > Hinode > Shijoumae > Ariake > Shiodome > Funeno. I guess now we know why Funeno acted so nervous around Oosaki, as he introduced himself as ''Daiba'' and Funeno got Daiba's letter...

Oosaki didn't receive any of these letters from Daiba though, so after they all return the letters to each other, Shimbashi is the only one who doesn't get his own letter, and let's just say he's not too happy about that. This also means that characters who had each other's letters know about their crimes, which is why some of them seem to be rather uncomfortable around each other. Most of the routes branch off a little bit after the scene where the trial version ends, and then the real murder mystery story starts in which they try to figure out who killed Funeno. Someone also destroyed the phone, so now there's no way to contact anyone anymore. At this point Oosaki's of course also suspicious of his client Daiba, because it's clear he was hiding something from him and sent Oosaki to the island without telling him important information.

Personal thoughts Since it’s a murder mystery game you never know which characters to trust, and because characters do die and will be absent throughout the entire route, it was a really suspenseful experience. I was interested in the story from start to finish, which is why I finished it so fast... I can't explain the feeling of dread every time one of the characters announced that something bad had happened, and you're wondering how bad it could really be. Even though the game doesn't show any super gory CGs (the most they'll show is blood), the descriptions are very detailed, so I think even without that it's easy to understand what happened to them. I also liked how the characters who die and survive are different depending on which route you play, so the game really stays interesting in all three routes.

Even though we know a second part of the game is coming, part 1 doesn't feel incomplete at all and the routes work very well on their own! So if you can read Japanese or want to use translation tools, I highly recommend playing this. It took me over 30 hours to finish the game, including the common route which is about 5 hours long, but I do play pretty fast and am already replaying some scenes, so it might be even longer. Also according to a message that came with the game, part 2's data will be free for everyone who buys part 1, so you don't need to buy them separately. I do want the physical version of the game, but I don't mind spending a bit more because the game's only 4400 yen (unlike most VNs which are about 8000-9000 yen).

My personal favorite character is Shimbashi because of his cat-like characteristics and short temper, I guess he's a bit of a tsundere now I think about it, but I also really like the abnormal way he speaks... he's super polite and extremely rude at the same time and I am curious how this would get translated in the English version. My second favorite is probably Ariake, and because he was the first route, I expected his route to be good too, since it's the first experience anyone will have with this game after all. The final route is Aomi, who I was pretty neutral about at first, but I also ended up really liking him. I shouldn't underestimate any character in this game because they will prove me wrong... so far I really like everyone. I suddenly remember when the game was announced they said all the characters are ''straight'' lol, but as expected, so far it just means they haven't been together with another man before. They do not seem to care about Oosaki's gender at all and don't make it a big deal (I also like how there's multiple lines in this game acknowledging other gender identities btw... it's mentioned out of nowhere but I love to see it). If you didn't know btw, the protag of this game is a top, all of the previous Adelta game protagonists were bottoms.

I've always liked the Adelta's artstyle and character designs, but I was really impressed by the art in this game. Every CG in Ooe just looks so beautiful and I can't stop opening the CG gallery to look at it over and over again. As for the eye color... I also have my theories because in previous games this was an important plot element, and even by just looking at the promotional material, it's clear that those with ties to Ooejima are the only characters who have red eyes, so maybe that will be mentioned in the next part? Also every character has their own ending song, similar to what they did with Uuultra C.

The references to existing literature in this game are also comparible to the older Adelta titles, for example the caves on the island kind of remind me of the novel "Kotou no Oni" and the game sometimes references Agatha Christie’s "And Then There Were None" too, with Oosaki even owning a copy of the book, and eventually comparing the people on the island to characters in the book. As I mentioned in my first blog post about this game, some of the characters' first names also reference other novel characters. For example, Shiodome’s name is Michio, which is also an important character in "Kotou no Oni", Daiba’s name is Shizuma, which seems to be referencing a character in "Inugami-ke no Ichizoku" or "The Inugami Family" (this applies to the names of his brother and father too), and Funeno’s first name is Kureichirou, which is the name of one of the main characters in "Dogra Magra". In part 1, we learn the first names of a couple of other characters too for the first time, and I do have some theories what these could be referencing, especially Takeshiba's... I also want to know more about Shiodome because I mean, from the beginning it's clear the way he behaves isn't exactly what one would consider "normal", so I wonder how he would interact with Oosaki... Cool-B did preview one of his 18+ scenes and I have many questions. Then of course there's Daiba... he's so suspicious and the promotional material keeps referring to him as a ''side character'' even though he was literally on the cover of Cool-B magazine combined with Oosaki and Ariake, so I have my doubts about that.

Honestly there's so many things I could write about but at this point I might be theorizing too much and not actually reviewing the game, but I really don't want to spoil, so I think that's it for now! Part 2 is scheduled to be released in winter, though I'm not sure if that means December, January or later. You can buy part 1 here though! Please support them. It was mentioned that they are planning to release an English and Chinese version, though any information about that will have to wait until the release of part 2. When part 2 is released I'll write a review about that too! <- you can check that out here now!

[autumnmobile12]

Ambush Sim:  Touya and Hawks’ Relationship

I don’t want to call it complicated; how I write them is they’re both relatively straightforward with each other, but there is a distinct divide in how Hawks views Endeavor the hero vs how Touya views Enji his father.  That's not a part of their dynamic they can ignore, so this is the only way I can write this ship with any sense that it's a healthy one:

Hawks doesn’t know the full story and is also aware he can’t just pry it out of Touya, but he can tell with the father-son interactions that something is wrong and he has the understanding that whatever is causing Touya’s animosity is probably warranted. (He has heard the rumors other Pros share about Endeavor, has uneasily discounted them for lack of evidence and the fact none of the family members ever came forward, and has since come to the conclusion this stance may be naïvely optimistic.)  The same is true of Touya knowing Hawks has a reason to admire the hero but not knowing exactly what that reason is.  He has three main reasons for keeping silent about what his father did:

It is rooted in the years he’s already spent keeping silent in order to avoid the fallout should their family’s story go public.

It is also a matter of compassion.  He is not vindictive enough in this AU to completely ruin Hawks’ perception of his childhood hero, and this also a stance he took with his piano students.  True, there is the debate on whether or not it is honorable or even healthy to withhold that kind of information, especially when the likely response to finding that out is, ‘Wow, I wish you’d told me sooner.’  But this is the razor line everyone in this family walks in regards to their patriarch.

He's made this compromise with his sister; he figures he can do it with his partner.

So the result is Touya and Hawks have an unspoken and very temporary compromise of shelving the Endeavor issue.

They both know this is eventually going to be a discussion that can’t be avoided.

...

One thing I've noticed while writing, though, is their relationship very closely resembles these two:

And I'm pretty sure that's subconscious, but it's the personalities that match up for me.

Shinra is a more comedic character, but he's the character type you don't know to take seriously until they do something extreme and worth your undivided attention. Shinra will be joking and laughing with Celty in one scene, the next he'll be threatening a guy with a scalpel.

In the same manner, Hawks is similar. Trickster/goofball one moment, legitimately threatening the next.

Celty is also a bit of a silly character when you get down to it. In spite of being a serious and levelheaded fairy creature who's calling is to retrieve the souls of the dead and dying...she's clumsy, she misplaces things, she gets flustered, she's afraid of aliens to the point cheesy 80s sci-fi horror films scare her, and she's a terrible liar. What makes her comparable to Touya, however, is the theme of chasing something seemingly unattainable. Celty is a headless horsewoman whose head was stolen from her and she lost centuries of memories with it.

She could survive without her head, but she couldn't live without it.

And then there's Touya chasing after his father's recognition, surviving without it, and slowly learning to live without it in the Ambush Sim AU.

So in spite of the toxic elements of their relationship (and there are a few,) the way Shinra and Celty come together and balance out the bad with the good where it otherwise shouldn't happen...is adorable in all the wrong and right ways.

These two in the Ambush Sim AU are very slow-burn.

Hawks makes the slow-burn a writing requirement because of the demisexual headcanon I gave him. Putting it in the simplest terms, demisexuality is primarily needing an emotional connection first and foremost, and then there’s Touya who’s determined to keep everything emotional locked down due to past trauma. So the thought process is, 'That's a major incompatibility hurdle. Is that even gonna work?'

It's definitely one of the more challenging ship dynamics I've worked with, but after playing with the Trepha ship in the Castlevania fandom for the past couple years, I think I've got a good grasp of how to do it without it coming off as unnatural or toxic. In any case, it is an interesting ship to explore and I hope to do more with it in this AU because Touya and Hawks are very much black cat and golden retriever energy and I love that.

...

“So did you want me to cook or are you good with airport food?”

“Are you kidding me,”  Hawks laughed as he followed him.  “With how I was eating in America, I feel like I should fast for a week.  So many carbs.”

“I hear they have a good cultural variety.”

“Oh yeah, my first day there, I had barbeque pirozhki for lunch.  I don’t quite know what that is, but it was delicious.”

“I’ll find you a recipe then.”

“Really?”  He beamed at his turned back.  “You’re the best, you know that?”

“Yeah, yeah.”  Touya pulled out his phone.  “How do you spell that?

[russellradio]

~to be updated when I post a new fic, so I have them all in one place~

you can find me as bucksclipboard on ao3 💕 kudos and comments make my day!

buddie fic masterpost here

clear the air (G, 1.8k) | ao3

After the basketball incident, an injured Eddie (on heavy pain pills) can’t stop worrying about Buck. Tommy knows how important they are to each other, even if he only met them a few weeks ago. So, he convinces Eddie to give him Buck’s address.

or: missing scene, set right before tommy shows up at buck’s loft (7x04)

nobody compares (G, 1.3k) | ao3 | (ambiguous bucktommy/buddie)

"Sorry", Eddie said and scrunched his nose.

"No, you’re right", Tommy admitted. "I don’t want that. I want to give him something he’ll love."

"Well, then not a gift card. Look, I’ve been a terrible gift giver in relationships, so I’m not judging. But you look like you’re getting a migraine, so maybe… let me help you?"

A deep sigh escaped him. "How?"

or: eddie helps tommy shop for buck's birthday gift and inadvertently makes things worse

to be loved is to be seen (E, 2.1k) | ao3 | rebloggable

"Right now, Buck was standing in front of the window stark naked. The curtains were drawn wide open, but he didn’t seem to have a care in the world.

Tommy had heard bits and pieces of his Buck 1.0 history, he knew he wasn’t as shy as their first encounters had made it seem. Still, this was a surprise."

or: tommy learns that buck doesn’t mind being seen at all

fond at first sight (T, 1.5k) | ao3 | rebloggable

“Aren’t you off the clock, Kinard?”, a confused voice called after him. Technically, he was. His shift had ended about 30 minutes ago and Tommy was free to go home – however, he couldn’t. He had promised to stick around in case he was needed.

or: 7x03 missing scene – buck and tommy’s first meeting

kiss in the kitchen (like it's a dancefloor) (T, 1.6k) | ao3 | rebloggable

When Buck realizes Bobby is going to be ok, it feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest. Tommy insists on coming over and keeping him company – and for the first time, they make dinner together.

or: maybe buck and tommy get a little distracted

(set before their scene in 7x10)

born to make you happy (T, 1.8k) | ao3 | rebloggable

Buck kept thinking of that Parks and Rec quote. “If I keep my body moving and my mind occupied at all times, I will avoid falling into a bottomless pit of despair.” He smiled to himself as he opened the door to his loft, exhausted and ready to collapse on his couch but feeling somewhat accomplished. He had spent the morning volunteering at a dog sanctuary, and then raced home to take a quick shower before going to his annual checkup and to get a haircut he didn’t really need but hey, why not. It was his birthday after all.

or: tommy surprises buck on his birthday

more under the cut

written all over your face (T, 2.5k) | ao3 | rebloggable

A completely smitten Buck decides he wants to keep Tommy all to himself for just a while longer. When an accidental goodbye kiss exposes their new relationship, the 118 wants to be respectful – but when has that ever worked?

or: buck and tommy try to keep their relationship a secret and fail adorably

let me hold your hand (T, 1.1k) | ao3 | rebloggable

They could’ve lost their jobs over the unauthorized cruise ship rescue – instead, they’re receiving medals. Buck and Tommy arrive at the ceremony together and share a sweet moment before going in to join their crews.

or: buck and tommy can be professional AND hold hands in public

better than revenge (E, 3.5k) | ao3 | rebloggable

Buck is having a hard time adjusting to Captain Gerrard’s reign of terror. After weeks of keeping his worries to himself, he tells Tommy – and they get their own kinky version of revenge.

or: does this qualify as revenge sex?

series: I think we'd feel good together (4/4)

the fics can be read in order or as standalones

you talk to me like lovers do (M, 2.3k) | ao3 | rebloggable | (1/4)

After that beast of a fire, Buck makes sure Tommy is taken care of. He brings him home to the loft – not only so he can kiss him some more but sure, that too.

or: tommy shows up for buck and buck shows up for tommy

you better come get your man (T, 3.2k) | ao3 | rebloggable | (2/4)

Buck and Tommy bask in the early stages of their relationship – but there’s one concern Tommy just can’t seem to shake. He decides to confront Eddie about a careless comment he made and learns more than he bargained for. In the words of Chandler Bing: can open, worms everywhere.

or: tommy tries to understand the 118 dynamics and gets a little overprotective

oh what a beast, oh what a man (E, 2.2k) | ao3 | (3/4)

Tommy doesn’t want to pressure Buck – and Buck has been holding back for his own reasons. One night, he decides to take the next step and ask for what he wants.

or: buck finally gets to have sex with his beast of a boyfriend

it's in his kiss (T, 3.4k) | ao3 | rebloggable | (4/4)

Buck finds out Tommy confronted Eddie about the comment he made, and it leads to the first fight in their relationship. It’s time he learns: This is what it feels like to be someone’s priority.

or: I hope buck gets a kiss on his birthmark every day

if you made it to the end of this post: thank you so much for reading!

[ringsreforged]

Natalie's *deep* Haladriel thoughts - BEWARE

Pau - When you read this later, let me know if you want me to move it to my personal account, yeah? If it even still exists...

I’m not really sure what this post is going to end up being. A defence of the show and the separation? In part! A critique of the show based off leak spoilers and my own gut feeling? For sure! A desperate ramble in an attempt to get my head in order? Absolutely!

I will say before we dive in that I’m absolutely a Haladriel shipper, but the way I ship isn’t always in line with fandom. I ship what I see as part of the narrative because it’s the narrative, and everything else is a bonus. I make this distinction because I think this is why I’m so okay with a lack of scenes when some others are not, and I don’t want to come across preachy. I don't think I'm in any way superior for this by the way. In fact, I wish I could be more *normal*!!!!

If you came to this show for Haladriel alone, and simply want to see them share scenes week to week – that’s your prerogative. I’m not trying to say you shouldn’t feel that way. What I might try to say is that I don’t think that makes the shows bad or suggests that the writers have baited with this relationship. I think that’s ultimately what I find frustrating…

But anyway, let’s get into whatever this is. A reflection on expectations, a five-season arc, and those STUPID spoiler leaks…

AND THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. STAY AWAY. HISS.

Alright, so this post is mostly brought to you by a sinking feeling I have that the leak spoilers are real. Because everything in that episode 7 promo matches up.

STOP READING if you don’t want to know the spoilers. And honestly? STOP READING IF YOU THINK YOU WANT TO KNOW because living with this knowledge has truly made this season less enjoyable for me (credit to it, then, because I still think it’s incredible). IF I’M MAKING YOU PANIC, STILL STOP READING because there very much is a world where these spoilers aren’t that bad in context…but I prefer to keep my expectations low…

Have you gone???

HAVE YOU GONE?????

SPOILER TALK

Okay.

So, the leak spoilers say that there is no kiss between Sauron and Galadriel (which, honestly, I have no great issue with – more to come on that later). Instead, the kiss is ELROND AND GALADRIEL, and I absolutely do take issue with this.

I can only hope and PRAY that it works in context, but I can’t get my head around it. And yet, the promo…it’s all falling into place. Elrond will be sent to discuss terms with the orcs before the battle. He’ll see Galadriel in chains, and he’ll ask for a moment to say goodbye. Adar will allow it because he’s a gent like that. This is where we get the chin touch with the thumb everyone speculated over and then…HE LEANS IN AND KISSES HER TO PUT A NEEDLE IN HER MOUTH? SO SHE CAN RELEASE HERSELF LATER??

To clarify, most of this is my spec, but THE KISS TO PASS HER A NEEDLE IS A REAL LEAKED SPOILER THAT NO LONGER SEEMS FAKE.

It's just…so convoluted and weird??? Does he store needles in his mouth like a squirrel? Why couldn’t he have slipped the needle into her hand??? WHY ARE YOU PUTTING ELROND’S LIPS ON GALADRIEL’S?

And look, maybe this spoiler IS still fake! But the details were so specific, and everything about the context seems to be accurate, so that feels like it would be a bonkers coincidence to me. Maybe when we actually see it play out, it will be fine.

But that does bring me back to the Haladriel of it all, just briefly. With my whole heart, I do not need them to kiss. After season 1, I didn’t think it would be possible, and I’m okay with that. But if you’re willing to let ELROND’S lips touch her, then MY GOD, you could have let Haladriel have ONE kiss where she’s trying to distract him or some shit. OOF.

My only relief is that it happens next week, so we can hopefully get it out of our systems and enjoy the finale.

That said, if these leaks are true then that also means the finale leaks are true. Now, I actually never wanted to see any of these spoilers (hence me making it VERY CLEAR what this post is about, because I wouldn’t inflict this stress on anyone unwillingly), so once I got the Elrond kiss details, I tried to get away without seeing much else. But there was some information on the big Haladriel scene.

I’m actually not going to detail it here, because – overall – I think we’ll still super enjoy it (just…lower those kiss expectations) AND because I don’t think all of it was spoiled. At the end of the day, there will be plenty to unpack, they’ll be back on our screens, it will be meaty, it will be layered. I’m really looking forward to it, in general.

My one fear is that it’s a season 1 finale repeat. And again, that won’t necessarily be bad per se, but it will feel a little bit underwhelming. Now, I’m not somebody that wants a true corruption arc for Galadriel. Normally, I love that shit, but not in this IP and not with this character. I want to see her explore her darkness, I want to see her face it and accept it, and I certainly want to see her be tempted…but I don’t expect or believe we'll ever actually get the whole ‘dark queen of Mordor’ vibe. Prisoner? Maybe. But not an actual dark queen.

That said…surely this scene doesn’t play out the EXACT same way as season 1? Sauron shows her a vision, she’s tempted, but ultimately resists and tells him she’ll never be at his side. I just don’t get why we’d repeat that, when there are so many other options that still keep Gal on the side of light.

I keep coming back to Galadriel’s line to Elrond in episode 4 – when it comes down to it, he has to choose to defeat Sauron and sacrifice her. I feel like if I hadn’t seen the leaks, then I would be 1000% expecting this to be the outcome. Especially with how Elrond’s theme comes in at the end of The Last Temptation track. He comes upon the confrontation but chooses to do the thing that will harm Sauron in the long run, rather than the thing that will save Galadriel.

I hope so badly for this, but I do worry that it will go the other way. What if it parallels Gandalfanger’s destiny/friend choice, and Elrond chooses her because THAT is how light wins or some shit? Not that this will be a bad scene by any stretch – I love their relationship and want to see their FRIENDSHIP (grrrr) reforged…but, again, the S1 finale! Sauron left her in the water, and Elrond was there to save her.

There’s also Galadriel’s conversation with Adar in the most recent episode – you succumbed, I resisted – but I guess this could go either way? He succumbed, so she resists. She insists she’s able to resist, so she succumbs. URGH. MY HEAD.

There MUST be a difference. SURELY??? Like, this season has been so well written…I just can’t comprehend the copy and paste.

Again, this isn’t anything close to a deal breaker for me. I firmly believe the showrunners when they say this relationship will remain the core of the show, but…hmmm. Okay, on that note…

DAMAGE CONTROL – MOVING ONTO THE DEFENCE OF THE SHOW

So, this is where I want to get into some stuff that I just…don’t agree with that I’ve seen being thrown at the show by shippers. And I’ll reiterate here that I’m truly not telling anybody what to feel. You can hate the show for its choices and feel how you feel. You can express yourself in your social media spaces, and if anybody doesn’t like it they can mute/block/unfollow. This chunk isn’t really aimed at you guys.

This is more for other people like me, because I’m cursed to be somebody that generally wants to just…enjoy things for what they are, while also being susceptible to the mood of others. I want to scroll tags and have a good time, rather than see negativity because it lowers my mood (this isn’t just ship related by the way, I really love this show overall…it’s just this tag that has been impacting my mood most this season). Regardless of the nonsense that might be in episode 7, and even if the finale scene is a repeat of S1, I’m still going to want to focus on enjoying what we get, enjoying the narrative being told etc. So, for those of you that have a little sinking feeling in your gut after the first half of this post, hopefully this second half will help.

This isn’t a ‘typical’ ship. This is a true ENEMIES ARE ENEMIES dynamic where the bad boy is ultimately going to be (is already) pure evil, and where our heroine is the embodiment of light. There are certain things that we just have to accept when it comes to loving this dynamic as part of the show – there will never be another season like season 1. Nor should there be?

Do I wish for s3 to have them in close proximity for at least a few episodes? Of course! Do I think it’s possible with or without finale spoilers? Absolutely (given how quickly characters travel from place to place on this show, they could end the season at opposite ends of Middle Earth and this would still be on the cards…). I’m also anticipating Season 4 as a good time for them to be in full MIND PALACE mode – where the rings are all ringing, but Galadriel hasn’t yet worked out how to shut him out yet. By season 5, there might just be one final scene before the final battle. But, again, I really do think there needs to be a little bit of acceptance of that. Or, at least, expectation of it.

Something I really want to push back against is this idea that Haladriel was baited or teased, but the writers don’t actually care for it. Honestly, that’s nonsense to me on a couple of levels.

First of all, almost EVERY dynamic this season has been reduced to a handful of scenes here and there. The most consistent relationships have probably been Annatar and Celebrimbor, and Durin+Durin+Disa (off the top of my head). Elrond and Durin (probably the other most popular dynamic of S1) have been apart all season, Elrond and Galadriel have too. Isildur popped up to say hello and we might not see him again.

When you actually stop and look at this season…Sauron and Galadriel had to be separated. She could not be anywhere near him while he’s working Celebrimbor, and there’s no world in which they were ever going to change that narrative. And yet, the Sauron and Galadriel dynamic has been consistent across the season. With Galadriel predominantly (and depending on how the finale goes, I may have thoughts on this), but it has also been easier with her because people have talked with her openly about Sauron. It’s been harder on his side, but the fact that Mirdania seems to have been cast to look like Galadriel honestly – right now – feels like it was done with the express purpose of giving Sauron a Galadriel reference.

Again, I’m not saying you have to like the lack of scenes, but it’s not bad writing to respect the overarching narrative of an ensemble show. Galadriel’s season has been all about him, and we’ve had countless insights to make that clear – building up to their final confrontation. If Sauron was running around mentioning Galadriel every five seconds with Celebrimbor or with the dwarves, it would be horrendously out of character.

This next comment is…somewhat dependent on the finale…but as somebody that loves Elendil and Miriel, everything in Numenor has been somewhat crammed in. I would firmly argue that the Galadriel/Sauron dynamic across this season has been treated with care and reverence, all building to a climax designed as the high point of the season. Will we be 100% satisfied? Who can say! But it IS what the season is building to.

I think this brings me around to a particular gripe I have, and maybe the people that believe this came to the show after S1 had fully aired or something…but there’s this idea floating around that the showrunners don’t like this dynamic and are just giving it crumbs to bait people into watching. This makes me want to scream.

These showrunners literally took a few lines about Galadriel being tempted by Sauron and PITCHED THE ENTIRE SHOW OFF OF THAT. The Tolkien estate wasn’t only pitched by Amazon BUT CHOSE THIS PITCH OVER ANYTHING ELSE. Season 1 was written pretty much like a prologue centred around GALADRIEL AND SAURON HAVING A PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH ROMANTIC UNDERTONES…and guess what?

They wrote all that…they filmed ALL THAT…before knowing anything about the audience reaction! That was ALL the showrunners, the writers, the directors, the actors. They ARE the narrative. They are not bait.

Does that mean the fundamentals of their dynamic will always please you, individually? No, of course not. Some people want outright romance, some people want soft Sauron, some people want Dark Galadriel. Will they kiss? I doubt it. Do I wish they would? Sure! Will they be separated again next season? Probably! Will I also wish that they could at least be stuck together for a run of episodes again? Absolutely!

But the idea that any of this is bait, or unimportant to the show drives me a little bit bonkers.

I guess my personal feeling of frustration comes from the fact that I feel so lucky they are exploring this show from the perspective of this dynamic, regardless of specific details/scenes. I’d bet my house (I don’t own a house) that every other pitch hinged on Elendil or Isildur as the protagonists of the show. Now, I love those dudes, but just IMAGINE? The fact that we’re on this path at all is still WILD to me.

ANYWAY, this is what happens when Paulina goes on holiday and I have nobody to ramble too. Sorry for the explosion, but I’ve been dreading the stupid kiss spoiler since I stumbled on it after EPISODE BLOODY 3 and so I needed to vent somewhere.

TL;DR: You are welcome to feel the way you feel, and if you hate everything you go right ahead, but maybe this makes sense to somebody. IDK. IDK.

[acourtofthought]

I don’t know why people say elucien’s interaction is awkward. Their situation always read to me as angsty especially because we don’t have their POVs to truly know what is going on in their minds 

I was so surprised when I saw people say their interactions were awkward online after reading the books because I had shipped them from their first scene. Their first interaction in ACOWAR through Lucien’s POV the first time, was my epitome of angst and pinning.

Or maybe it’s because after that scene they are seen through other characters lenses??

I can see how things feel awkward as of the novella. Anytime one person is purposely ignoring someone else in a group it's uncomfortable but really, no more uncomfortable than what Rhys said he went through watching Cassian and Nesta at one another's throats in ACOMAF or when Nesta was dismissive of him in ACOWAR.

But ACOMAF and ACOWAR for Elucien? Their interactions are loaded with tension. The Hybern scene? Two strangers who have never met a day in their lives and the rest of the world falls away as they're staring at one another? Epic.

Was it romantic for either? No, of course not, but it's a big moment and it's powerful. I don't think there has never been a single scene in an SJM book that existed between two possible love interests which was quite as powerful as that one for both. Feyre finding out Rhys was her mate was a huge deal for her but he wasn't there to share in that bombshell, he already knew. And when he found out she was clueless. So yeah, that reveal was intense especially when you consider how Lucien spent years believing his mate is dead and Elain was set to marry someone else.

Elain finally leaving her room for the first time only after Lucien's arrival to the HOW? And the place she chose to visit just happened to be the place he decided to go to even though he was ordered not to? The angst and anguish they were both experiencing in those moments because of everything they had lost while simultaneously feeling pulled to the other? Elain knowing exactly who Lucien was to her? That's not awkward, that's tension, Baby.

Lucien reaching out to Elain through their bond? Her confirmation that she felt him inside of her? Of course that was awkward for Feyre because she was snooping on something that is an intimate moment between mates. I highly doubt she'd want someone sitting there staring at her while she and Rhys were exploring their mating bond for the first time but the moment itself was a big thing for Elain and Lucien and I can only imagine what it would have felt like for us to read about that moment without the onlookers.

Lucien and Elain staring silently at one another, him knowing that she's still in love with Graysen so he sets off on a dangerous mission to find the girl Elain saw in her visions so he might bring back an army because he believes he's not needed in the NC? Her taking a step the morning of his departure as if she might go after him?

Yes, there is some slight awkwardness to Elain and Lucien at times because of circumstance. They've got people constantly monitoring them, they were complete strangers when they met, they've not been given much time to truly get to know one another without obstacles standing in their way (Nesta, Feyre, the war, the death of her father, his guilt over Jesminda, Graysen), but obstacles are literally put into a story because they create drama and angst. That Elain and Lucien have hesitation around one another is something for them to overcome in their book.

It was not put there, as many E/riels believe, to demonstrate that "Elain hates Lucien" or "Elain will never pick Lucien because she's clearly uncomfortable with him."

It was put there so that Sarah J Maas could tell the story of what it looks like when two strangers become mates when they already have ties to others and were basically from two different worlds when their bond snapped. It's not meant to be smooth sailing, it's meant to be a bumpy ride but it's going to be so worth it in the end.

[ericka-kinney]

any ericka kinney headcanon(s) to share with the class👀

Ohhhh I have so many Ericka Kinney headcanons. Putting it under a 'see more' because this got. long. (sorry😅)

Number one is fairly basic stuff, but it’s so obvious imo that being a doctor is a long-term dream of hers. Or—if not dream, then goal. She talks about losing the stethoscope her mum bought her when her building collapsed, which shows she’s probably been thinking about being a doctor for a long time, since she was a young kid

It ALSO seems like an interesting idea to me that the reason Ericka was so interested in medicine is that someone close to her got sick and possibly died. In my experience, kids don’t usually want to be a doctor unless they have some kind of personal tie to medicine; I wanted to be a doctor when I was young, because I was in and out of hospital a lot, and I know that’s not uncommon.

My personal favourite is that it was her mum who got sick, possibly of a brain tumour or some other kind of neurological condition, which is why Ericka wanted to go into neurology.

This would also fit with the fact that she spent a lot of time with her grandparents as a kid – if a parent is sick, then they often have to ask someone else to take care of their child

That kind of leads on to my one: Ericka is a massive perfectionist

We see it in her medicine, sure, and the fact that it seems like she gave up on having a social life in college (and maybe school too, is my personal headcanon) in order to focus on getting good grades

BUT we also see it in the fact that when she wants to get with Jacob, and learns that he likes to date people who have experience, she immediately pivots to sleeping with Van so she can gain said experience – this is just so representative of her way of thinking to me: she has a problem, she learns about how to deal with that problem, and she fixes it

(which is not to say that I don’t think vericka is an interesting ship, because I DO, and I do think there’s some subliminal attraction there in her reasoning for choosing Van, I just don’t think that’s something she’s acknowledged about herself just yet)

WHICH BRINGS me onto my next point: that Ericka has a very specific view of herself, and – perhaps more importantly – a very specific way that she wants everyone else to view her

She needs them to see her as a good doctor, on a very visceral level; we see it when she’s talking to Van about their relationship getting in the way of her work, and how she’ll break up with him in an instant if she thinks it’ll hinder her being a doctor. She’s dedicated her life to getting to where she is, and it really shows; she’s not sure of who she is outside of this.

However – I think this is going to blow up in her face

I know there’s some doubt over it in the fandom, but I fully, 100% believe that the scene at the end of ep13 is Ericka stealing Dana’s pills

She’s so focused on her colleagues seeing that she’s still a capable doctor, and not ‘weak’ from not being able to go in elevators and still suffering from the trauma of what she went to, that she goes way over the line.

This is going to make for some (hopefully!) juicy scenes between Ericka and Dana in season 2

I really want to see Ericka basically implode; once the others find out she’s been stealing Dana’s drugs, even if it’s not for getting high, that’s going to have a real impact on her job and her relationships with the others, and given that the others seem to be some of her only friends, I think it’s going to make her feel very isolated

This would be the first time that she’s let her own personal stuff affect her work – which she’s going to really struggle with!

She literally defines herself by being good at her work – ‘I’m the quarterback of the interns’

Basically I think Ericka’s arc in season 2 should be about her essentially falling to pieces and then having to start rebuilding herself as someone who’s life isn’t centred around her work

Ideally I want her to start going to some kind of class, to meet new people – something like a pottery class

And if it isn’t then I will be writing much much fic about it. And already have written fic about it.

Okay now ONE more headcanon because I have already written. a lot here

Ericka has so many knitted pieces of clothing in the show, we see her wearing stuff that’s been knitted or crocheted like SO much of the time. So my headcanon is that she had a college roommate who she was friendly with, and that person had a relative who kept sending them hand-made clothing, but they were trying to reinvent themself for college or whatever, so Ericka – who couldn’t afford many new clothes at the time – took them all. And that’s why she has so many cardigans and jumpers.

So. Uh. Yeah! That's it from me!

[ilidaeandquill]

Take It Off - Chapter 1 - IlidaeAndQuill - Cult of the Lamb (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own]

THE BIRTHDAY FIC IS HERE AAAAAHHH 🎉🎉

Take It Off is a short CotL fanfiction I wrote to celebrate my 21st birthday (today - yippee!!) but also to write all aspects of a potential CotL Modern AU I want to write.

Similar to CotL's Pilgrim comic, the story follows Jalala and Rinor as they journey the city's thriving nightlife. Of course, nothing is that easy. Four business-owning siblings cause nothing but mayhem, rumors of organized crime crawl through the streets, and a greedy politician threatens to rip the beloved city apart. The world around is changing too fast, and Jalala doesn't know how to handle it... but an amiable lamb and brazen goat might just help her find her place.

Until Leshy blows stuff up but we're not going to talk about that.

I’m going to break down every self-indulgent part I put in the fic, because most of it are just parts of “me” I want to share. The other bit of indulgence is the shipping but I don't need to break that down lol.

If you read the fic, I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you thought! I want Take It Off to be a fun experience from start to finish, so any additional comments or critiques are more than welcome.

Seriously. Anything for this fic, whether it’s a kudos or a like, or a reblog or a comment, will mean so much more than you know. A little “Hey, I loved your fic!” work wonders for an author’s morale, especially since we often spend a fuck ton of time prepping, drafting, writing, editing, and doing way more than what’s necessary to create these stories.

Without further ado, here’s a breakdown of all the parts of “me” I slipped into the fic.

“Give it!” Rinor leaned over her. “I’m banning you! You’ve listened to Liquid Smooth so much these past few days, I think Mitski’s filing a restraining order.”

I like Mitski and thought this was funny lol. Tbh I haven’t listened to her in a minute.

Beside them, Yarlen chortled. “Cause one time, the old winery she used to work at hosted a drag brunch, and she witnessed a drag queen get on her knees for her pregnant manager.”

This did actually happen lolol it was so funny. But yeah I did lose the video :(

Considering the sun had just started to set, skimming the beaches and cityside horizon, Jalala was not yet twenty-one. Rarely did she stroll the city at night, and never on weekends. There were more cars than there were people to drive them, and more people than buildings to hold. Bars and restaurants each packed their party, and then some. She would blink; the click of a camera, and open her eyes to a completely new scene. Again, and again, endless as the oceans that crashed on the shore. Jalala would have suggested going there instead, but if the city wasn’t jam-packed, the beach definitely was.

SAN FRAN OH SAN FRAN

I went to San Francisco in January and oh my god. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen in love with a city faster. I’m usually not a huge city fan, but wow, San Fran just got me. It’s what inspired the setting of this fic :)

Like that yellow cat leaned against a streetlight, fixing a chain-link belt across her black miniskirt. Under the light, every part of her glowed: her jewelry, her makeup – even her green eyes seemed to shine.

Fena, oh my sweet Fena. I never should have subjected you to All Is Fair. You weren’t meant to be in an early 1900s cult; you’re meant to be a y2k party girl. I’m so sorry for stripping you of your true purpose.

That said, I based Fena and Leshy off a real couple I know. They’re youngest siblings. They’re also college alcoholics (I don't think they do drugs but I know they get hammered a lot). They’re super cute though!

“I don’t think my brother’s going to catch it.”

“No?” chirped Kallamar. “Give him to me for a night; he’ll catch it, no problem.”

Yeah, so that… uh…

… yeah.

-

And here we are, in the heavier parts of the story. I wanted the thematic question of this fic to reflect reality: "Is life worth living/fighting for when all seems dire?" (Peep the state of the world, lovely existential crisis.). The answer is yes, obviously, and in that, we have to remember the people of our past who are worth living for.

One cluster of photographs showed a dog. She had black fur with white accents. Her clothes were dull, but her eyes were vibrant – brown and wide and filled with life. This world was hers, and she knew it.

I got into CotL because my dog, who I follower-ified (is that a word?) here, passed away shortly after I started playing the game. It felt right to put her here. It felt right to remember and state loudly, proudly, that she is one of my reasons to keep living.

She changed. I'll change too, one day. For now, I'll live with all the joyful memories we had and take her spirit wherever I go.

Another assortment showed a brown cat standing behind a laptop and a microphone. Headphones rested on his shoulders. He took them off to give the camera a goofy grin.

This is a tribute to the audio director, Narayana Johnson/River Boy. I saw from a comment on the CotL TikTok that his favorite follower form was the general cat form from Darkwood. If this is incorrect, please let me know so I can properly portray River Boy.

He loved Cult of the Lamb, and he loved music. It felt right to put him at the hub of it all, where his memory can be properly cherished, in both fiction and reality.

These are the lives worth living for. Your life is worth living, too. So, even if things seem hectic, we have to keep living. We will change when our time comes. For now, I want to honor and live for them in every way I can.

-

Alright, alright, that's enough depression. Oh what was it I said...

Cheers erupted. Jalala, with Rinor’s hand in her own, shouted her own. She never knew she could shout so loud. Across the stage, Sinful Silk grinned. “Then let’s get back to turning it the fuck up!”

(This one's a little bit of a spoiler lol I'm not scheduled to post this bit until the next chap.)

THAT THAT THAT OHH MY GOD

MEGAN THEE MOTHERFUCKING STALLION INSPIRED THAT

I WENT TO HER CONCERT IN MEMPHIS LAST YEAR DURING HER HOT GIRL SUMMER TOUR AND AAAAAHHHH SHE INSPIRED THAT QUOTE BC I LOVE HER SO MUCCHHH

Holy shit. Holy shit. They might be the coolest fucking person alive. Holy shit holy shit holy shit-

Yeah that's 100% just me talking lolol.

Bro look at them bro they’rE SO FUCKING COOL

“You love the goat.” YEESSS YES I DO. I love them. I love their dumb little eyes and fluffy cashmere and violet/purple/silver color palette and massive horns and "never retreat never surrender" attitude. And I love angry characters. I love characters who are perpetually pissed, filled with so much grit and spite and rage that watching them can’t help but get me amped up too.

I have been obsessed with this goat for over six months. That obsession is not fading. So if Pollux gets special treatment that is because they are my child and I love them.

Special treatment in the form of “I have thought of and will write a ShamGoat short story in this AU, but they are 100% getting stabbed and/or shot. Maybe a couple times. Because I love them.”

"Narinder? Hey? I can't – I can't hear you. Did you mute yourself? … Narinder? Narinder!" Castor kept shouting to him, saying his name. Yarlen lumped his head on Jalala’s shoulder. “You should – when you – you – you should have the... the juniper drink? Right? They’re not IPAs. IPAs are the bad beer, but that one honestly ... no it’s not even bad, La, not even bad.” “Yarlen, pretty sure the juniper drink isn’t beer.” Rinor took his wrist and dragged him back up, taking the weight from Jalala’s end. “Wasn’t it gin? “Tasted like tea, bro, not even bad.” Jalala rolled her eyes. “He’s gone.” "Oh, he's been gone."

I’ve mentioned my boyfriend, right? Yeah. Yeah. God I love him. I love him sober; I love him drunk. But he’s really funny when he’s drunk lol. This is all derived from his drunk rambles.

-

I think that’s everything! This Modern AU was such a fun idea to dabble in, I had an incredible time writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

My focus is still on my primary fic, All Is Fair in Death and War, but I can see myself coming back here and write some short stories and one-shots for it. I’ll probably backlog those then post them as Massive Monster releases more details about the sequel/something else brings the fandom out of its hibernation.

Come on. They’re making a sequel. We all know it.

In the meantime, I will definitely be posting drabbles/one-shots for this AU on Tumblr. If you have any suggestions/prompts for the modern AU, send them to my inbox! I need to lore dump. I need to write. I need excuses to write. Oh my god this au was so fun aaahhh.

That is all! Thank you so so soooo much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and have a wonderful rest of your day! 🎉

[kyluxtrashpit]

Day 5 of @kyloevents' Kylo week is the Force, and I'm gonna share an idea I had that I still think is cool but idk if I'll ever manage to turn into anything more than just an idea (note that this is written in my 'just get idea down before you forget it' cadence, though I edited it a bit to be at least slightly more coherent lmao. This is my version of outlining basically)

Okay so. Let's imagine a post-tfa prisoner Kylo. He got picked up on Starkiller, Han is still dead, but like. The Resistance are nice right, that’s their thing. He’s been locked up since, but Leia still visits him sometimes. He’s… not openly redemptive, but not fully committed to the FO/Snoke either. That inevitability thing. He doesn’t think he can really change things. He kinda thinks Snoke will come for him, maybe send the KOR. He doesn’t even know if he wants to go back, but the alternative is too frightening to consider, so he’s just kinda assuming that at some point someone will point him at an enemy again – he’s a weapon, after all. He’s kind of biding his time right now. Sometimes he gives info if they ask and he feels like it. He’s very mercurial. He’s cut off from the Force too, cause of course he has to be in order to be contained

Open with scene of a fight. Resistance and local rebels vs stormtroopers. Pretty standard. But the FO uses… something. The Resistance members and rebels start fighting amongst each other. Casualties stack up quickly. Then the footage pauses – it’s actually officers explaining what happened to Leia. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, but they have actual footage now. And a survivor. One that Leia will interview. They don’t really remember what happened, but they have like… they can recall something unpleasant. Dark memories and… then there’s a gap and they woke up wounded and surrounded by bodies. It doesn’t help, but it’s more than they knew before

Someone mentions they could ask the prisoner. Leia looks stressed but says it’s not time yet

They give their best fighters a contingency though. Rey especially. Some kind of device to knock them out instantly that can be activated from some distance. Like, say, by a droid left on the ship. It happens to Rey too and the device fortunately works, but that’s a real problem. How can they overcome this if even Rey is affected?

Leia goes to her son. He knows what this is. And he knows how to beat it: they need to send him. Why would Leia trust him? Need to work that out. But ultimately it ends up happening. It’s revealed he knows he’s immune because the FO tested it on him during the development. He doesn't really explain how it works though, we don't learn that yet

Then we cut to another battle – it’s just him vs a whole contingent of Stormtroopers. The Force-nullifying shackles turn off. He’s wearing a hood or mask or muzzle or something to hide his identity at first. He’s got the knock out thing too maybe, or a time limit on the shackles – that’s why he can’t just leave, if he wanted to. Anyway, then we finally get to see what this mysterious device does – it exploits the persons most painful memories, pushes them to despair and anger, then makes them turn. Except that won’t work on a darksider

The side of Light, the Resistance, needs the Dark to win. It's the only way. And that would bring up Complicated feelings in Leia, because even if they can get him to be fully cooperative, this is her son. She doesn't want him to just be a weapon. And she doesn't want him to suffer from the Dark anymore. But, right now at least, she also needs him to. And of course, there'd be heavy focus on Kylo's dual nature in the Force, as that'd be a central theme

Kylo demolishes the entire company with only the Force, having a full like 5 minutes before the shackles turn back on. He doesn’t really know what to do from here – Snoke should have sensed him, but didn’t reach out. Even with his connection to the Force re-established, he can’t feel their connection. Maybe Snoke did abandon him. Maybe this is a test. He’s starting to get worked up for real this time, but then the shackles turn back on and the Force is silent, small rocks hitting the ground from where they were floating next to him. Well. He supposes he’ll find out. He’s on the Resistance’s leash instead of Snoke’s now – he might as well see where they lead him if Snoke doesn’t want him back badly enough to take action. Not like he has a choice anyway. He returns to the ship he came in. The end...? (or just the end of chapter 1?)

[chrispywhispy]

First Kiss

I felt like writing for some reason and decided to write about one of my oldest ships, NoiCle from DMMD. Yes, a DRAMAtical Murder fanfic in 2024. There’s not much involved in here except for some kissing. Anyway, I just wanted to share these two 💚💛

Electronics has always been Noiz’s forte.

Whether it was hacking, fixing AI, or participating in Rhyme, he could do just about anything as long as it involved technology. It wasn’t a surprise when he saw a discarded and half damaged android while passing by a dingy alley. He’s fixed robotic pets before, but most definitely not a full scale model of what looked like a human, with half of its face torn off to reveal mechanical innards. Noiz was eager to explore new territory, and maybe even stave off some boredom, so he took the damaged robot and began working on it for the next few months. 

His hard work of staying up every night to monitor and run diagnostics was rewarded by a chipper voice as the android introduced himself by the name of “Clear,” now fully functional and repaired of missing skin and wires. The robot was a lot more expressive than he ever could, which made him equally amazed and jealous of his bubbly personality. Seriously, the guy was so lifelike, you’d never think he was all gears inside from all the programming behind the scenes. 

And speaking of personality, Noiz wasn’t sure if following him around his messy apartment was also part of it, but he didn’t seem to care either way. Clear just liked to observe him playing games on the hologram or fixing something on screen. He would also ask multiple questions a day, almost akin to a toddler with a mind of his own. Well, he did fix him. It’d be natural for the robot to be curious about anything and everything from someone who fixed him. 

Noiz also taught Clear the wonders of food, (not that he needed to eat but whatever,) things he enjoyed, testing out his features and whatnot. He had to admit, he was slowly falling more and more interested in Clear. He would deliberately insist on cooking for him instead of ordering take out pizza, and would even drag him outside for some fresh air. The industrial district wasn’t really as fresh from where he lived, but walking beside Clear’s unusual cheerfulness made the atmosphere ten times more enjoyable than being alone like he always was.

Today Noiz felt particularly lazy and stayed inside, laying back on his worn couch to click the TV’s channels on with a swipe of his thumb on the remote. Clear joined him soon after, just a comfortable distance of half a meter. Not that he was calculating. He just felt the shift of the couch move from Clear’s weight, who was inching closer by the second. 

“Noiz-san?”

Noiz mumbled a short hum of acknowledgment to let Clear know that he was listening, anticipating whatever he wanted to ask this time. He admired that Clear was respectful with his ‘-san’ but it was technically unnecessary given that he was younger than most mechanics out there.

“Why do you have piercings on your face?” 

“I just think they’re cool.” Not exactly a lie. He once saw a piercing shop and returned every few weeks or so to get more wherever part of his body could reach.

“Do they hurt?” 

Well that was a new one. The blond turned to face Clear’s ever so curious gaze, finding nothing but pink shiny eyes full of wonder. It’s not like they ever hurt on the day he got them. He couldn’t even feel an ounce of pain no matter how many injuries he got. 

“Not really. Why?“

“It just sort of looks like it does since it goes through your skin and all.” Clear points to one of them, his head tilted slightly to the side.

Eh, it wasn’t the most gruesome one. Probably even tamer. Worst case scenario would be a knife to the skull. That’d be a great piercing for sure. 

“Y’get used to it after a while. It makes for a nice permanent accessory so you don’t have to remove and put it on all the time.”

This time the android tilted his head back to its original position and put a hand on his chin in a classic thinking pose. What could he be thinking about anyway? Staring at his piercings so much… Actually, on second thought;

“If you’re so curious about them how about I show you what they can do?” 

Clear breaks his pose, only to be followed by wide beaming eyes. It was almost sparkling. He was sparkling. “Really? Please show me, Noiz-san!” 

Noiz sighed and stifled a smile of his own. He’s already got him hooked on, might as well play along right? To start, he points at the ring piercings on  one of his brows.

“You see, these make me look more expressive. I don’t express as much emotion as you so I got them.” He received a fascinated nod by Clear, to which the other replied; “That’s true. It makes up for the rest of your eyebrows. They’re very short.” 

He raised said pierced brow. “Hey, just because it’s short doesn’t mean they make up for it, idiot.” 

So what if his brows were short? They’ve always grown that way. He felt weirdly offended and pinched Clear’s cheek out of impulse. 

“O-Ow…!” Noiz allowed himself to grin this time as Clear scrunched his face up with a pout. “What was that for!” 

“Making fun of my brows.” He didn’t mean it in the slightest, but he enjoyed Clear’s reactions. Their banters always came as naturally as the wind. 

“Now these,” The blond pointed to the studs horizontally across his nose bridge. “They help me sneeze.” He glanced down Clear’s hand, prying one off his lap to replace his own. “Go on, try and pinch them.” 

As hesitant as he was just after being pinched playfully, Clear placed his index and thumb on the cold metal and waited. Noiz faked himself a sneeze as soon as Clear’s fingers touched the studs, eliciting a small gasp from the android. “See?“ He pointed to the last piercings on his face just below his lips. “Finally, these help me speak when I’m kicking ass. Cool, isn’t it?”

Today was probably the most he’s ever spoke in his life playing for a simple prank. Of course, whatever he said was total bullshit, but the way Clear attentively listened and observed with such focus, taking in every fact like some newfound discovery, made it hard to break the truth to him. 

“Wow… that’s amazing, Noiz-san!”

The android cheerily clapped his hands with a bright smile, almost as blinding as the sun. “Do you have more?” Clear’s lashes fluttered with eagerness, face inches away from his. 

Oh he does alright. 

“Well… I have this one right here.” 

Noiz stuck his tongue out to show the piercing embedded there, drawing out a look of astonishment and a hint of pink of the android’s face. That gave him an idea. 

“Wanna test it out? You did help me sneeze.” 

That seemed to make Clear blink, eyes glued to his tongue as he drew out a slow, “What will it… do?” 

“You’ll see.” At this point the distance between them was almost nonexistent, and If he was going to hell for this, Noiz will make sure it’ll be heaven for him and Clear. So Noiz leans in for their first kiss. It wasn’t any different than a human’s, and Clear’s adorable squeak to intimacy pleased something in him he never thought he had. 

The blond also takes the opportunity to study Clear’s features up close. He’s worked on him for months but the robot never failed to mesmerize him with how human he looked. His hair, albeit synthetic, was silky smooth to the touch. His porcelain skin soft and pale with two moles adorning his chin. His pastel pink eyes crowned with long snow white lashes carefully laced with precision. This unit was a work of art. His cheeks were now flushed the same color as his eyes at the contact of Noiz’s warmth. He was even able to react to sensations and temperature. 

Noiz began to test the waters by running his pierced tongue against Clear’s soft lips. The android made a sound of surprise and tentatively parted his lips to let Noiz enter, tasting and feeling the piercings he was oh so curious about. Truth be told, the only sensation he could feel was his tongue, and he hadn’t expected Clear to taste oddly sweet. Did he eat candy or was he just naturally tasty? Either way, Noiz wasted no time exploring what Clear had to offer, enjoying this manmade masterpiece letting out soft hums and pants. 

He pulled the android closer by the cheek, while the other hand snaked around his waist. They would’ve gone hours making out if it weren’t for the need to breathe. Noiz had to pull away much to Clear’s dismay.

“How’s that?” 

Clear almost wanted to go for a second round but decided to lick his lips instead, missing the taste of Noiz already. The cold metallic dud on his sensors made the experience strangely addicting.

“It was… good.” Good enough for him to bashfully turn away, making the blond snicker. “You have the nerve to look away from our first kiss.”

“E-Eh?!” 

Clear’s blush had already darkened into a nice shade of tomato red since they locked lips, now impossibly redder than ever. Noiz found it fun to tease this little white rabbit. 

“This really is my first kiss with Noiz-san… hazukashii~!” The android now fully covered his face with his hands, ears bright red complimenting his silver hair. 

“You just noticed that now?” Noiz found himself smiling at the flustered mess that was Clear, bringing his hands down despite Clear’s shy protests. 

“Let’s make that a second kiss then.”

Clear’s complaints soon died out once Noiz took his lips for another session, melting in his embrace. Although Noiz had other plans to spicen up whatever they had going on, he didn’t want to rush Clear into something he wouldn’t want. Like the ones on his… you know what. And so they shared kisses throughout the day onwards, teasing Clear and Clear teasing him back. 

It was a good time, and not once has Noiz regretted fixing Clear since the day he found him.

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

Barry/Cisco for the ship asks?

Ship ask game

S H I P I T

What made you ship it? @/alittleflashvibe was a huge influencer regarding this, but also: Cisco being the first person to not only support Barry being The Flash— but also to actively *help* him with it. “Our suit,” (that suit is Cisco’s baby yet he’s willing to share custody with Barry !). ik I’m going out of order but THE FACT THAT CISCO NEVER GAVE UP ON TRYING TO GET BARRY BACK FROM THE SF BETWEEN SEASONS 3 AND 4 —EVEN MAKING A NEW SUIT FOR HIM OUT OF THAT HOPE— AND THE FACT THAT HE *SUCCEEDED*. Ok hence the out of order— THAT DELETED SCENE FROM THE S1 FINALE THAT WAS TOO BARRISCO FOR THOSE COWARDS APPARENTLY. And special mention to the line: “We’ll find each other. The universe wants us to be bros.” EATING THEM EATING THEM EATING THEM. The fact that Barry let EOBARD THAWNE, the man who killed his mother and did so much damage to his life, go— to save Cisco?!?!?! And ofc, the entirety of 2x14. But especially how Cisco’s demeanor changes INSTANTLY (and his reaction that gives me psychic damage) when Barry’s kidnapped. He went from not really taking anything seriously (even when he really should’ve) to going to the ends of that Earth to find Barry.

What are your favorite things about the ship? Besides everything? Their friendship. Whether a it builds from a friendship into something else or develops alongside it— imo a good romantic relationship needs a strong foundation of friendship. And these two have one of my favorite friendships in fiction. Like oh my GODS. They just clicked so well (and so fast??) (ok my braincells are running out sorry in advance—), they understand and appreciate each other’s nerdy references, they support each other (especially as (super)heroes) so much, and oh my GODS THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH!!! It’s honestly so incredibly easy for their friendship to shift to romantic, seamless, too.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? I don’t think so tbh? I like to stay in my curated circle of trusted mutuals with correct opinions (/hj), so I don’t know what the fandom at large thinks about this ship (and I don’t want to), and therefore I don’t know what would be considered unpopular. Smh I can’t even say they should both be kidnapped more often (which is true) cause so many of you are fellow whump gremlins who’ll agree with me💀😭

[sunwarmed-ash]

Brothers- Tumblr exclusive snippet

Hank x Gavin x Connor (main fic ship) Hankvin scene

@sweeteatercat @tentoriumcerebelli Alright so I saw this scene the other day in my head so here you go haha it should be in the next chapter which is still taking foreeeeeeeeever to write itself

🔞,canonical violence, adult content

Since Connor left for work, Gavin and Hank haven't spoken a word to each other. Not as the result of a fight or anything, they were just- each lost in their own thoughts. Mostly about the tin man and the ongoing mystery of the party. Hank needed to talk. That was obvious by the fact he was currently hand washing their week’s worth of neglected dishes even though they have a perfectly functioning dishwasher. Don’t get him wrong, Gavin is glad he’s chosen hand washing dishes over Black Lamb and a revolver, but, well, now that Connor’s out for the night, maybe they can actually talk through some shit.  “Hey Hank, you good?” Gavin asks, knowing the answer well before its spoken. “Absolutely fucking not,” Hank huffs, tossing the sponge into the bath of warm bubbles before turning around, “I’m worried outta my fucking mind!” “Yeah, I know,” Gavin sighs, he gets it, he’s feeling it too. He’s been feeling it since Connor fleed the party then came back looking even more traumatized. Connor hasn't brought it up again. And neither have either of the humans. Til now. “Want a beer?”

Hank sighs and turns back to the sink to rinse suds off his hands. “Got any of that weed left?” Hank asks instead. Gavin’s eyes raise in surprise but he nods.  “Yeah, actually. Gimme a sec.” Hank nods.  “I’ll make us some coffee.” - The beginnings of their mutual high is just what the two of them needed. They haven't taken one second to prioritize self care over the past three weeks and the wear is evident.  This shared joint is doing the job wonderfully. Gavin can feel muscles in his body that have been tight for years finally relax.  They smoke in the shared silence in the kitchen until they finish their coffee.  They don't talk again until they move to the bedroom, and Hank says what they've both been thinking.  “We're not really gonna let that asshole get away with it, are we?”  “Which one?” Gavin asks. Because in reality they still don't know any additional details of Connor’s potential assault last night. And from what Connor exposed to Gavin, neither does he.  “Reynolds,” Hank answers, anger clenching his jaw tight and turning the end of the name into a hiss.   “Fuck no,” Gavin growls, “I got half a mind to finish what you started as soon as we get back. I know I’m a quicker draw.” “Gav,” Hank sighs and Gavin really doesn't know what Hank expected him to say.  “Come on Hank, you know he deserves it!” “He deserves to have his dick cut off and fed to him. But, well, there's a right way to do things and a wrong way. Revenge is the wrong way. Or so I’m supposed to believe.” “Yeah?” Gavin scoffs hatefully, “then what the fuck is Justice then?” Hank sighs, nodding his agreement.  “Restoring order, not, furthering chaos. It only makes shit worse.” Gavin snorts.  “I think you're going insane trying to be the civil, level headed monk you’ve had to be the last three weeks. That’s not you Hank. You may have convinced Connor but I’ve known you too damn long.” “You're right. Which is why I need your help to make sure we don't get caught.” “Fuck yeah, there he is,” Gavin chuckles before biting hungrily into Hank’s lower lip.  - Gavin really didn't expect the premeditated murder of a coworker to get them both worked up like this, but neither of them were particularly well adjusted individuals.  He's grateful for it, because Hank’s fucking him hard. Harder than they have in years. He’s seen Hank fuck Connor like this, but he has yet to have his own turn with this brand of Hank.  “Phck, come on,” Gavin gasps, holding onto their headboard for some illusion of stability as Hank gripped his hips harder and doubled down. “Hank…” Gavin begs, gaining only a warning bite into his neck for his trouble.  “Try again,” Hank says, licking over the wound before biting another claim into his throat.   Gavin swallows in a desperate attempt to get his breathing under control. In addition to Hank’s teeth that are driving him insane, Hank’s huge hand is wrapped around his cock now, the tip of his pointer finger running across the piercing and making Gavin delirious with pleasure.  “Daddy,” Gavin pants, fingers itching to touch but his throbbing throat reminds him he’s not in charge. “Phck- phck, please.” “There’s a good boy,” Hank growls and Gavin is warm putty in his hands. It never takes much. Hank Anderson has always been one of his biggest weaknesses. Hank’s other hand goes into his hair and grips it, yanking it back until Gavin’s back is flushed with his sweaty, hairy front.  “Phuuccck,” Gavin wheezes, “come on, I can take it, fuck me,” Gavin’s ass clenches hard around the thick muscle, taking pleasure in the fact Hank’s following moan is as strung out as he feels.  ”Yeah, you can. Always been able to. Almost like your ass was made for me.”  Each of Hank’s hands engulfs Gavin’s hips again. His only warning is a single squeeze before Hank angles Gavin’s hips where he wants and snaps into him.  Gavin chokes for more reasons than one.  “Maybe I was,” Gavin whispers before another series of thrusts have his tongue unable to form anything but moans.  “Yeah, maybe you were baby.”

I'm obsessed with Hankvin okay? I will not apologize.

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[astridthevalkyrie]

At the all valley finale in s4!! It’s a small moment but it was there and they’re gonna have to rip it off my cold dead hands… like I’m not saying he was secretly rooting for sam he was obviously rooting for tory but he did clap for her, and was the only one at the ck side to do so. #crumbs

Yup we are basically in agreement, imo every moment you (and I) find questionable just wasn’t well thought out. They had their audience-approved endgames and nothing was getting in the way. Even though I’d argue it wasn’t actually clear that Keenry were in a relationship by the end of s4. I know they hooked up at prom, but there’s nothing else in that season that’s strictly romantic. Then we get into s5 and the relationship is ongoing, there’s no start. I wonder what was the order of filming, the scripts, etc. of the last couple of episodes of s4.

Overall, I’m just not a fan of keenry, cannot lie. I can’t move past the way it started, the tropey nonsensical us, unfortunate bad guys, vs. them, the goody two shoes who always get what they want… the dialogue at prom was so silly. This pairing’s place in the narrative oversimplified the hell out of robby’s character and his issues imo. I’m saying imo like I don’t think it’s objectively true 😂 he became a side character to a more favored by the writers character and ended up a trophy boyfriend and unfortunately the signs were there from s3 even. And chemistry is subjective but I don’t think they have it either, most of their kisses looked awkward. I am a samrobby shipper-loser, so I can’t say I’m a huge fan of samiguel either but they had chemistry. It’s really only the sam ships to me that have/had chemistry.

And speaking of getting what you want line again, it sure wasn’t a spur of the moment, but he also wasn’t thinking it the whole time they knew each other, I don’t think that’s what’s even accidentally implied, it’s simply Tory’s opinion of Sam that was verbalized to him earlier in the episode iirc, that’s the period of him thinking it out. It did get to him because of everything that had happened, should it have? To me not because I’m a hater of that whole subplot. But how much of that opinion the show also shares… to me it seems like all of it. I don’t think it was meant to be “Tory’s biased”, it should’ve been but yeah. Not to go in circles, I liked that scene, Sam’s response to “it’s a choice and you chose” being “that doesn’t mean you have to make the wrong choice” is unintentionally delicious.

Also to be clear, I’m not blaming sam for anything, I get her point of view in everything she’s said/done completely I just don’t think robby can really be expected to be as rational.

I do like the angst as well anyway. So much could’ve been done and they went with the least stakes most uninteresting option (to meeeee)

ohh i went back and i see which scene you mean. yeah mr tanner buchanan i bet that was a reeeeal character-based decision 🤨

it's not clear that they're in a relationship but honestly this is how they made samguel canon twice. they go on their not-date and kiss, next episode they're dating. and in s3, they kiss inside the dojo and next episode they're dating. there's never any discussion between these couples, man! not that we need to see them officially ask each other to be boyfriend and girlfriend, especially not in season 1, but at least in s3 and s4 with samguel and keenry it'd be kinda nice to see—the kiss doesn't have to be the end all be all.

(also. both robby and tory being very cool with robby leaving ck when hawk was forced down and forcefully had his hair razored off for leaving ck is. hmm. obviously tory is growing and robby isn't Evil anymore, but like while it's an extreme reaction, kenny being angry at robby for leaving isn't too surprising when he saw what ck did to traitors before.)

as for chemistry....samguel did have it in season 1, in their date episode. they have a little flanter and a cutesy vibe that i wouldn't have wanted to carry throughout the entire show, but we could've seen any kind of nice scene between them that didn't involve them having an issue. the little hand and shoulder squeeze in season 6 was so cute. can we get just, more of that?

and obviously i've already said i don't see keenry's chemistry. i get the potential, i do. i don't see the payoff. and what it does to robby's character, oh my god. not that that's keenry's fault. it circles back to the show bending over backwards to worship johnny. we can't have robby hold any resentment or anger towards his dad, so we're just going to off screen say their relationship is resolved and johnny has to make no effort. okay, so robby's arc with johnny, done. he also doesn't need daniel now that he has his dad who is far better. robby's arc with daniel, done. he's with tory now, and because boys and girls cannot have meaningful relationships without emotionally cheating on their partners, his arc with sam, done. no more rivalry with hawk, but also no friendship with hawk because that would imply hawk...likes him more than miguel, maybe? same with demetri even though they were at least friendly before. no other friends. his mom disappears.

slight arc with kenny that's completely dissolved by season 6 even though there was a great opportunity to have him be the one who helps kenny and anthony become friends (instead of??? harassing him and beating up him and shawn until kenny gives in???? who tf wrote that plotline jesus christ). also good opportunity to set him as a future sensei considering he taught kenny but uhhhh. that would require kenny to be more relevant than just a. a device and reason for robby to leave cobra kai and b. another way to make the larussos look bad.

his arc with miguel is there. it's aight. i'm very pro miguel being salty about the captaincy thing. i feel for him and his concerns are valid and he's incredibly mature about it after he comes back. but it's just, not enough. they had an opportunity to have miguel and robby bond over bitching that johnny is seriously having a new do-over baby. they had an opportunity to bond over being brothers. they had an opportunity to bond over being raised in similar situations, and not having a father growing up. their s6p2 arc is good, it just needed more.

so all he has left is his relationship with tory. and robby is still, ugh, a main character, so if we have to give him screentime let's just make it about his relationship. he has no other issues. and tanner shows it in his acting—robby literally puts everything onto tory!! s6p2 robby makes it very clear that the breakup with tory kills him inside, because she is literally the only good thing in his life. someone who is well adjusted has friends and a healthy relationship with his parents should not act like this btw. and it's just. oh my god, even this arc is less about him and more about how miguel should be captain because he's fighting better.

the only other arc in s6 for robby is.....fighting and leadership? he's second place all the time but dw this second place complex is only about competitions not about his dad abandoning him for 16 years and then having a new favorite son. and the captaincy thing all in all is fucking stupid. the show didn't know whether being captain was about being a leader or being a better fighter. if it's the latter, the way they chose it was fine. but when morale is down in the locker rooms and hawkmetri are suspecting kenny for some stupid fucking reason, robby is still supposed to boost them up and lead them (despite none of them respecting him as captain). and only him, because shut the fuck up sam, you don't have a personality anymore, robby is The Captain and the Only Captain. so if being the captain means being a loving and good leader, why not let the team choose?? they would've all picked miguel and it would've been fine.

and again! if you're giving him a leadership arc, shouldn't that mean he's stepping up to being a sensei??????? or is it just, again, to show how much better miguel is in comparison? no wonder johnny loves him more.

tldr robby's character regression comes from the writers propping up johnny and by extension miguel too much (and just to be clear it is by extension. if the writers cared about miguel aside from him being johnny's yes man, his arc about finding is dad wouldn't just be about him realizing johnny is his Only Dad.)

i don't think robby was consciously thinking sam was spoiled while they were dating, but it wouldn't be irrational if a small part of him did think it subconsciously. he has rose colored glasses on all of s2, but like. tory thinking sam is being classist towards her during the beach club scene (even though that's not what happened!) is not insane. if you're born and raised rich, you are privileged. sam is a good person, and she was fortunate to have a very nice life—which robby may have only realized he was bitter about once the rose colored glasses were off. and like you said, tory verbalized it for him. the thought process isn't too hard to follow. "she cheated on me. she stopped writing. she forgot about me. i was nothing to her, just something to be used. she's rich and loved, she's always gotten what she wants. and she has miguel now, so she got what she wanted, and she doesn't even care how i ended up because of it. the spoiled brat." i don't blame him. i just also don't blame sam.

and i also love sam's response there. i didn't want her to grovel. i'm glad she told robby to stand by what he was choosing to do, while at the same time honestly telling him that they needed him to bring everyone together. she knew that robby could be daniel and johnny's common ground, that they could work together because they both love him. it gets me emotional how convinced daniel and sam both are that robby is such a good person in s4.

[bucksdaffy]

https://www.tumblr.com/bucksdaffy/750482450750308352/i-mean-i-think-its-fair-to-ask-what-show-yall?source=share

Okay, let's talk about development. Buddie shippers love to throw shade at Tommy. So, quick question: it's been 5 years now, where is Eddie's character development? Since Season 3, he has been suffering because of his wife and has run away from a new relationship. He's in the same place as in Season 7. The truth is, Buddie shippers don't care about Eddie's character. They see Eddie as an extension of Buck. Buck manages to get some self-improvement. We can see his changes from Season 1 to now. Eddie? They don’t care; they're too worried about karaoke scenes and their only concern is to make Buddie canon

Sorry, that annon got me so nervous

truth be told, the show favours buck, and eddie is often neglected in terms of development. i must admit i actually saw some eddie-leaning bobs express frustration about this early on when it was revealed that a gay eddie arc was under consideration before tim and co ultimately decided on a bi buck storyline. but their voices were pretty drowned out by the constant yapping of how the show could make buddie canon, and now it's hard to see anything else.

i think you're right in saying bobs don't care about eddie as a character. but i'd even go so far as to say they don't care about buck either. superficially? sure because they both are part of the ship they love. but in reality? i wouldn't be so sure about that.

because the thing is they don't seem to think about buck and eddie as separate individuals. they always make one's storyline about the other. there is no buck without eddie and no eddie without buck in their eyes.

when you love a character, i think it's only natural that you want them to be happy. but when you love a ship more, your brain is wired to believe that the only way for them to be happy is if said ship ends up together. i don't want to condemn anyone for their feelings and choices because it's everyone's right to enjoy what they want to enjoy. you can't force anyone to change their view on that. i just wish they admitted they are not actually buck defenders or eddie defenders – they are just full-on buddie shippers, and that's it. don't pretend you care about them as individuals because it's obvious it's not true.

bobs don't care that buck is now in a happy relationship with a man who treats him as his equal, doesn't glorify him, understands what it means to be a firefighter, supports him, and makes an effort to be there for him when he needs him. they don't care that he is good for buck right now. they want tommy gone because he stands in the way of buddie canon (does he really? not the fact that eddie is canonically still very much heterosexual?), and because the audience seems to enjoy him much more than they anticipated. and they don't even care about an amicable break-up anymore – i saw some bobs say they want tommy dead. now you can't tell me you care about buck if you wish for his love interest to die. it's fine if you don't like tommy and if you personally think buck would be happier with someone else. let's agree to disagree and move on. but when you wish to seriously traumatize (one of) your favourite(s) character(s) in order for your ship to become canon? that just shows where your priorities lie, and i can guarantee that most people will disagree with you.

when it comes to eddie, he doesn't have the happiest storyline right now, and hasn't for a while. but if/when in s8 or some later season (provided they get renewed for more) he gets the development he deserves, and finally finds someone who he truly likes (and that someone isn't buck) and treats right, or perhaps decides that being single is fine and lets go of the pressure to be in a romantic relationship, do you think they'll be happy for him? i highly doubt so. they'll still push for buddie canon, not taking into account the individual characters of the story and their needs. what matters is that they get what they want, and everything and everyone else can go to hell.

if that is your stance, i personally think you should just quit watching the show and move to ao3 full-time for your and everyone else's own good. tim and co will not make buddie canon just because you want them to. it has to make sense for both buck and eddie individually first. and right now that is not the case for either of them.